Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 25 of 93 · Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms
Questioneasy
This question was previously asked in

SSC

'Sabha' and 'Ur', two kinds of village assemblies, are especially associated with the administration of which dynasty?

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option C — Chola dynasty

Detailed Solution

"Sabha" and "Ur" were two kinds of village assemblies that played an important role in local self-government under the Chola dynasty.

The village assemblies of the Chola period:

  • "Ur": the assembly of an ordinary village, where land was held by people of different castes; it was open to all the adult male taxpayers (landholders) of the village.
  • "Sabha" (or "mahasabha"): the assembly of a Brahmana village, consisting of Brahmana landholders.
  • "Nagaram": the assembly or organisation of merchants in trading towns.
  • Groups of villages formed a larger unit called the "nadu", which had its own assembly.

How the Sabha worked (Uttaramerur inscriptions):

  • Inscriptions from Uttaramerur (in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu), from the time of the Chola king Parantaka I (10th century), describe in detail how members of the sabha were chosen.
  • The sabha had different committees, called "variyams", to look after irrigation works, gardens, temples, tanks and other matters.

Members were chosen by lot ("kudavolai" system): the names of eligible persons were written on small tickets of palm leaf, put into an earthenware pot, and a young boy was asked to take out the tickets, one for each committee.

Qualifications for membership: owning land from which land revenue was collected, having their own homes, being between 35 and 70 years of age, having knowledge of the Vedas, and being well-versed in administrative matters and honest.

A person who had been a member of a committee in the last three years could not be chosen again.

Anyone who did not submit accounts, or whose relatives had committed crimes, was disqualified.

Importance:

  • The Chola system is considered a remarkable example of local self-government in ancient and medieval India.
  • The Prime Minister of India has cited the Uttaramerur inscriptions as an example of India's ancient democratic traditions.
  • Good to know
  • The Mauryas, Guptas and Mughals had their own systems of administration, but the sabha and ur are characteristic of the Chola period.

Quick tip

Remember: Chola village assemblies = Ur (ordinary village), Sabha (Brahmana village), Nagaram (merchants); Uttaramerur inscriptions (Parantaka I) = selection by lot (kudavolai); committees = variyams.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.The Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty was founded by:
  2. Q2.Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was a contemporary of which Chola ruler?
  3. Q3.Who was the court poet of Harshavardhana and the author of the 'Harshacharita'?
  4. Q4.In the battle on the banks of the Narmada, the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II defeated:
  5. Q5.The Shore Temple at Mamallapuram was built during the reign of:

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India from about the 7th to the 12th century: the Rajput dynasties, the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas, and the South Indian kingdoms of the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas, along with the Sangam age and the temple architecture of the period. Questions often ask which dynasty built a temple (the Pallavas built the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, and Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur), the capitals of dynasties, and the local self-government of the Cholas. Learning each dynasty with its capital, greatest ruler and one monument is the quickest way to answer these questions. Practise the early medieval India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms questionsBrowse all topics ›