The words Bhumka and Bhumia both mean lord of the soil, or belonging to the soil.

As already seen, the authority of some menial official belonging to the indigenous tribes is accepted as final in cases of disputed boundaries, the idea being apparently that as his ancestors first occupied the village, he has inherited from them the knowledge of its true extent and limits.

All these points appear to tell strongly against the view that the Hindu village community considered itself to own the village land as we understand the phrase.

They seem to have looked on the land as a god, and often their own tutelary deity and protector.

What they held themselves to possess was a right of occupancy, in virtue of prescriptive settlement, not subject to removal or disturbance, and transmitted by inheritance to persons born into the membership of the village community.