The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c15.88

c15.88

The lowest administrative division, the village, was under a Grâmika.³ How he was appointed we are not told. Probably, heredity, informal village opinion and government approval were jointly responsible for his selection. Henceforward, the inscriptions constantly mention Mahattaras, elders of a village, who are addressed in the grants. It is possible, but there is only negative evidence to support the hypothesis, that this represents a fresh development in village administration. There is no evidence of any village councils in the north. But the Mahattaras seem to be associated in an informal manner with the Grâmika in the administration of village affairs. The Dâmodarpur Plates mention Aṣṭakulâdhikaraṇa, which is difficult to explain but which probably refers to representatives of families, who are likely to have been consulted. There seems to have been a village accountant called Talvâṭaka.¹