The Rashtrakutas and their Times c17.s1.23

c17.s1.23

The invariable mention of the village headman in the land and village grants of our period shows that he was intimately connected with the revenue administration. Throughout the subsequent centuries under the Mahomedan, Maratha, and the British administrations, he has continued to be responsible for the village revenues. (19) In the extreme south in Tamil country where village councils were permanent bodies, meeting regularly and functioning methodically, we find, as will be soon shown, that the headman was mainly shouldering the revenue responsibility, even in the case of Brahmadeya villages where the village councils seem to have been most developed. The communiques of the Chola government in revenue matters were addressed to the village headmen when it wished to give publicity to any particular policy. (20) Owing to his position and status the headman must have taken a prominent part in the meetings of the village council convened for the purpose of the settlement of private immediately washing the feet of the Mahājanas, granting their request and making a further donation of 12 mattars of land. It is, therefore, clear that like the income from the 12 mattars the proceeds of the charcoal tax must have formed part of the income of the headman and the Pergaḍe (?); otherwise they could not have alienated them. This record, therefore, shows that the rule of Manu that daily taxes in kind consisting of food-stuffs, fuel and other miscellaneous articles were to be assigned to the village headman was followed in the Rāṣṭrakūṭa as in later times.