ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION The Republic of India is considered the largest of the world's democracies, and it represents one of the "functioning democracies" among developing nations (Kohli, 200 I). India also has one of the oldest traditions of local self-government, popularly known as panchayati raj (PR). This village administration functioned through indigenous political institutions called panchayats. Traditionally every village (gram) had a panchayat consisting of five selected representatives (panches). History of India is replete with evidence that its ancient landscape was dotted with hundreds of panchayats or "village republics," through which the rural communities were governed even though throughout the Indian subcontinent the prevailing form of central government was monarchy (Majumdar et a!., 1978). Despite their checkered history, there exists a remarkable continuity in the traditional and contemporary types of panchayats.
