Indian Epigraphy c11.t7.2

c11.t7.2

The gift generally consists of a plot of land or a field or a village or several plots, fields or villages. The name and location of the gift land are often indicated with reference to the district and other territorial divisions such as *grāma*, *viṣaya*, *maṇḍala*, *bhukti*, *vīthi*, *pattalā*, etc. The area of a plot of land is usually specified in the current land measure called *hala*, *nivartana*, *pādāvarta*, *kulyavāpa*, *droṇavāpa* *āḍhavāpa*, *nālikāvāpa*, *kalasikā:āpa*, *ṭimpira*, etc. It is difficult to determine the exact area of these land measures with reference to particular ages and localities, though the words ending in *vāpa* give some vague indication. Thus *droṇa-vāpa* no doubt meant originally an area of land on which one *droṇa* measure of the seeds of the principal crop could be sown.¹