Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c9.140

c9.140

**Conservator of Forests (*Kupyādhyaksha*)** [II. 17]. There was a Superintendent in charge of State Forests and forest-products (called *Kupyādhyaksha*). He was to collect timber and other woods by employing the Forestguards (*Vanapāla*) and supervised the manufacture of works of wood (‘such as houses, carts and the like’). He was to employ on wages (*vetana*) foresters who knew intimately all parts of trees, top, trunk, branches, roots (*vṛikshamarmajña*) so as to decide which part might be cut off without damage to the tree for purposes, say, of fortifications (*durga-tāraṇārthe*). Wood-cutting against instructions was punishable except against emergencies where wood was required e.g., for a cart that broke down (*anyatra āpadbhyaḥ* as explained by the Commentator).