History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c64.80

v4.c64.80

चाट—This word has given rise to various opinions. Fleet and Bühler translate as ‘irregular soldiers’. Vogel (pp. 130–132) points out that Chamba is the only place where the ancient word ‘cāṭa’ is still extant in the modern form ‘chaṭ’ meaning ‘head of a *pargana*’. Grants of villages are often expressed as ‘acāṭabhaṭapraveśya’ (not to be entered by cāṭas and bhaṭas)’. For example, in the Surat plate of Maitraka Vyāghrasena (E. I. XI at p. 221) it is stated that the granted land was not to be entered by cāṭas and bhaṭas except for (seizing) robbers and those guilty of harm or treason to the king. Similar words occur in the Betul plates of Saṅkṣobha in Gupta year 199 (acāṭabhaṭapraveśyam coradrohakavarjam) in E. I. VIII p. 287. The words occur also in the Khoh plate of Mahārāja Hastin in Gupta year 191 (Gupta Ins. No. 23 p. 106). Yāj. I. 336 states that it is the duty of the king to protect people from the harassment caused by *cāṭas*, robbers and *kāyasthas* and the Mit. explains ‘cāṭa’ as persons who deprive people of their wealth after producing false confidence in them. Three quarters of the same verse occur in the Pañcatantra I p. 72 verse 343. Aparārka (p. 792) quotes Bṛhaspati that ‘dangers common to all are those arising from cāṭas and thieves’.