Sitadhyaksha
Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The sitadhyaksha was the superintendent of crown agriculture in Kautilya's Arthashastra. He managed sita lands, which were farms owned directly by the state, not by villagers. He arranged seeds, ploughs, workers and the timing of sowing. These lands were farmed by slaves, hired labourers and prisoners. Some plots were also given to sharecroppers, who farmed them in return for a share of the crop. The post shows that the Mauryan state did not just tax farmers; it also ran its own farms to earn income.
Example
The Arthashastra lists crops such as rice, pulses, wheat, linseed, mustard and sugarcane. On sita land, the sitadhyaksha would decide which of these to sow. The harvest went straight to the state's stores.
Don't confuse with
- Samaharta: the chief revenue collector for the whole kingdom. The sitadhyaksha ran only the state's own farms.
Related concepts
- Arthashastra
- Saptanga theory
- Kautilya's welfare principle
- Mantriparishad
- Samaharta and Sannidhata
- Mandala theory