Espionage, Military Administration, Aaoka's Reforms

Espionage Espionage had an important role in making Mauryan administration effiqent. The espionage depart­ment worked under Mahamatyapasurpa. There were two
types of spies: sanstha and sanchara. Spies belonging to the sanstha category worked in a fixed area. These spies were known as grihapatika, vaidehika, tapasha, udasthiti and karyatika. The sanchara spies worked in disguise. Male spies were known as santi, tishna and sarad, while female spies were called vrishali, bhikshuki and parivarjaki.

According to both Megasthenese and Kautilya, next to the army the spies were the chief support of the king.

Military Administration The Mauryas kept a large and powerful army. Pliny, who based his statement on Megasthenese, put the strength of Chandragupta's force at 6,00,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry and 9,000 elephants. The administration of the army was also looked after by six departments with five members. each. These departments were admiralty, transport, infantry, cavalry, war-chariots, and war-elephants.

Aaoka's Reforms The basic structure of administration as established by Chandragupta was retained by Asoka. However, he ordered rajukas, yuktas and mahamatras to remain on constant tour within their administrative areas with a view to keeping watch on their subordinate officials so that they did not fail in their duty of providing justice and seeing to the welfare of the people. He also appointed new classes of officers called dharma-yuktas, dharma­mahamatras and stri-adhyaksha-mahamatras. Their primary duty was to make efforts for the moral and spiritual uplift of the subjects. Also, the rajukas were given judicial power so that the people could have easy and convenient access to justice. Asoka also decided that people would be treated as equals before law.