Q. In the context of Satvahana society, the term ‘gaulmika’ refers to which of the following?
Answer: Military administrator in rural areas
Notes: Satvahana administration kept some of the features of the Mauryan administration e.g. district called aharas, Amatyas and Mahamatras were senior officials. But, certain new military and feudal elements can be observed in the Satvahana administration i.e. Senapati was appointed provincial governor. Also, administration in the rural areas was placed in the hands of ‘gaulmikas’, who was some sort of military authority commanding a certain number of soldiers, horses and elephants. This may be because the people in rural-tribal areas were still not used to the new type of socio-political order and needed to be controlled closely. Hence, answer is option c.