Life of the People in the Mauryan Empire

1.1 Who was Megasthenes?

Megasthenes was a Greek envoy sent to the court of Chandragupta Maurya at Pataliputra. He wrote a book called Indica about what he saw.

The book is lost. Later Greek writers, such as Strabo and Arrian, copied parts of it. So we read Megasthenes second-hand.

1.2 What does archaeology add?

Digs at Kumrahar, Bulandibagh, Taxila, Mathura and Bhita found many objects that show city life. Viharas, stupas and Ashokan pillars add to this evidence.

2.1 How big was it?

Megasthenes says the city lay where the Ganges meets another river. It was 80 stades long and 15 stades wide. A stade is an old Greek unit of length, a little under 200 metres. So the city was a long, narrow strip along the river.

2.2 How was it defended?

A wooden wall ran round the city. It had loopholes for archers. A ditch about 30 cubits deep lay in front. It also carried away the city’s sewage. A later writer, Arrian, adds 570 towers and 64 gates.

Excavations have brought parts of the wooden wall to light. That matches what Megasthenes wrote.

3.1 What did the city officers do?

Megasthenes says the city was run by six boards. Each board had five members. Together they were 30 officers.

• One board looked after crafts and trades.
• One looked after foreigners.
• One recorded births and deaths.
• One watched sales and barter, and checked weights and measures.
• One checked goods made by artisans. New goods were sold apart from old goods.
• One collected a tenth of the price of goods sold.

Stealing the tax was punished by death. All six boards also worked together on public works, prices, markets and harbours.

3.2 Who ran the army?

The military was run the same way. It had six boards of five. They looked after the navy, ox-teams, infantry, horses, chariots and elephants.

4.1 What were the seven groups?

Megasthenes split Indian society into seven groups. Strabo records them.

• Philosophers. First in honour but fewest in number. They led sacrifices and met the king at a yearly gathering.
• Farmers. The most numerous and most respected group. They were exempt from military service. The land belonged to the king. Farmers paid a rent and a fourth of the produce.
• Shepherds and hunters. Only they could hunt or breed cattle. They cleared the land of wild beasts and birds that ate seed. In return, the king gave them grain.
• Artisans, traders and labourers. Some paid a tribute to the state. Armour-makers and ship-builders worked only for the king, who paid them wages and food.
• Warriors. When not at war, they lived at ease. The king paid for their upkeep.
• Inspectors. They watched what happened and reported in secret to the king.
• Councillors. They advised the king and held top offices and judgeships.

4.2 Could people change their work?

Megasthenes says a man could not marry into another group or change his trade. The one exception was a philosopher. He could move between pursuits.

These were work-based groups. They are not the same as the later system of jatis. Keep that difference in mind for the exam.

4.3 Who owned horses and elephants?

Horses and elephants belonged to the king. No private person could keep either. This was a royal privilege.

5.1 Was there slavery?

Megasthenes says no Indian was a slave. He compared this with Sparta, where helots were enslaved. But another Greek, Onesicritus, says slavery did exist among the Indians in the land of Musicanus. So the Greek reports disagree, and historians treat the claim with care.

5.2 Who were the Brachmanes and Garmanes?

Megasthenes divided the philosophers into two kinds. The Brachmanes were held in higher repute. The Garmanes included the Hylobii, who lived in forests on leaves and wild fruit and wore tree bark.

5.3 What should you remember?

• Megasthenes wrote Indica. It survives only in quotes by later Greek writers.
• Pataliputra was 80 stades long and 15 wide, with a wooden wall and a ditch.
• Six boards of five ran the city. Six more ran the army.
• Society had seven work-based groups.
• Slavery: Megasthenes denied it; Onesicritus did not.

Which sites are linked to Pataliputra?

The answer is (c). Kumrahar and Bulandibagh are both named among the Mauryan sites. See INFLIBNET.