Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c10.s9.43

v1.c10.s9.43

The concluding lines of the same grant may be taken to be the assurance which the higher officers gave the people whenever the latter were harassed by petty government servants. Peddirāja says: "For the areca-nut of your rent-free lands neither customs nor collections are due. Besides the local transport tax of three haṇa to the merchants, who buy your arecanut, why pay customs and collection? You have nothing to do with them, and may enjoy (your produce) free of all imposts". Since the Brahmans, who formed the most important members of the agrahāras, were given this assurance "in the presence of all the cultivators," we may reasonably assume that it was equally well intended to cover the interests of all other classes of people, without whom the Brahmans could never have conducted the affairs of an agrahāra.