Administrative System of the Marathas c8.s3.37

c8.s3.37

Though we do not know precisely when the Ashta Pradhan Council came into being, yet we have a fairly accurate knowledge of what was expected of the pradhans. In a paper³³ already referred to, their duties have been clearly defined. From this and other state papers, it does not appear that Shivaji aimed at a bureaucratic form of government. A great Maharashtra scholar, the late Justice Ranade, has thrown clear hints that the Ashta Pradhan Council, in its essential characteristics, bore a striking resemblance to the Viceroy's Executive Council. Says the great savant, "The *Peshwa* was Prime Minister, next to the king and was at the head of both the civil and military administrations, and sat first on the right hand below the throne. The *Senapati* was in charge of the military administration, and sat first on the left side. *Amatya* and *Sachiv* sat next to the *Peshwa*, while the *Mantri* sat next below the *Sachiv* and was in charge of the king's private affairs. The *Sumant* was Foreign Secretary, and sat below the *Senapati* on the left. Next came *Panditrao*, who had charge of the ecclesiastical department, and below him on the left side sat the Chief Justice. It will be seen from these details that the Ashta Pradhan system has its counterpart in the present constitution of the Government of India. The Governor-General and Viceroy occupies the place of the *Peshwa*; next comes the Commander-in-Chief of the army. The Finance and Foreign Ministers come next. In the Government of India, the Executive Council makes no room for the head of the ecclesiastical department, or for the Chief Justice on one side and the Private Secretary on the other, and in their place sit the Member in Charge of the Home Department, the Legal Member, and the Public Works Minister. These variations are due to the difference of circumstances, but the conception which lies at the bottom of both systems is the same of having a council of the highest officers of the State, sitting together to assist the king in the proper discharge of his duties.³⁴