A group of five (pancha) elders from a certain community who were the ultimate authority for the
community's members in old India.
Each jati (endogamous subcommunity frequently characterized
by hereditary profession) was self-governing, with the panchayat making all
major decisions.
This institution is celebrated in contemporary India as a
model for decentralized administration, in which citizens assume responsibility
for their communities, but since traditional Hindu villages include numerous
jatis, this also implies that there were multiple centers of control.
