State and Government in Ancient India c23.s2.t6: Non-Official District Councils
State and Government in Ancient India c23.s2.t6
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Non-Official District Councils
c23.s2.t6.1
There was no body like the Central Parliament in the Gupta administration to voice the views of the people at the capital. But there is evidence to show that there were district councils to advise and assist the district administration; this seems to have been an administrative innovation of the age. This council consisted of the chief banker, the chief trader, the chief artisan, the chief Kāyastha (writer) and several other members. The Faridpur plate III shows that the district council often consisted of about 20 members, some of whom like Kulasvāmin and Śubhadeva were Brāhmaṇas, some like Ghoshachandra and Guṇachandra were non-Brahmins. Members of this non-official council were called Vishayamahattaras. Seals of the councils of Vishaya-mahattaras have been found at Nālandā.
c23.s2.t6.2
How the members of the Vishayamahattara council were selected or elected is not stated in the Gupta records. The terms Prathamaśreshthin and Prathamasārthavāha suggest that very probably the guilds of the bankers and traders were represented by their presidents. As far as the remaining members of the council are concerned, it would appear that different classes were represented by those persons among them who had acquired a pre-eminent status by their age, experience and character.