The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c12.148

c12.148

Aśoka seems to have had a chief minister called Amâtya in the Divyâvadâna. The kingdom was divided into a number of provinces, some of which, perhaps the more important ones, were governed by princes of the blood. The Inscriptions refer to four of the provinces. (1) Ujjayinî in Central India, (2) Takṣaśilâ in the North-west, (3) Kaliṅga or Orissâ with its capital at Tosali and (4) Suvarṇagiri probably in the south. From the fact that these were administered by princes and that Aśoka himself had been a provincial governor before his accession to the throne, it may be inferred that royal governors were the rule. The testimony of literature points to the same conclusion. Aśoka’s kingdom might have comprised other provinces. For instance, the Jûnâgaḍh Rock Inscription of Rudradâman seems to show that in Aśoka’s time Girnâr was governed by a Yavana potentate Tushâspa. He was probably a Greek by origin who adopted a Persian name and sought service under the Mauryas.¹ It appears that, as a general rule, the province in which the capital was situated, was governed directly by the king. The practice of appointing prince-viceroys could not be free from danger. But, on the whole, it seems to have worked well. At any rate, it warded off the ever-present risk of provincial assertion of independence, so long as the central authority was strong enough.