Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s18: 4.15 Agriculture
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s18
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Contents
- c23.s18.t1 4.15.1 Paddy — 2 parts
- c23.s18.t2 4.15.2 Ploughshare — 1 part
- c23.s18.t3 4.15.3 Irrigation — 1 part
4.15 Agriculture
4.15.1 Paddy
c23.s18.t1.1
An inscription at Varichiyur (No. *16*, ca. 2nd century B.C.) refers to the endowment of *nūṟu kala nel* 'hundred kalams of paddy'. Unfortunately, the inscription is badly damaged and virtually no other information is available. It appears, however, that the endowment of paddy was for the maintenance of the large monastic establishment in this cave shelter having numerous stone beds. The phrase *nūṟu kala nel* occurring in such an early inscription is interesting. The standard rate of land tax was one hundred kalams of paddy per *vēli* (about 2.67 hectares) of wet land in the delta region of the Cōḻa country during the reign of Rajaraja I.¹ The endowment of one hundred kalams of paddy in the present inscription meant in effect that the tax on one *vēli* of land was made over to the *paḷḷi*. However, we have no data on the extent of land or the rate of taxation in this case; we cannot even be sure whether at such an early date a *kalam* (29 kg. in Cōḻa times) measured the same amount of paddy.
c23.s18.t1.2
¹ *SII*. II: Introduction, p. 17.
4.15.2 Ploughshare
c23.s18.t2.1
An inscription at Alagarmalai (No. *43*, ca. 1st century B.C.) mentions a *koḻuvaṇikaṉ* 'trader in ploughshares'. The term *koḻu* refers to the hard iron tip fixed to the wooden plough, which has survived with little change up to the present day.
4.15.3 Irrigation
c23.s18.t3.1
A short Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscription from Erettimalai (No. *114*, ca. 5th century A.D.) is engraved on a smooth shoe-shaped granite stone. The inscription describes the function of the device as a 'stone (stopper) fitted in the vent of a sluice'. While inscriptions on stone outlets (*tūmpu*) to regulate water supply from irrigation sources are common, the present inscription occurs uniquely on the stone stopper used to regulate the flow of water.