<P> Every village was a self - governing unit . A number of such villages constituted a Korram (கொற்றம்) or nadu (நாடு) or Kottam (கோட்டம்) in different parts of the country . Taniyur (தனியூர்) was a large village big enough to be a Kurram by itself . A number of Kurrams constituted a Valanadu (வளநாடு). Several Valanadus made up one Mandalam, a province . At the height of the Chola empire there were eight or nine of these provinces including Sri Lanka. These divisions and names underwent constant changes throughout the Chola period . </P> <P> An inscription of the eighth century CE at Uttaramerur temple describes the constitution of the local council, eligibility and disqualifications for the candidates, the method selection, their duties and delimits their power . It appears that the administration of a common village Ur (ஊர்) or Oor was different from that of a village given to Brahmins . </P> <P> The activities of the officials of the bureaucracy were under constant audit and scrutiny . We have an example of such reports in an inscription from the reign of Uttama Chola which gives us the details of the remissness and neglect of some officials in the delay of recording a particular grant . As a result a dispute arose between contending parties as to who should benefit from the grant . The officials involved were punished . </P> <P> As the head of the civil administration, the king himself occasionally toured the country and carried out inquests into the local administration . </P>

This inscription reveals a lot about the cholas