Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c10.s9.41

v1.c10.s9.41

In what way the Nāyakas, who held the pārupatya over certain large areas, and the Adhikāris, who were placed over the hejjunkas or Big Customs, were subject to the direct control of the Central Government cannot be made out for the present. The inefficiency of some of these officials is shown in a few instances of unauthorized collection of customs dues; but it may be noted at the same time that the Government at once set matters right by redressing the grievances and granting the people a remission of taxes. Peddirāja in A.D. 1542, in the reign of Achyūta Rāya, granted to the people of the Dalavāyi-agrahāras a śāsana as follows: "Whereas in the aforesaid agrahāras and villages (of Dalavāyi-agrahāras and Srīrangapaṭṭaṇa) which Rāma Bhaṭṭaya had assigned to me for his māgaṇi customs duties which did not exist before have been levied from all by Kāmappa Nāyaka while he held the pārupatya,—the whole of these customs dues and collection, altogether 300 gadyāṇas, and the house-dues of the Peraṅgūr-ayya for Hāruvahaḷḷi-Vogeya-samudra, in order that merit might accrue to the king and to Rāma Bhaṭṭayya, I have freely remitted to you, having summoned the cultivators. . . ."¹