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Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c22.s3: Section 3. Titles and Honours

Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c22.s3

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Section 3. Titles and Honours

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In addition to the system of granting lands to persons who performed useful services to the country, the State also bestowed titles, honours, and privileges on all classes of people. The rulers themselves assumed great titles, and their subordinates, as in other matters, imitated them. Without entering into the question of the validity of the claims of the rulers of Vijayanagara to assume a string of grandiloquent birudus, we may allude briefly to the titles of the greatest monarch of southern India, Kṛṣṇa Dēva Rāya, before narrating those of some of the most prominent generals and viceroys of Vijayanagara.¹ An inscription dated Śaka 1430 (A. D. 1518-9) gives the following birudus of Kṛṣṇa Dēva Rāya : "The angry punisher of rival kings; he whose arms resemble (the coils of the serpent Śēsha); he who is versed in protecting the earth; the destroyer of those kings who break their word; he who satisfies suppliants; he who is fierce in war; the king of kings and the supreme lord of kings; the destroyer of the three kings (of the south); he who terrifies hostile kings; the Sultan among Hindu kings; he who crushes the wicked like tigers; and the double-headed eagle which splits the temples of troops of elephants";²—"his generosity praised by the wise, this king of kings Kṛṣṇa Rāya, established on the jewel-throne in Vijayanagara, daily surpassing Nṛiga and all others, shone in the power of good fortune and the fullness of fame from the eastern to the western mountains and from the extremity of Hēmāchala to Sētu."³ Sometimes, however, the great Emperor was merely styled samasta-bhuvanāśraya—"The Refuge of all worlds"—which carries us the memories of the Hoysalas and the Western Chālukyas.⁴ These birudus, which were not altogether unjustifiable, except in a few instances, sounded incredibly pedantic to foreigners like Pimenta.⁵

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¹ For the birudus of various rulers, the following may be read—Harihara Rāya II.: *Ep. Ind.*, III, p. 125; Sāḷuva Nṛisiṁha: *Ep. Ind.*, VII, p. 84. On the *Bhēruṇḍa* title of the monarchs: *Ep. Ind.*, I, p. 369; n 63; Achyuta Rāya: 162 of 1905; Sadāśiva Rāya: 151 of 1907; 148 of 1907; Veṅkaṭapati Dēva I.: *Ep. Ind.*, XII, p. 186; Ranga Rāya II.: *Ep. Ind.*, XI, p. 328; *Ep. Ind.*, XII, p. 343. *Ep. Carn.* may also be consulted in this connection.

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² *Ep. Ind.*, I, p. 369.

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³ *E. C.*, VII, Sh. I, p. 2; See also *S. I. I.* pp. 80, 120, 123, 131-2, n. (7), 139; 169; Butterworth-Chetty, *Nellore Ins.*, I., p. 315, and (n). For Kṛṣṇa Dēva Rāya's qualifications: *Ep. Ind.*, I., p. 370; *Ep. Report* for 1909, p. 118. On the titles *Aśvapati*, *Gajapati*, and *Narapati*, *Haiderabad Arch. Series*, *Ins. at Nāgai*, No. 8, p. 6; *E. C.*, II., p. 45 (2nd ed.); *My. Arch. Report* for 1921, p. 26; Beal, *Buddhist Records of the Western World*, I., p. 13; *I. A.*, XV., pp. 9, and 9, n (52); 13; *I. A.*, XVII., pp. 225, 227; *Ep. Ind.*, III., p. 33, n (2). For Gajapatis of Orissa, Mackenzie, *Local Records*, Vol. XLIV, p. 491; XLVI, p. 105; XVIII, p. 218.

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⁴ *E. C.*, III, Intr., p. 25 Nj. 63 of A. D. 1519, p. 101.

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⁵ Pimenta gives some of these birudus. Purchas, *Pilgrims*, X., pp. 209-10.

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The princes and viceroys also assumed titles. Prince Virabhūpa in Śaka 1508 (A. D. 1586-87) bears the following birudus: *samaya-drōhara-gaṇḍa*, *Ayyāvaḷi-puravarādhīśvara* (Ailāvaḷipura of other records), and *dakṣiṇa-samudrēśa*.¹ Kṛṣṇappa Nāyaka, in a record dated Śaka 1489 (A. D. 1567), is given these titles—*Kañchīpuravarādhīśvara*, *Mōkālipaṭṭavardhana*, *samaya-drōhara gaṇḍa*, *samaya-kōlāhala*, *Ailāvaḷi puravarādhīśvara*, *Pāṇḍya-kula-sthāpanāchārya*, and *dakṣiṇasamudrādhipati*.² The Ummatūr chieftain Malla Rāja Odeyar, in A. D. 1532, was styled thus: "...*the lord of the Ummattūr kingdom, hunter of elephants, gēṇānka-chakrēśvara, javādi-kōlāhala, arasaṅka-sūnegāra, a Hanuman in crushing enemies....*"³

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¹ Gopinatha Rao, *Ep. Ind.*, XII., p. 161.

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² Gopinatha Rao-Raghaviah, *Ep. Ind.*, IX p. 330, Kṛṣṇappa Nāyaka was the grandson of the Nāgama Nāyaka and the son by Nāgama of Viśvanātha Nāyaka.

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³ *My. Arch. Report* for 1920, p. 37, Cf. The titles of Chikka Rāya of Ummattūr in A. D. 1506. E. C., III, M1. 95, p. 65, text, pp. 196-7; E. C., IV., Ch. 107, p. 14.

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We may also note the *birudus* of less important dignitaries. In A. D. 1529 the *Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara hanneya-gajapati*, *dharaṇī-varāha*, and *manneya-śārdūla-chamaṭi* Bhōga Rāja (or Bhōgaya Dēva), with other titles (*ivu modalāda-birudāvaḷi-bhūshitarāda*) was the Nāyaka placed over Śrīraṅgapaṭṭaṇa by Kṛṣṇa Dēva Rāya.⁴ The *Mahāprabhu* Bhairaṇṇa Nāyaka is given the following *birudus* in A. D. 1472: *Maleya-hulimārthāṇḍan* (the sun to hill tigers), *Iḍigay-eṇṭu-daṇḍigeya manneyara-gaṇḍa* (champion over the manneyas of the Iḍiga Eight Daṇḍige), *the mother-home to both (sects of) Nānā-dēśis*, *chief-lord of Aiśvaryya-pura*, the *Pārśva-tīrthēśvara* of Idugaṇi.⁵

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⁴ E. C. III, Sr. 2, p. 7.

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⁵ E. C., VIII., Sa. 60, p. 103.

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The heads of religious institutions were also known by their titles. In a grant dated Śaka 1450 (A. D. 1528-9) Sadāśiva Sarasvatī, disciple of Chandraśēkhara Sarasvatī, of the Śṛṅgēri Maṭha is called—*The great sage working for salvation*, the great saint and anchorite, whose body is besmeared with holy ashes, who wears a necklace of rudrāksha beads; who is high-souled and talented, who has practised the eight-fold path of the Yōga; who is compassionate to all beings, (but) is (himself) above the pair of opposites like heat and cold, which only give rise to pain; who is possessed of knowledge and freedom from attachment; also is master of himself, and the Guru, who is Śiva incarnate.¹ The birudus of Chandra-chūḍā Sarasvati, the head of the Kāmakōṭi-pīṭha of the Śāradā Maṭha of Conjeeveram,² are thus given in a record dated Śaka 1444 (A. D. 1522-3): The talented and high-souled saint, the disciple of Mahādēva Sarasvati, a devotee of Śiva, the famous commentator on all the śāstras, and an expert in māyavāda (the doctrine of māyā).³ According to a record dated in Śaka 1307, expired (A. D. 1385), the Jaina teachers of a school led by Simhanandin were called by the following titles: āchārya, ārya, guru, dēśika, muni and yōgindra.⁴

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¹ Veṅkaṭēśvara-Viśvanātha, *Ep. Ind.*, XIV., p. 175.

