Sabha (assembly of the Brahmin village)

The sabhas was an assembly of the brahmadeya or Brahmin village. As the sabha was a Brahmin assembly, its membership was restricted to Brahmins only. The members of the sabha were commonly known as sabhaiyar.^[1] Each brahmadeya village had a sabha of its own. The administration of that particular village was carried out by the particular sabha. Its functioned as an administrative body and also as a governmental institution of the village.^[2]

A sabha had various committees or variyams to carry out its functions. The Uttiramerur^[3] inscription of Parantaka I elaborates the rules and regulations observed in the composition of the mahasabha and the

constitution of its various committees. It stipulates the qualifications required for its members. It states that persons who did not possess certain required qualifications were not entrusted with any work in the variyams. The learned Brahmins who possessed certain area of land alone were eligible to become the elected members of the sabha and its committees.^[4] Only such Brahmins got membership and voting power in the sabhas and its sub-committees. Membership in the sabha varied from place to place and time to time.^[5] The sabhai was summoned by the beating of a drum. Usually, its meetings were held in the temples. As an assembly of the Brahmana village, the sabha had various functions to discharge. Looking after the temples^[6] and their affairs was the preoccupation of the sabha. All royal grants and orders were addressed to the sabha.

The interest accruing from the capital amount alone could be diverted for various offerings. Sheep^[7] gifted to the temples for burning lamps were also left under the custody of the sabha. Those who protected the charity were instructed to follow the stipulated conditions strictly. Obstruction to charity was severely dealt with. Thus, the sabha played a unique role in the administration of temples.

The sabhas enjoyed unlimited powers with regard to the day to day life of the villages and the administration of the temples. One such sphere of its influence was the management of charitable endowments of the temples, which were entrusted to the respective sabhas^[8] of the villages. The sabha was either directly in charge of them or left under its supervision. Endowments were left under the safe custody of the sabha.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

I.P.S., No. 415-455; 487.

[2]:

A.R.E., 65 of 1919.

[3]:

R. Rajalakshmi, Tamil Polity, Madurai, 1983, p. 81.

[4]:

Archaeological Survey of India, 1904-05, p. 131.

[5]:

M.G.S. Narayanan, Re-Interpretation in South Indian History, Trivandrum, 1977, p. 20.

[6]:

T.V. Mahalingam, Op.Cit., p. 365.

[7]:

S.I.I, Vol. XIV, Nos. 67; 91 (But during the period of Rajaraja the Sabhaiyar assembled in the tank band, I.P.S., No. 90).

[8]:

Unpublished Inscription., See Appendix, No. 1.