Describe the administration of Shivaji.

Ans. Shivaji was a great conqueror as well as an excellent administrator. Shivaji’s kingdom stretched from Dharmapur in the north to Karwar in the south, Baglana in the east, half of Nasik, districts of Pune, Satara and large parts of Kolhapur and up to western Karnataka. For administrative convenience, he divided his entire kingdom into four parts. Three had separate subedars and the fourth was under him. 

The details of his administrative system can be described as follows:  

Central Administration:

The head of the entire administration was Shivaji himself. He was an autocratic ruler and all powers were vested in him. There was a committee of eight ministers called ‘Ashtapradhan’ to advise him on administrative matters. Shivaji himself appointed and dismissed them. Despite being autocratic, he took care of people's interests. 

The Ashtapradhan consisted of:

1. The Peshwa - He was the Prime Minister who examined the work of other ministers. He was usually a Brahmin. In Shivaji’s absence, he would take care of the administration.

2. The Amatya - He was the Finance Minister who maintained records of all income and expenditure. 

3. The Mantri - He would stay in the royal residence at all times and oversee the king’s daily activities and arrangements for food and drink. He was also responsible for protecting the king. 

4. The Sachiv - He was the Home Minister and looked after government correspondence and its supervision.

5. The Sumant - He was the Foreign Minister. He handled all foreign affairs.

6. The Sar-i-Naubat (Army Chief) - He was the Commander-in-Chief. Recruitment, training, salaries etc. of the army was his responsibility. He also maintained accounts of loot.

7. The Panditrao - He was the head of the charitable department. His main duties were moral upliftment of people, charity, punishment for sinners, resolving religious and caste disputes etc. He was also connected with the judiciary.

8. The Nyayadhish - He was the Chief Justice in the judiciary. Apart from hearing appeals, the entire judicial system was under his supervision. 

Except for the Pandit and Nyayadhish, all other ministers used to carry out army administration. All royal fiscal orders, treaties etc. used to be signed by the king as well as the Peshwa, Amatya, Mantri and Sumant.

Provincial Administration: 

Shivaji had divided his kingdom into four parts. Three, called ‘provinces’, were under subedars and the fourth, called ‘Swarajya’, was under Shivaji himself. The officers of the provinces were called ‘Prantpatis’. The staff was paid salaries. In addition, there were some conquered areas which were not formally merged into the kingdom but only tax was collected from them. The administration of the various provinces was overseen by the ‘Sarkarkuns’ who were part of the Ashtapradhan. The Deshmukhs and Deshpandes used to carry out provincial administration under them. Possibly, the Deshmukh was responsible for maintaining law and order while the Deshpande used to collect taxes. The Deshpandes were usually Brahmins.

Local Administration:

The provinces were divided into several Parganas. Many villages together formed a Pargana. The Pargana was possibly under a military officer. The lowest unit of administration was the village which was governed by the village panchayats. Forts were heavily guarded. The village panchayats also dispensed justice. 

Judicial System: 

Shivaji was the highest judge. He would hear appeals against lower court judgments. His decision was final and binding. There were no regular courts. Justice was dispensed by village panchayats and officers of the respective areas. A chief justice would be appointed at the centre. Justice followed traditional methods.

Revenue System:

The main sources of income were land tax, chauth and sardeshmukhi tax. Up to 40% of the produce was collected from farmers as tax in cash or kind. Shivaji had adopted the Rayotwari land tax system. Tax was collected by the village accountants. Above them were the Deshmukhs and Deshpandes who were under the Amatya and Sachiv. Farmers were also given assistance during natural disasters. 

In addition, taxes called chauth (one fourth of income) and sardeshmukhi (one tenth of income) were collected from neighbouring states to whom Shivaji guaranteed protection. Trade, loot etc. also brought good revenue to the state.

Military System:

Shivaji had a small standing navy. There was also an artillery department. His army also had 1960 elephants and 3000 camels and an organized intelligence department.

As the supreme military officer, Shivaji himself was the Commander-in-Chief. There was strict discipline in his army which was under his control. They were given regular training. Discipline was strictly enforced, with severe punishment for defaulters. Due to excellent organization and strict discipline, Shivaji’s army was very powerful and invincible in his time.