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² Reputed to have been founded by the great Śaṅkarāchārya. Veṅkaṭēśvara-Viśvanātha, *Ep. Ind.*, XIII., p. 123.

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³ Veṅkaṭēśvara-Viśvanātha, *Ep. Ind.*, XIII., p. 132.

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⁴ *S. I. I.*, I, p. 156.

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Titles were also bestowed on men of learning and ordinary citizens. Mr. R. Narasimhachar has given us a list of the titles given to poets. These were the following:

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ಕನ್ನಡಜಾಣ, ಕವಿಸಂಜೀವನ, ಗುಣರತ್ನ, ಚಂದನತಿಲಕ, ಚೂಡಾರತ್ನ, ಜಿನಮುನಿಪಾದ, ಬಲ್ಲವರಸ, ಬುಧಜನಮಿತ್ರ, ಭೂಭುಜರತ್ನ, ಧೂಸರತಿಲಕ, ಮದನಾಂಗನಾಶನ, ವರಕವಿಚಂದ್ರ, ವಾಣೀಮುಕುರ, ವಿದಗ್ಧಚೂಡಾರತ್ನ, ವಿದಗ್ಧಲಲಾಮ, ವಿವೇಕಚೂಡಾರತ್ನ, ವೈರಾಗ್ಯನಿಧಿ, ಸರಸ್ವತೀಮಣಿಹಾರ, ಸರಸ್ವತೀಮುಖತಿಲಕ, ಸುಕವಿಕಂಠಾಭರಣ, ಸುಕವಿಚೂಡಾರತ್ನ, ಸುಕವಿಕರನಿಲಂ, ಸುಗುಣಕಂಠಾಭರಣ, ಸುಜನಮನೋಜ, ಸುಜನಮುಖಮಣಿಮುಕುರ, ಸುಜನ್ಮಿಕಬಾಂಧವ⁵

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⁵ *Kavicharite*, II, p. 175.

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To the celebrated poet Allasāni Peddana, Kṛṣṇa Dēva Rāya gave titles as well as the coveted anklet called kavigaṇḍa-peṇḍāra. This we gather from the pathetic verse of the great poet written on the death of his beloved patron. "Why did he (king Kṛṣṇa) get down from his mad elephant wherever he met me and lift me up to sit by his side? Why did he raise up the palanquin (which carried me), with his own arm, when I was taken round in procession on presenting my poem *Manucharitra*? Why did he put on my leg with his own hand, the anklet *kavigaṇḍa-peṇḍāra* saying 'You alone deserve it'? Why gave villages to me wherever I chose to have them, called me *Andhrakavi-pitāmaha* and Alasāni Peddana 'lord of poets'? Fie upon this living carcase of mine that breathes still without accompanying that great Kṛṣṇarāya to heaven!"¹

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¹ *Lives of Telugu Poets*, p. 190; Krishna Sāstry, *A. S. R.* for 1908-9, p. 185, n. (3).

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We have already seen that Tiraka Gauḍa, younger brother of Bomma Dēva Gauḍa, in the course of the muster of troops summoned by Viraṇṇa Oḍeyar to quell the rising of the Bēḍar chief Boḷeya Mummeya Nāyaka, remarked that Guṇḍa Daṇṇāyaka, the famous general of Harihara Rāya, had given him the title of "Champion over the three Kings" (*mūvara-rāyara-gaṇḍa*).² An inscription dated A. D. 1424 relates that Chāma Nṛipāla, who constructed the great Haridrā dam, was known by the title of *gaṇḍara-gūḷi*.³

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² *E. C.*, VIII, Nr. 29, p. 132, op. cit.

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³ *E. C.*, XI, Dg. 29, p, 39, op. cit.

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These titles which are found in profusion in epigraphs and literature, were conferred on recipients after due formalities at the royal court or in the *chāvaḍi* or the court of the provincial rulers. Learned men and poets received their titles in this manner. Some details about this can be gathered from an inscription dated A. D. 1447 already cited in an earlier connection. We saw that Mallikārjuna Rāya being disposed to perform an act of Dharma, and having bathed and put on pure and clean garments, was surrounded with Brahmans on the bank of the Tuṅgabhadrā, in the Bhāskara-kṣētra, at the foot of the Hēmakūṭa-giri. The occasion was in connection with the honour that was to be given to Ādityāryya (descent stated), the author of Bhāshya-bhūshaṇa. This man was proficient in all learning. The king having examined him in a learned assembly in all branches of study, and all the learned men being pleased, granted him the village of Nallaṅgi in the Rāyadurga kingdom.¹ An epigraph dated A. D. 1505 informs us that Bhujabala Pratāpa Narasimha Mahārāya, " in the course of bestowing the great gifts, among them, when bestowing the mahābhūta-ghaṭa, in the presence of the god Śrī-Ranganātha", on the bank of the Chandrapushkaraṇī, honoured Ranganātha Bhaṭṭa, versed in the six darshanas, with the office of āchārya together with the gift of the village Honnakahaḷḷi in the kingdom of (the Ummattūr chief) Chikka Rāja Oḍeyar.²

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¹ E. C., XII, Mi. 69, p. 128. As regards these learned assemblies, we have in Nāḷadiyār some interesting details. Nāḷadiyār, Ch. XXXII, p. 202, seq (Pope).

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² E. C., IV, Gu. 67, p. 47.

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As regards the name of the place on which the rulers sat, we have the following in connection with Kampaṇa Oḍeyar in an inscription dated Śaka 1289 (A. D. 1367-8): the king while seated in the jānaki-maṇḍapa in the Puṇyakōṭīśvara temple at Little Conjeeveram, Chingleput district, honoured Śrī-Parakāla Nambi with the name of karuṇākara-dāśan together with honours, privileges, and a dwelling-house.³

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³ 27 of 1921. The method in which the Sālu-Mūle Baṇajigas of various places conferred the Mayoralty of the Earth on Muddayya Daṇṇāyaka in A.D. 1382 may also be recalled here. E. C., V, P.I. Bl. 75, p. 53, op. cit.

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In fact, the rulers of Vijayanagara not only granted lands and high sounding birudus to persons of distinction but also gave them certain coveted privileges and insignia of honour. The famous dictator Veṅkaṭatātārya, whom, as already narrated above, Kṛishṇa Dēva Rāya the Great invested with uncommon religious powers in A. D. 1523, was entitled to receive the first tīrtha and prasāda in all the great Vishṇu temples in Vijayanagara, Ghaṇādri, and all the 77 durgas subordinate to them, e. g., Chandragiri-durga, Gutti-durga, etc., in all the cities to the east and west of Vijayanagara as far as the sea; in all the durgas to the north and south as far as Madura and in all the holy places such as Kañchi, Triśaila, and Khādri excepting Śrīraṅgam, Ahōbala and Ghaṭikagiri; privileged to get the first honours in the assemblies of the Śrīvaishṇavas; and authorized to make enquiries into the conduct of all castes owing allegiance to Rāmānuja and to punish the delinquents in regard to religious and social matters.¹

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¹ My. Arch. Report for 1918, p. 52.

