Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c13.s5.21

v1.c13.s5.21

That the mediaeval rulers were aware of the old notions about punishment is apparent from the inscription dated A.D. 1545 already cited, which following the "former rate" ends with the order that "there is no annyāya (injustice), daṇḍa and kandāya (rent) for the citizens of the Āragarājya'.¹ The word daṇḍa used in this epigraph, in all likelihood, did not refer to mere *fine*: the Vijayanagara monarchs, as we shall presently narrate, used a distinct term for the latter.