Indian Epigraphy c11.t7.20

c11.t7.20

Though gifts were made for acquiring religious merit, some grants do not specifically mention either the purpose or the occasion on which they were made. But most of the donations are known to have been made on occasions like a *saṅkrānti*, an eclipse of the sun or of the moon, a religious festival, or a visit to a sacred spot such as a temple or a confluence of rivers.² In a number of cases, the donor is stated to have made the grant after taking a ceremonial bath in the waters of a holy river.³ Similarly, the grant is sometimes stated to have been made to the donee in the name of the family-deity of the king.⁴