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The rulers gave privileges also to religious institutions. The *svamis* of the Śṛingēri Maṭha, for example, were recipients of great honours and privileges at the hands of the Vijayanagara kings. A copper-plate grant dated A. D. 1463 relates that Immaḍi Dēva Rāya Mahārāya, folding his hands to his forehead (in reverence) gave a *vaibhava-tāmra-śāsana* (or copper *śāsana* conferring insignia) as follows: "Now, in the presence of the god Virūpākshēśvara, we grant to you in addition, two five branched torches, five *kalaśas* above the palanquin, and so forth..." in confirmation of the rights already enjoyed by Rāghavēśvara Bhārati Śrīpāda.² These other insignia, we may also here note, are mentioned in another copper-plate dated A. D. 1450 which speaks of the *vaibhava-tāmra-śāsana* granted by Vidyāraṇya Śrīpāda to Chidbōdha Bhārati of Gōkarṇa. In addition to other privileges this record relates that Vidyāraṇya Śrīpāda conferred on the donee "throne, crown, palanquin, white umbrella, *chārmaras* on both sides, *makara tōraṇa* (a kind of arched canopy), fan, daylight torch, yellow and red flags and such insignia, with cymbals, conchs, *cakra*, and other musical instruments, in the presence of people come from many countries."³

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² E. C., VIII, Nr. 68, p. 158.

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³ Ibid., Nr. 67, p. 157. The late Mr. Venkoba Rao suggested the follwing—"...A. D. 1500 was the traditional date for the acquisition by Sri Vyasarayasvami of the green flag—rather the green umbrella—on a camel". *Vyāsayōgicharitam*, Intr. pp. xiii, cxxxix. The same writer also suggested that the green flag may have come from Babur. *Ibid*., p. cxxx. As regards the Vijayanagara rulers acquiring the green umbrella, (*Sāḷuvābhudayam*, Canto VII), it appears that Sāḷuva Nrisimha also possessed one. See Venkoba Rao, ibid., cviii. See *supra*, Volume I., Ch. V. Sec. 3 for the remarks of 'Abdur Razzāq on the umbrellas borne before the daṇḍyaka, B.A.S.

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The State also conferred high privileges on men of distinguished service. An inscription dated Śaka 1506 (A. D. 1584-5)

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relates that Veṅkaṭarāya Dēva Chōḍa Mahārāya, a prince of the Solar race, received certain privileges in the Ahōbaḷa temple under orders from the king Vīra Pratāpa Raṅgarāya Dēva, at the request of Voṃ-Sāthagōpa-Jiyyamgāru. The reason why the Vijayanagara monarch granted him the privileges is also stated in the same epigraph. The grandfather of the donee, Koṇḍarāja (Veṅkaṭarāja) Timmarāja, had expelled the Muhammadan chief Vibhurāmu (?Ibrāhīm), who had occupied the temple of Ahōbalam for seven years with the aid of the Haṇḍevāru chiefs. For restoring the temple to its original state, the family of Veṅkaṭarāya Chōḍa Mahārāya was granted great honours by the orders of the king.¹

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¹ 70 of 1915.

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Temple authorities also gave privileges to persons of distinction. In Śaka 1454 (A. D. 1532-3) the right of securing holy water and consecrated food after worship in the temple of Śrī Dēvanāyaksvāmi, in the village of Tiruvāhindrapuram, was given to one Rāmānuja Āchārya.² Certain religious privileges were conferred on a Brāhmaṇ by 74 chief priests of the Vaishṇava faith in A. D. 1538 during the reign of Achyuta Rāya.³

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² Sewell, *Lists*, II, C.P. No. 18, p. 34; Rangachari, *Top List*, I, SA. 335, p 169.

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³ Sewell, ibid., No. 74, p. 9; Rangachari, ibid., SA. 198, p. 154. Cf. the privileges and duties of a temple superintendent given in 89 of 1906; Rangachari, ibid., SA. 592, p. 199.

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The State further granted privileges to ministers and viceroys. Two pillar inscriptions of Kṛishṇa Dēva Rāya the Great (A. D. 1515) relate that the lord Nāḍiṇḍla Appa "obtained from the glorious king Kṛishṇa and minister Timma (the right to use) a palanquin, two chauris, and a parasol, and the posts of superintendent of Vinikoṇḍa, Gutti, and the city on the golden mountain (Mēru), of commander-in-chief of a large army consisting of rutting elephants, horses and infantry, and of sole governor of that kingdom." The same records relate that "the glorious lord Sāḷva-Timma, the minister of the glorious Kṛishṇa, the first among kings, gave to his younger son-in-law, the glorious Gōpa, the best among governors and an excellent minister, the post of governor of the whole empire of the city of Koṇḍavīṭi, together with an army consisting of rutting elephants, horses and infantry, and (the right to use) a palanquin and two *chaurīs*.¹

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¹ *Ep. Ind.*, VI, pp. 130-1.

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The *History of the Carnataca Governors* relates that Viśvanātha Nāyaka was granted by the State valuable jewels and the apparel "which he (the king) had on his own person", because that famous general had killed a big buffalo at one stroke. And when Viśvanātha brought his own father a prisoner to the capital, the Emperor gave him robes and other presents.²

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² Taylor, *O.H.MSS.*, II, pp. 7, 13.

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The same account informs us that the chief man of the village Pugalur, named Udiyan Sethopathi, (Uḍaiyan Sētupati?), safely escorted the chief *guru* of Muttu Kṛiṣṇappa Nāyaka to Rāmēśvaram, and received in recognition of his services, grants of land, villages, honorary dress and various ornaments as presents.³ For the insignia of a chief man of a village we may refer to an inscription dated A. D. 1472 which mentions that Iduvaṇi Baliya Gauḍa's son Haivaṇṇa Nāyaka, the foremost man in Ānevaḷige in Nagiraṭhāvu, was entitled to possess an umbrella, betel bag, lamp-stand pillar, ornamental coin (*aṅka-teṅke*), and others (*muntāda-tēja-mānyavanu*).⁴

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³ *Ibid.*, p. 27.

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⁴ *E. C.*, VIII, Sa. 60, p. 103; P. II, p. 277. A doubtful record assigned by Rice to about A. D. 1527, mentions that Saṅkaṇṇa, the head man of Pithamane village, in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, received the privilege of having the first *prasāda*, the first *tambūla*, in all the *agrahāras* and towns in the *nāḍ*, together with an "independent oversight of all the religious ceremonies in this Kupaṭūr-nāḍ". *Ibid*, Sb. 265, p. 43, and n. (1).

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Rights were also given to the first settlers in a new town. This was obviously to aid the building of new towns. Kṛiṣṇappa Nāyaka's Agent Viṭhṭhaṇa Nāyaka was holding the *pārupatya* of the Bāgūr-sīme in A. D. 1554, in the reign of the Emperor Sadāśiva Rāya. The inscription relates that the outer *pēṭe* (evidently of Bāgūr) being in ruins, Narasimmaiya of the Customs petitioned to Viṭhṭhaṇa Nāyaka, "whereupon he sent for Liṅgaṇa Gauḍa and many others (named) all the subjects, and directed them to have the *peṭe* built, giving it another name of Kṛṣṇāpura after Eṛe-Kṛṣṇappa Nāyakayya and populate it. Those who settle there will be free of all taxes for one year from the time they come; after that they will not only be included in the family agreement, but if they have taken possession, we and the subjects will give up (our claim)." (*bandanthā-vakkalige vokkalu banda vondu-varusha sarvamānya munde vokkala voḍambaḍikeyalu biṭṭukoṭṭa pramāṇav allade anubhava māḍidare nāvu prajegaḷu pariharisi koḍuvevu*).¹

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¹ E. C., XI, Hk. 112, p. 132, text p. 379.

