DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2015.v03i02.035

Pages: 580-583

For Intelligence, Indian Kingdoms before the colonial period maintains a set of information systems in the form of royal texts. These texts along with the appointment of tribal, mystic and other classes including wanderers in the intelligence and surveillance system plays an important role in the day today functioning of the governments from time to time. The information collected at the grassroot level was passed on to the royal houses through a smooth channel of different appointed officers. Mughals introduced a regular system of political intelligence, but due to the lack of coordination many revolts took place and sometimes the failure of information/intelligence to reach to the touring officers lead to the murder by the thugs. Mughal kingdom along with other kingdoms also employed an effective system of intelligence gathering for the smooth running of their state policies and evolving of such policies. Awadh, Marathas, Nizam of Hyderabad, all took keen interest in establishing different system of political intelligence, espionage etc during the pre colonial period, which later saw its climax during the british colonial phase.