The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c10.s1.t2.4

c10.s1.t2.4

The local self-government ordinances of Chola India provided that members of the committees must be below 75 and above 30 years of age. The property qualification for *panchâyat*-membership was twofold. First, the person must own more than a quarter *veli* (5 acres) i. e. 1¹/₄ acre of tax-paying land. Secondly, he must live in a house built on his own real estate.⁵ The village assembly was thus not a commonwealth of all men, but a really exclusive institution, an oligarchy.