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AN EARLY HISTORY OF ORISSA
I, showing how both Aśoka and Kautilya are at one in giving the city-magistrates the rank of a Mahāmātra. We are, further, told that the Nāgarika stood in the same relation towards a city as the Samāhartā towards a province. Hence, like the province, the town also was divided into four parts or wards, each of which was placed under an officer called Sthānika, while each Sthānika controlled a number of subordinate officers called the Gopas, who were responsible for ten, twenty or forty households. Here, one is to imagine that the city administrators were responsible for the proper discharge of their duties either to the King or to the Kumāra-viceroy or as the case may be, to the Rājuka i. e. Governor.3
In SKE I, Tosali and Samāpā are spoken of as two cities, each placed in the charge of City-Magistrates called Nagara-vyāvahārikas or Nāgaraka-mahāmātras. Thus, the administration of neither of the cities was entrusted to a single officer. The city administrators were many, in the opinion of Dr. Barua, although from the present edict it does not appear whether they had formed one Judiciary (Board) or more. But in both versions of the edict in question, the city administrators are addressed to in their collective capacity, no matter, whether they had belonged to one body or six. To take them as independent would be against the general principle of the Aśokant as well as the Maurya administration which was against reposing full trust in a single person and always thought it safe and wise to provide mutual checks.
1. Mookerji, CGMT, p. 120. fn. 2. 2. Ibid, p. 1:3. 3. Barua. AHI, Vol. I, p. 203. 4. Barua, AHI, Vol. II, pp. 288f, 5. MoCrindle, Ancient India, pp. 86f; Arthasāstra, III, 1; IV, 1..
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