History of Local Government in

Bangladesh (Bengal)
(Medieval Period)

Lecture 03

PA 211

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Historically, local government was always there in Bengal.
Only its forms differed from age to age. The ancient and
medieval governments of Bengal were heavily dependent on
village institutions, which made the structure of the local
government. The village society was left to itself for its own
governance.

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Two varieties of self-government institutions, i.e. the headman
and Panchayats appear to be operational in rural areas since
early times.
The headman was not an elected official but came from the most
dominant family in the village. His importance was due to two
factors: all contacts, be it political or administrative, between
the villager and authorities had to be routed through him and
he was involved in collection of taxes from the village.
The Panchayat was an elected body with executive and judicial
functions. But often the headman controlled the Panchayat.
During the Mughal rule of India, the Panchayat system
disappeared altogether.

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The king remained contented with its share in produce in the
form of tax.
There were state-sponsored institutions, such as village headmen
and village councils of many denominations.
These were instituted for double purposes: to collect tax and to
keep the people together for keeping production going and for
keeping the kingdom happy and prosperous.
There is not enough record at our disposal to discuss in details
about the actual nature of the local governance under the state-
sponsored institutions like Gramin, Gramika, or gramapala,
etc.
It is quite possible that above the village level, there existed not
local self-government but a local extension of the central
authority, perhaps tempered by some degree of local
consultation system through a social council system.
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 Local Government in Bengal during the
Medieval Period
Historians reckon the beginning of medieval period with the
establishment of Turko-Afghan rule in Bengal from the 13th
century.

It is believed by many, but disputed by others, that administration

of villages in medieval times was left to the PANCHAYETs.

Each village had its own council or panchayet. It appointed or

elected its own headman who served as a link between the
village and the central government.

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The headman collected revenue from the cultivators and
forwarded the same to the treasury. He was answerable for
delays in revenue collection.

A patwari or village accountant working under the supervision of

the headman used to keep records of crops and revenue.

The panchayets were generally entrusted with the task of looking

after education, irrigation, religious practices and moral
conduct of the villagers.

Holding fairs and festivals, and maintenance of law and order

were also their functions.

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 Panchayet System
The term 'panchayet' implies an assembly of five or more
persons. The term was in vogue in Bengal, as in the rest of
northern India, since time immemorial.
During the ancient period, this village assembly or panchayet,
which was either nominated by the king or elected by the
people of a village, was left undisturbed in the overall
management of the administration of the village.
The composition of the panchayets was such that they
represented different classes and castes.
The panchayets distributed land among the villagers, collected
tax from them and paid to the government its due share.

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Kautilya's Arthashastra mentioned the grama-
vrddhas (village elders) who were the
esteemed members of the village assembly
and whose duty was to assist the government
officials in deciding petty disputes in the
villages.

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The Muslim rulers introduced a system of administration, which
was more or less centripetal in character.
Even then the administration of the villages was left undisturbed
so long as the zamindars paid their royal dues regularly.
The administration of justice and the maintenance of law and
order in the villages were in the hands of the zamindars.
The village council or panchayet, popularly known as the caste
council, enjoyed limited powers and authority in the sense that
it could interpret only social laws and customs and suggest
penalties only against the violators of these.

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Mughal contribution to the development of urban local
government was remarkable as Mughals gave considerable
importance to towns.

Each town included a number of wards or Mohallas. A Mir

Mahalla was appointed to act as a spokesman for each
Mahalla.

The Kotwal, or Chief Executive Officer of the town, wielded

wide-ranging powers including magisterial, police, fiscal and
municipal power.

He was assisted in performing his duties by two officials: a Kazi

who was a judicial officer and a Mahatasib who was assigned
to prevent illegal practices.
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The Mughal system with all its novelties lacked
mechanisms for participation by the citizens. It was
nothing more than a top-down hierarchical
administrative system that was intended to be an
extension of the central authority into the local
areas.

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At the initial stage of British rule, the prevailing pattern of rural
administration of Bengal was retained.
The panchayet, known as the caste kachari and headed by the zamindar,
decided only petty civil and criminal cases and cases relating to
caste, such as persons having lost their caste or any dispute relating
to marriage.
The panchayet as a viable juridico-political unit of administration was
yet to emerge since the zamindar was the sole authority in the
administration of justice within the villages.
The once somewhat impotent panchayet was sought to be revived by
the passing of the Bengal Village Chowkidari Act of 1870 that
placed village chowkidars under the control of the panchayet.
In spite of this, the panchayet was hardly a popular body. It was neither
elected by the village people nor given any welfare functions of the
village.

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It is not clear whether the administrative units during the
medieval period were the same as those in the ancient period,
but it seems that revenue collection became more organised
during the Mughal period and local administration was more
geared up to that end.

Thus, during the Mughal rule, Sarkar/Chakla and Pargana

emerged as the focal point of revenue and general
administration.

Secondly, during the medieval period, there is no evidence of

local consultation through the council system; it was quite
simply a top-down administration consisting of the extension
of central authority into the local areas.

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These two characteristics are likely to have undermined the
authority of whatever self-government was prevailing at the
village level.
During the medieval period, particularly under the Mughals, the
town gained importance in Bengal.
The Mughals were essentially an urban people, and their most
remarkable contribution in respect of local government was in
the urban areas.
The office of Kotwal was developed as the cornerstone of the
municipal organisation during this period.
Appointed under a Sanad of the Emperor, the Kotwal was a
person of high status; law and order was his first
responsibility, and he used to maintain a body of horses, city
guards and a group of spies. Almost every sphere of city life
was under his responsibility.
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The End

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