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Home / IAS Preparation / Maratha Administration

Maratha Administration: Central, Provincial, Local, Military And Revenue Administration!

Last Updated on Nov 26, 2024
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A key event in the history of the Deccan was the development of Maratha's dominance. Throughout the 18th century, the early modern Indian confederation known as the Maratha Empire grew to control a sizable portion of the Indian subcontinent. Shivaji of the Bhonsle Dynasty was crowned the Chhatrapati in 1674, marking the official start of Maratha power.

"Maratha administration" refers to the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his successors over a kingdom. Chanakya's well-established concepts of Indian statecraft served as the foundation for the Maratha administration, incorporating some novel elements.

The Mughals' and the Deccani states' administrative structures significantly influenced the Marathas' system of government.

In this article, we will explore the features of the Maratha Administration. This forms a significant part of the UPSC IAS exam, and questions related to this topic are seen in Prelims, UPSC Mains Paper I, and UPSC History Optional. This topic is equally essential for the UGC NET History exam, as 5-6 questions are asked every year about the political history of India.

Learn About the Emergence of Regional Powers in the 18th Century with Testbook!

Central Administration

The king was in charge of everything. Eight departments commanded by ministers, also known as Ashta pradhan, made up the Maratha administration. 

  • Peshwa, one of the eight ministers, was in charge of the finances and overall Maratha administration. The Senapati, or military commander, was known as Sari-Naubat under the ministers.
  • Majumdar was in charge of the accounting. 
  • Waqai Navis was in charge of the post, intelligence, and domestic issues. 
  • Surnavis or Chitnis handled correspondence for the government.
  • Dabir handled international issues. 
  • Nyayadhish was in charge of justice.
  • Pandit Rao was in charge of religious matters.

Shivaji did not design the Ashtapradhan. Several of these officers were also present under the tenure of the Deccani kings. With the exception of Pandit Rao and Nyaydhish, all of the astha pradhan's members were requested to oversee military operations. These positions were neither hereditary nor permanent under the administration of Shivaji maharaj. They maintained their positions at the king's pleasure. They have also moved around a lot. Eight assistants were assigned to each ashta pradhan.

The diplomatic correspondences were handled by Chitnis, who also drafted all royal letters. The Fadnis used to reply to letters from fort commanders. The royal treasury's income and expenses were managed by the potnis.

Also, Read Battle of Wadgaon 1779

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Provincial and Local Administration

The Deccani and Mughal systems were also used to organise the provincial government.

  • Under the Deccani kings, every provincial subdivision was already in place. Shivaji rearranged them and, in some cases, changed their names. Provinces were referred to as Prants. Subedar was in command of the Prants. There were Sarsubedar to manage and oversee the activities of the subedar over a number of them. 
  • Tarfs, which had a havaldar as their leader, were smaller than prants. The next level of administrative subdivisions was the villages or mauzas. Kulkarni used to manage finances and keep records at the village level, while Patil handled legal and law enforcement matters.
  • Deshpande used to keep accounts and keep records at the Pargana level, whereas Deshmukh had legal and policing authority. The policeman was known as Kotwal in urban areas and Faujdar in rural areas. The Maratha polity lacked a uniform system of civilian and military rank. 
  • The Marathas' central bureaucracy and local government were run by performance-based Brahmin elites. They were known as Kamvishdar in this capacity and had extensive tax assessment and collection authority. They decided cases, gave information about the environment, and maintained records. The British District Collector was later based solely on this Maratha administration.

Read Here First Anglo Maratha War (1775 - 1782)

Revenue Administration

The Jagirdari System was replaced by the Ryotwari System by Shivaji, who also made adjustments to the roles of the hereditary revenue officials known as Deshmukhs, Deshpande, Patils, and Kulkarnis.

  • The hereditary landowners known as Mirasdars were under the rigorous control of Shivaji.
  • The revenue system was similar to Malik Amber's Kathi system. This approach required Rod or Kathi to measure each plot of land.
  • Taxes made up a large amount of the state's income. Land tax, other local taxes, and customs duties were the main sources of state funding. The land tax was referred to as "Ata" in Maharashtra. The majority of the time, farmers and peasants paid it directly to the state, which levied it in cash. Depending on the villages' level of prosperity, different Maratha villages had different land tax rates. 
  • Peasants who could not pay their taxes in cash had to pay an equivalent amount of produce from their property in order to avoid paying heavy taxes. During Chhatrapati Rajaram's rule, the tax rate rose, while during Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje's, it fell. Under the Maratha administration, the "Lagad" occupation tax was cut in half.
  • Other sources of income included Chauth and Sardeshmukhi. Chauth, which is equal to 1/4th of the standard, was paid to the Marathas to prevent Shivaji's armies from pillaging or attacking non-Maratha lands. A 10 per cent supplementary fee known as sardeshmukhi was levied against territories outside the kingdom.

