The
Mahanjat (
Kushan: महान्जति [məxaːn̪ˈd͡ʒət̪ɪ]) was a multi-ethnic state that coalesced in the late 9
th century from several smaller tribes, sometimes called clans, who all shared a common cultural heritage in the ancient Kushan people and religion. The largest of these were the Baltun and Burjmani from the north, the Shrivali and Phantajhali of the south, and the Chola, Limpali, and Manthar of the west. They lived in a society dominated by custom and tribal identity, and intense rivalry existed between the different tribes. Rather than coming together by the conquest of a single tribe or warlord, the Mahanjat instead grew out of a sort of defensive pact the tribes entered into in order to fight off an invasion from the
Niungdes to their west. This cooperation continued past the failed invasion as the threat of another attempt loomed, and this continued state of affairs eventually led to a customary system of shared governance and responsibility among the tribes they referred to as the Mahanjat, meaning simply “great tribe”. This great tribe was a sort of confederation of the tribes, in which the tribes and their princes retained a great deal of power and autonomy, but voluntarily submitted to the authority of a king in a sort of semi-voluntary suzerainty. The king himself was elected by and usually from the princes of the tribes. The king held some royal authority and power exclusively, but his main role was as a uniting force between the tribes and as an agent of arbitration. Being that he would inevitably be from one tribe, the princes had the power to remove his authority by a sort of vote of no confidence to hopefully ensure a lack of favouritism in his judgements.
Structure
The Mahanjat began as a tribal confederation, which were common in the regions bordering Then, but unlike the more nomadic peoples to the south and west of Then, the Davanian plain and Nenian foothills which the tribes of the Mahanjat inhabited were less supportive of nomadic lifestyles, and thus the Davanians lived in a more settled, stationary manner. Thus the tribal confederation of the Mahanjat is treated differently to other tribal confederations of the era and/or area, such as the contemporaneous Bodyund Khaganate, as the Mahanjat, while decentralised, possessed aspects and capabilities characteristic of more settled or complex societies. The Mahanjat is particularly famous for its coinage and its roads (some of which still remain today, much like the roads of the
Dvekmenu Empire), things which the "barbarian" confederations never produced.
Within their own lands, the princes exercised near complete autonomy. They could rule their lands as they saw fit, keeping their own laws and levying their own taxes, so long as they paid their owed tribute to the king and did nothing against royal prerogative. They were not allowed to levy their own armies, but they could muster smaller forces restricted within their own realms for internal purposes, such as putting down banditry or rebellion.
As the king needed to be elected unanimously, this led to a great deal of politicking and compromise between princes. Often a prince could be bribed to support a candidate he saw as too close or aligned with other princes with promises of special privileges and money. The system worked to keep the princes in line out of fear of the others. None wanted to be subject to another, and if one started to become too powerful, the others would collude against him. If one rebelled, the others would unite under their king to bring him back into the fold. Part of their motivations to work within this system were fear of each other, but also the external fear of the powerful state of
Sarkon (Can Dynasty) to the west which had led to the creation of the confederation in the first place.
Mahanjat Outline
महान्जति
c. 890–1208
Government
Elective Monarchical Confederation
Capital
No set capital
Languages
Administrative: Kushan
Ethnic: Various Davanian languages
Demonym
Mahanjat, Mahanjati, Kushan
Preceded by
Baltuns
Burjmanis
Limpalis
Manthars
Phantajhalis
Shrivalis
Singhalas
The inter-tribal rivalries still existed among the tribes of the Mahanjat, and these would be mostly dealt with through a semi-annual competition called the Varotristhik between its various peoples to compete against each other involving contests of athleticism, poetry, and rhetoric. These competitions were considered serious business, and recent victory for his tribe in the Varotristhik could even help a prince’s chances of being elected king.
If too many of the princes became dissatisfied with a king, they could vote him out. While the initial election required unanimous support, a majority of the princes could vote against the king. When this happened, the king would be given three months to improve his standing, after which the vote was repeated. If a majority still voted against him, he would be removed from the kingship and a new king would have to be elected. The removal of a king like this was rare but became increasingly common towards the end of the state. Towards the end of the Mahanjat, displeasure with the king seems to have been common, but the institutions had decayed enough that rebellion was more common than arbitration.
