What was the nature and role of local associations in the Pallava and 20 marks South Indian polity? Comment.

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A characteristic feature of south Indian polity, especially Pallavan, was the importance of local,corporate units in most important aspects of the lives of people. There were innumerable local groups and associations based on caste, craft, profession or religious persuasion. Thus there were associations of handicraftsmen like the weavers, oil pressers etc., of merchants like the Nanadesis, the Manigramam and the Five Hundred of Ayyavole, of students, of ascetics, of temple priests, etc with three important territorial assemblies: ur, sabha and nagaram. Ur was a non-brahmanical village assembly,Sabha was a village assembly consisting only of brahmanas, and nagaram was an assemblywhere merchantile interests predominated (nagaram had some agricultural interests too, however). The members of an assembly used to meet annually while the day-to-day tasks were looked after by a smaller executive body. Each group functioned autonomously in accordance with its own constitution based on custom and usage, and took care of the problems of its members at the local level. In matters affecting people of more than one assembly or association, decision was taken by mutual deliberation.

Local administration through the corporate units greatly lightened the burden of the government. It not only gave a chance to population to air its grievances and problems, but also fixed responsibility on the people themselves for redressing the grievances and solving the problems. This strengthened the basis of the state by minimising opposition to it as the people could not hold the government responsible for these matters.That is why we do not find the Pallava kings trying to encroach upon the functioning of the local autonomous corporate groups. But they did seek to strengthen their own base by bringing in brahmanas and creating privileged brahmana settlements by making landgrants to brahmanas, either directly (called brahmadaya or in the name of a temple (called devadana). These brahmana settlements were created all over the core areas of the Pallava kingdom. The 'core areas' were the most prosperous areas based on irrigated rice cultivation, on the prosperity of which the strength of the Pallavas depended. The village assembly of brahmanas was called sabha or mahasabha. During the late Pallava period the sabha developed the system of governance through committees. This is known as the committee or variyam system. It became a hallmark of self-government in brahmana settlements in south India. The sabha managed a number of tasks mostly through these committees-maintenance of tanks and roads, management of charitable donations and of temple affairs, and regulation of irrigation rights.