Explanation:

The administrative machinery of the age was described by the Sangam texts.
The policies of the king were controlled by a system of checks and balances in the councils. Silappadikaram refers to the two types of councils —Aimperunkulu and Enperayam.
The aimperunkulu or the council of five members was the council of the ministers. Theenperayam or the great assembly (perayam) consisted of 8 members (government officers).
This worked as an administrative machinery of the state. These two assemblies that of the Five and that of the Eight functioned as administrative bodies, though their function was generally advisory in character. However, their advice was rarely rejected by the king. Their important function was judicial though the aimperunkulu seems to have been solely in chaRige of it as described by Maduraikkanji. It is important to note that in spite of all the glory attached to the ancient king, the ethos of Indian administration has been in the direction of limited or popular monarchy. This can be observed in South India from very early times even more than in the north and each followed its own model of administration. Every local unit, however small and in whatever corner it was situated, was administered by a local assembly.
The avai and the manram are the terms used for this unit in Sangam works. Such assembly is commonly referred to as arankuravaiyam, which were known for its just decision. These can be taken to be the forerunner of our modern panchayat.