Village Administration In The Medieval Period In The Deccan Region

One of the aspects of the village economy and society in the medieval period was, it was at once a social and economic unit.A. S. Altekar in his book – A History of Village Communities in Western India, tried to prove the point that the village headman was a hereditary officer in the village administration since ancient times in India.

In medieval times, the administration of the villages of the Maratha country was entrusted to a group of officials called the Watandars. The Deshmukh was the chief of a Pargana comprising a number of villages. The day-to-day administration of the village was headed by the village chief, the Patil, but the ultimate responsibility for the administration of the village rested with Deshmukh.“Watan was a rent free and grant made to a person in lieu of his services to the village community. The office created by the watan is a hereditary one and it continues in that family so long as he serves the village community loyally. In common parlance, therefore, this grant is called “Chakari Watan” i.e. service tenure.” This shows how Marathas had an excellent set of regulations for their own administration. But according to S. N. Sen, “… the Maratha chronicles pay very little attention to the administrative system of their times and the economic condition of their country.”

One of the aspects of the village economy and society in the medieval period was, it was at once a social and economic unit.A. S. Altekar in his book – A History of Village Communities in Western India, tried to prove the point that the village headman was a hereditary officer in the village administration since ancient times in India.

In medieval times, the administration of the villages of the Maratha country was entrusted to a group of officials called the Watandars. The Deshmukh was the chief of a Pargana comprising a number of villages. The day-to-day administration of the village was headed by the village chief, the Patil, but the ultimate responsibility for the administration of the village rested with Deshmukh.“Watan was a rent free and grant made to a person in lieu of his services to the village community. The office created by the watan is a hereditary one and it continues in that family so long as he serves the village community loyally. In common parlance, therefore, this grant is called “Chakari Watan” i.e. service tenure.” This shows how Marathas had an excellent set of regulations for their own administration. But according to S. N. Sen, “… the Maratha chronicles pay very little attention to the administrative system of their times and the economic condition of their country.”