In the administrative machinery of the Mauryan Empire, the official designated as 'Samaharta' was primarily responsible for which of the following portfolios?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Samaharta was the chief collector of revenue in the Mauryan administration, responsible for organizing the assessment and collection of taxes from mines, forests, pastures, and trade routes. The official in charge of the treasury and auditing was termed the Sannidhata, while judicial administration was overseen by officers called Vyavaharikas. Understanding Mauryan financial bureaucracy illuminates the centralized fiscal control maintained from Pataliputra.