Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c9.s2.89

v1.c9.s2.89

These instances are not analogous to the one of Sōma, because the latter fails to justify the repetiton in almost identical terms of a grant in the space of twenty-six years. One may as well question the genuineness of the record "Mb. 158" after a study of this document with other grants that were engraved by Nāga Dēva. The first of these grants which lends support to the view that "Mb. 158" is a suspicious record is that already given "Gd. 46". In "Mb. 158" Nāga Dēva is called the illustrious Nāchana's (son), the great poet Sōma.⁴ Secondly, the village received as a gift in "Mb. 158" is divided into 110 shares, out of which the donee retained twenty-six for himself as manager, bestowing the others on Brahmans. In "Gd. 46" the same gift is divided by the same person into 110 shares, out of which he kept thirty-six for himself as manager, and gave away the remaining to Brahmans, the principal among whom received twenty-eight. Thirdly, in "Mb. 158" praise is lavished on Bukka at the end of the grant. "The greatness of the Sāsana of King Bukka Rājēndra, whose praise sung by all the chief kings was like the hum of bees, and who resembled an only tree of paradise on earth". This unusual encomium is not repeated by the same engraver in the second version of the same fact ("Gd. 46"). Finally, as related above, Sāsānāchārya in "Mb. 158" is made the father of Nāga Dēva. But in "Gd. 46" Nāga Dēva himself is the Sāsānāchārya. These discrepancies in two identical versions of the same facts said to have been recorded by the same engraver, stamp them as spurious grants.