Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c4.t3.92

c4.t3.92

One of the powers that he enjoyed was the granting of rewards in the form of villages or towns to persons with whom he was pleased.¹ Sometimes these recipients were the Brāhmaṇas,² but more often, they were the officers of the state³ whose was the greater right, politically speaking. This grant of a village (or villages) meant, of course, the right of the revenue thereof. He had the power of appointing⁴ and deposing⁵ the officers of the state, though their posts were generally hereditary.⁶ It was also in his power to increase or decrease the salaries (vetana) of the officials of the state.⁷