In medieval India, the designations ‘Mahattara’ and ‘Pattakila’ were used for
[amp_mcq option1=”military officers” option2=”village headmen” option3=”specialists in Vedic rituals” option4=”chiefs of craft guilds” correct=”option2″]
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2014
In medieval India, the designations ‘Mahattara’ and ‘Pattakila’ were used for village headmen or village officials responsible for local administration, especially land revenue.
These terms appear in various inscriptions and historical texts, particularly from periods like the Gupta, post-Gupta, and early medieval Rajput dynasties. ‘Mahattara’ literally means ‘elder’ or ‘great man’ and was a common term for village elders or headmen. ‘Pattakila’ was also used for a village official, often associated with the collection of land revenue or management of village lands.