Public Administration in Ancient India c23.7

c23.7

Originally, it seems, the villages were completely self-governing. They were practically free from central control. The grāmanī³ (headman) and other village officials were appointed by the community and were accountable to them.¹ But gradually they were brought under the control of the King.² By the time of Manu, the village officials had become government servants, and the Local Government system had become subordinate to the Central Administration. Manu describes this organisation in these words: “Let him appoint a lord over (each) village, as well as lords of ten villages, lords of twenty, lords of a hundred, and lords of a thousand. The lord of one village himself shall inform the lord of ten villages of the crimes committed in his village, and the ruler of ten (shall make his report) to the ruler of twenty. But the ruler of twenty shall report all such (matters) to the lord of a hundred, and the lord of a hundred shall himself give information to the lord of a thousand.”³ Vishnu also speaks of the appointment of a headman for each village, and of heads of ten villages and of hundred villages, and lords of provinces (deśādhyakṣāḥ).⁴