Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c21.s3.t3: C. How Gifts were made
Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c21.s3.t3
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C. How Gifts were made
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Some details about the nature of the gifts and the manner in which they were given are also available. An inscription dated A. D. 1463 of the times of Immaḍi Prauḍha Dēvēndra (i. e., Mallikārjuna Rāya) informs us how he got himself ready for an occasion of granting gifts: "He, being moved to make grants, having bathed in water from the sacred tīrthas, attired in purified flaxen garments, united with Brahmans who had performed the religious baths, the great king (with titles) named Immaḍi Prauḍha Dēvēndra (on the date specified), on his birthday (or under his natal star), in the pure Bhāskara-Kshētra, at the foot of the Hēmakūṭa hill, on the bank of the Tuṅgabhadrā, in the presence of the god Virūpāksha,—in a holy place, at an auspicious time in the presence of the god Chandramauli in the Bārakūru-vēnthe of the Bārkūru kingdom, gave the villages belonging to Chaturmandi...for the offerings
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to use a seal, to fix boundaries, to protect the subjects without fear, to impose taxes at his will, to establish work-people,—moreover, houses both kinds of land, cattle folds, woods, waste ground, lands filled with game, rivers and hills—which are the eight means of enjoyment,—along with these eight sources of wealth and eight means of enjcyment will he, O greatest of the gods, who gives villages to a guru, to the gods or the Brahmans, at meritorious times, that wise man, go to Brahma's abode, with twenty-one generations of his family. After there enjoying for many ages all the pleasures his heart desires, he will be born again as a righteous king." E. C., XII., p. 101.
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to that god Rāmchandra."¹ In a copper-plate grant dated A. D. 1426 we are told "that king Prauḍha Rāya, (on the date specified), being in the dāna-maṇṭapa in the presence of the god Virūpāksha on the bank of the Tuṅgabhadrā, for the purpose of making the kalpa-latā gift, ascertained on enquiry from the learned men that according to the śāstras it was equal in merit to the tulā-purusha."²
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¹ E. C., VIII., Nr. 79, pp. 158-9. The inscription evidently is to be interpreted in the sense that the king gave the villages which were in the Tuḷuva-rājya, according to the usual custom, in the temple of Virūpāksha. B. A. S. ² E. C., XII, Tm. 11, p. 5. ³ E. C., IX, Supplement, Ht. 34 p. 172 "This (the date) is given as the Saka year denoted by the letters raṅgalōka (=1332), the year Vikriti. But this does not fall within Harihara's reign." Rice, p. 171, n. (1). ⁴ Gopinatha Rao—Amrita Rao, Ep. Ind., XVIII, p. 165.
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There is one more detail about the manner in which grants were made, which may be noted here. Another copper-plate grant assigned to the year A. D. 1410 relates that Harihara Rāya II, "seated on his hereditary throne in the city named Vijaya...examined the dāna-śāsana made by Dharmarāja in the Dvāpara-yuga...granted of his own accord, with pouring of water and presentation of gold coins, flowers and akshate," the village named Dharmēśvarapura on the bank of the Kshīranadī in the Gajakōṇapuri (Āneguṇḍi) kingdom for the worship of the god Dharmēśvara." Although the copper-plate śāsana looks suspicious because of its wrong date³ and the statement that the dāna-śāsana was made by "Dharmarāja in the Dvāpara-yuga," nevertheless it contains one point about which all inscriptions agree. This refers to the ceremony of pouring water and the presentation of a gold coin. Kṛishṇa Dēva Rāya in Śaka 1436 (A. D. 1514-5), at the time of making a gift, was surrounded by his purōhitās and a number of Brahmans well versed in the śrauta learning; and he also gave many gifts with pouring of water together with a gold coin.⁴ The references to this detail of the ceremony are found in almost every record of the times. It may be observed here that even on occasions of remission of customs and other dues, the provincial rulers observed the same formality. Mallinātha Oḍeyar, who was in charge of Bemmattanakallu, raised an upper storey of stone for the god Siddhanātha of that locality, constructed other works of merit, and in order that this work of merit might continue for ever, presented Chikkapura in Bemmattanakallu, with pouring of water for the decorations, illuminations, and offerings of the local deity.¹
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¹ *E. C.*, XI., Cd. 2, p. 2.