Early History of Orissa

SR No.: 006922
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Amarchand Mittal
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society
Publication Year: 1957
Total Pages: 506
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 9 MB

Page 228

ADMINISTRATION OF KALINGA
203
In SKE I, Aśoka reprimands the Nāgarakas for certain high-handed and rash actions on their part, such as sudden arrest, coercion and imprisonment, and takes steps to stop these evils. According to the Arthaśāstra,' it was one of the main duties of a Nāgaraka to try to detect internal thieves inside a fortified town, while the duty of a Pradeshțri consisted in detecting and bringing to book the thieves with the help of the Sthānikas and the Gopas. The designation Vyāvahārika, in the opinion of Dr. Barua,' does not necessarily imply that the duties of a Nāgaraka-mahā. mātra was confined to those of Presidency and Police Magistrates. Presumably, the duties assigned to them embraced all administrative affairs of a city, including the municipal duties. Thus, they were not, except in their collective capacity, members of a single judiciary or magistracy.
As regards thefts, Strabo3 writes—“Megasthenes, who was in the camp of Sandrokottos (Chandragupta Maurya) which consisted of four hundred thousand men, says that he found that the thefts reported on any one day did not exceed the value of 200 Drachmai i. e. about one hundred rupees.” FOREST ADMINISTRATION
The Kautilya Arthaśāstra4 broadly distinguishes between the Reserve forests (Vana) and the Wild Tracts (Afavī). The former i. e. Reserve forests were again subdivided into Games forests, Elephants forests and Produce forests. The latter viz., the Wild tracts denoted such forest regions as were inhabited by predatory tribes or used
1. IV, 6. 2. AHI, Vol. I, p. 204. 3. XV, 1, 53. 4. II, 2.
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