The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c10.s1.t8.3

c10.s1.t8.3

The municipal corporation consisted of six divisions. Each had five members on the *panchâyatic* principle. The first jurisdiction of the city government was industrial arts. The second division looked after the entertainment of foreigners. To these the city assigned lodgings and kept "watch over their modes of life" by means of those persons who were appointed to assist them. The city arranged to "escort the aliens on the way" when they left the country, or, in the event of their dying, forwarded their "property to their relatives". Foreign visitors were treated indeed as guests of the nation. They were taken care of by the city when they were sick, and buried under government supervision if they died. Census and vital statistics constituted the jurisdiction of the third board. The City regularly recorded facts as to "when and how births and deaths occur, with the view not only of levying a tax, but also in order that births and deaths among both high and low might not escape the cognizance of Government".³