Arthasastra Essay

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URBAN ECONOMY IN THE ARTHASASTRA OF KAUTILYA Sukriti Khanna
Email: sukriti259@gmail.com
Research Scholar, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Abstract: The Arthasastra is a treatise on statecraft and economics ascribed to Kautilya. The Arthasastra contains 15 adhikarans or books with 150 chapters and 6000 salokas. TheArthasastra deals with the different aspects of politics, economics and society. As a society broadens its political control, it enlarges its economic base as well. The most important agent in effecting the change from a decentralized village economy to a highly organized urban economy is the king. The Mauryan period in India is considered a period of political and economic significance. …show more content…

Kautilya has provided for a Superintendent of mines (akaradhyksa), who was expected to possess thorough knowledge of the technical aspects of mining including metallurgy. The Arthasastra suggests that gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, iron and bitumen were worked. The lohadhyaksa was the officer incharge of iron working. Similarly, there was an officer who looked after the goldsmiths. Kautilya has given a detailed account of the processes involved in purifying both silver and gold from their respective ores. He has also furnished a detailed account about the methods used by the goldsmiths to manufacture …show more content…

Keeping in tune with the Mauryan policy of direct control over various economic activities. Kautilya provides for a superintendent of liquors (sweadhyaksa), who arranged for the manufacture of spirituous drink and leavening stuff as well as their traffic within the city. The country part and the camp, while their sale should be concentrated in one place or carried on simultaneously at many places.7 Some of the other industries were those of garland makers, and makers of bow, comb, basket and musical instruments. Almost all these crafts were the product of the sophisticated urban culture and excluding a few, these craftsmen hardly served any social purpose. They were essentially catering to the needs of the urban elite who were prosperous enough to squander money on items of

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