The Panchayat System under the Cholas Studies from Inscriptions

Abstract

The Chola kingdom of the sangam period extended from modern Trichy to southern Andhra Pradesh.  There capital was first located at Uraiyur and then shifted  to Tanjore  the history of Cholas falls in the four period the early Cholas the interregnum period medieval Cholas and Chalukya.  The Kingdom is very ancient there have been references made in Mahabharata and even in Asokan inscriptions.  Among the early Chola rulers mentioned in the Sangam to literature the most marked is Karikala.^[1] He is credited with constructing a Dam on the River of Kaveri.  It is considered to be earliest dam in the country he carved out an Independent kingdom of his own towards the end of the second century.

In ancient Tamil Nadu all the activity were done systematically. In all matters such as administrating the village. Demaracating land boundaries, maintenance the temples they took care that the rules and customs were strictly adhered. Stone inscription written in the Pallavas greater characters commerce from this period. A fact which suggests that with the conquest of chaunisam  the Pallavas must have erected their dominion further south of Kanchi into the Cholas Country land adopted the administration with Sanskrit language later stone inscription.

A large number of stone inscriptions and copper plate grants are the pillars of in constructing the history of medieval Cholas.  Leadership and Visions, King such as Rajaraja-I and his son Rajendra I extended the Chola kingdom beyond the traditional limits of Chola Kingdom.  A famous work composed in the regional language around this time under the Cholas was the Tamil Version of the Ramayana was composed by Kamban.Who also describes  the village administration system seaside the uttrramerur inscriptions speaks about the village administration of the parantaka chola-I Uttramerur Inscriptions speak about the village administration of the Chola’s period.

[1]. Atlantic – Publishers , Ancient History of India, 2013 PP.176-179.