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Presents were also given to masons, artisans, and carpenters. According to an inscription dated A. D. 1431, Tippa Rāja Oḍeyar's son Gōpa Rāja Oḍeyar's minister was Mallama Rāja. The son of Mallama Rāja was named Siṅga Rāja. This official "had the image Gaṇḍa-bhēruṇḍa, which was on the Māragaudaṇakaṭṭe west of Dūḍanahaḷḷi in Pāla-nāḍ, brought to the door of the *gōpura* of the *maṇṭapa* facing the god Varadarāja." And on this occasion, he had the "wood-work done by the hand of the Avikal carpenter Pēvōja's son Chājā-ōja", and having set up the door, and "the iron work done by the hand of the blacksmith Añjala Diviṅgōja, gave to those *ōjas* horse and umbrellas, with hereditary land (*kāṇi-bhūmyagi*) (as specified)."²

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² E. C., X, Mr. 3, p. 156. We have already noticed the presents given to Iraṇa Bōva who built the high towers of the Kaṇḍehaḷḷi fort, in about A. D. 1533. E.C., XI, Hr. 36, p. 109, op. cit.

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In connection with the royal pardon extended to Eleyūr Viśvanātha Seṭṭi's sons Nāgi Seṭṭi and Kāmi Seṭṭi by Harihara Rāya, as given in a record already cited, dated A. D. 1379, we may be allowed to repeat that in addition to the customs dues which the donees received from the king, they also secured palanquin and umbrella with *kalaśa* as their insignia.³

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³ E. C., XII, Si. 76, p. 99, op. cit.

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The leaders of commercial organizations worked in fields other than their own, and the State and the people recompensed their labour by giving them titles and customary rewards.

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The great Jaina-Śrīvaishṇava controversy of A. D. 1368, as we remarked in an earlier connection, ended amicably, and "Busuvi Seṭṭi, the good son of Harvi Seṭṭi of Kalleha, having made petition to Bukka Rāya, sent for Tātayya of Tirumale and had (?the śāsana) renovated. And both the samayas (creeds) uniting, bestowed the dignity of Saṅgha-nāyaka on Busuvi Seṭṭi".¹ Sumantira-murti-acharya was the chief sculptor who worked at the sculptured pillars of the vasanta-maṇṭapa at Madura in the reign of Muttu Tirumala Nāyaka. From the *The Accounts of Tirumala Naicker, and of his Buildings* we learn that the ruler, in order to do him honour, "gave him betel, on which he had himself spread chunam; and, by reason of being much occupied in looking after the work, the sculptor took it and disrespectfully put it into his mouth, before the king, when, a moment after, recollecting that he had acted improperly, he became inwardly afraid, and with an instrument cut off the two fingers with which he had conveyed the betel-leaf, etc. to his mouth. But the king bestowed on him four kinds of dresses; and had a hand made of gold, which he also gave to him."²

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¹ E. C., II, No. 344, p. 147. (2nd ed.).

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² Taylor, *O. H. MSS.*, II., p. 151.

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Koṛana Haripa's son Si . . ., who is described as "the worshipper of the feet of all the Brahmans of the immemorial agrahāra Kuppaṭūr", according to an inscription dated about A. D. 1470, killed a big tiger which had come into the Kēdagi wood in front of the town "by forcing it out with a great noise", and hitting "it savagely with a big club". It may be that he lost his life in his great adventure but the record informs us that "on rejoining the thousand, they gave him the name Ripu-Māri."³

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³ E. C., VIII, Sb. 258, p. 40. These remarks on the honours granted to various persons of merit may be compared with those of Nuniz who

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SECTION 4. *Patriotism

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The endearment of the people to their rulers is seen chiefly in the numerous records which contain grants of land for charitible purposes together with the significant phrase " for the merit of the king ". These epigraphs range from the earliest age to the last decades of Vijayanagara history, and are to be read together with the remarks we have already made in regard to protection and Dharma in the previous pages. The influence exerted by the monarch in these times was purely personal; and it is not surprising that, instead of the notions of nationality of the later ages, the people should have prayed for the merit of the king or for the success of his arms, and identified the prosperity of the country with the personal well being of the ruler.

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Monarchs as well as their viceroys were held in great esteem by the people. Virūpa Rāya, son of the king Bukka Rāya, was, as we have seen, the viceroy over Āraga Eighteen Kampaṇa, in A.D. 1367. "In order that Virūpa Rāya might have a firm kingdom", the (people) of the Fifty nāḍs (of Āraga Eighteen Kampaṇa, the Gutti Eighteen Kampaṇa, and Iduguṇḍi) made a grant of land (specified) in Bandigaṇali village, for the offerings of the god Śankara obviously of the same locality.¹ "In order that the *Surattān* (Sultan) of Hindu kings, Hariharanātha's son Bukka Rāyan might exercise universal sovereignty", as is related in a Tamil inscription dated A. D. 1380, Tāmandai Ādināta's son set up the image of the god Ādi-Nārāyaṇa-perumāḷ at Muraśūr as an act of king's charity.² Bukka Rāya's popularity is proved by other charitable endowments as well. According to a grant dated only in the cyclic year Duṇdubhi but assignable to the year A. D. 1382, Irugappa, the famous general, and the son of the general Vaichaya, "for the merit of the glorious *mahāmaṇḍalēśvara* Bukkarāja, the son of Arihara-rāja," (i. e., Harihara Rāya) granted the village of Mahēndramaṅgalam in the district of

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¹ E. C., VIII, Nr. 34, p. 133.

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² E. C., IX, An. 49, p. 115.

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speaks of the scarves of honour given by the king to his people when they went to the palace to pay him their land rent. Sewell, *For. Emp.*, p. 370.

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Māvaṇḍūr, to Trailōkyavallabha, the god of Tirupparuttikkuṇṛu a tax-free *pallichchandam*.¹

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¹ *Ep. Ind.*, VII, pp. 115-16. Dr. Hultzsch explains the term *pallichchandam* as "land belonging to a Jaina temple", *ibid*, p. 116, n. (1).

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Harihara Rāya II was also a popular monarch. "For the success to the sword and arm of" Harihara Rāya, Rāja-rājar and the inhabitants of the Pulliyūr-nāḍu, including Tuṛavar Nambiravi Seṭṭiyar, the superintendent of the Pulliyūr-nāḍu, made a grant of certain specified lands and several taxes for the god Varadarāja of Pulliyūr in A. D. 1385.² Mahēśvara-paṇḍita-ārādhya, in A. D. 1397, by means of a *dharma-śāsana* granted to Mudda Girināthayya the village of Aṇḍigaṇaḷḷi, rebuilt by the *prabhus* of Kōḷāla-nāḍ "in order that life, health, and wealth might increase to" Harihara Rāya.³

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² *E. C.*, IX, Ht. 93, p. 98, n (1).

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³ *E. C.*, X, Kl. 248, p. 69.

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About Bukka Rāya II we have the following in an inscription dated A. D. 1388: Śri-Veṅgaḍa Nāyakkar's younger brother Nāgeya Nāyakkar granted in the customary manner certain specified lands (to Virappa Nāyakkar ?) "for the success of his (Bukka Rāya's) sword and arm".⁴

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⁴ *Ibid.*, Bp. 17, p. 138.

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The great minister Vīra...nta of the Kāśyapa-*gōtra*, "in order that all prosperity might be to Mallappa Oḍeyar", son of Bukka Oḍeyar, in A. D. 1421, made a grant of the village of Indalavāḍi for the offerings of the god Dāmōdara of Bannūru-gaṭṭa.⁵

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⁵ *E. C.*, IX, An. 86, p. 119.

