Uthiramerur
Uthiramerur
Uttaramerur, Uttiramerur | |
|---|---|
UTC+5:30 (IST ) |
Uthiramerur is a
Nadu. It is noted for its temple inscriptions that describe a self-governance system existing around 7th to 9th century CE.
History
Uthiramerur originally existed as a Brahmin settlement. The Pallava king Nandivarman II (720–796 CE) formally established it as a brahamdeya village around 750 CE.[2] It is believed that he donated the village to Vedic Brahmins from Srivaishanva community.[citation needed] A tenth century inscription states the name of the village as "Uttaramerur Chaturvedi Mangalam".[3][4]
Around 25 inscriptions, spanning reigns of around four Pallava kings, have been found at Uthiramerur. In the later part of the 9th century, the
The region and the village came under the
Village administration
The temple inscriptions of Uthiramerur are notable for their historical descriptions of the
The earliest surviving inscriptions from Uthiramerur date to the reign of the Pallava king
Two later inscriptions of the Chola king Parantaka I (907–955) indicate the evolution of the administrative system. Instead of variyars (who were individuals), the executive powers were given to committees called variyams. Each variyam constituted 6 to 12 members, depending on the importance of its functions. The first inscription, dated to 919 CE, describes the rules for electing the committee members. The second inscription, dated to 921 CE, describes some amendments to these rules to make them more practical.[6]
According to the 921 CE inscription, the village had 30 kudumbus or wards, from which the members of following committees were selected annually:[6][4]
| Name | Number of members | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Samvatsara-Variyam | 12 | Annual Committee (or Garden and Tank Committee, since its membership was restricted to the elders who had served on these two committees) |
| Totta-Variyam | 12 | Garden Committee |
| Eri-Variyam | 6 | Tank Committee |
| Panchavara-Variyam | Unknown | Standing Committee |
| Pon-Variyam | Unknown | Gold Committee |
The inscription lays down the following qualifications for a nominee:[6]
- Ownership of tax-paying land sized at least one-fourth of a Veda and one Bhashya.
- Residence in a house built on self-owned land
- Age between 35 and 70 years
- Knowledge of Vedic literature)
- Not one of the following:
- An existing committee member (any committee) for the past 3 years
- An existing committee member who (or whose relatives) had failed to submit accounts
- One who (or whose relatives) had committed killing a Brahmin, drinking alcohol, theft, adultery and associating with criminals).
- One who has been an outcaste for association with low caste (unless he performs expiatory ceremonies)
- One who is foolhardy
- One who has stolen the property of others
- One who has taken forbidden dishes
The candidates were selected via Kudavoloi (literally, pot [of] palm leaf [tickets]) system:[6][4]
- Names of qualified candidates were written on palm leaf tickets
- The tickets were put into a pot and shuffled
- A young boy was asked to take out as many tickets as the number of positions available
- The name on the ticket was read out by all the priests
- The candidate, whose name was read out, was selected
The tenure of a committee member was 360 days. Anyone found guilty of an offence was immediately removed from the office.[4] The Uthiramerur inscriptions indicate that parading on donkey was a punishment for offences such as incest, adultery, theft and forgery.[6]
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India, the area administered by the Uthiramerur town panchayat has a population of 25,194, including 12,569 males and 12,625 females. The town is divided into 18 wards. The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of population excluding children aged 6 and below) is 81.74%.[1]
Religion
Hinduism (87.39%) and Christianity (9.00%) are the major religions.[1]
The village has several important
Politics
The town is administered by a
References
- ^ a b c "District Census Handbook: Kancheepuram" (PDF). Directorate of Census Operations. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ^ "Constitution 1,000 years ago". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 July 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-520-24225-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-520-24225-8.
- ^ a b R., Nagaswamy (2003). Uttaramerur. Chennai: Tamil Arts Academy. pp. 12–16.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-8424-568-4.
- ^ List of Town Panchayats, Government of Tamil Nadu
- ^ "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Tamil Nadu. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
External links
- A translation of the Uttaramerur Inscription of Parakesarivarman (Parantaka I)