The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c9.201

v1.c9.201

16. No other subjects of Sadasiva got more inscriptions about themselves than the barbers 7. The origin of this predilection of the King and his Minister for the barbers was, it seems, the skill of one of them named Manggala Timmoju Kondajugaru or Kondoja of the town of Badavi 8. As far as we know, he was the barber of Rama Raya, who was much pleased with his skill in shaving the chin 9; the Minister introduced him to the Sovereign himself ¹. This was the beginning of that series of rewards bestowed upon him and all his fellow-workers. Early in 1545 Rama Raya, already pleased with Kondoja's work, remitted to him the caste tax, customs-dues and other taxes payable by barbers ²; then Sadasiva's agent in Shimoga District, following the example of the Regent, granted to the same man the Chanagiri Barbers' tax ³. In 1554 Kondoja 'having done service to Rama Raya and having made a request to the king, obtained a royal decree exempting the barbers from taxes' ⁴; in the following year he obtained the remission of forced labour, birada, fixed rent and other taxes for himself and his family throughout the four boundaries of the kingdom ⁵; then, by order of Sadasiva, Rama Raya granted another gift (illegible in the inscription) to the lucky barber ⁶. About the same time an agent of Sadasiva at Gudur issued a charitable edict to the same 'to last as long as the sun and moon exist'; and in order to drive home the importance of the reward, ended his donation with this warning: "Those who cause obstacles to it, will incur the sin of killing a cow and a Brahmin" ⁷.