Also, Read Feudal Model with Testbook.

Military Administration

Shivaji set up a well-mannered and effective army. The large chief and military commander were compensated by jagir grants, while the regular soldiers were paid in cash (Saranjam or Mokasa).

  • Regular salaries were paid to the soldiers. The army was divided into four divisions: artillery, infantry, cavalry, and an elephant corps. Even though the soldiers were skilled at guerrilla tactics, they later received conventional warfare training. Regiments, brigades, and divisions were used to organise the infantry. 
  • A Naik led the smallest unit, which had nine men (corporal). One havildar was assigned to each regiment of 25 horsemen (equivalent to the rank of a sergeant). 
  • Over ten jamaldars were placed under one Hazari, while over five havildars were placed under one jamaladar. The head of the cavalry was Sari Naubat. The bargirs and shiledars were the two classes that made up the cavalry. There were also farriers and water bearers.
  • The Marathas State's army served as a powerful tool for enforcing its laws, where speed of movement was crucial. The army only has a break during the rainy season; otherwise, they go on expeditions the rest of the year.
  • Pindaries were permitted to follow the army as they collected "Pal-Patti," or 25% of the spoils of battle.

Read Here Deccan Kingdoms Art And Architecture.

Judicial Administration

It was a primitive system of judicial administration. Regular courts and processes did not exist. In the villages, the panchayats conducted business. The system of trials was widespread. The Patels presided over criminal proceedings. Under the direction of the smritis, the Nyayadhish (chief justice) heard appeals in both civil and criminal cases. The last appellate court was Hazir Majlim.

Also, Read Left Wing Movement In India.

Chauth and Sardeshmukhi

A tax or tribute was levied by the Maratha administration in India starting in the early eighteenth century. Chauth, which is Sanskrit for "one-fourth," means "tax." The name comes from the initial 25% revenue or output tax rate.

  • In the later seventeenth century, Shivaji claimed to have the authority to assess and collect this levy on the fictitious grounds that his family had been Maharashtra's traditional tax collectors. The sardeshmukhi was a 10% surcharge in addition to the chauth. The taxes known as Chauth and Sardeshmukhi were instead levied in the neighbouring Mughal Empire or Deccan Sultanates rather than the Maratha state.
  • In order to stop the Maratha raids, the Marathas received Chauth, which made up one-fourth of their land revenue. Sardeshmukhi was an additional 10% fee placed on the estates over which the Marathas asserted inherited ownership. Shivaji employed the Sardeshmukhi and the Chauth to pry open the enemy nation's treasure chests.
  • Shivaji probably wasn't aware of the plundering expeditions of Muhammad Ghori or Mahmud of Ghazni, but he adopted the Mahomedan philosophy of ransacking rival nations. For the purpose of pillaging the rival nation, the army of Bijapur consistently kept 8,000 troops on duty. In order to acquire money to sustain a sizable army, Shivaji adopted this strategy and regularly plundered the enemy nation each year.
  • It was only logical to impose an impost in place of plunder, and Shivaji accepted and expanded this practise of demanding Chauth, or a quarter of the revenue, in exchange for a plunder exemption. Chauth exaction implied some degree of subordination on the part of the region that paid it, but it did not imply any dependence on the power that received it.
  • Nonetheless, there are situations when a powerful state will compensate a plundering group for refraining from plundering, such as the British paid Pathan tribes subsidies for refraining from plundering British territory.

Read Here Independence and Partition of India.

Conclusion

The Peshwas brought about a centralisation of the Maratha administration, which was largely a commercial and land-based administration. Profit motive and tax collection served as the Maratha administration's primary driving forces. During the administrative system of Shivaji, Western ideas started to permeate the system, and under Chhatrapati Rajaram, this process accelerated. This system was also adopted by the Peshwas, who improved it by establishing a code of merit as a standard for hiring, promoting, and transferring employees. A number of competent administrators who took advantage of the chance to showcase their abilities also handled the Maratha administration.

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More Articles for IAS Preparation

Maratha Administration FAQs

Under the Maratha empire, a system of ministerial representation was known as Ashta Pradhan.

The Kamavisdar was an important representative who oversaw the Peshwas' tax collection efforts.

Moropant Pingle, who was chosen by Shivaji Maharaja to lead the Ashta Pradhan, was the first Peshwa.

The founder of the Maratha kingdom, Shivaji, was a Bhosale clan Maratha aristocrat.

The hub of the Maratha administration was the central secretariat, also known as the Huzur Dajtar or Peshwa's Secretariat.
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