Samaharta and Sannidhata
Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The samaharta and sannidhata were two top money officers described in Kautilya's Arthashastra. The samaharta was the chief collector of revenue. He gathered taxes and other income from land, mines, forests, trade and towns. The sannidhata was the chief treasurer and keeper of stores. He looked after the treasury, the granaries and the warehouses where the state kept its wealth. One brought money and goods in, and the other kept them safe. Together they ran the kosha (treasury), one of the seven limbs of the state.
Example
In the Mauryan Empire, the basic land tax was usually one-sixth of the crop. In the Arthashastra's plan, the samaharta's officials would collect this share, and the sannidhata would store the grain and money in state granaries and the treasury.
Don't confuse with
- Sitadhyaksha: the superintendent of state farms. He managed land the state farmed itself. He did not collect revenue from the whole kingdom or guard the treasury.
Related concepts
- Arthashastra
- Saptanga theory
- Kautilya's welfare principle
- Mantriparishad
- Sitadhyaksha
- Mandala theory