Mauryan Administration:

• Indica by Megasthenes and Arthashashtra by Kautilya throws valuable light on the administration, society and economy of Maurya times.
• Chandragupta Maurya was evidently an autocrat who concentrated all power in his hands. A statement in the Arthashastra mentioned that the king had set a high ideal.
• The empire was divided into a number of provinces, and each of these was placed under a prince who was a scion of the royal dynasty. o The provinces were divided into still smaller units, and arrangements were made for both rural and urban administration.
• Megasthenes states that numerous cities existed in India, but he considered Pataliputra to be the most important.
• The city was administered by six committees, each of which consisted of five members.
• These committees were entrusted with sanitation, care of foreigners, registration of birth and death, regulation of weights and measures, and similar other functions.