Mauryas – Time of Ashoka
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Ashoka and Buddhism
- Ashoka became a Buddhist in his 9th regnal year, after the Kalinga war
- According to the Roopnath Insecription, he started visiting Buddhist sangha
- According to the VIII rock edict, he visited Samodhi (Gaya) and became Sambodhi
- In his 20th or 21st regnal year, he visited Lumbinigram and the Buddha Kanakmuni stupa was enlarged
- According to Ceylonese chronicle, he was converted to Buddhism by Nigrodh-a-7-year-old boy, but according to Divyadana Upgupta converted him
- In the Bhabru edict, he openly confessed that he has faith in the Buddhist Dharma and Sangha.
Army of Ashoka
- The six branches of Army are
- Infantry
- Cavalry
- Elephants
- Chariots
- Transport
- Admiral of the fleet
- Chanakya has mentioned only four wings Chautur-Agobla
- Infantry
- Cavalry
- Chariots
- Elephants
- He mentioned that each was under a commander
- Arthashastra has also mentioned about medical services to the Army.
- Kautily a classifies has classified the troops into three categories:-
- Hereditary troop
- Hired troop
- Soldiers belonging to the corporations
- The hereditary troop constitutes the standing army of the king and did probably Magasthenes refer to the troops in describing the fifth class in the soldiers
- Megasthenes says that numerically they were the second
- The officers and the soldiers were paid in cash.
Espionage (Spy)
- The main task of the spice were:-
- Keeping an eye on the ministers
- Reporting on government officials
- Collecting impressions regarding the feeling of citizens
- Know the secret of foreign rulers
- For this they adopted various disguise like ascetics student, house holders, merchants, mendicant women prostitute etc
- Kautilya said that the spice were organized through the ‘Institutions of espionage’
- He also divided them into Sansthan (stationary) and Sanchari (wansering)
- Serpant charmers, acrobats and many other professionals were engaged on a part time or full time basis
- The spice were both male and female
- Barber, astrologers, peasants, prostitutes, all were recruited
- Arthashastra also mentions a special kind of spy- ‘star’ - an orphan trained form the childhood for this work.
- The spice reported to the king directly.
- There reference of spices sent to the foreign countries.
Judiciary at Time of Ashoka
- The lowest was Grama
- On 10 villages, was a Sangrahan
- On 400 villages there was a court called Dronamukha
- On 800 villages there was a court called Sthaniya
- City Judiciary was Vyavharika Mahamatta
- Diwani Court was related to revenue and was called Dharmasthaiya
- Jurisdiction in the rural areas was conducted by the Rajuka
- This information is given by the 5th Pillar Edict
- Jurisdiction in the cities was carried out by the mahamattas specially appointed for this purpose (according to the 1st Separate Edict)
- The Rajukas had control over the problem related to the agriculture and land disputes
- Arthashastra has mentioned about two types of courts
- Dharmasthiya – decided about the personal disputes
- Kantakasodhana – decides matters related to individuals and state like conduct of works, murder, theft etc.
- In the civil cases, the Hindu code of law as described in the ‘Shastras’ was administred.
- The source of law, according to Arthashastra were
- Dharma
- Vyavhara – current loyal codes
- Charitra – customs
- Rajasano – the royal decree
- The king was the upholder of the Dharma and held the supreme judicial power
- The cases were decided by a body of abritrators with a system of appeal to the king
- Punishment was largely in the form of fines
- Those who could not pay, were permitted to sell them bondage
- Capital punishment was also practiced
- Despite being a Buddhist, Ashoka did not abolish death penalty.
Ashokan Inscriptions
Pillar Inscriptions: There 7 Pillar Edicts
- Lauriya – Araraj: Champaran district of Bihar
- Lauriya – Nandagarh: Champaran district of Bihar
- Rampurva: Champaran district of Bihar
- Nigali Sagar In Tarai region in Nepal
- Sarnath: Banaras
- Topra – near modern Peshawar but shifted to Delhi
- Merrut – in Delhi, (at) PresentFiroz Shah Tughlaq transferred Topra and Merrut pillar inscriptions to Delhi.