Samanta

Samanta (Sanskrit: सामंत, IAST: ''Sāmanta'') was a title or position used in the Indian subcontinent primarily from the 4th to the 12th century CE to denote a feudal lord, vassal, or tributary chief. The Sankrit root roughly translates to "neighbor". The institution is considered to be closely associated with the origin and growth of feudalism in ancient and medieval India. Such offices as ''zamindar'', ''jagirdar'', and ''mansabdar'', among others, may be considered rough equivalents to the Samanta in the latter history of India.

The institution is known to have existed prior to the Gupta period, though details are vague. A Pallava inscription dating to the time of Santivarman (455–470 CE) uses the term ''Sāmanta-Chudamanayaha'' ("best among feudatories"). The term "Samanta" in South India usually referred to a vassal to a king or emperor. In North India, the earliest use of the term in a similar sense was in Bengal in the Barabar Hill Cave Inscription of the Maukhari Chief, Anantavarman (dated 6th century CE).

The earliest uses of the term "Samanta" occur usually in connection with various land boundary disputes in ancient India. Almost all rules regarding land boundaries and the resolution of border disputes were likely decided by the Samantas. Some historians believed that the Samantas' right to adjudicate on boundary disputes arose out of their ownership of the broader land, but such an interpretation does not stand scrutiny. Indeed, the term's meaning as a feudal lord only emerged gradually over time later in ancient India. Provided by Wikipedia