Answer:
The Mauryan administration is considered as one of the best in ancient times. There was political stability which resulted in an era of economic development, social harmony, religious tolerance, spread of knowledge and progress in the sciences. Pataliputra was the capital city. The capital and the surrounding areas were under the control of the central government with the emperor as the supreme head. He was also the supreme head of the army and the chief justice of the kingdom. He utilized the services of a council of ministers, princes and officials called mahamatras to run the administration. The empire was divided into four provinces. These were Tosali in the east, Ujjain in the west, Suvamagiri in the south and Taxila in the north. These provinces were ruled by royal princes sent as governors. Though, they were under the control of the centre, they exercised some autonomy. The emperor collected tribute from the areas between the provinces. They made use of the available resources and exercised control over the roads and rivers. The densely forested regions were the homes of tribals. They functioned independently, but paid tribute to the emperor in kind. The Arthashastra tells us that land revenue was the major source of income for the state. Special officers were appointed to collect tax. All farmers had to give a certain amount of crops grown as tax. The people also paid sales tax and water tax. The taxes collected enabled the emperor to build a strong empire. The system of justice was well organized. The emperor was strict and gave harsh punishments. So law and order prevailed in the empire. The Mauryan king maintained a large and well equipped army. There was a developed spy system to keep a watch over the ministers, provincial governors and other officials. The spies included women also.
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