A History of the Mahrattas v1.c7.166

v1.c7.166

¹ [Panchāyat is derived from Hindustāni ‘pānch,’ ‘five,’ meaning a council of five (or more) persons. To this day most castes have a panchāyat which settles their domestic affairs and disputes, and in criminal investigations the police frequently call a panch (i.e. panchāyat) to testify to the finding and recording of exhibits. A Hindustāni proverb runs: ‘Pānch kahe so kījiye,’ ‘we must do as the five say.’ In Bombay City the body which regulates the funds and internal affairs of the Parsi community is still known as the Parsi Panchāyat. (See Yule, Hobson-Jobson, ed. Crooke (1903), p. 739.)]