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RAS question

In Shivaji's Ashtapradhan, the 'Sachiv' was responsible for:

Correct answer: (C) Royal correspondence.

In Shivaji's Ashtapradhan, the Sachiv, also called Surunavis or Chitnis, was responsible for royal correspondence.

  1. (A)

    Military affairs

  2. (B)

    Foreign affairs

  3. (C)

    Royal correspondence

  4. (D)

    Revenue collection

Explanation

Shivaji's Ashtapradhan was the council of eight ministers, with each office tied to a defined administrative function. In the Ashtapradhan list, Sachiv, also given as Surunavis or Chitnis, is placed directly against royal correspondence. The Sachiv handled official communications, drafted letters, and maintained state records. The office was therefore administrative and documentary, not military, diplomatic, or revenue-focused. Those other functions belonged to separate ministers in the same council: Sar-i-Naubat for the armed forces, Dabir or Sumant for foreign affairs and royal ceremonies, and Majumdar or Amatya for finance, revenue, and accounts.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Military affairs were handled by Sar-i-Naubat, the chief of the armed forces, not by the Sachiv.
  • (B) Foreign affairs belonged to Dabir or Sumant, while the Sachiv's listed function was royal correspondence.
  • (D) Revenue collection fits the Majumdar or Amatya portfolio of finance, revenue, and accounts, not the Sachiv's correspondence work.

Concept

This tests the administrative structure of Shivaji's Maratha state, especially the portfolios within the Ashtapradhan. RAS often asks such office-function matches because they connect medieval polity with practical governance terminology.

Source

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