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72
A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA GURNI
is every reason to believe that the same practice must have continued even during this time in some form or the other. These five officers were : mahattara, anu-mahattara, lalitasanika, kaduga, dandapati or dan daga.
The mahattara was same as the grāmamahattara or the village-headman. He was consulted for all the activities during a gotthi and was given the highest seat.2 The anumahattara was an assistant officer who performed the village-functions in the absence of the mahattara.: Lalita sanika is another officer mentioned in this list, but his functions as an officer are not very clear. It was the custom to provide him with a high or beautiful seat during the gotthi and double amount of the food offered at the time of the gotthi-bhatta.“ Kaduga was another officer who determined the type of punishments for the gotthiyas for any of their short-comings during a gotthi.5 Dandapati or daņdaga was the officer who administered the punishment decided upon by the former officer.
These five officers must have formed the village cabinet which is now known to us as pañcāyata. Bana in the 7th century A.D. alludes to the pañcakula? which may be taken as a variation of the technical term pañcaman ļali. The office of these officers must have been elective, and the money (dhana) or family (kula) is mentioned as the basis of their selection. From the respective designations of these village
1. Ibid. 2. सव्वेसु उप्पज्जयमाणेसु गोठिकज्जेसु पुच्छणिज्जो, गोटिठभत्त-भोयणकाले जस्स जेठ
ATHU sfasat HT HETTI Hourf-NC. 2, p. 144. 3. TTHET BTHCdifed fi gasfogat i grald E BUJAETTI-NC. 2, p. 144;
Bịh. V. 4, p. 994. 4. ललियासणियस्स आसणं ललियं इ8 कज्जति, परिवेसिया इत्थिया कज्जति, इट्ठभोय
OF JUUT HOT favald-NC. 2, p. 144. 5. Claquien TIETTES Sfiorat histīt stufa-Ibid. 6. CE BITTÄa 5 H2594 oua, 1 ta gesit woul-Ibid. 7. Harracarita, p. 255. 8. Saletore, op. cit., p. 303. 9. NE AT TAGE TOT TETT—NG. 2, p. 101.
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