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Nattars were an administrative body in the Tamil kingdoms of Chola, Pandya and Pallava, who had the right to sell and purchase land, and make them tax-free whenever such a request was made. Nattar generally meant an official of an area called ''nadu''. The institution of the ''nattar'' was well-defined. It was in charge of all matters pertaining to a village, including water-management. It was noted that: "If ruling class is taken to mean those with the power and authority to manage community resources, then the ''nattar'' was this class in Tamil country". ==Description== Dr R Kalaikkovan and Dr M Nalini studied eighty three inscriptions from various parts of the temple complex of Saptarishisvara at Thiruthavathurai (Lalgudi, Trichy District). A seventeenth regnal year inscription of Jatavarman Sundarapandiya records that the nattar of Pandikulasani valanadu and Vadakarai Rajaraja valanadu exempted taxes on certain lands which were given to the temple for lamps, offerings and festivals. Another inscription presents the name of a nattar accountant as Muththaiyil Udaiyan. It was noted that despite the role of the nattars as an administrative body, their modus operandi was not clear.〔 The book ''Feudalism and Non-European Societies'' by TJ Byres and Harbans Mukhia, speaks of Tamil peasant militias in the Chola kingdom domains as stratified peasant groups with dominance exercised by one group identified with the ''nadu'' locality as a nattar. From the nattars, one lineage provided chiefs called ''araiyar'' of the locality. Settlements within the nadu included centres of commerce called ''nagaram'' (resided in by nagarathars) and settlements supporting brahmanical functions called ''brahmadeya'' (resided in by brahmins). The nattars were the highest of the peasant groups with entitlement (called ''kani'') to the major share (called ''melvaram'') of the agrarian production. While ordinary peasant families were suggested to have received minor entitlement (called ''kudivaram''), the field labourers had no fixed share. All these groups were ranked and had endogamous groupings, the highest of which claimed a status of purity and learning as ''sat shudra'', with the lowest being regarded as polluting to the touch. Ceremonial establishments of brahmin villages in the ''nadus'' to pursue dharmic ends were important in effecting links beyond the nadu. The ''brahmadeyas'' of different nadus created a network of ritual specialists and in doing so fortified the standing of the nattar upon whose patronage this depended. As per Arun Majumder in ''Structural Evolution of Indian Economy'', whenever the Chola overlords failed to reward its rural base of clients, that is, the nattars, the system began to corrode from within. That was because, apart from various administrative functions, the jobs of temple construction and giving landgrants to brahmins depended on the nattar. Nattar as a political body was recognized by the Pallavas and Pandyas. The Pallava and Pandya copper plates regarding grants of land had nattars mentioned in them. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nattar」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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