Indian Antiquary Vol 61

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 91

MAY, 1932 ]
PANCHAVARA-VARIYAM
SI
PANCHAVARA-VÂRIYAM. BY RAO BAHADUR Dr. S. KRISHNASWAMI AIYANGAR, M.A., Ph.D., M.R.A.S., F.R.Hisr.s., F.A.S.B.
The term pañchavára vâriyar is frequently met with in South Indian inscriptions. It generally occurs among the various assemblies, big and small, which went to constitute the government of rural divisions in Tamil India. From the contexts in which the term occurs, and from association with terms of similar application, it is generally translated as 'Panchavâram Committee,' a confession that the pañchaváram part of the term is not understood, perhaps not even understandable. The term committee 'as the equivalent of variyam we shall discuss presently. The largest number of these committees that happen to be mentioned together occurs in No. 156 of volume III of the South Indian Inscriptions, at Tiruparkadal in the North Arcot district. The assemblies mentioned are the following :(1) Samvatsara vâriyam ;
(5) Pañchavára vâriyam; (2) Tótta våriyam;
(6) Kanakku vârigam ; (3) Eri väriyam ;
(7) Kalingu vâriyam; (4) Kalani vâriyam ;
(8) Tadivali vâriyam. Among these are included the great people of Sri Vadavîra Naranam, and following these are the Bhattas. All these, together with other citizens, constituted the Maha-sabha, or the great assembly, of the village, and the meeting under reference also contained the governor of the village, Pallavan Brahmâda Araiyan, and the superintendent, Arumba Ki ân.
In this recital, it will be seen, there are two classes of people referred to, viz., (1) the Bhattas or learned Brahmans, a group by itself, and (2) the great ones of Sri Vadavîra' Naranam, which would simply mean the inhabitants, or the residents, of the part or ward of the town which went by the name Vadavîra Naranam. In these two cases, apparently, it is the whole body of the people concerned that are under reference. In the case of the other eight, it seems to be that the bodies were constituted, as usual, by a process of lot and election combined, for various purposes. The first one was entrusted with the general management of the affairs of the village for the year. The second, similarly, had the management of the gardens of the village; the third, the irrigation tanks; the fourth, the fields; the fifth is the pañchavaraváriyam ; the sixth had the management of the accounts of the village; the seventh, of the sluices, and the eighth was the tadi vali váriyam, which ought to be translated as the Roads Committee, but is rendered as the great men of the field supervision. This seems inappropriate, as there is the kalani-râriyam for the fields, whereas vaļi would mean the vay,' and tadi vali perhaps stands for 'straight roads,' as they are usually stated to be of a width of so many rods (tadi).
From this recital it becomes clear that the common affix to these terms, váriyam, has a meaning as in the similar very familiar Tamil compound vasivdriyan, väsivariyan being the equivalent of the Sanskrit aśvadamanaka, one who trains and controls horses, or, in one word, trainer. So it would be safe to translate the term váriyam by the English general term
management. The pañchavára-váriyam therefore must be a committee appointed for the management of something on the analogy of the other seven, of which, as we see, the first constituted the general management for the year, whereas the other six committees are committees appointed for the management of particular branches of administration.
The term váriyam however has another significance, which ought to be noted here, namely, president' or 'chairman. In the ciroular-inscriptions' issued by Parântaka laying down the regulations for the election and constitution of the bodies composing the government of a village, the circular is said to have been presented to the assembly or the sabha of the village of Uttaramêrûr by a divisional officer of consequence, who is said in the inscriptions to have acted as the variyam (váriyam aha). The Government Epigraphist of the day, the late Rai Bahadur Venkayya, translated the words in the A.S.R. for the year 1904-05 (where he has translated the two important documents) as 'the local governor being