The Rashtrakutas and their Times c22.170

c22.170

SUGAR. The price of this article is mentioned in several records; one (113) states that three Palams and 1 Kaisu of sugar cost 2 Nāris, 1 Uri, 1 Arakku, and 4 S'evidus of paddy; another observes (114) that one Palam of sugar could be had for 2 Nāris of paddy, while a third (115) one informs us that half a Palam of sugar required 1½ Nari of paddy. These prices are very divergent, and it is not possible to work them out, because Palam is an indefinite and variable measure. Amara says that it is equivalent to 4 Karshas or 3 tolas; in medical works it was and is taken to be 8 tolas; some other Koshas equate it to 5 Karshas or 4 tolas. Since we do not know the value of the Palam in vogue at Tanjore during our period, it would be hazardous to offer any conjecture about the price. If we take the Palam to be 5 tolas and the average price of sugar to be about 1½ Nāri of paddy, i. e., about 12 tolas of rice, we find that sugar was about 2¼ times costlier than rice. So it was much dearer than it is now. The conclusion is of course hypothetical.