Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c9.s2.78

v1.c9.s2.78

(c) The name of the engraver is next to be examined. The Mūlbāgal inscription says that the carpenter was Nāga Dēva, son of the carpenter Sāsanāchārya. The royal engraver in A.D. 1346 was Liṅgōja, son of Chinna Mallōja.¹ No carpenter is mentioned in a royal grant of A.D. 1354.² In about A.D. 1360 too the epigraph is silent about the engraver.³ Bukka assumed this year, perhaps on account of the impending danger in the south, only modest titles. It is only when we come to A.D. 1388 that we meet with the name of Nāga (or Nāgi) Dēva. He is called Sāsanāchārya Nāgi Dēva.⁴ This is confirmed by a grant of A.D. 1394,⁵ and again by that of A.D. 1397.⁶ If Nāga Dēva was the sculptor in A.D. 1397, he could not have held the same office in A.D. 1344. Firstly, there is no evidence to prove that Nāga Dēva lived to such a ripe age as to have been the royal sculptor from A.D. 1344 till 1397. Secondly, we have the fact of the existence of one royal engraver two years after the professed date of "Mb.158". If Nāga Dēva was the sculptor in A.D. 1344 we fail to see why he should have disappeared in A.D. 1346 and reappeared in A.D. 1388. Thirdly, in the Mūlbāgal inscription he is said to be the son of the Sāsanāchārya. It is doubtful if ever this was so. He himself is properly styled in A.D. 1388 Sāsanāchārya. In fact, we shall see while dealing with the Vijayanagara engravers that sāsanāchārya was the official designation of the royal sculptor. These considerations enable us to reject the name of Nāga Dēva in A.D. 1344.