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Uttaramerur Inscription
News: While discussing India’s democratic history, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made reference to the Uttaramerur inscription near Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
The Uttaramerur inscription, which was written during the reign of Parantaka Chola around 920 A.D.,
About 90 km from Chennai, in the Kancheepuram district, sits Uttaramerur.
Around 750 A.D., Nandivarman II of the Pallavas founded it.
The Uttaramerur inscription attests to the historical reality that a hamlet had a complex, highly developed electoral system and even a written constitution outlining the manner of elections approximately 1,100 years ago.
The walls of the village assembly (grama sabha mandapa), a rectangle formed of granite slabs, are etched with information about this electoral village democracy system.
The inscription provides astounding details regarding the organisation of wards, the requirements for candidates running for office, the standards for disqualification, the method of voting, the makeup of committees with elected members, their duties, the authority to remove offenders, etc.
The elected officials may even be called back by the villagers if they did not perform their duties.
In numerous regions of Tamil Nadu, inscriptions on temple walls mention village meetings.
