Local Government in Ancient India c8.28

c8.28

297¹; II. 388²; IV. 430.³ 433 Com.) and the forest police who escorted travellers (*Jāt.* II. 335⁴) were all organized under a *jeṭṭhaka*. Then there were the trade-guilds (*Jāt.* IV. 411), eighteen in number, whom the king summons to witness his progress or to accompany him (*Jāt.* VI. 22).⁵ They included ‘masons, blacksmiths, carpenters, painters, men skilled in all arts and crafts’ (*Jāt.* VI. 427⁶; *Mil. Pañh.* I. 2).⁷ Similarly the ‘elder’ of a village of 1,000 smiths in whom were combined the functions of the head man of the village, the village syndic, and president of the local guild, is described as ‘a favourite of the king (of Benares) rich and of great substance’ (*Jāt.* III. no. 387).¹ The Seṭṭhi or Jeṭṭhaka is thus associated with the king or the administration as the representative of the mercantile interests [he being always called Gahapati, householder (cf. *Mahāvagga*, VIII. 1, for instance)], while the office of the royal treasurer seems to have been specially reserved for him.