ADMINISTRATION
and Hiraṇyapurabhōga1, and one bhukti, viz., Asibhukti2 which was probably included
in the Pākkaṇa rāshṭra. The bhōgas contained cities, towns and villages3. The names of the
cities and towns generally ended nagara or pura, such as Aśvatthanagara, Pravarapura,
Hirṇayapura, Chandrapura, Padmapura, etc. Sometimes towns were named after the
princes who founded them. Compare Pravarapura founded by Pravarasēna II. The
names of villages ended in grāma (cf. Daṅguṇa-grāma, Śīrshagrāma, Maṇḍuki-grāma,
etc)., khēṭa or khēṭaka (cf. Varadākhēṭa, Aśvatthahēṭaka), vāṭaka (cf. Bōnthikavāṭaka,
Pavarajjavāṭaka, etc) or viraka (cf. Karañjaviraka, Darbhaviraka, etc.). Some territorial
divisions were named after the number of villages included in them. Such was Pravarēśvara-shaḍviṁśati-vāṭaka4. It appears to have been a group of twenty-six villages which
received this name after a shrine of Śiva under the name of Pravarēśvara erected by
Pravarasena I.
...In the earlier records of the Sātavāhanas, geographical names occur in Prakrit. As the
Vākāṭakas adopted Sanskrit for writing their charters, the names of mountains, rivers, towns
and villages are given in that classical language. It is interesting to note that the Sātmālā
range in which the Ajaṇṭā caves are situated is called Sahya-pāda in an inscription at Ajaṇṭā5 In some cases the names of rivers have since been changed quite out of recognition. Thus
the river Umā mentioned in the Jāmb plates is now known as Wannā6. Similarly the
Madhunadī7, on the bank of which the village Charmāṅka (modern Chhammak) was
situated, bears now the name of Chandrabhāgā. The names of the Bēṇṇā8 and the
Hiraṇyā9 mentioned in the Tiroḍī and Waḍgaon plates can, however, still be recognised
in the Waingaṅgā and Ēraī of modern times.
...
The form of government in the Vākāṭaka age was monarchical. The king had
supreme authority which was, however, checked considerably by the dictates of religious
works like the Smṛitis. There is no reference to any Mantri-parīshad or Council of Ministers
in Vākāṭaka grants. It is needless to say that there was no popular assembly also. still,
the rule of kings was not despotic or oppressive to the people. The ideal of a Welfare State
has always been kept before Indian kings by the writers of Smṛitis and Arthaśāstras and it has
also been preached by great Sanskrit poets like Kālidāsa10. Many of the Vākāṭakas must
have attempted to reach it. Our records are unfortunately lacking in details about the ______________
1No. 10, line 16.
2 No. 4, line 13 and No. 5, line 13.
3 Mārga, which is generally translated by ‘a way’, seems also to have denoted a territorial division.
The records of the Śarabhapurīya kings, which use taddhita forms words denoting territorial divisions
(e.g. vaishayika, bhogiya etc.) contain the expression Sundrikā-mārgīya derived from Sundarikā-mārga.
This shows that like vishaya and bhōga, mārga also meant a territorial division. We have several such
divisions in Vākāṭaka grants. See e.g. Sailapura-mārga mentioned in the Belorā plates (Nos. 4 and
5, line 13), Kauśika-mārga in the Ṛiddhapur plates (No. 8, line 12), Gēpuraka-mārga in the
Indore
plates (No. 9, line 8), Varadākhēṭa-mārga, in the paṭṭan plates (No. 13, line 20), Sundhāti-mārga and
Yaśapura-mārga in the Pāṭnā Museum plates (No. 15, lines 2 and 6), Uttara-mārga (which is specifically
mentioned as situated in nāndīkaṭa) in the Bāsim plates (No. 23, line 5) and Uttara-mārga (in Nāṅga
rakaṭaka) in the India Office plate (No. 24, line 1). Mārga corresponds to the territorial division
pathaka mentioned in other records.
4 No. 5, line 14.
5 No. 27, line 23.
6 No. 3, line 17.
7 No. 6, line 18.
8 No. 11, line 13.
9 No. 12, line 1.
10 Cf.प्रजनां विनपाधानाद्रवाणाद्भरणादपि।स पिता पितरस्तासां केवल जग्महेतवः॥Raghuvaṁsa. I, 24.
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