Administration of Brahmadeya Villages

Administration of Brahmadeya villages was carried out by the organisational structure created by the Brahmins. In the Tamil country under the Chola rule (9th-13th century), there were many villages which were granted to Brahmins and described as Brahmadeya. These villages were dominantly inhabited by Brahmins who formed an assembly called Sabha for the village administration. These Brahmadeya villages played a very important role in the local administration of the country.

The administration of Brahmadeya villages was carried put by certain village assemblies. These were mainly Sabha and Parudai. Sabha was the assembly formed in Brahmadeya villages. Its members were most likely restricted to Brahmins who possessed a certain area of the land in the village. It functioned as an administrative organization and often had several committees for the various purposes of the village administration. It represented the village to the world outside. Parudai was probably an organization discharging duties connected with the temple administration. It worked perhaps under the control of the Sabha of its village. A good number of Chola inscriptions which record the various activities of these Sabhas have survived in many villages in Tamil Nadu which were Brahmadeyas under the Cholas. The most famous of such villages is Uttaramerur in Chingleput District.

The Brahmadeya villages played an important role in the local administration of the state, and consequently functioned as an apparatus for social integration. They enjoyed a close relation with the Chola kings even wielding a certain amount of influence at times. Their importance can be gauged from the fact that in the central parts of the Chola country, i.e., Cholamandalam and Jayangondacholamandalam, roughly comprising the present districts of Chingleput, North Arcot, South Arcot, Tiruchirapalli district, Thanjavur and Pudukkottai district, there is a tendency for more than a few Brahmadeya villages to be located in each Nadu (territorial division).

Thus it was seen that the Brahmadeyas, despite being comparatively few in number to the non-Brahmadeya villages, formed rather important parts of state administration

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