Studies in Cola History and Administration c12.11

c12.11

It seems simpler on the whole to adopt the alternative construction suggested above, and read ‘vāriyam-āgu’ with the following words. This would perhaps imply that the committee-system was being adopted by this resolution for the first time in Uttaramērūr, or at least the committee-method (vāriyam) in local administration was improved and extended by this resolution. This view receives support from two considerations. First, in the records of an earlier period from Uttaramērūr there is no mention of ‘vāriyam’ as a committee* for a specific purpose. Secondly, from the inscriptions ‘A’ and ‘B’, the officials deputed by the king do not seem to have performed any special function other than representing the king to witness the proceedings of the assembly on the two important occasions when it adopted fundamental changes in its constitution. This becomes clear from the phrases ‘uḍan-irukka’ in l. 12 ‘A’ and ‘uḍan-irundu ippariśu śeyvikka’ in l. 17 ‘B’; of these, the second form appears to state more explicitly what is implied in the first. These expressions will be discussed further below.