MasteryExams
History • Ancient IndiaHard

The administrative term 'Sthanika' appearing in the Mauryan and post-Mauryan administrative texts generally referred to which of the following officials?

A. Chief treasury officer
B. District tax collector and administrative officer✓ Correct Answer
C. Commander of the frontier cavalry
D. Royal physician to the monarch

💡 Solution & Explanation

In Mauryan administration as outlined in Kautilya's Arthashastra, the term Sthanika designated an intermediate district administrative and revenue collection officer who supervised a group of villages. Treasury officers or royal physicians held separate specialized titles within the centralized bureaucratic hierarchy of the empire.

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