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The various merchants of Māmbaḷḷi (in Yeḷandūr Jāgir?), in A. D. 1428, agreed to pay 1 *gadyāṇa* for every loom together with certain other fees, effaced in the inscription, for the expense of the god Vaidanātha of Māmbaḷḷi, the bathing place of Hariharanātha, "in order that he (Dēva Rāya) might obtain universal dominion".⁶ The great minister Maṅgappa Daṇṇayaka's son Pratāpa Rāya granted the Virūpākshapura village in Yelahanka-nāḍ with a rental of twenty honnu, for the offerings and decorations of the god Sōme-dēva in front of the town in Sakanasamudra (Sakanasamudrada voḷagaṇa ūr-mundaṇa Sōme-dēvara nayivēdya-aṅga-raṅga bhōgakke), " in order that long life, health, and increase of wealth may be to Dēva Rāya Mahārāya, and from love to Paramēśvara."¹ The singular instance of the Prithvī Śeṭṭi of the Chandragutti Eighteen Kaṃpaṇa, Lāyadakere Śirumi Śeṭṭi, who committed suicide in A. D. 1449, on account of Dēva Rāya II " having come to his setting", as given in a previous page, may be recalled in this connection.² We have also had an occasion of citing the evidence of the poet Chandra about the regard in which Dēva Rāya II was held by the people.

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⁶ *E. C.*, IV, Yl, 69, p. 34.

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¹ E. C., IX, Bn. 127, p. 24. ² E. C., VIII, Sb. 18, p. 4, op. cit. Supra, Chapter I. ³ 295 of 1910. ⁴ E. C., IV, Hs. 96, p. 93.

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Mallikārjuna, who was also known as Immaḍi Prauḍha Dēva Rāya, was likewise beloved by the people. An inscription dated Śaka 1374 (A. D. 1452-3) informs us that Dēvappagaḷ, son of Annadātā Daṇṇāyaka, granted the village Kaṇakkaṇpattu alias Śedirāyanallūr, to the temple of Tiruppulippagava-Nāyaṇār at Pāttūr in Kaḷattūr-kōṭṭam, in Jayaṅgḍona-chōḷamaṇḍalam, for the health of the king.³ In a record assigned to about the same year we are told that Hariparasa, of the Customs, granted as an endowment for the god Annadāni Mallikārjuna of Śrigiri Kuḍukūr the dues, customs, and mill tax of four villages (named), free of all imposts, " in order that merit might accrue to Mallikārjuna Rāya ".⁴ Muḷuvāyi Jannarasa in A. D. 1465 granted a dharma-śāsana embodying the gift of the tribute money for sacred ashes (vibhūti-gāṇike honnu) and the revenue from forced sales (kaḍḍāyada-huṭṭuvaḷḷi) levied for the palace from the temples of the Muḷuvāyi kingdom, for the offerings of the god Svayambhūnātha of the Maḍavaḷa-sthāna of Kēsambaḷa in the Eḷavañji-nāḍ in the Muḷuvāyi kingdom, “in order that merit might accrue to Mallikārjuna Rāya Mahārāya”.¹

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¹ E. C., X, Bp. 18, p. 139.

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The Gaṇḍaragoḷḷi (Gaṇḍara-gūḷi) Daḷavāyi Soṇṇappa Nāyāka's son Bairappa Nāyaka granted by means of a *dharma-śāsana* in A. D. 1541 the lands of the Simpāḍipura-sime in the Haṇabe-sime, and one pond, to Maleyakānta Dēva of Śivagaṅga, in order that *dharma* may be to Narasiṅga Dēva Mahārāya.² In the reign of Virūpākṣa Rāya, Muḷuvāyi Hariyappa gave to the Muḷuvāyi city merchant Daṇḍapa's son Yeleya Saṅkapa Śeṭṭi also a *dharma-śāsana*, in A. D. 1468, remitting to him certain specified dues and imposts, also for the same purpose.³ We can only assume that the Narasiṅga Rāya mentioned in the above epigraphs could only have been Sāḷuva Nṛisiṁha, about whose popularity, as we have already stated, even Nuniz was constrained to remark. That Nuniz was accurate in his estimate of that great ruler is proved by an epigraph dated about A. D. 1478. This record states that Varadarāja Dēva gave to Gauḍahaḷḷi Doḍḍayya Oḍeyar, son of Mudirāja Oḍeyar, a *dharma-śāsana* of a *pura* transferring the village of Chakkalūr with all taxes (specified), in the presence of the god Varadarāja, in order that *dharma* may be to (with titles) Kaṭhāri Sāḷuva Narasiṅga Rāja Oḍeyar.⁴ Āyiamman and Īśarappaṇ made an agreement in Śaka 1408 (A. D. 1486-7) to burn a lamp before the god in the Aruḷāla-Perumāḷa temple at Little Conjeeveram, Chingleput district, for the merit of the king Sāḷuva Narasiṅga.⁵

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² E. C., IX, DB. 40, p. 68.

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³ E. C., X, Mb. 20, p. 75.

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⁴ E. C., IX, Cp. 158, p. 166.

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⁵ 667 of 1919.

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Sāḷuva Immaḍi Narasiṅga Rāya's popularity is also commemorated in epigraphs. His servant Kasaveya Nāyaka in A. D. 1433 granted the Nandiyakuṇṭe-sime in Vāṭa for the anointing and festivals of the gods Vāṭa Kēśava and Hanumanta, in order that *dharma* may be to Immaḍi Narasiṅga Rāya Mahārāya.¹ For the same purpose the royal treasurer Dēvappa Nāyaka's son Balanātha, converting Kempa . . . halli into the Narasāmbu . . . agrahāra, granted it to Kaya Nañjinātha Dikshita's son Narasimha Dikshita in about A. D. 1495.² The *Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara* Timmaya Dēva Mahā-arasu's son Narasaya Dēva Mahā-arasu gave to Gūḷiya and the other priests (*sthānikaru*) of the god Bhairava of Sihati a *śāsana*, in A.D. 1495, granting them twenty-eight *gadyāṇa* for the offerings and festivals of the god " in order that merit might accrue to Narasinga Rāya Mahārāya and to our father Chikka Timma Rāja."³ Tipparasa-ayya, house-minister (*maneya-pradhāna*) of Kaṭhāri Sāḷuva Narasiṅga Rāya, granted Bānūr and Hulikal in Baya-nāḍ for the decorations and illuminations of the god Bāṇēśvara of Magge in Baya-nāḍ, in about A. D. 1498, " in order that Narasinga Rāya Mahārāya might have a secure reign for a thousand years."⁴

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¹ E. C., X, Gd. 80, p. 229.

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² Ibid., Gd. 78, p. 229.

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³ E. C., X, Kl. 34, p. 8.

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⁴ E. C., IV., Hg. 74, p. 76.

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It is superfluous to state that Kṛṣṇa Dēva Rāya's popularity was universal. The epigraphs which we have selected here, convey very meagrely the love and regard which the people of southern India bore him, and which has been handed down to our times. Śripati Rāya Timmaya's son *Rāyapaṃ* Koṇḍamarusu granted in A. D. 1512 the village of Rāyakuṇṭa, otherwise called Ayōdhyāpura, in the Penugoṇḍa kingdom, for the worship of the seasons of the god Rāmachandra of Penugoṇḍa, in order that *dharma* might be to Vira Kṛṣṇa Rāya and merit to Śripati Timmapa.⁵ A gift of land was made by the same great general for the same purpose in the same year (Śaka 1434, Āṅgirasa) to the temple of Mallikārjuna-dēva at Kambhadūru, Anantapur district.⁶ A private person built the temple of Virabhadra at Kommuru, Kistna district, in honour of the great monarch in A. D. 1516.¹ According to the late Mr. H. Kṛiṣhṇa Śāstri, we have to interpret an inscription dated A. D. 1517-18 in the sense that a grant of land was made to the temple of Chauḍēśvari at Chōḷasamudram, Anantapur district, in order that the same ruler might have issue. Here too it was again the same great Brahman-general Koṇḍamarusayya, son of Timmarasu-mantri, who made the gift.² Harihara Nāyaka, son of Mallappa Nāyaka, in Śaka 1441 (A. D. 1519-20) gave as a gift revenue amounting to 33½ paṇam to the temple of Tirumala-Uḍaiya-Nāyiṇār at Dēvasthānam Dēvakkāpuram, North Arcot district, for the merit of the Emperor Kṛiṣhṇa Dēva Rāya and Tirumalai Nāyaka.³

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⁵ E. C., XII., Pg. 5, p. 117.

