State and Government in Ancient India c18.s1.10

c18.s1.10

The headman was the most important officer of the village administration. His order was represented on the council of *ratnins* in the Vedic period and he appears almost like a village king in the Jātakas. He figures at the head of the village officers mentioned in the inscriptions of the first millennium of the Christian era. Gāhaḍawāla rulers are often seen⁸ consulting the village headman when making land grants.