The Rashtrakutas and their Times c22.85

c22.85

Some of our records give us a glimpse into the working of these guilds. The weavers' guild at Laxmesvar had only one head, the Mulgund guild, with a probable membership of 2000, had four heads, while the one at Belgamve, which is described as ruling over 18 cities, had an executive of 9. The Vīra Balanju guild mentioned in the Miraj inscription had an executive of 15, belonging to the different localities of the districts, over which its membership had spread. It would thus seem that every guild had an executive, the strength of which varied with its membership and activities. It is interesting to note that these executive committees of the guilds, which we discover in inscriptions, should be also found in literary works like the Yājñavalkyasmṛti, ⁵⁹ and Nitivākyāmṛta. ⁶⁰ Meetings of the general body were convened when general policy had to be discussed or grants from guild properties or requiring recurring contributions from individual members were contemplated. ⁶¹