Ashta Pradhan
Encyclopedia
The Ashta Pradhan (also spelled Ashtapradhan and Asta Pradhad) was a council of eight men that helped with the administration of the Maratha empire
. The council was formed in 1674 by founding Emperor
Chhatrapati Shivaji.
The name means "Important eight", from the Sanskrit
Ashta ("eight") and pradhan (important). The body discharged the functions of a council of ministers; this is regarded as one of the instances of ministerial delegation in India. The council is credited with having implemented good governance
practices in the Maratha
heartland, as well as for the success of Shivaji's military exploits against the Mughal empire
.
n state of Maharashtra
. On that occasion, Shivaji formalized the institution of a council of eight ministers to guide the administration of his nascent state. This council came to be known as the Ashta Pradhan or "eight ministers." Each of the ministers had charge of an administrative department; thus, the council heralded the birth of a bureaucracy.
The formalization of an administrative mechanism was of a piece with other measures, indicative of the formalization of a sovereign state, which were implemented on the occasion of Shivaji's coronation: coinage bearing Shivaji's insignia (the copper Shivrai and the gold hon) were issued, and a new era, the Rajyabhishek era, was proclaimed on the occasion.
language; the eight ministries and their first office bearers are:
Pantpradhan or Prime Minister
(Moro Trimbak Pingale) - General administration of the empire.
Amatya (Ramchandra Neelkanth Mujumdar) - Accounts of the empire.
Sachiv or Secretary
(Annaji Datto) - To prepare royal edicts.
Mantri or Minister
(Dattaji Trimbak Waknis) - State correspondence.
Senapati or Commander
(Hambirrao Mohite) - Managing the army and protection of the empire.
Sumant (Ramchandra Trimbak Dabir) - Foreign relationships.
Nyayadhish or Chief Justice
(Niraji Raoji) - To dispense justice.
Panditrao (Moreswar Panditrao) - Religious matters.
Continued conflict with the Mughal Empire
meant that military matters remained surpassingly important to the affairs of the nascent state. Hence, except for the priestly Panditrao and the judicial Nyayadisha, the other pradhans held military commands, and their deputies performed their civil duties. In a later era, these deputies and their staff of secretaries constituted the core of the Peshwa
's bureaucracy.
, (ruled 1680–89) undermined the importance of the council. Over time, council positions became hereditary, ceremonial positions at court with nominal powers, if any. Beginning 1714 AD, a prime minister appointed by Shivaji's grandson Shahu gradually arrogated power. Within a short period, de facto control of the Maratha state passed to his family. This family of hereditary prime ministers retained the title of Peshwa. However, the Ashta Pradhan council was never revived to fill the functions it discharged for the last decade of Shivaji's reign.
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
. The council was formed in 1674 by founding Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Chhatrapati Shivaji.
The name means "Important eight", from the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Ashta ("eight") and pradhan (important). The body discharged the functions of a council of ministers; this is regarded as one of the instances of ministerial delegation in India. The council is credited with having implemented good governance
Good governance
Good governance is an indeterminate term used in development literature to describe how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in order to guarantee the realization of human rights. Governance describes "the process of decision-making and the process by which...
practices in the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
heartland, as well as for the success of Shivaji's military exploits against the Mughal empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
.
Constitution
The coronation of Shivaji as an independent sovereign was held in 1674, at the fort of Raigad in present-day IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. On that occasion, Shivaji formalized the institution of a council of eight ministers to guide the administration of his nascent state. This council came to be known as the Ashta Pradhan or "eight ministers." Each of the ministers had charge of an administrative department; thus, the council heralded the birth of a bureaucracy.
The formalization of an administrative mechanism was of a piece with other measures, indicative of the formalization of a sovereign state, which were implemented on the occasion of Shivaji's coronation: coinage bearing Shivaji's insignia (the copper Shivrai and the gold hon) were issued, and a new era, the Rajyabhishek era, was proclaimed on the occasion.
Composition
The Ashta Pradhan was designed to encompass all the administrative functions of the state, with each minister being given charge of one department of the administration. Ministerial designations were drawn from the SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
language; the eight ministries and their first office bearers are:
Pantpradhan or Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
(Moro Trimbak Pingale) - General administration of the empire.
Amatya (Ramchandra Neelkanth Mujumdar) - Accounts of the empire.
Sachiv or Secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
(Annaji Datto) - To prepare royal edicts.
Mantri or Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
(Dattaji Trimbak Waknis) - State correspondence.
Senapati or Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
(Hambirrao Mohite) - Managing the army and protection of the empire.
Sumant (Ramchandra Trimbak Dabir) - Foreign relationships.
Nyayadhish or Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
(Niraji Raoji) - To dispense justice.
Panditrao (Moreswar Panditrao) - Religious matters.
Continued conflict with the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
meant that military matters remained surpassingly important to the affairs of the nascent state. Hence, except for the priestly Panditrao and the judicial Nyayadisha, the other pradhans held military commands, and their deputies performed their civil duties. In a later era, these deputies and their staff of secretaries constituted the core of the Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
's bureaucracy.
After Shivaji
Shivaji's son SambhajiSambhaji
Sambhaji Raje Bhosle was the eldest son and successor to Emporer Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire.- Early life :...
, (ruled 1680–89) undermined the importance of the council. Over time, council positions became hereditary, ceremonial positions at court with nominal powers, if any. Beginning 1714 AD, a prime minister appointed by Shivaji's grandson Shahu gradually arrogated power. Within a short period, de facto control of the Maratha state passed to his family. This family of hereditary prime ministers retained the title of Peshwa. However, the Ashta Pradhan council was never revived to fill the functions it discharged for the last decade of Shivaji's reign.
Miscellany
- The Ashta Pradhan is somewhat similar to the court arrangements of other famous emperors such as the NavaratnasNavaratnasNavaratnas Nauratan was a term applied to a group of nine extraordinary people in a emperor's court in India...
of the courts of both VikramadityaVikramadityaVikramaditya was a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India, famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity. The title "Vikramaditya" was later assumed by many other kings in Indian history, notably the Gupta King Chandragupta II and Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya .The name King Vikramaditya is a...
and Akbar, as also of the AstadiggajasAstadiggajasAstadiggajas is the collective title given to the eight Telugu poets in the court of the emperor Sri Krishna Deva Raya who ruled the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 until his death in 1529. During his reign, Telugu literature and culture reached its zenith. In his court, eight poets were regarded...
of Krishna Deva Raya's court. - Lakshman SenLakshman SenLakshman Sen was the fourth king of the Sen dynasty of Bengal, who ruled for about 28 years. Lakshman Sen succeeded his father Ballal Sen...
the ruler of the Sena Empire had Pancharatnas (meaning 5 gems) in his court; one of whom is believed to be JayadevaJayadevaJayadeva was a Sanskrit poet circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of Krishna-an avatar of Vishnu and his consort, Radha, and it is mentioned that Radha is greater than Hari, and is considered an important text in the...
, the famous Sanskrit poet and author of Gita GovindaGita GovindaThe Gita Govinda is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva, who was born in Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Orissa. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha...
. - The Ashta Pradhan can be construed as an initiative to develop a second line of leadership in the state akin to the KhalsaKhalsa+YouWebImagesVideosMapsNewsMailMoreTranslateFrom: ArabicTo: EnglishEnglishHindiEnglishAllow phonetic typingHindiEnglishArabicAssumptionGoogle Translate for Business:Translator ToolkitWebsite TranslatorGlobal Market Finder...
by Guru Gobind SinghGuru Gobind SinghGuru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
. Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji were fighting against the Mughal emperor AurangzebAurangzebAbul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
.