Provincial, Divisional, District and Town Administrations – Ancient India
Chapter – 10
- Understanding the scheme of territorial divisions in ancient India is essential before examining provincial, divisional, and district administration.
- There was no uniformity in territorial divisions; variations existed due to differences in population, fertility, and political causes.
- Small feudatories annexed to empires typically formed separate, smaller districts, while frontier districts could grow larger through encroachment and expansion.
- The importance of a place could lead to the inclusion of a larger number of villages; for instance, Karhāțaka district in Maharashtra had 4,000 villages in 768 A.D. but increased to 10,000 by 1054 A.D.
- Smaller kingdoms like the Pallavas, Vākāṭakas, and Gahadwals had fewer territorial divisions, primarily referencing districts (vishaya or rashtra).
- The Mauryan Empire had a complex administrative structure similar to modern Indian divisions, consisting of provinces that were often as large as those today.
- Each province was divided into Divisions, ruled by heads akin to modern Commissioners, overseeing several lakhs of people.
- Divisions were further subdivided into districts (vishayas), which were broken down into subdivisions called pathakas, pethas, or bhuktis, containing 10 to 40 villages each.
- Ancient Indian history spans centuries, resulting in non-uniformity in the nomenclature of territorial and administrative divisions across various kingdoms and time periods.
- Bhukti could refer to a smaller administrative division in the Deccan and Central Provinces, but in northern India under the Guptas and Pratīhāras, it could denote a unit comparable to a modern Commissioner’s Division.
- Under the Rashtrakūtas, Pratishthänabhukti had 12 villages and Koppārakabhukti had 50 villages, whereas under the Guptas, Pundravardhanabhukti included districts like Dinajpur, Bogra, and Rajshahi.
- The Magadhabhukti comprised districts like Gaya and Pāțaliputra; Śrāvastībhukti covered several districts in northern U.P.
- The term rashtra denoted a kingdom in literature but referred to a Commissioner’s Division under the Rashtrakūtas.
- In South India, under Pallava, Kadamba, and Sālańkāyana administrations, rashtra typically indicated a district or Tehsil.
- Some terms were used loosely; for example, one Rashtrakūța document called Nasik a vishaya, while another termed it a deśa 29 years later.
- Caution is advised when inferring the extent of administrative divisions based solely on their names, as the meanings and sizes varied significantly over time and location.