Land Revenue & Administration: The Cholas | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Land Revenue and Administration

Land Revenue

• The principal source of the state income was land revenue. if was fixed at one-third of the produce and was collected both in kind and cash.   

• All land was properly surveyed and classified. At times, there were periodical revisions. 
• The responsibility for collection of revenue was that of the village assemblies and the village as a whole was made responsible for payment of the entire revenue due from it to the king’s officer.

Administration

• For administrative convenience, the Chola empire was divided into eight provinces ‘mandalams’. 
• Each province was sub-divided into various divisions and districts ‘Valanadus’ and ‘Nadus’. 

• The various villages were grouped into and placed under a sub-division called ‘Kurram’ or ‘Kottam’. The lowest unit of administration was village.
• Local Self-government
• The arrangements of local self-government has been regarded as the basic feature of administration of the Cholas. 
• The administration of the Cholas had the provision of local self-government beginning from the village up to the Mandal level at the top. 
• The village assemblies were known by the designations, the ‘Ur’ and ‘Sabha’ (or Mahasabha). 
• The ‘Ur’ was a general gathering of the entire adult population of a village. 
• The ‘Sabha’ or ‘Mahasabha’ was the assembly of Brahman villagers. For the formation of Mahasabha, first the village was divided into thirty wards. 
• The people of each ward used to nominate few people possessing the following qualifications:

    (i)    Ownership of about an acre and a half of land;
     (ii)     Residence in a house built on one’s own site;
     (iii)    Age between thirty five and seventy;
     (iv)     Knowledge of one Veda and Bhasyas; and
     (v)     He or any of his relations must not have committed any wrong and received punishment. 

• Those who had been on any of the committees for the past three years and those who had been on the committee but had been failed to submit the accounts were excluded from being nominees. 

• The power of these assemblies were quite extensive. They managed all the affairs of a village like maintenance of roads, tanks and irrigation projects and looked to the welfare of the people. 
• They settled petty disputes and were also entrusted the responsibility of detecting crimes and punishing the criminals. 
• To look after in detail the current problems of administration, the assemblies appointed a number of committees for various departments.

Justice

• For administration of justice, there were village courts and caste panchayats in rural areas. 
• The judicial committee of the Mahasabha called the Nyayattar settled cases of disputes, both civil and criminal. 
• In towns there were regular courts headed by the Judges, appointed by the king. 
• Apart from the normal methods of evidence, there were sometimes trials by ordeal.