Ancient Tamil Governance Analytics: Mining the Uthiramerur Inscriptions for Democratic Insights

Abstract

Purpose: Using data analytics and digital humanities, this paper investigates the governance records of Uthiramerur, a tenth-century Tamil village. The Uthiramerur assembly (sabha) is notable for its use of the kuṭavōlai, a palm-leaf ballot, for drawing lots. The records primarily exist as stone inscriptions placed during the reign of Parāntaka Chola I (c. 919 – 921 CE). The palm-leaf ballots, by contrast, were ephemeral. The inscriptions of Uthiramerur were treated as data, and the construction of the electoral algorithm and design of the committees (variyams) along with the rules of disqualification and constructive finance were made formal and amenable to analysis. This paper places Uthiramerur in relation to the broader epigraphic corpus of Tamil Nadu, and, following Karashima and Subbarayalu, argues that a design framework of governance principles (i.e. sortition, term limits, eligibility, and audits) may be inferred by the corpus. In this paper, the limitations and potential of data mining are honestly addressed.

Methodology: This paper uses qualitative research. The research was primarily conducted by using critical key word searches to collect data from the Google Search Engine, Google Scholar and AI-based GPTs. The inferred data was analyzed and interpreted as per the objectives of the paper.

Analysis/Results: Formal modeling shows design and structural controls against faction, financial abuse, collusion, and entrenchment, such as an eligibility filter combined with sortition, rotated committees, and audit-based accountability.

Originality / Value: The paper reformulates the noted Uthiramerur regulations as organized, minable data, connects one village to the broader Tamil epigraphic corpus, and assesses what can be gained through the computational analysis of ancient records.

Type of Paper: Exploratory Research