Context: The Prime Minister has referred to the Uttaramerur inscription in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, while discussing India’s democratic history.

What is Uttaramerur Inscription?

• Uttaramerur lies in the present-day Kanchipuram district in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is known for its historic temples built during Pallava and Chola rule.

• The famous inscription from Parantaka I’s reign is found on the walls of the Vaikunda Perumal Temple.

What does the Uttaramerur inscription say?

• The inscription gives details of the functioning of the local sabha, i.e. the village assembly. 

• A sabha was an assembly exclusively of Brahmans and had specialized committees tasked with different things. 

• The inscription details how members were selected, the required qualifications, their roles and responsibilities, and even the circumstances in which they could be removed.

Qualifications: It includes ownership of a certain amount of land, having a house, being between the age of 35 and 70 and “knowing mantras and Brahmanas” (from the Vedic corpus).

• An exception can be made on land ownership if the person has learnt at least “one Veda and four Bhashyas”. One must also be “well-versed in business” and “virtuous”.

Selection procedure for the Sabha: It says there were 30 wards. Everyone living in these 30 wards would assemble and select one representative for the village assembly.

• All those eligible and willing would write their names on palm leaf tickets following which, the representative would be chosen based on an elaborate draw of lots, conducted by priests in the inner hall of the building where the assembly meets.

Disqualification: The inscription lists several factors which disqualify someone and their family like:

• Not having submitted accounts while previously serving on a committee.

• Committing any of the first four of the five ‘great sins’ (killing a Brahman, drinking alcohol, theft and adultery).

• Being associated with outcastes, and eating ‘forbidden’ dishes.

Is Uttaramerur inscription an example of democracy?

• Uttaramerur inscription gives details of local self-governance, on closer inspection. But it is far from a truly democratic system.

• Not only does it restrict sabha membership to a tiny subsection of land-owning brahmans, but it also does not have true elections. Rather, it chooses members from the eligible pool of candidates through a draw of lots.

• However, this does not mean that this inscription should not be cited as a precedent for democratic functioning. 

• The inscription gives details of a system of local self-government, outside the direct authority of the king. The inscription is like a constitution – it describes both the responsibilities of members of the sabha as well as the limitations to the authority of these members. 

• Hence, if the rule of law (rather than rule by personal diktat) is an essential component of a democracy, the Uttaramerur inscription describes a system of government which follows just that.