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⁶ 96 of 1913.

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¹ Sewell, *Lists*, I, No. 7, p. 83.

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² 87 of 1912; *Ep. Report* for 1912, pp. 80-1.

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³ 358 of 1912.

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In Śaka 1443 (A. D. 1521-2) and with the same object of expressing his patriotic sentiment, Vāśal Timmappa Nāyaka granted the village of Saṅganapaḷḷi in Chandragiri-rājya for offerings to Aiñjand Piḷḷaiyār in the third prākāra of the temple of Kāḷahastiśvara, at Kāḷahasti.⁴ In the next year (Śaka 1443) Maṅgaraśaṅ, who has been identified with Taraṇikka Maṅgaraśayyaṅ, viceroy of Tiruvaḍi-rājya, granted the village of Chidambaranāthapuram to the temple of Chidambaram for the welfare of the great ruler.⁵ Sāḷuva Gōvinda Rāja, son of Bāchi Rāja, in A. D. 1522, gave as a gift 477 gadyāṇa with an array of imposts for the offerings, decorations and festivals of the god Triyambaka of Terakaṇāmbi, “in order that our lord Vira-pratāpa Kṛiṣhṇa Rāya Mahārāya may obtain abundance of horses, elephants, armies and wealth, and gain victorious dominion in all quarters”.⁶

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⁴ 182 of 1922.

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⁵ *Ep. Report* for 1914, p. 99; see also 426 of 1909.

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⁶ E. C., IV. Gu. 1, p. 35.

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An equally patriotic chief was Basavayya, who assigned in the same year the rents, customs, and all other rights of the village Sōgehaḷḷi in Bayi-nāḍ-sthala, for the decorations of Rāmēśvara-liṅga of Maṭakere, in order that merit might accrue to Kṛiṣhṇa Rāya Mahārāya.¹ In Śaka 1446 (A. D. 1524-5) a grant of the village of Ghaṭanahaḷḷi in the Uchchhaṅgi-vēṇṭhe, was made (by Viśana Rāvutta, son of Murāri Rāvutta ?) to Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭa for the merit of the Emperor.² Hanumappa Nāyaka in A. D. 1527 “in order that dharma might be to Kṛiṣhṇa Rāya Mahārāya”, granted land (specified) as a koḍage-mānya to a donee not mentioned in the record.³ An inscription dated A. D. 1528 informs us that Dēvarasayya made a grant of Āludūr village, in Tāyūr-sthala,(to the Brahmans of Ummattūr ?) as a permanent endowment. This epigraph contains the usual phrase that “merit accrue to Kṛiṣhṇa Rāya Mahārāya” and at the same time, “by order of Kṛiṣhṇa Rāya Mahārāya”.⁴ Since we know from various sources that that great monarch was too generous and noble to order a petty official to commemorate his sense of patriotism by a grant of land, we may reasonably assume that the phrase “by order of Kṛiṣhṇa Rāya Mahārāya” may have been used in the sense of the donor’s having made public the gift in the presence of the officers of the king.

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¹ E. C., IV, Hg. 78, p. 76.

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² 288 of 1918.

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³ E. C., X, Mb. 37, p. 78. A record dated only in the month of Tai, 10, informs us that a certain Kāmu Nāyaka gave a village as a dēvadāna to the temple of Tiruvakkiśuram-Uḍaiya-Nāyiṉār, in the name of the monarch. 100 of 1919. Another record of a similar nature tells us that a gift of land for a lamp to the shrine of Iḷaya-Nāyiṉār was made by Virūpaṇṇa Nāyaka, son of Ellappa Nāyaka, in the name of Kṛiṣhṇa Dēva Rāya. 102 of 1919.

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⁴ E. C., IV. Ch. 15, p. 2.

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These officers themselves were popular, as records embodying gifts of land in their honour or for their merit, do testify. In a partly effaced inscription dated A. D. 1514, Dēvarāyapaṭṭana Timma Oḍeyar’s son Keñcha Sōmaṇa Nāyaka granted Vāniyagere, giving it another name of Sōmasamudra, for the offerings of the god Janārdhana of Bairavapaṭṭaṇa, in order that merit might be to Narasimha Nāyaka, who was evidently the officer placed over Bairavapaṭṭaṇa.¹ Rāyadurga Tipparasa's son Bhōgarasa in A. D. 1527 granted the village of Kaḷavekal, otherwise called Tippasamudra, of Mukundasāgara in the Kundāṇi-sīme belonging to the Muḷuvāyi-chāvaḍi, for certain specified offerings and lights of the god Prasanna-Virūpāksha, in order that *dharma* might be to his ruler Tipparasa Oḍeyar.²

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¹ E. C., IX. Cn. 164, p. 167.

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² E. C., X, Mb. 97, p. 100, P. II, p. 91. There are certain considerations against this stone inscription dated *Śalivāhana-śaka-varusha* 1449 neya *Sarvajitu-saṁvatsarada* kārtika-Śu 12 lu=A. D. 1527, Nov., Tuesday, 5th. Swamikannu, *Ind. Eph.*, V, p. 257. The ruler mentioned in this epigraph is Virūpāksha Dēva Rāya Mahārāya, who is given the usual titles of *Mahārājādhirāja*, *Rāja-paramēśvara*, and *Vira-pratāpa* of the Vijayanagara monarchs. This date falls within the reign of Kṛishṇa Dēva Rāya the Great (A. D. 1509-29). Virūpāksha (II), son of Dēva Rāya II, by Simhaḷa Dēvi, ruled from A. D. 1467-78. The only possible explanation of the appearance of Virūpāksha in A. D. 1529 is that he may be a member of the royal family, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, entrusted with the care of government by Kṛishṇa Dēva Rāya, while the latter was away from the capital. B. A. S.

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The people continued to show their love for the great monarch till the last year of his reign. An inscription dated A.D. 1529 in front of the Mallikārjuna temple at Paṅkajanahaḷḷi, Chikkanāyakanahaḷḷi tāluka, tells us that on the holy occasion of Śivarātri, Chenni Seṭṭi of Bāṇavāḍi granted in the presence of the god Virūpāksha of Paṁpākshētra, the village of Paṅkajanahaḷḷi for the god Mallikārjuna of the village, for the prosperity of the Emperor Kṛishṇa Dēva Rāya.³ Chandra Sēkharayya, according to an inscription also dated in the same year (Śaka 1451), gave as a gift the village of Gaṭirājupēṇṭa to Rāchūṭi Viraṇodaya of Basava Maṭha, for the merit of the great monarch, Dēmarasayya, and himself.⁴ In an effaced epigraph assigned to the same year, Malapa Nāyaka "granted this *pura*" (Chaudayanahaḷḷi in Tiptūr ?) "in the name of his mother Mudaiya", to Virapa Oḍeyar in order that merit might accrue to Kṛishṇa Rāya.⁵

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³ *My Arch. Report* for 1918, p. 52.

