1.1. Ancient Period

♤ In the Vedic state, village acted as a basic unit of administration with ‘Gramini’ as an important village functionary. In the Vedic texts, there are also references to the Samiti (Assembly) and Sabha where discussions took place mainly concerning with agricultural problems.

♤ Arthashatra by Kautilya provides an exhaustive account of the system of village administration prevailing at that time. He outlined the ideal size of the village, its demarcation, distance between one village and another, and grouping of villages for purposes of posting police force and other state officials.