Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c10.s7.8

v1.c10.s7.8

But the suggestion implied in the remarks of these two travellers, viz., that the treasury of Vijayanagara consisted of wealth that was hoarded and that it was not used for State purposes, can only be accepted with great reservation; firstly, because of the direct evidence of 'Abdur Razzāq, who speaks from personal knowledge of the existence of a royal treasury and of a mint, the location of which he gives in detail. "Behind the king's palace are the house and hall allotted to the Danaik. To the left of the said palace is the Mint".³ Secondly, there is explicit reference in Hindu literature and inscriptions to the existence of officers of the royal treasury in Vijayanagara. We believe that the "treasury" which Paes describes is the same place where bullion was stored underneath the ground, about which too 'Abdur Razzāq has also something to say. The Persian ambassador remarks: "In the king's palace are several cells, like basins, filled with bullion, forming one mass".¹ Our surmise that this place which contained bullion could not have been the royal treasury, is based on the evidence found in literature and inscriptions. The Tanjāvūri Āndhra Rājula Charitra informs us that on the application made by the Pāṇḍyan king Chandrasēkara, Kṛiṣhṇa Dēva Rāya sent his general Nāgama Nāyaka, who is called Tōṣēkhāna-adhikāri (Officer of the Treasury) against the refractory Chōḷa.² Nārāyaṇa Dēva, son of Timmarasa of the treasury of gold, granted in A.D. 1530 two parts of the village of Ballāpura for the annual (avasara) satra of the god Harihara in Harihara-sīme.³ Four years later we have one of the officers of Achyuta Dēva Rāya called the treasury officer (bhaṇḍārakke karttarāda) Timmappayya, probably the same Timmarasa mentioned above.⁴ As distinct from this officer we have evidence of a Palace Treasurer. This latter was called maneya-bayakāra. The maneya-bayakāra of Achyuta Rāya in A.D. 1535 was Rāmappayya, who was placed over Kandikere-sīme.⁵