State and Government in Ancient India c23.s6.14

c23.s6.14

There were officers to take down the oral orders of the king and the decisions of the king-in-council respectively known as Tiruvakkelvi and Tommandira Olai. One section of the secretariat used to issue the orders of the central government and another used to reply to the enquiries made by local officers. There was also a board of inspectors to tour the kingdom, the members of which were known as Karnams. The centre also periodically took the work of land survey, which was done very meticulously. An inscription in the Bṛihadiśvara temple reveals how a piece of land as small as 52,428,800,000 th part of a Veli was measured and assessed to revenue (*S.I.I.*, II. 62).