Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c18.s2.t2.4

v2.c18.s2.t2.4

In the early part of the eleventh century, they had already come to stay in the Karṇāṭaka. An inscription dated Śaka 976 (A. D. 1043) of the times of the Western Chālukya king Sōmēśvara, mentions interesting details about the dancing girls of the temple of Sūḍi or Sūṇḍi, Dhārwar district. Among them we have the names of the Right Hand dancing girls and Left Hand dancing girls.³ In the Tamil country the existence of these two factions in the eleventh century is proved by a record dated A.D. 1072 of the reign of Kōv-Irāja Kēsarivaṇmar, alias Śrī-Rājēndra Śōḷa Dēvar. The members of the two classes say the following: "We (the inhabitants of the Eighteen vishaiya), the great army of the right hand class armed with great weapons (*perumbaḍai-valaṅgai-mahāsēnai*) and (?) Paḍan-