a. Mauryan Economy:

The most important feature of the Mauryan economy was the state supervision and interference in every economic activity. But in the pre-Mauryan period there is no evidence of such state intervention. State primarily restricted its functions in the protection of the life and property of its subjects.

Another important aspect of the Mauryan economy was to extract revenue from different economic activities. In fact, the Mauryas were the first to extract wealth by a network of administrative officers.

It has been clearly pointed out by Kautilya in his Arthasastra that it is through the collection of revenue that royal treasury is filled. And a treasury full of wealth was essential for the success of the king.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

b. Nature of State-control:

Under the Mauryas there was total state intervention ir. the economic functions. This has been referred Lo in Kautilya’s Arthasastra.

First, i.i the land owned by the king the cultivation was supervised by the government officials directly. Second, people were sometimes shifted from the populated area to the new settlements for reclamation of the fallow lands. Thus new