Local Government in Ancient India c9.88

c9.88

We have also some evidence of localization of trades and industries in Sanskrit works. The *Kauṭilīya* (II. i.) refers to the artificial creation by the king of villages of agriculturists belonging to the Śūdra caste, of Brāhmaṇa villages with forests for their undisturbed pursuit of learning and religion, of mines and factories, timber and elephant forests and markets. Within the city the various trades and crafts were localized in special quarters and their distribution followed a definite plan. Thus every caste and craft had a locality of its own [see II. iv. for the details of the distribution]. In the Śilpaśāstra work called *Mānasāra* is described a village plan called *Nandyāvarta* meant for a mixed population of different social grades assigned to different localities. There is an example of village-planning mentioned in a South Indian inscription of the thirteenth century A.D. in which the village is intended to accommodate 108 Brāhman families with lands for grazing cattle, new settlers and remuneration of the village officers and artisans (*Madras Epigraphy, Annual Report*, 1913–14, p. 92). One of the Ukkal inscriptions mentions villages of Brāhmaṇas, of Vaikhānasa and of Śramaṇas (i. e. Jainas) in the Cola, Toṇḍai and Pāṇḍya countries (no. 9, Hultzsch, *S. I. Inscr.*, vol. III, p. 15).