Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c17.s3.t2.43

Language: English

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The citizens were in no sense behind their princes and rulers in recording their love to their parents. During the viceroyalty of Yadugiri Virūpāksha Rāya, in about A.D. 1382, Goṭṭi Seṭṭi, who had received from the hands of the viceroy Huṇasavaḷḷi, for an agrahāra to his house, constructed the Nāgasamudra, in the name of his father Nāga Seṭṭi, and dividing the agrahāra into fifteen shares bestowed them on Brahmans.² In A.D. 1395, when Immaḍi Bukka Rāya was ruling from Muḷuvāyi, Chinnaṇṇa, who was in charge of the village Hodali in Bilusone-nāḍ, in order that merit might obtain to his father Mācha Gauṇḍa and his mother Melayakkā, set up a dīpa-māle stone pillar for the god Vighnēśvara.³ Appalayya in A.D. 1409-10 constructed a temple of Chennakēśavaradēva and Ranganāthasvāmi, for the religious merit of his parents Mādhava-Jōsyulu and Jābālikā.⁴ Bankarasa's son Viṭhappa, in A.D. 1415, with the consent of his relatives, formed the villages of Beḷali and Kiṭṭaḍūr into an agrahāra, named after his mother Akkāmbikāpura, and dividing it into twenty-two shares gave them to Brahmans.⁵ Tippe Seṭṭi of the Vijayanagara treasury (Vijayanagarada kōshada), in A.D. 1423, dedicated to the god Tirumala of Chikka Honnūru the tank (taṭāka) which he had constructed in order that merit might accrue to his father and mother.⁶ On Lāyadakere Śirumi Seṭṭi, of Hiriyakere town, dying at Koḍakani in A.D.

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1449, his three sons Vira Seṭṭi, Malli Seṭṭi, and Honne Seṭṭi, "on the day on which he came to his setting (or end), at the moment of Vṛishabha-lagna, set up the god Vṛishabha", and made specified grants for the god's offerings, and for other purposes.¹ An unknown donor in about A.D. 1506 in the reign of Kaṭhāri Sāḷuva Immaḍi Narasinga Rāya Mahāraya, granted land in the twelve villages of Tiru-Śivamandur-sthaḷa, belonging to Kōḷāla-chāvaḍi, to Kēsarasa's son Sōmayagār, in order that the donor's parents and "twenty one generations before," him might attain to the world of merit.² In A.D. 1515 Parvata Nāyaka, the son of Malli Seṭṭi, in order that merit might be to his father and mother, erected a pillar of stone from the hillock in front of a temple, the name of which is effaced in the inscription.³ Beṅkachiya Gauḍa in A.D. 1524, with the same object, gave a village as a pura to Viraṇṇa Oḍeyar for the performance of Śiva worship.⁴ Elasūr Samani Gauḍa, in about A.D. 1534, granted the house-tax, in order that merit might be to his father and mother, guru and posterity.⁵ Hanumantayyar in Śaka 1459 (A.D. 1537-8), gave a gift of money to provide for the offerings of the god Kāḷahastiśvara at Kāḷahasti, Chittoor district, for the merit of his parents.⁶ A grant was made by the Kandāchāra Nāyaka Timmappa-ayya, for gods and Brahmans in Kurugōḍu, in A.D. 1545, that merit might be to his parents as well as to Sadāśiva Rāya.⁷ Sivanaya Gauḍa's son Dēvaya Gauḍa, in about A.D.

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1550, for the merit of his mother, granted Kadumanapura and Sūlibele to Suttūr Chennaya Dēva's disciple Namaśivāya Dēva.⁸ Sugaṭūr Tim-mapa Gauḍa-ayya, the Agent for the affairs of Rāma Rāja Tirumala Rāja Mahā-arasu, in A.D. 1559, "in order that merit might be to his father, mother, guru and daiva," made a grant of Simasandra of the Nañjiguḷi village, belonging to the Sugaṭūr-sīme, for the god Mallikārjuna of Nañjiguḷi.⁹ Māraya Gauḍa, the second son of the great Avaṭi-nāḍ Prabhu Moleya Bayiraya Gauḍa, in A. D. 1575, granted (lands ?) in order that his father Moleya Baira Gauḍa, his mother Hiriya Bāyi, and his forefathers might obtain merit, for the god Śrīkaṇṭhēśvara.¹ Hariapa of the palace, son of Nārāyaṇappayya of the gold treasury, in order that his mother Timmammā, might " obtain a permanent abode in Brahma-lōka ", purchased the village of Heggaḍitikoppa in A. D. 1583, and gave it as a gift for the god Viśvanātha of the Maleyāḷa maṭha of Amarēndrapuri-śrīpāda at Tirthahaḷḷi.² The village of Upparahaḷḷi which was a royal gift from Śrīraṅga Rāya, to Tirumale Penugoṇḍe, was granted by the donor for the offerings of the local god, in order that his father Hiriya-Bōrappa Gauḍa and his guru might obtain merit.³ In A. D.

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1608, during the reign of Veṅkaṭapati Dēva, Mummaḍi Temmayi Gauḍa, son of Sugaṭūr Immaḍi Tammaya Gauḍa, granted the Kōṭūr-Hosahaḷḷi village, renamed Vīrapura, in the Kōḷāla-sime, to Mahādēva, disciple of Nagaralēśvaradēva, Śivaputra of the Chatra-gōtra, "in order that merit may accrue to our mother and father."⁴ So late as about A.D. 1661, Amesiya-ayya, (son) of Virūpaya-ammā, in order that his mother might obtain merit, made for the god Sōmanātha of Haradūr a grant to provide for a maṭha and a perpetual lamp.⁵