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364
POLITICAL HISTORY OF N. INDIA FROM JAIN SOURCES
the committee of mahajanas.1 Yet another inscription of Pratīhāra Kakkuka, dated V.E. 918, states that a Hatt (market place) was inhabited by mahajanas, vipra and others. All these inferences show the existence of a body which may be called, in the modern sense of the term, municipality.
From the above inscriptions we know that the council of this body consisted of important persons of the town such as mahājanas (respected persons), vipras and some of the members of goșthis (guilds). The important markets (haftas) of the towns were under the control of these municipalities. They were also authorised to impose taxes for religious gifts to temples and the Jain inscriptions recorded various such taxes. The Jain inscriptions record toll house (sulkamandapika) under the management of the town committee.3 Sometimes the dues of the Central Government in customs duties were collected by the town committee on its behalf; thus the pilgrim tax at Bāhuloda in Gujarāta which amounted to 72 lakhs was collected in the 12th century by the local municipality on behalf of the Central Government. The tax collector was called pancakula.5 The permanent secretary (karanika) was in-charge of the records and correspondence of the committee.
Regarding other details such as selection and other functions of the committee we have no information from the Jain sources.
The Village Administration: The village administration was usually managed under the supervision and direction of the village headman. In the Jain inscriptions and literature he is called grāminaka, grāmika, grāma. kūța,? pastakila, mahattaka or mahantaka' during our period.
Mahattara and Mahattama: The majority of the Jain inscriptions of our period refer to the mahattaras or mahattamàs of a village.10 The two terms, though apparently representing the comparative and superlative degrees, have the same political significance as that of the elders. Their repeated mentions show that generally the elders of a village associated, it
1 Ibid., p. 227. 2 Ibid., p. 261. 3 Jain Lekha-sangraha, I, p. 215. 4 PC. (SJGM.), p. 57.
Ibid., p. 57; Jain Lekha-sangraha, I, p. 233. 6 Jain Lekha-sangraha, I, p. 213. ? Nitivā., P, 99. 8 PC., p. 98. 9 Jain Silālekha-sangraha, I, p. 232-233. 10 Ibid., I, pp. 248, 249 and 266.
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