Agriculture and Land Revenue in the Mauryan Empire

1.1 What was the main land tax?

Bhaga means a share of the crop that a farmer paid to the king. Think of it as rent paid in grain, not in coins.

If a field gave 60 sacks of grain, a one-sixth share would be 10 sacks.

The Arthashastra lists it among the income of the “country parts”, next to produce from the king’s own land. It also lists a tax of one-sixth of the produce, called shadbhaga.

1.2 What did farmers pay for water?

Water was a big cost, so the Arthashastra set a water-rate, called udakabhaga. The rate depended on how the field was watered.

Cultivators who watered by hand paid one-fifth of the produce. Those who used water-lifts paid one-third. So the rule was not one flat share for every field.

1.3 What does the Junagadh inscription say about Bhaga?

A stone record from the Saka age also names Bhaga. It says the ruler’s treasury was filled through three dues. These were bali (a tribute from the subjects), sulka (ferry dues and tolls) and bhaga. INFLIBNET explains Bhaga there as the royal share, generally one-sixth of the produce.

2.1 What was Sita land?

Sita was the king’s own farmland, also called crown land. Its produce was also called sita. A senior officer, the Superintendent of Agriculture (Sitadhyaksha), ran it. He collected seeds of all kinds of grain, flowers, fruits and vegetables. He also had to provide ploughs and bullocks on time.

2.2 Who worked on it?

The Superintendent used slaves, hired labourers and prisoners to sow the crown lands.

Fields left unsown could go to cultivators who paid half the crop. Others, who lived by their own effort, could farm such land for a smaller share, such as one-fifth. So the state ran several kinds of labour side by side.

3.1 Who built it?

Sudarshana Lake was a dam and reservoir near Girnar in Gujarat. The Junagadh inscription says Pushyagupta built it. He was a governor under Chandragupta Maurya. Later, under Ashoka, a governor named Tushaspha added water channels.

A reservoir stores rain. Channels then carry that water to fields, so farmers can irrigate later.

3.2 What did Rudradaman do?

In the winter of Saka year 72 (about 150 CE), a terrible storm tore a huge breach in the embankment. It was 420 cubits long and wide and 75 cubits deep.

The Saka ruler Rudradaman I had the dam rebuilt. His minister Suvisakha did the work. The text says people were not burdened by taxes or forced labour.

3.3 What is special about the inscription?

The inscription is cut in Brahmi script. It is the first prasasti, or praise-poem, in classical Sanskrit prose. It stands on the same rock as Ashoka’s Major Rock Edicts. It is dated to Saka year 72, which is 150-51 CE.

3.4 Which burdens did the repair avoid?

The inscription says the repair did not oppress the people. It avoided three burdens. Kara was a periodic tax. Vishti was forced labour. Pranaya was a one-time “benevolence” tax. Such extra levies could be raised for public works, so avoiding them was worth boasting about.

3.5 Was the dam repaired again?

Yes. A later inscription of the Gupta king Skandagupta is on the same rock. It says the embankment burst in Gupta year 136. Chakrapalita, the governor of Junagadh and son of governor Parnadatta, repaired it the next year.

4.1 What did Ashoka give Lumbini?

Lumbini is the Buddha’s birthplace. The pillar there records a visit by Ashoka in the twentieth year after his consecration. It says the village was made free from taxes. It would owe only one-eighth of the produce. This is a rare named example of Mauryan tax policy.

4.2 What should you remember?

• Bhaga was a share of the crop. The Arthashastra also names a one-sixth tax (shadbhaga).
• Udakabhaga was a water-rate. It depended on how the field was watered.
• Sita was crown land run by the Superintendent of Agriculture.
• Sudarshana Lake was repaired under the Mauryas, Rudradaman and the Guptas.
• Lumbini paid only one-eighth after Ashoka’s visit.

What does the Junagadh inscription say?

The answer is (b). Only statement 2 is correct. The script is Brahmi, the language is Sanskrit, and the date is Saka year 72. See INFLIBNET.

Which inscription is the first in chaste Sanskrit?

The answer is (b). The Girnar inscription is also called the Junagadh inscription. See INFLIBNET.

Who is named in the Girnar inscription?

The answer is (b). Rudradaman I repaired the lake. See INFLIBNET.