Several tribal or kin based assemblies such as the sabha, samiti, vidatha and gana are mentioned in the Rig Veda.

1. Vidatha - The earliest tribal assembly

Vidatha was the earliest folk assembly of the Aryans, performing all kinds of functions- economic, military religious and social. Vidatha was an assembly meant for secular, religious and military purpose.

2. Sabha

The term Sabha denotes both the assembly (in early Rig-Vedic) and the assembly hall (later Rig-Vedic).

  • Sabha was a select body of elders. The head of the sabha was known as ‘Sabhapati’.
  • The Sabha advised the king on administration. It discussed pastoral affairs and performed judicial and administrative functions and exercised judicial authority. It functioned as a court of law and tried the cases of criminals and punished them.
  • The term Sabha denotes both the assembly (in early Rig-Vedic) and the assembly hall (later Rig- Vedic).
  • Women called Sabhavati also attended this assembly.
  • It was basically a kin-based assembly and the practice of women attending it was stopped in later-Vedic times.
  • Rig-Veda speaks of the Sabha also as a dicing and gambling assembly, along with a place for dancing, music, witchcraft, and magic.

3. Samiti

  • The references to samiti come from the latest books of the Rig-Veda showing that it assumed importance only towards the end of the Rig-Vedic period.
  • Samiti was a folk assembly in which people of the tribe gathered for transacting tribal business.
  • It discussed philosophical issues and was concerned with religious ceremonies and prayers.
  • References suggest that the Rajan was elected and re-elected by the Samiti.

4. Gana or The Republic

A Gana was a assembly or troop. The leader of the gana is generally  called Ganapati .

5. The Parisad

The early parisad seems to be a tribal military assembly, partly, matriarchal and partly patriarchal. However, the variety of the references lead to the non-Vedic character of the parisad. In later-Vedic period, it tended to become partly an academy and partly a royal council dominated by the priests, who functioned as teachers and advisers.

Difference between Sabha and Samiti


The king in the Early Vedic period did not have absolute power and had to consult two councils, sabha and samiti, before taking important decisions. The samiti was a big assembly where any member of the tribe could express his/her opinion regarding issues under consideration. The sabha, on the other hand, was a smaller assembly of the important tribe members who advised and aided the king. Women could also take part in such assemblies.

Sabha: The sabha was an assembly of the elders and important people.

Samiti: The Samiti was a general assembly, a gathering of members of every family of the Jana.