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Polity and Administration
175
10. Pratihāras : (Chamberlains). Because they attended the gate of the royal palace so they are called Rājadvāḥ (1.116). According to A.K. Majumdar, "they were provincial officials though sometimes they might have acted as chamberlains. But Hemacandra has used the word directly in the sense of a 'Chamberlain'.
11. Vetrin : He is usually a gate-keeper having a vetra stick in his hand (VI.16). He is called “Arthasauņda" i.e. cxpert in meaning or expert in collecting money through bribe.
Spies and intruders : Spies and balds were sent to other territories by the king. Balds eulogized and propagated the virtues of the king while spies collected the information and communicated it to the king (VIII.45). Intruders were sent to disturb the administrative arrangements and create a chaos there. The spies changed their dress and identity and made breakages also. Such spies are called 'Nagaraghātas' (XI.48). These spies dressed themselves as sage and lied by the road-side to collect secrets (XVI.9; XVI.16). Sometimes, kings went out themselves in secrecy to observe the administration and the attitude of public towards them. Jayasimha went out only with this purpose (XIII.5). They observed not only the public attitude but also the activities of the spies engaged for detective purposes (XIII.II).
Wages : Wages to army were given both in the form of cows and coins (Nişkas, XVIII.88).
Imprisonment : Prisoners were left at the time of the birth of a prince (VII.17; X1.35). The name of a rigorous punishment is Krauñcabandha. (XIV.16). Some of the kings put their foot on the heads of the king arrested as the latter bowed down his head to the feet of the former. Grāparipu is mentioed performing this action (11.85).
1. Majumdar, A.K. op. cit. p.229,
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