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Difficulty: Very hardMedieval Indian Dynasties, Administration, and Regional Kingdoms

Consider the following statements regarding the administrative structure and village self-governance under the Imperial Cholas:

1. The *Ur* functioned as an assembly of general landholders in traditional villages, whereas the *Sabha* (or *Mahasabha*) was an exclusive assembly of Brahmin landholders in *brahmadeya* villages.
2. As recorded in the Uttiramerur inscriptions of King Parantaka I, eligibility for election to village executive committees required candidates to own private tax-paying land, have knowledge of the Vedas, and adhere to strict moral and financial accountability standards.
3. Executive committees (*variyams*), such as the *Pon-variyam* (Gold Committee) and *Eri-variyam* (Tank Committee), were staffed through direct royal appointments from the central capital rather than local village selection mechanisms.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 onlyAnswer
  2. B
    2 and 3 only
  3. C
    1 and 3 only
  4. D
    1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 and 2 only
The correct answer includes statements 1 and 2. Chola village autonomy was divided between peasant assemblies (*Ur*) and Brahmin grant assemblies (*Sabha*). The Uttiramerur inscriptions of Parantaka I confirm strict property and educational criteria for candidates contesting *variyam* positions. Statement 3 is false because executive committee members were chosen locally via the *Kudavolai* (pot-ticket lottery) system rather than being royal appointees.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Statement 1
Statement 1 is correct.
Chola local governance relied on two primary agrarian assemblies: the 'Ur', which comprised local landholders in standard peasant villages (*vellanvagai*), and the 'Sabha' or 'Mahasabha', which governed tax-exempt Brahmin land grants (*brahmadeya*).
2
Analyze Statement 2
Statement 2 is correct.
The 10th-century Uttiramerur inscriptions of Chola monarch Parantaka I detail strict democratic qualifications for *Sabha* membership: candidates had to be between 35 and 70 years old, own at least one-fourth *veli* of tax-paying land, reside on their own property, and possess proficiency in the Vedic texts and administrative rules.
3
Analyze Statement 3
Statement 3 is incorrect.
Committee (*variyam*) members were not appointed by royal decree from the capital. Instead, they were chosen via a decentralized lottery system called *Kudavolai*, where names of eligible candidates written on palm-leaf tickets were drawn from a pot by a young boy in the presence of the village assembly.

Key Concept

Chola Local Self-Governance and Uttiramerur Inscriptions
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Topics

Medieval Indian Dynasties, Administration, and Regional Kingdoms

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