Ancient Indian Political System

Political system is a social institution which deals with the governance of a state and its
relationship with the people. Political system of a country denotes the structure of
institutions that constitute the State and its Government. India is no different and it had
also developed government and political institutions to give shape and form to the
fundamental principles. The multiple faces and diversity of the country is the most
noticeable feature of the subcontinent. The identity and unity of its government belong
to the ancient Vedic age. Ancient Indian Political System goes back to about five
thousand years or more. India is a land that has been shaping civilizations through
settlement patterns. Thus, history of India becomes enriched with the description of the
Indus Valley civilisation. This civilisation had municipal cities and a centralized
administration prevailed for each city in Harrappa and Mohenjo-daro. The people formed
urban societies with agriculture as an occupation. However, the invasion by the Aryans
had changed the whole scenario. Indian civilisation was again predominated by the
nomadic culture.
A different concept of society in India developed with the Aryans, in the early Vedic
period. The Early Vedic saw the upsurge of kingdom which was tribal in character.
Each tribe formed a separate kingdom. The basic unit of the political organisation was
family and a number of families formed a Village. A reflection of the Ancient Indian
Political System can be traced in the social life of the Aryans. These villages were
headed by Gramani. Moreover this pattern gave rise to large units or clans formed by a
group of village. The circle continued with several clans forming the tribe and their leader
was Rajan or the Vedic king. He protected his people from enemies and was
accompanied with a senani or commandant, the Sabha and the Samithi in
administration. The Aryans can be identified as the pioneers in introducing the concept
of society in Indian culture. This civilisation was subjected to various forms of kingdoms
with a flow of political boundaries. In the later Vedic age, the Gangetic Valley or
Aryavartha became the centre of political activity. Various Kingdoms like Kosala, Videha,
Kuru, Magadha, Kasi, Avanti and Panchala came into existence. The king was the
highest authority and his position was considerably supreme. Kingship became
hereditary and the he was responsible for defence and maintaining law and order of their
kingdoms. Moreover, they had vast empires and tried to extend their territories. In Manu
Samhita the history of kingship is described. In Hinduism, Manu is considered to be the
first king of the earth. Accordingly, the rulers of medieval India traced their genealogy
back to him.
In Ancient Indian Political System, the king as well as his subjects was bound by
`Dharmas` or rule of law which were code of duties. Though a king, yet he had limited
powers. The king was required to take oath and loyalty of the people. The king was not
assigned with arbitrary powers and he was functional according to the approval of the
people. However, on the contrary ancient Indian polity was monarchial, yet there were a
few instances of elective kingship also. The power of the Indian monarchy prior to
Mughal invasion was conceded as King being the representative of the divine power.
The king was then only a constitutional monarch and the guardian, executor and the
servant of Dharma. Besides, monarchies several republics also evolved. After the Battle
of Kurukshetra, large empire began to fade away and several republican states
emerged. A number of sixteen republics such as Kashi, Koshal, Magadha, Kuru,
Anga, Avanti, Gandhar and Vaishali came into being. In the 1st century with the spread
of Christianity, absolute monarchy prevailed as the form of political system. The word of
the Kings was law. Many large empires were seen extending almost all over the sub
continent. Several empires such as the Muryas, Guptas and the Mughals flourished. The
rulers were hereditary kings or sub kings who ruled with the assistance of faithful
ministers appointed by them.
During the medieval period, King-in-Ministry became the usual form of government. In
addition to that there were no republican states. Furthermore the concept of central
government evolved during the period of the Sultanate. The king became an autocrat
and he was entitled to the throne on the base might. In the Mughal kingdom, Ancient
Indian Political System revolved round the autocracy of the king and he was assisted by
councillors or ministers to share the multifarious activities of the state. The council of
ministers was given great power and they continued to advice the kings on their day to
day handling of administration. One instance of the absolute monarchy ruling the state
on the advice of the council of ministers was Emperor Harsha, who was a generous
ruler.
Village administration was also a significant part of the Ancient Indian Political
System. During the Vedic age, the Aryans had built up small villages and the
administration of the area was looked after by the village councils. A system of giving
taxes also prevailed in the ancient society. Taxes such as Pali, Sulk and Bhaga were
collected from the people. The revenue was spent for the benefit of the subjects.
Mentions of villageadministration are found during the fourth century B.C when
republican federation existed in the society of India. The city of Vaishali had Panchayat
for administering justice and courts. The republican character of the polity of Vaishali
lasted for thousand of years.
Panchayat system is one of the essential democratic institutions which developed in
India. This system is an institution of the Local Self Government found at the village
level. Panchayat system originated in ancient India and references are found in the age
of Mahabharat. It constitutes of a village council consisting of village elders. These local
self governments perform administrative and judicial function. The Panchayat system
used to serve since ancient times and at present it has become an integral part of
IndianAdministration. At present Panchayat system is a three tier institution and
continues to administer the villages.
Ancient Indian Political System underwent a change with the coming of the British.
The scenario of administration changed in the subcontinent. The British took over the
whole administration into their own hands. The establishment of East India Company
made India a colony. The regions of India included areas directly administered by the
United Kingdom. The princely states ruled by individual rulers came under the dominion
of the British Crown. British Raj prevailed in the Indian subcontinent, the local self
governing bodies were taken over and Panchayati Raj begun. The political union after
1876 was officially called the Indian Empire. In the late 19th century, self-government
underwent a change in the British India with the appointment of Indian
counsellors to advise the British viceroy. The Indian Councils Act of 1892 was
passed and Municipal Corporations and District Boards were created for local
administration. The Government of India Act of 1909 known as the Morley-Minto
Reforms provided limited roles to the Indians in the central and provincial legislatures,
known as legislative councils. Through this Morley-Minto Reforms, the elective principle
was introduced for membership in Indian legislative councils. These elected members
gradually were given the criteria of Opposition to the Official government". The
Government of India Act of 1935 was approved by the British Parliament for the
establishment of independent legislative assemblies in all provinces of British India. This
text has further influenced the development of Constitution of independent India.
According to the act bicameral national parliament and an executive branch under the
purview of the British government came to into force.
The attainment of independence from the British colonial rule made India a
sovereign nation. The constitution came into force on 26th January 1950 and India was
made a `sovereign, socialist, democratic, republic,` with a representative parliamentary
system of government. It can be rightly identified that the present Indian political system
has grown out of a long evolutionary process.