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Q21 (IAS/2014) History & Culture › Medieval India › Medieval administrative terminology Official Key

In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were used for

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were primarily used for village[3] headmen.[2] They were local administrative officials[4] who played an important role in village-level administration. There are references to officials known as ayuktakas and vithi-mahattaras[5] in administrative records from the Gupta period. The Damodarpur copper plate of the reign of Budhagupta mentions an ashtakula-adhikarana (a board of eight members) headed by the mahattara.[5] This indicates that the Mahattara held a position of authority at the local level, functioning as the head of village administrative bodies. These designations were thus part of the administrative nomenclature for local governance rather than being associated with military, religious, or guild-related functions.

Sources
  1. [2] https://abhipedia.abhimanu.com/Article/IAS/MjA1MzQ1/In-medieval-India-the-designations-lsquo-Mahattara-rsquo-and-lsquo-Pattakila-rsquo-were-used-for-nbs-Modern-Indian-History-
  2. [4] https://abhipedia.abhimanu.com/Article/IAS/MjA1MzQ1/In-medieval-India-the-designations-lsquo-Mahattara-rsquo-and-lsquo-Pattakila-rsquo-were-used-for-nbs-Modern-Indian-History-
  3. [5] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Administrative Units below the District level > p. 94
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Q. In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were used for [A] military officers [B] village headmen [C] specialist…
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Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a classic 'Glossary Question' targeting administrative terminology. 'Mahattara' is a standard term in Gupta administration (Damodarpur copper plates) for village elders, while 'Pattakila' (root for Patil/Patel) refers to the headman. If you skipped the 'Administration' sub-headings in standard texts like TN Board or RS Sharma, you likely missed this.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
In medieval India, were the designations "Mahattara" and "Pattakila" used for military officers?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"In medieval India, the designations ‘Mahattara’ and ‘Pattakila’ were primarily used for (b) village headmen."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly answers the quiz item and gives the correct option as village headmen, not military officers.
  • Provides an explanation that the terms referred to local administrators/village headmen.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The designations "Mahattara" and "Pattakila" were indeed used for village headmen during medieval times in India."
Why this source?
  • Direct statement that the designations were used for village headmen during medieval times.
  • Frames the terms as local administrative officials, which contradicts the assertion they were military titles.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were used for village headmen."
Why this source?
  • Provides the same answer: these designations were used for village headmen.
  • Reinforces the consensus across multiple sources that the terms do not denote military officers.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Army > p. 94
Strength: 5/5
“Seals and inscriptions mention military designations such as baladhikrita and mahabaladhikrita (commander of infantry and cavalry). The standard term "senapati" does not occur in Gupta inscriptions, but the term could be found in some Vakataka epigraphs. A Vaishali seal mentions the ranabhandagaradhikarana, which is the office of the military storehouse. Another Vaishali seal mentions the adhikarana (office) of the dandapashika, which may have been a district-level police office. The officials connected specifically with the royal establishment included the mahapratiara (chief of the palace guards) and the khadyatapakita (superintendent of the royal kitchen). A Vaishali seal mentions a person both as a mahapratihara and a taravara.”
Why relevant

Seals and inscriptions list many non-standard military and court designations (e.g., baladhikrita, mahabaladhikrita, mahapratihara), showing that regionally specific titles were commonly used.

How to extend

A student could search regional seals/inscriptions for the specific words Mahattara or Pattakila (or linguistic variants) because such sources often preserve local titles.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Ministers and other Officials > p. 93
Strength: 4/5
“Seals and inscriptions make a mention of official ranks and designations, whose precise meaning is often uncertain. The term "kumaramatya" occurs in six Vaishali seals, which suggests that this title represented a high-ranking officer associated with an office (adikarana) of his own. The designation "amatya" occurs on several Bita seals, and the "kumaramatya" seems to have been pre-eminent among amatyas and equivalent in status to princes of royal blood. Individuals holding the rank of Kumaramatya sometimes had additional designations as well, and such ranks were hereditary. For example, Harisena, composer of the Allahabad prashasti (inscriptions of praise), was a Kumaramatya, Sandhivigrahika and Mahadandanayaka, and was the son of Dhruvabhuti, a mahadandanayaka.”
Why relevant

The snippet emphasises that official ranks named in seals have uncertain meanings and could be hereditary or linked to offices (e.g., kumaramatya), illustrating that titles did not always map clearly onto modern categories like 'military officer.'

How to extend

A student could examine occurrences of Mahattara/Pattakila in lists of amatyas/officials to see if they co-occur with known military offices.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 8: Harsha and Rise of Regional Kingdoms > Administration of Army > p. 108
Strength: 5/5
“Harsha paid great attention to discipline and strength of the army. The army consisted of elephants, cavalry and infantry. Horses were imported. Ordinary soldiers were known as Chatas and Bhatas. Cavalry officers were called Brihadisvaras. Infantry officers were known as Baladhikritas and Mahabaladhikritas. Hieun Tsang mentions the four divisions (chaturanga) of Harsha's army. He gives details about the strength of each division, its recruitment system and payment for the recruits.”
Why relevant

Specific military officer titles are attested (e.g., Brihadisvaras for cavalry, Baladhikritas for infantry), showing that medieval sources often use specialized terms for different military roles.

How to extend

A student could check whether Mahattara or Pattakila appear in contexts describing army divisions (elephants, cavalry, infantry) to infer a military function.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 12: Bahmani and Vijayanagar Kingdoms > Nayak System > p. 183
Strength: 3/5
“The term Nayak is used from thirteenth century onwards in Telugu and Kannada areas in the sense of a military leader or simply soldier. Assigning the revenue of a particular locality to the Nayak for their military service is found in the Kakatiya kingdom during the thirteenth century. This is similar to the iqta system practiced by the Delhi Sultanate at that time. Nuniz says that the Vijayanagar kingdom at that time was divided between more than two hundred captains (his translation for Nayak) and they were compelled in turn to keep certain number of military forces (horses and foot soldiers) to serve the king in times of need: they were also required to pay certain amount of the revenue to the king in particular times of a year, like during the nine-day Mahanavami festival Bahmani and Vijayanagar Kingdoms Ÿ”
Why relevant

The term 'Nayak' is cited as a regional military leader title (Telugu/Kannada areas), indicating that titles for military commanders varied by region and language.

How to extend

Using regional scope as a guide, a student might look for Mahattara/Pattakila in inscriptions or records from particular linguistic areas (e.g., Tamil, Kannada, Telugu) where unique military titles appear.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The Marathas > Army > p. 236
Strength: 3/5
“The Maratha military system under the Peshwas was modelled on the Mughal military system. The mode of recruitment, payment of salaries, provisions for the families of the soldiers, and the importance given to the cavalry.”
Why relevant

The Maratha military system modelled on earlier systems and used specific ranks and recruitment modes, showing continuity and adaptation of military nomenclature across periods.

How to extend

A student could trace whether Mahattara/Pattakila show up in later or regional military records (e.g., Deccan, Maratha sources) as adapted or surviving titles.

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