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⁴ 15 of 1915.

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⁵ E. C., XII, Tp. 138, p. 68.

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The popularity of Achyuta Rāya, in spite of the adverse evidence given by Nuniz, is proved by epigraphs which contain similar grants for the merit of the monarch. Tavanidhi Tippaṇa Gauḍa rebuilt in A. D. 1529 the Aṅkuravaḷḷi village in the Chandragutti-vēṇṭhe which Harihara Mahārāya had granted for the god Śrīkaṇṭha. This village which had gone to ruin, was rechristened Amṛitapura and given as a gift to the same god "in order that a secure empire might be to the Mahārājādhirāja (with other titles) Achyuta Rāya"¹ The agents of Tiruveṅgaḍa Aṇṇayaṇ, according to an inscription dated only in the cyclic year Vikrita, Tai, 13 (=A. D. 1530, January 9th, Sunday), gave certain house-sites and money as a gift to private individuals (named) in order that merit might accrue to Achyuta Dēva Rāya, for the formation of a maḍa-vilāgam and service in the temple of Agastyēśvara at Avirīūr.² Māḷapa Nāyaṇḍu presented a bell to the temple of Mallikārjuna at Śrīśailam, Kurnool district, and a lace cloth to the goddess Brahmarāmbā, in Śaka 1452 (A. D. 1530-1), for the merit of Achyuta Dēva Rāya and Kṛishṇa Dēva Rāya.³ The Gaṇḍa-ragoḷḷi Daḷavāyi Soṇṇappa Nāyaka's son Nāgappa Nāyaka granted in A. D. 1531 a pura dharma-śāsana for the god Chennakēsava of Kāḍanūr transferring the village of Kāḍanūr in the Huḷukaḍi-nāḍ, which he had received as an emolument for his Nāyakship, for the service of the god, in order that dharma might be to the monarch.⁴ Bhōgaya Dēva Mahārāja, according to an inscription dated Śaka 1453 expired, Khara, (A. D. 1531), granted the jōḍi amounting to fifty poṇ to the Tālapurīśvara shrine in the Śiva temple at Tiruppanaṅgādu, North Arcot district, with the permission of Tirumalaiya Dēva Mahārāya, for the merit of Achyuta Dēva Rāya.⁵ For the same purpose the door-keeper of the monarch (avara kaṭṭi-gaya) Kāmanna Nāyaka granted the Śrīpatihaḷḷi for the offerings, anointing, worship, illuminations, and all other ceremonies of the god Gaṅgādhara “dwelling in the southern Kāśi.”¹ Rāmabhaṭṭar gave 2000 *paṇam* as a gift in Śaka 1453 (A. D. 1533-4) for the merit of Acyuta Rāya Mahārāya and his queen Varadā-dēvi-ammaṇ, for offerings made to the god at Kāḷahasti on the occasion of the halt made by the god at the pavilion in the (Oraṇdūr) garden on the day of Paṅguṇi-Uttiram.²

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¹ E. C., VIII, Sb. 39, p. 7.

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² 6 of 1919: Swamikannu, Ind. Eph., V, p. 262.

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³ 23 of 1915.

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⁴ E. C., IX, DB. 50, p. 69.

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⁵ 253 of 1906.

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¹ E. C., IX, Nl. 83, p. 48.

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² 181 of 1922.

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Another record of the same date (Śaka 1455, Vijaya) informs us that Tiṭṭārapiḷḷai gave the village of Periya-Puḷiyāyi, surnamed Narasimhapuram, to certain Brahmans, for the merit of the king on the occasion of the consecration of Lakshmi-Narasimha-mūrti.³ Kūḷūr Rāma Rāya also expressed his patriotic sentiment in a similar manner by granting the Balūranahaḷḷi for the god Chennakēśava of Muḷuvāgil, in A. D 1533.⁴ A gift of land and taxes accruing from Kumbaṅguḍi and Veṭṭaṅguḍi for the consecration and daily worship of the image of Naṭarāja was made by Anantāḷvār, the Agent of king, for the merit of the ruler, in Śaka 1456 (A. D. 1534-5).⁵ In order that *dharma* may be to Achyuta Dēva Rāya, Penugoṇḍe Aḍyada Vāraṇāsi Sūrappa's son Mādarasa, official under the treasurer Timmappayya, granted the village of Sargūr in the Niṭṭūr-bhaṭavṛtti-sthaḷa in the Chennapaṭṭaṇa kingdom, in A. D. 1534, for the god Maḷalēśvara of Kōḍambaḷḷi in the Chennapaṭṭaṇa-sime.⁶ An inscription dated in the Śaka year 1458 informs us that an individual hailing from the Toṇḍaimaṇḍala gave land as a gift for the offerings of the temple of Raṅganātha Perumāḷ at Tirumērkōṭṭai, Tanjore district, for the merit of the monarch.⁷

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³ 238 of 1910.

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⁴ E. C., X., Bp. 39, p. 147.

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⁵ 330 of 1923.

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⁶ E. C., IX, Cp. 53, p. 143.

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⁷ 272 of 1917.

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Paḷḷikoṇḍa Mudaliyār, son of Narasaṇa Mudaliyār, according to a record dated in the cyclic year Durmukhi (A. D. 1536 ?) had the same motive when he made a gift of land to the same temple of Mēkku-Nāyaṉār at Tirumērkōṭṭai.¹ Achyuta Rāya Mallapaṇṇa in A. D. 1537 made over the village of Nandi-cheruvu in the Buruḍakuṇṭe-sīme to the god Virēśvara of Lepākṣhī in the Peṇugoṇḍa-sīme, in order that merit might be to Achyuta Mahārāya.² Rāmabhaṭṭar-ayyaṇ gave further proof of his service to the State by granting in Śaka 1461 (A. D. 1539-40) as a gift 6,360 *pon* for offerings to the god at Kāḷahasti, Chittoor district, for the merit of the ruler.³ In A. D. 1539 Bhaṇḍāram Aparasaya's son Timmarasayya and Koṇḍappayya made a grant of Māragānikuṇṭa, with its hamlets, in the Guyyalūr-sīme attached to Peṇugoṇḍa, for the offerings of the god Māragānikuṇṭa Tiruvēṅgaḷanātha, in order that merit might be to the monarch.⁴ According to a record the date of which is effaced, Rāṇōji Nāyaka made a gift of the village of Kalahaḷḷi, also for the merit of the king.⁵

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¹ 261 of 1917.

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² E.C., X, Bg. 5, p. 231, Bp. 4 dated in the same year tells us that the donor had received the same village as a gift from four persons (named). *Ibid* page.

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³ 160 of 1924.

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⁴ E. C., X, Bp. 37, p. 237.

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⁵ 262 of 1918. This record was found on a slab set up near the Kallēśvarasvāmin temple at Masuvana, Kallaḥaḷḷi.

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There are some epigraphs which mention grants for the merit of the officers of the monarch. Tippa Nāyaka's sons Mudureya, Kotte Chemmana and Timmaya, holding the *pārupatya* of the Buruḍakuṇṭe-sīme, for the merit of their lord Narasimha Nāyaka's son Narasapa Nāyaka, built in A. D. 1532 a stone *maṇṭapa* within the temple of Chennakēśavarāya of the ... pēṭe, in the Ānemaḍagu village, and dedicated it to that god.⁶ Allappa Nāyaka in A. D. 1533 granted all the lands included in Koppa, otherwise called Timmāpura, in the village of Huruḷi of the Ghaṭṭe-sthala belonging to the *durga* of Gutti, for the offerings and perpetual lamp of the god Hanumanta of Huraḷi, in order that much merit may accrue to Hiriya Tirumala Rājayya, the Agent for the affairs of Achyuta Rāya Mahārāya.¹ Keśava Rāvuta made a grant of lands (specified) for the offerings to the god Virabhadra of Guṇḍēri, in A. D. 1539, "in order that the Agent for his (the Emperor's) affairs, Achyuta Rāya Malliyaṇṇa-ayya might have long life and good fortune". Since it is not improbable that charity may have been forced from the subjects by high officials, the significant phrase "by order of Chandappa Nāyaka" occurring in the inscription may be understood to mean in this case that the donor may not have made the grant out of his free will.²

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⁶ E. C., X, Sd. 104, p. 195.