The system relied on good faith from the princes in order to work, which would only last for so long. Towards the end of the Mahanjat, it was common for princes to be bribed into supporting a candidate for king, only to quickly go and vote him out. This stressed the economics of the state and left it frequently without a central leader. Princely rebellions became common, and without a king, an army could not be legally levied. This state of affairs eventually led to the disintegration of the Mahanjat, with the last king Hundravarman, elected in 1196 as little more than a figurehead. He was not deposed, but after his death in 1208, another king was not elected. As the Mahanjat had never been officially declared and did not possess a written constitution, this is generally taken as the end of the state, though the confederation had been
de facto dissolved by about 1175, with no real power remaining with the king.
Coinage
The Mahanjat is known for its coinage, and several kings and princes are known about only through their coins. Coinage within the Mahanjat was also decentralised. As there was no central capital, and the king, who was usually a prince, would simply reside in his princely capital, the so-called “royal mint” was usually the princely mint that belonged to the prince who was currently king. The royal mint had no restrictions and could create coinage as it saw fit, but the king would often tender allowances to princes to mint their own coinage. There was no regular system for this, and could be granted by the king at will with whatever restrictions he saw fit. Usually the privilege was extended for a certain time or value limit. The king’s likeness is also nearly always seen on so-called “prince coins”, with the prince’s likeness either appearing alongside the king’s, or on the reverse of the coin. It seems it was also very rare that princes would be allowed to mint
gopali or other denominations minted in gold. There are multiple known instances of princes minting without royal consent, often during rebellion, which seem to have been punished by the execution of the mint workers and heavy fines or sometimes execution for the prince.
Coins were minted in various denominations and metals over time. The most common were made of silver and bronze. Gold coins were also minted, but only by the royal mint, and were likely rare in common circulation. There were standardised weights throughout the Mahanjat, and princely mints were required to mint coins to the same weight standards as the royal mint. The gold coin, the
gopal, coming only from the single royal mint, was the most consistent in appearance, having variable inscriptions and images, though usually the king’s face on the obverse and a deity on the reverse, and being a round coin of about 11 grams. The silver coin, the
statṛ, was usually round and had wildly varying inscriptions depending on where and when it was minted. They weighed about 3.3 grams and were worth one tenth of a
gopal. The bronze coins were the most variable. Seldom minted by the royal mint, they seem to have nonetheless abounded, but been rarely used by merchants or wealthier people, the
gopal and
statṛ being much favoured. Their appearance and weight was rather variable, and as such, their exact value was debatable. It seems they were nominally worth one tenth of a
statṛ, but this could vary over time and from coin to coin. The most common shapes were round and square, and they could be either punch marked or cast, and most weighed between 3 to 5 grams. The money of the Mahanjat appears to be the first instance of decimal coinage outside Then, likely borrowed from there, while retaining the bimetallism common in the east.
Most coins were punch marked, in accordance with traditional Davanian methods, possibly inherited from the Nenians to their north, but bronze coins could be cast, like in Then, whose principal monetary unit had been a cast copper, brass, or bronze coin for centuries by that point. The practice of casting bronze coins in the Mahanjat was more common further west, towards Then, and was likely done for multiple reasons. Casting these bronze coins was easier, faster, and more consistent, and while cultural tradition and possibly royal demands may have prevented such methods being employed for gold or silver coins, the same was not true for the far less consistent bronze coins. The other reason is exchange with Then. The cast bronze coins of the Mahanjat are usually remarkably similar in weight to contemporary Sarkon cash coins, which would have made them exchangeable, facilitating trade between the two. Officially in Sarkon, coins minted outside the dynasty didn’t have official value, but Then peasants and traders were known to trade these Mahanjati coins to officials like local tax collectors at a small loss in exchange for Sarkon cash coins. The officials would then sell these coins to mints for their face value as if they were cash coins (as they were the same weight) to be melted down and made into cash. These re-manufactured cash coins can be identified by their metal composition, which tended to exclude the lead or zinc often found in native Then coins where tin for bronze was rarer, though they were largely indistinguishable to people at the time, as they were made in the official mints using the standard moulds. It’s likely also that many were melted down and mixed in with normal stock for coins, effectively disguising them. This practice was illegal as it essentially “created” money without the knowledge or permission of the central state, and Sarkon made several efforts to suppress it. The minting of illicit coins was punishable by death, and eventually even the possession of Mahanjati bronze coins was also made a capital offense in 1011. While the practice continued, many Then became wary of the coins, and the number of bronze coins in the Mahanjat, particularly in the west, declined significantly past the mid 11
th century, and trade in silver increased.
Comments