Local Government in Ancient India c17.177

Language: English

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Vācaspati Miśra, 15 *Vaikhānasa-śāstra*, 282 Vaikhānasas, 78 Vaiśālī (Basāṛh), 112, 113 *Vaiśeṣika*, 287 Vaiṣṇavas, 14, 262, 272 Vaiṣṇavism, 13, 14 Vaiśyas, 61, 82, 136, 139, 161, 265, 275 (*see* People-caste) *Vājasaneya*, 279, 280, 282 *Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā*, 195, 196 Vajjians, 195 Valaṅgai, 204, 263-4, 312 Valañjiyārs, 260, 262 Validity of meetings, 193 Valika Ārāma, 193 Vallabha Ācārya, 14, 16 Vāmaśakti, 288 Varaguṇa-Mahārāja, 184 Vargas, 138-9 Vasiṣṭha, 70, 72, 126, 129, 138 Vāsudeva, 63 Veda, followers of the, 130; gift of college for reciting the, 271; popularity of, 276 *Vedāṅgas*, 283 *Vedānta*, 280, 282 Vedāntadeśikācārya, 13 Vedas, as original records of Hinduism, 36; references in, to guilds, 36-7, 40, 41; knowledge of, a qualification for office, 136, 139, 157, 160-2, 175, 176, 201; references in to assemblies, 193-5; legal respect for, 246; colleges and hostels for students of, 271, 279-81, 281-2; schools for study of, 275, 276, 277-9 Vedic period, defined, 39 (note); — society, differentiation of, 37, 41; castes of, 37-8; sub-divisions of people-caste, 38-9 Vedisa, 92 Vehicle tax, 257 Velagiri, 91 Velaikkāra community, 262 Venkayya, Mr., 120, 148, 169, 170, 175, 206, 306 Vesālī, 65 (note), 192 Vidyāpati, 14, 16; — Thākur, 14 Vijayanagara Empire, 13 Vijaya-nṛpatuṅga-varman, 281 Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman, 102 Vijñāneśvara, 15 Vikrama-Cola, 243 (note), 265, 301 Village assemblies, as charitable trustees, 100-10, 119; wider in scope than guilds, 123;

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their agreements, 129, 130; authorized to try cases, 133, 134, 135; decided cases without reference to governors, 140-1; maintained tanks, 144, 147-56; executive officers, number and qualifications of, 157-8; executive to be respected by the king, 158, and its decisions enforced, 159; disobedience treated as treason, 159; number and composition of administrative boards, 160-2; had developed different functions and organs, 164-5; various names for these, 184-5; attendance at meetings, 188, 195-6; majority vote, 188-9; validity of meetings, 193; oratory at, 193-5; meeting-place — the village hall, 196-9; full meetings of, 199; accounting to, 200; membership qualifications, 200-2; Brāhmaṇa types of, 202-4; joint action by, 208; absolute proprietors of village lands, 220-1, 229; public works of, 229-31; currency control, 231-2; secretariat and records, 232-3; check to kings, 234, 311; as collectors of royal revenues, 234-7, 253; reception of royal orders by, 238, 239, 240-2; as trustees of royal properties, 243; royal interference with, 243-50; limits to powers of, 246-7; sources of revenue, 251-2, 257-8; distribution of revenue, 252-3; local revenue, 253-4; charges and duties, 254-6; exemptions, 256-7; educational work, 285; efficiency of, in times of famine and unrest, 289-92; protected cultivators, 292; appreciated local patriotism, 292-8; religious spirit of, 298-303; secular benefactions of, 303-4; system of, probably carried from North to South, 306-7;

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present a variety of types, 308. Village committees: Amṛtagaṇattār, 182 Annual, 166, 167-8, 174, 176, 181, 185, 256, 307 Assembly, 184 Cultivation, 182 Fields, 181 Gaṇapperumakkal, 182, 183, 307 Garden, 166, 167, 168, 174, 176, 181, 223, 256, 304 Gold, 169, 175, 178, 231-2 Goṭhī, 92, 93, 185 Grāma-kārya, 110, 183 Justice, 170-1, 174, 182 Land-survey, 182, 222, 235 Nyāyattār, 182 Pañca-vāra, 169-70, 175, 178, 184 Samvatsara vāriyam, 184 Tank, 166, 167, 168, 174, 181, 182, 229, 230, 254, 256, 304 Temple, 183, 210 Two hundred, 181 Udāsīna, 181 Urvāriyam, 182, 281 Vāragoṣṭhī, 184 Village, 181, 183 Wards, 181 ——, evidence on, 165-7; elected by lot, 171-3, 175; selection of members for, 173-4, 175; membership qualifications, 175-6, 179, 201, 202; disqualifications, 176-8, 179-80; various names for, 185; rules of debate, 186, 188; numbers of members, 186-7; special, 191-3; not independent, but sub-committees of general assembly, 199-200 — communities, permanent and self-contained, 2-3; not developed from tribal communities, 23-4, 25; a distinct type, 25; — craftsmen (*vīramuṣṭis*) 278; — declared a town, 204; —, evolution of, 146; — guards, 278; — 'Hampdens', 215, 294, 295, 296-7; — institutions, groups of, 275, 278; still functioning, 23; — library, 284; —, parts of exempted from taxation, 256-7; — pests, 160, 177; — planning, 77-8; — republics, 311; — schools, a school of Pāṇini, 273-5, 302, 304; — secretariat, 232-3; — servants, 278;

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— warrior, 294 Villages, Brāhmaṇa, 283-5, 285-8; gifts by, 91, 92; gifts of, 114 (note), 203-4, 205, 274, 276, 277, 281, 283, 284; grants of, 239-41, 256, 283, 295; — of crafts and castes, 47, 48, 76-8, 209 *Vinaya*, 61, 66, 75, 78 Violence, 219 Viramahādevī, 155 (note) Vīrarājendra-deva, 275 Vīramahendra, 295 *Vīramitrodaya*, 32, 34, 55, 87, 139, 163, 188, 252 Vīraśolan, 275 Viśākhā, benefactress of Buddhism, 51-2 Viśālayadeva, 293 Viṣaya, 206, 207 Viṣṇu (god), 265 *Viṣṇu*, 70, 102, 128, 131, 133 *Visuddhimagga*, 114 (note) Viśveśvara Bhaṭṭa, 15, 278 *Vivādaratnākara*, 31, 32, 82, 84, 87, 114 (note), 188, 252 Vogel, Dr., 114 (note) Voting at Buddhist meetings, 189-91 Vrāta, 29, 32, 33, 129 (note), 216; based on non-peaceful pursuits, 314 *Vyākaraṇa*, 280, 282 Vyākaraṇa-dāna-Perumāl, 274-5 Vyāsa, 83, 122, 139, 140 *Vyavahāramayūkha*, 31, 86, 127, 138, 139