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¹ E. C., VIII, Sb. 379, p. 67.

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² E. C., XI, Hk. 20, p. 118.

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The same patriotic motives which marked the charitable endowments of the people of the times of Kṛishṇa Dēva Rāya and Achyuta Rāya continued to manifest themselves under the next sovereign Sadāśiva Rāya. An effaced inscription dated A. D. 1540 informs us that the *Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara*...mariya... *mahā-arasu*, in order that merit might be to Sadāśiva Mahārāya, granted the customs on goods by road both ways at Hiriya Mālūr, for the service of the god Tiruvēṅgaḷanātha.³ Veṅkaṭādri Nāyaka, according to an inscription dated only in the cyclic year Śōbhakṛit, Tai, 2 (but assignable to the Śaka year 1463 expired—December, Thursday 29th A.D. 1541), gave the village of Periya-Āśur to the temple of Alagiyaśinga Perumāḷ at Eṇṇāyiram, South Arcot district, for the merit of the Emperor.⁴ Mudagaṭṭa Paṇḍitayya, the Agent of Salaha-Rāja Chennaya Dēva Mahā-arasu, in A. D. 1547, granted the village of Rāmāpura of the Bāṇavādi-sthala, for the illuminations and offerings of the god Virabhadra of Bāṇavādi. The object of the donor was the same.⁵ Sūrappa Nāyaka made a gift (evidently of land to the Veṅkaṭaramaṇasvāmi temple at Gingee), in Śaka 1472 (A. D. 1550-1) for the merit of Sadāśiva Rāya.¹ Era Kṛṣṇappa Nāyaka granted the village of Baluvaḷi otherwise called Kṛṣṇasamudra, for the offerings of the god Chenniga Rāya of Bāgūr, in about A. D. 1552, in order that merit might accrue to Sadāśiva Rāya.² Sugaṭūr Tammappa Gauḍa in A. D. 1566 granted the village Dāsarahalli, otherwise called Dēvapura, also for the same purpose.³ The great Āvaṭi-nāḍ prabhu Soṇapa Gauḍa-ayya granted the village of Muḍigere in Hosaūr-nāḍ, in A. D. 1565, for the festivals and illuminations of the god Chennakēśava of Muḍigere, "in order that unfading merit might be to Sadāśiva Rāya Mahārāya, to Tirumala Rājayya and to their sons, and that the world of unfading merit might be obtained by his own mother and father". The grant was made in the days of woe that followed the great battle of Rākshasa-Taṅgaḍi. It states that it was made "by his (the Emperor's) command, and by order of Tirumala Rāya."⁴ Since it is doubtful whether Sadāśiva Rāya would have commanded one of his great nobles to issue a grant, when questions of the greatest importance were facing him, and since it is impossible to believe that both the monarch and Tirumala Rājayya would have simultaneously ordered a chief to make a grant, we are to assume that the great Āvaṭi-nāḍ prabhu was merely giving vent to the conventional mode of expressing his gratitude to the ruler and the powerful Tirumala Rājayya, when he said that it was at their instance that he assigned the village of Muḍigere for the local temple.

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³ E. C., XII, Mi, 66, p. 110.

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⁴ 337 of 1917.

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⁵ E. C., IX, Ma. 74, p. 60.

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¹ 240 of 1904. The details of the gift are not enumerated here.

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² E. C., XI, Hk. 114, p. 132.

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³ E. C., IX, Ht. 3, p. 88.

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⁴ E. C., X, Gd. 52, p. 223.

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The most prominent figure in the reign of Sadāśiva Rāya is, of course, that of Rāma Rāya. We have already cited evidence to prove that the people characterized the times as *dharmada-pārupatya* of Aḷiya Rāma Rāya. In about A. D. 1540, Viraṇṇa Oḍeyar granted Maha . . . pura village for the god Sōmēśvara, in order that merit might accrue to Rāma Rāya.¹ Gumma-daṇṇa-ayya in A. D. 1547 made a grant from the lands attached to his office of *amara-nāyaka*, for the perpetual lamp of the god Amṛitēśvara, in order that merit might accrue to Tirupati Rāma Rāja-ayya,² who could have been no other than the famous Regent. According to a record dated Śaka 1472 (A. D. 1550-1) Viśvanātha Nāyaka, Agent for the affairs of Rāma Rāya, made a gift of a *dēvadāna* hold (*paṭṭayam*) of land in Deśi, Śevval, and other places, in lieu of an annual income of paddy, to the temple of Ādityavanmichchuvaramuḍaiya-Nāyiṉār, at Śevval *alias* Virakēraḷanallūr, for the merit of the Regent.³ Mūrti Nāyaka, Agent of Rāmappa Nāyaka and of Kadaikūṭṭu Śēvagapperumāḷ, according to an epigraph dated only in the cyclic year Sādhāraṇa, Āvaṇi, Kollam 726 (A. D. 1550, August), gave land as a gift for conducting offerings and worship during the festivals in the months of Śittarai and Āvaṇi in the temple of Ādityavanmichchuvaramuḍaiya-Nāyiṉār at Śevval in Muḷḷi-nāḍ, on behalf of the king.⁴ An inscription dated Śaka 1482 (A. D. 1560-1) informs us that Viśvanātha Nāyaka, son of Nāgama Nāyaka, made a gift of taxes on looms to Tāḷapuriśvara temple at Panamalai, South Arcot district, for the merit of Aḷiya Rāma Rājaya, son of the *Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara* Śrīraṅga Rājayya Dēva.⁵

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¹ E. C., X, Mb. 231, p. 126.

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² E. C., VI, Tk. 41, p. 109.

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³ 599 of 1916.

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⁴ 598 of 1916; Swamikannu, Ind. Eph., V, p. 303.

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⁵ 622 of 1915. Viśvanātha was the Agent of Rāma Rāya. 385 of 1916, op. cit. On his death, read Satyanatha, *Nayaks*, p. 66.

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Some popular officials of this period deserve notice. The Pēṭe Rāma Nāyaka's son Varada Nāyaka granted, by means of a *dharma-śasana* in A. D. 1542, the village of Mukkari of the Tēkal fort for the god Allāḷanātha of Māsiti, in order that *dharma* might be to Tirumala Rāya Oḍeyar. The ruler who is mentioned here is evidently Veṅkaṭapati Dēva Rāya who ruled for a brief period of one year.¹ Rāchūr Narasimhaya granted the village of Allāḷasundra in the Śivanasamudra-sīme, for the offerings of the god Allāḷanātha of Jakkūr, in A. D. 1544, in order that merit might accrue to his master, the Mahā-maṇḍalēśvara, the Marāṭa Viṭhṭhlēśvara Dēva Mahā-arasu.² Loḍava Nāyaka, son of Bole Nāyaka, and Keñchapa Nāyaka, son of Lakhapa Nāyaka, in A. D. 1560, made a grant of a village (not specified in the record) in the Bēlūr-sīme, for the service of the god Tirumala of Kahu, in order that merit might accrue to Virūpa Rāja Oḍeyar.³

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