Agrarian Economy During The Mauryas

The establishment of permanent villages played a pivotal role in advancing the agrarian economy. These settlements provided a stable and sustainable resource base, enabling the State to collect taxes effectively. 

• Land tax, which accounted for the majority of revenue, ranged from one-sixth to one-fourth of the agricultural produce.
• Extensive cultivation was undertaken in the Ganges Basin, with efforts also directed toward expanding agriculture in peripheral areas.
• The majority of the population practiced agriculture and resided in villages.
• According to the Arthashastra, shudras were settled on new lands to bring them under cultivation. These settlers were incentivized with fiscal concessions, seeds, and cattle.
• Labour-intensive tasks, such as paddy cultivation, were often performed by prisoners of war.
• Newly cultivated lands were classified as sita lands or crown lands, where the State retained superior rights over cultivation, possession, and sale.

Role of Sita Lands in Strengthening the Mauryan Agrarian Economy

• The cultivation of sita lands was overseen by the Sitaadhyaksa or Superintendent of Agriculture.
• Agriculture in janapada territories was carried out privately, with a variety of crops being grown, including rice, coarse grains (kodrava), sesame, pepper, saffron, pulses, wheat, linseed, mustard, vegetables, fruits, and sugarcane.
• The State managed agricultural farms, cattle farms, and dairy farms, ensuring a robust agrarian base.

Technological and Industrial Advancements in the Mauryan Economy

The Mauryan economy benefited from advanced technology, particularly in the use of iron, which was essential for agriculture.

• Prominent industries included textiles, mining, metallurgy, shipbuilding, jewelry making, metalworking, and pottery.
• These industries were organized into guilds, which provided artisans with protection and resolved disputes. The guilds also had the authority to issue their own coins.
• Mines were primarily state-owned, while other industries operated under private ownership.

Taxation and Revenue Systems in the Mauryan Economy

Taxes were imposed on manufactured goods, and revenue was generated from mines, forests, pasture lands, trade, and forts.

• Individuals unable to pay taxes in cash or kind were required to contribute labor as their due.
• Sharecropping was another means of resource collection, where peasants were provided with seeds, oxen, and arable land. In return, they gave half of their produce to the State.
• Peasants paid pindakara, a tax assessed on a cluster of villages, while artisans received special protection, with strict penalties for offenses against them.
• Taxes such as hiranya (paid in cash) and pranaya (gifts of affection) were collected, with rates varying based on soil fertility. It amounted to 1/3rd or 1/4th of the produce according to the nature of soil. 
• A water cess, as mentioned in the Arthashastra, ranged from one-fifth to one-third of the produce.

Urban Development and Commerce in the Mauryan Economy

The State established towns through durganivesa or durgavidhana, attracting priests, nobles, soldiers, merchants, and artisans.

• Metallic currency became widespread, facilitating cash transactions and enhancing commerce.
• Major trade hubs included Rajagriha in Magadha and Kaushambi near present-day Prayagraj, both situated along critical trade routes by the Ganges and Himalayan foothills.

External Trade and Diplomatic Relations During the Mauryan Empire

The Mauryan Empire maintained robust trade relations with Hellenistic kingdoms in the northwest, initiated by the treaty signed during Chandragupta Maurya’s reign with the Seleucids.

• Diplomatic exchanges continued under Ashoka, who sent emissaries to regions like Syria, Egypt, Macedonia, Cyrene, and Epirus, as referenced in his inscriptions.
• Ashoka also dispatched special ministers to frontier regions to propagate Dhamma and Buddhist teachings.
• The Jatakas highlight caravan traders transporting goods to distant locations, with major trade routes passing through northwest India into West and Central Asia.

Trade and Economic Hubs of the Mauryan Empire

The foothills of the Himalayas, included in the Mauryan Empire, fostered close connections with modern-day Nepal. Historical accounts suggest that one of Ashoka’s daughters married a nobleman from Nepal.

• Pataliputra, the Mauryan capital, was well-connected by roads to various parts of India, including Taxila in the northwest, from where goods were exported to Central Asia.
• Key exports included indigo, medicinal herbs, cotton, and silk. Trade was conducted via both land and sea routes, referred to as Vanikpatha.

Significance of Currency and Trade in the Prosperity of the Mauryan Economy

Antiochus I, in collaboration with Seleucus, issued coins following Indian standards rather than the Attic system, underscoring the prominence of the Mauryan economy on a global scale.