Hindu Administrative Institutions c8.s4.t1.17

c8.s4.t1.17

*Assemblies in Tamil literature.*—It would be certainly interesting to study what sort of assemblies and councils were prevalent in ancient South India. The *Silappadikāram* and the *Manimekhalai* are two classical treatises which are a mine of information for reconstructing the history and social life of ancient Drāvida. A study of these and other classical treatises shows that there must have been five big assemblies. (1) The representative assembly of the people acting as a check on the ruling chieftain (மாநாடு), (2) the assembly of ministers of religion, (பார்ப்பார்), (3) the assembly of physicians perhaps a Board of Public Health (மருத்துவர்), (4) the assembly of astrologers (நிமித்தர்) and (5) the assembly of ministers for revenue and judicial administration of the state (அமைச்சர்).