New Empires and Kingdoms — Social Science STD 6 — Question

The inscriptions of the Pallavas describe a number of local assemblies. It included the sabha which was an assembly of brahmin landowners. This assembly functioned with the help of sub-committees, which looked after irrigation, agricultural operations, etc. The Ur was a village assembly found in areas, where the landowners were not brahmins. And the nagaram was an organisation of merchants. Perhaps these assemblies were controlled by rich and powerful landowners and merchants.