PM Modi referred to an over 1,100-year-old inscription found in Uthirameur, Tamil Nadu, which talks about rules for a local body, including provisions for disqualifying a member.

What are Uthiramerur inscriptions?

• Uthiramerur inscriptions are a set of ancient Tamil inscriptions found in Uthiramerur, a town in the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu.
• These inscriptions date back to the 10th century CE and were created during the reign of the Chola dynasty, which ruled over a large part of South India.
• It was crafted under the rule of Parantaka Chola I (907 – 956 AD.)

What does the inscription say?

The temple inscriptions of Uthiramerur provide historical descriptions of rural self-governance.

(1) Sabha and Ur

• Uthiramerur had two village assemblies: Gram Sabha and Ur.
• Sabha was exclusively a Brahmin assembly, while the Ur was made up of people belonging to all classes.
• Sabha managed land sales, endowment fund for dredging a tank, and assigned duties to the Ur for managing deserted land.
• Sabha assembled in the hall of the local temple and was summoned through beating of the drums.
• The inscriptions contained references to variyars, the executive officers subordinate to the Sabha.

(2) Administrative System

• The executive powers were given to committees called Variyams during the Chola king Parantaka I’s reign (907–955).
• Each variyam constituted 6 to 12 members, depending on the importance of its functions.
• The first inscription (dated 919 CE) described the rules for electing committee members.
• The second inscription (dated 921 CE) described some amendments to these rules to make them more practical.

(3) Committees and Qualifications

• The village had 30 kudumbus or wards, from which the members of various committees were selected annually.
• The inscription lays down the qualifications for a nominee, including ownership of tax-paying land, residence on self-owned land, age between 35 and 70 years, knowledge of mantras and the Brahmanas, and not being associated with certain offenses or activities.
• The candidates were selected via Kudavoloi (pot of palm leaf tickets) system.
• The tenure of a committee member was 360 days.
• Anyone found guilty of an offense was immediately removed from the office.

(4) Punishments

• The Uthiramerur inscriptions indicate that parading on a donkey was a punishment for offenses such as incest, adultery, theft, and forgery.

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