A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c13.48

c13.48

From the eighth and ninth centuries A.D. three types of village assemblies are traceable in Tamil inscriptions, namely, the ūr, the sabhā, and the nagaram. The ūr was the common type which included all classes of people who held the land in the village. The sabhā was an exclusively brahmin assembly of villages given as gifts to brahmins where all the land belonged to them. The *nagaram* was quite another type pertaining to localities where traders and merchants were in a dominant position. In many instances the different types existed side by side in the same locality. Whenever necessary, there was mutual consultation among these different assemblies and other local associations, and the general rule was to consult all the interests concerned in a matter before a decision was taken on it. The village assembly regulated irrigation rights, administered charitable endowments, maintained tanks and roads and managed the affairs of temples, either directly or by means of executive officers and committees working under it. It also made rules for regulating its own procedure.