A 1,100-year-long tryst with democracy: Uthiramerur's push for revival

At Uthiramerur, where democracy took root centuries ago, voters now weigh history against present-day issues as Tamil Nadu's election battle heats up

With freshly harvested paddy fields on both sides of the road interspersed with those of sugarcane, Uthiramerur at first glance appears like any other town in the fertile plains of northern Tamil Nadu — 95 km from state capital Chennai, it has all the elements of the classic Tamil countryside. 

The calm is interrupted as one enters the main town, where the air is charged with energy from various political rallies. An autorickshaw was seen urging electors to cast their votes for the udaya suryan (rising sun), the symbol of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Another autorickshaw, campaigning for actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), followed closely — a routine sight in an Indian town during election campaigning.   

However, there is something that makes the Uthiramerur Assembly constituency in Kancheepuram district special. Even 1,100 years ago, people used to cast votes here and an evolved system of local self-governance existed. It is, arguably, the cradle of democracy in the world.   This was long before the much-cited Magna Carta of England in the 13th century, often seen in the West as a foundation for modern democratic principles. According to inscriptions found in the Vaikuntha Perumal Temple in Uthiramerur, the region had a detailed framework for local self-governance, way back in the 10th century during the Chola period. It was known as the ‘Kudavolai’ system. In Tamil, ‘kudam’ means ‘pot’, and ‘olai’ means ‘palm leaf’. This electoral system was followed in the Brahmadeya villages of ancient Tamil Nadu.  

 

Upon entering the temple, watchman Dhayalan asks: “You came because Narendra Modi talked about this (place), right?” In the last six years, the Prime Minister has mentioned the temple’s inscriptions multiple times in his speeches. Whether during the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the new Parliament, the January 2023 episode of his radio show ‘Mann Ki Baat’, or in November 2025 at the hoisting of the dharma flag at Ayodhya’s Ram temple, he made it a point to draw parallels between the rules for contemporary elections and the Kudavolai system. 

Modi is not the only politician to have publicised this. Former PM Rajiv Gandhi, while touring Tamil Nadu with wife Sonia, had visited the site during the 1980s, and was reportedly inspired by the inscriptions to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system in India. Tamil Nadu's tableau for the Republic Day parade in 2024 represented the Kudavolai system. 

Referring to the inscriptions around the temple’s mandapa, Dhayalan says: “This is dated back to 920 AD. The villagers used to assemble at a common place and write the name of their preferred representative on a palm leaf and put it in a pot. A neutral boy used to pick the winners from the pot.” 

As he explains this, another DMK announcement comes from an adjacent road. “This is a DMK bastion for the past two elections. However, this time the Pattali Makkal Katchi (part of the National Democratic Alliance) and TVK are putting up a tough fight. Whoever comes to power should give more prominence to Uthiramerur’s history,” Dhayalan sums up.   

Uthiramerur has more than 243,000 people, mostly farmers and agricultural workers. “The DMK will win. Traffic woes are the main concerns for people in the town. The construction of a bypass road should be put on the fast track, and we need better connectivity,” G Thamizhmani, who runs a chips’ stall outside the temple, says without hesitation. 

However, farmers appear to have a differing opinion, with some of them criticising malpractices at direct procurement centres, lack of storage facilities, and water scarcity in the region. “We spend more than ₹25,000 per acre, and get a revenue of only ₹10,000 per acre after factoring in all expenses, including our hard work. A lot of middlemen and officials are looting us,” paddy farmer V G Mani from Vedapalayam village tells Business Standard. 

Another farmer from the same village, Gopal, complained about the rising drug use among youngsters in the region. “My vote is for PMK’s Magesh Kumar. We want a fair price for our crops, which we are not yet getting,” he says, pointing towards the 6,000 acres of paddy fields surrounding the town. 

However, Tamil Nadu's history with democracy and voting systems is not limited to Uthiramerur. According to historians, similar inscriptions at places like Senthalai in Thanjavur district and Manur in Tirunelveli district, which were also from the same time as that of Uthiramerur. Though democracy has even pre-dated evidence in other parts of the world like in Athens, it was not as evolved as the Tamil Nadu inscriptions.  Though democracy has even pre-dated evidence in other parts of the world like in Athens, it was not as evolved as the Tamil Nadu inscriptions.

 

Amid various arguments, one thing is certain: Uthiramerur, the cradle of democracy in the world, needs more publicity and reach.