3 The Lichhavi period

The Lichhavi inscriptions are the first substantial legal record. They show a state that granted land and privileges by charter, fixed the obligations attached to land, and used inscriptions as public notice — in effect a register of rights. They also show a vocabulary of administration: officials with defined functions, a treasury, and the machinery for collecting dues. FeatureWhat the evidence showsLegal significance Land grantsCharters recorded the beneficiary, the land and its boundariesWritten record as proof of title ImmunitiesGrants often exempted land from specified duesDifferentiation of fiscal treatment OfficialsTitles for revenue, justice and local administrationBeginning of an administrative structure PenaltiesReferences to fines and forfeitureState monopoly over punishment