Match the following in context of Asht Pradhan system of Maratha rulers : Choose the correct option :Official Department a. Sachiva 1. Prime Minister b. Peshwa 2. Incharge of Correspondence c. Samant 3. Finance Minister d. Amatya 4. Foreign Minister
a – 2, b – 1, c – 4, d – 3
The correct matching is a – 2, b – 1, c – 4, d – 3, option 1.
What the Ashta Pradhan was. Shivaji organised his administration around a council of eight ministers, the Ashta Pradhan. They were not a cabinet in the modern sense — they held office at the king’s pleasure, the posts were not hereditary, and each minister was also expected to command troops in the field. The council was an instrument of the king’s authority, not a check on it.
| Minister | Department |
|---|---|
| Peshwa (Mukhya Pradhan) | Prime Minister — general administration, the senior-most post |
| Amatya (Majumdar) | Finance — accounts and revenue |
| Sachiva (Shurunavis) | Royal correspondence — drafting and checking letters and grants |
| Sumant / Samant (Dabir) | Foreign affairs — envoys and treaties |
| Mantri (Waqia-navis) | Record of the king’s daily activities and personal safety |
| Senapati (Sar-i-Naubat) | Commander-in-chief of the army |
| Panditrao | Religious and charitable affairs |
| Nyayadhish | Justice, civil and military |
Working through the pairs. Sachiva handled the king’s letters, so a – 2. Peshwa was the chief minister, so b – 1. Sumant conducted relations with other states, so c – 4. Amatya kept the accounts, so d – 3. That is exactly option 1, and since only one arrangement is right, option 4 cannot apply.
A point worth remembering. Under Shivaji the Peshwa was simply the first among eight ministers. It was only in the eighteenth century, from Balaji Vishwanath onwards, that the office became hereditary in the Bhat family of Chitpavan Brahmins and the Peshwas at Pune became the real rulers of the Maratha confederacy, with the Chhatrapati at Satara reduced to a figurehead.
Hence, the answer is a – 2, b – 1, c – 4, d – 3.
Important Questions from Maratha Confederacy
Match List - I with List - II taking assistance of the codes given below :
List - I
(Treaties with Marathas)List - II
(Years)1. Treaty of Saibai a. 1782 2. Treaty of Bassein b. 1802 3. Treaty of Surji Anjangoan c. 1803 4. Treaty of Rajpurghat d. 1805 Which treaty was signed as a result of the Third Anglo-Maratha War between the British and the Holkar chief in 1818?
Who among the following was NOT present in the coronation ceremony of Shivaji?
Who was the rebel minister of Baji Rao II, who instigated the Bhils against the British occupation of Khandesh in 1818?
Arrange the following in a chronological order.
A. The battle of Khurda between the Nizam and the Marathas
B. Death of Nana Fadnavis
C. Death of Mahadaji Sindhia
D. Treaty of Amritsar between Ranjit Singh and the Company
E. The First Anglo - Nepal War
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
