Panchayat

In traditional India, a group of five (pancha) elders from a particular community,
who were the final authority for the
members of that community. Each jati
(endogamous subcommunity, often
defined by hereditary occupation) was a
self-governing body, for which the panchayat would make all the important
decisions. In modern India this institution is being hailed as a paradigm for
decentralized government, in which the
493
Panchayat
people themselves take responsibility
for their communities, but since there
are multiple jatis in any traditional
Hindu village, this also means that there
were multiple centers of authority.