Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c17.s3.t2.30

v2.c17.s3.t2.30

Sometimes such grants which commemorated maternal and paternal affection also described their patriotic sentiments. A Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara, whose name is effaced in the epigraph dated A.D. 1551, granted the village of Oḍagere, with all rights, for the god Mūlasthāna-liṅga, in order that merit might accrue to Sadāśiva Mahārāya, to Rāma Rājayya, and to his own father Gōpa Rājayya.⁵ In the same year the Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara Rāja Aubhalēśvara Dēva Mahā-arasu granted the village Bilanakōṭe, in the Gūḷūr-sime, for the god (obviously of the local temple) in order that merit might be to Sadāśiva Mahārāya and to his own father.⁶ In A. D. 1554 Pāpi Dēva Chōḷa Mahā-arasu, son of Veṅgaḷa Rāja of the Sūrya-vaṁśa, granted the village called Uparikarahaḷḷi, also called Veṅgaḷapura, situated in the Rāya-durga kingdom, for the god Tiruveṅgaḷanātha of Ambaligere, in order that merit might accrue to his father⁷. Of a similar nature is the gift made in Śaka 1478 (A. D. 1556-7) of Bāgināyinapalle to the temple of Mādhavēśvara at Rāyagiri, by the *Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara* Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja of Āraviṭi family for the merit of his father Viṭṭhalarāja.¹ In the reign of Sadāśiva Rāya, his betel-bearer Era Kṛṣṇappa Nāyaka's son Veṅkaṭādri Nāyaka, in A.D. 1559, granted the village of Narasāpura for the god Chennakēśava of Guṇḍeṛi, in order that merit might accrue to his father.² About the same year, Vīra Rāja Oḍeyar, son of Śrīkaṇṭha Oḍeyar, in order that he, his father and mother might obtain merit, made a grant of the village of Bekkare to the temple of the god Annadāni-Mallikārjuna of Śrigiri.³ In A.D. 1559 the *Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara* Nārāyaṇa Rāya, in order that merit might accrue to his father and mother, made a grant of the villages Viṭṭasandra and Nañjiguḷi for the offerings of the god Mallikārjuna.⁴ Era Kṛṣṇappa Nāyaka, the betel-bearer to the Emperor Sadāśiva in A.D. 1561, in order that merit might accrue to his father Bayyappa Nāyaka and his mother Koṇḍammā, granted the village of Kāḍaji for the ghee, *chhatra*, and necessary offerings of the god Harihara of Kuḍaḷūr.⁵ In A.D. 1569 Harati Abbaṇa Nāyakayya's son Kenchappa Nāyaka gave the village of Kānubeyahaḷḷi, in the Hiriyūr-sime, for the god Rāmēśvara, "in order that merit might accrue to our Abbaṇa Nāyakayya."⁶ Saṅte-Bennūr Hanama Nāyaka's son Rājappa Nāyaka, in A.D. 1571, in order that merit might accrue to his father and mother, set up the goddess Lakshmī (of Bhāgyapura or Bāgūr).⁷ In A.D. 1576 Bayyappa Nāyaka's son Kṛṣṇappa Nāyaka, evidently the same as the one mentioned above, gave to Viṭṭhala Bhaṭṭa a grant of land for an *agrahāra* at Gaḷigekere, also named Rāmapura *agrahāra*, in order that merit may accrue to his mother Rāmammā.⁸ Sōde Immaḍi Arasappa Nāyaka, in A.D. 1591, in order that merit might accrue to his mother Changammā, repaired the agrahāra of Kōḍi-Koppa.¹