Institution

Panchayat

Also known as panchayats

A panchayat is a traditional village council in South Asia, typically composed of elders. In the Maratha Empire panchayats managed agrarian disputes and customary law. They worked alongside provincial officials responsible for justice, revenue and defence.

Panchayat
Image: Shijualex at Malayalam Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Maratha EmpireGovernanceSikh EmpireDecline

Mentioned in 1 state history

Aundh State

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Panchayat. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/panchayat
MLA
“Panchayat.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/panchayat. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Panchayat.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/panchayat.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Panchayat’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/panchayat (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