Which one of the following can be regarded as the single most important feature of Mauryan administration compared to earlier Indian states?

Introduction / Context:
Mauryan administration marked a new level of centralisation and complexity in ancient India. Under Chandragupta and Ashoka, the empire extended across large parts of the subcontinent, requiring a more elaborate system for governance, revenue, justice, and intelligence. This question asks you to identify the single most important feature of Mauryan administration that stands out when compared with earlier states like the Mahajanapadas and smaller kingdoms.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on a distinguishing administrative feature of the Mauryan empire.
• Options mention provincial governors, a council of ministers, a powerful bureaucracy, and a spy system.
• We must choose the most important hallmark of Mauryan governance.

Concept / Approach:
While other states also had ministers and spies to some extent, the Mauryan empire took bureaucratic organisation and central control to a much higher scale. Arthashastra and Ashokan inscriptions hint at a large number of officials, inspectors, and record keepers operating at various levels of the empire. This extensive bureaucracy, with defined roles and powers, is routinely cited by historians as a key feature of Mauryan administration. Provincial governors were important, but wide provincial power was not unique to the Mauryans, and spy systems existed earlier as well.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that councils of ministers existed in earlier kingdoms too, so this is not exclusive to the Mauryans. Step 2: Understand that spy systems were recommended even in earlier treatises and were not unique to the Mauryan empire. Step 3: Consider provincial governors: although they had responsibilities, the overall system remained centrally supervised. Step 4: Examine the evidence for bureaucracy: multiple departments, official posts, and detailed regulations found in Arthashastra and Ashokan records indicate a very large administrative machinery. Step 5: Conclude that the presence of a vast and numerous bureaucracy with extensive powers best captures the distinctiveness of Mauryan administration.

Verification / Alternative check:
Historians often describe the Mauryan state as one of the earliest examples of a highly organised imperial bureaucracy in world history. Comparisons with earlier Indian polities show that no previous state had such a wide network of officials, making this the most appropriate answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Provincial governors were important but did not alone define the administrative system. Councils of ministers and spies were present in many other kingdoms. Only the scale, variety, and power of the bureaucratic apparatus stand out as a defining feature of Mauryan rule.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners may be tempted by the spy system option because Arthashastra dedicates considerable attention to it. However, spies were part of a broader pattern, whereas the extensive bureaucracy permeated everyday governance and is thus more central.

Final Answer:
The most important feature of Mauryan administration was the presence of a vast and numerous bureaucracy with extensive powers.