Mantriparishad
Also called: Council of ministers · Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 5 "State and Society up to 1000 CE"
Meaning
The mantriparishad was a council of ministers that advised the king in the Mauryan Empire and in later Indian states. It was made up of senior, experienced statesmen. It usually included the treasurer, the chief tax collector, the chief legal adviser and the commander-in-chief of the army. The idea behind it is the saying "one wheel does not move the carriage": a king cannot rule well alone. The council could even act on its own when needed, so it was more than a group that only gave advice.
Example
One of Ashoka's inscriptions (3rd century BCE) shows the council taking decisions for the public good while the emperor was away. This shows it had real power within the Mauryan system.
Don't confuse with
- Amatya: one of the seven limbs of the state in the Arthashastra. It covers all councillors, ministers and high officials in general. The mantriparishad is the specific top council.
Related concepts
- Arthashastra
- Saptanga theory
- Kautilya's welfare principle
- Samaharta and Sannidhata
- Sitadhyaksha
- Mandala theory