The Rashtrakutas and their Times c23.s1.12

c23.s1.12

Arrangement for the higher education was made in three places, (i) Mathas associated with temples endowed by the state or private charity, (ii) agrahāra villages granted to Brahmana settlements, and (iii) special educational institutions conducted by private individuals or village communities with the help of the public and the state. At Hebbal in Dharwar district there existed a Matha in the Bhujjabes'vara temple; an inscription, dated 975 A.D., records the grant of 50 *mattars* ( probably equal to 200 acres ) of land for the Matha, where students were fed and taught.(8) Two 12th century inscriptions, one from Managoli dated 1161 A.D.,(9) and the other from Belgamve dated 1183 A.D.,(10) show that there existed Sanskrit schools in these villages associated with the local temples; at the latter place the temple authorities of the Dakshines'vara temple, where the school was located, were enabled by private charity to provide for the boarding of the scholars free of charge. An inscription at Jatiga Rames'vara hill in Chitaldurg district, dated 1064 A.D., records a grant of 50 *mattars* of land to the Rames'varam temple for defraying the expenses of the temple worship, and for imparting education.(11) Part of the donation of Bhadravishnu, given to the Buddhist Vihara at Kanheri, in the reign of Amoghavarsha I, was for purchasing books. The Buddhist monastery at Kanheri like the one at Valabhi(12) was obviously maintaining a library which was very probably required for the school connected with it. We learn from the Chinese travellers that the Buddhist monasteries used to attend to the training not only of the monks but also of the children of the laity.(13) Indirect help to the cause of education was given by some of the temples, which used to give free food to the students in the feeding houses attached to them.(14) Some of the records mentioned above fall just outside our period, but they may be well utilised to illustrate further the state of affairs in our age.