Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c24.s2.127

v2.c24.s2.127

The corporate activities of the people in connection with charity are of particular interest in determining their social solidarity. A Tamil record of A. D. 1346 deals with the public charities of the paṭṭa-viyapāri Muttiyaraśaṉ Iḷamaṉ Suvāśā-Nāyakkar, and the inhabitants of Teṉṟaṟṟu-Tuṟavaḷi-nāḍu in Śaṇai-nāḍu of Rājēndra-Śōḷa-vaḷa-nāḍu in Nigarili-Śōḷa-maṇḍalam. They granted certain lands (specified) together with the right to sell or mortgage, to Gaṅgādhara (descent stated), a resident of Śeñji-agaram in Toṇḍa-maṇḍalam.² In about the same year the mahājanas of Irumbiliyūr and the inhabitants of Veyūr-nāḍu (a few named) together with Vallappa Daṇṇāyaka, granted the wet and dry lands in Udaiyanapaḷḷi to Śēviḍapergaḍaiyār, as a sarvamānya.³ Another incomplete record dated A. D. 1359 relates that the Mahāsāvantādhipati Mayileya Nāyaka's younger brother Yōjaya Nāyaka and Santeya Nāyaka with all the subjects and farmers of the great Pa...nāḍ made some grant.⁴ All the people and farmers of Attihaḷḷi together with the Brahmans of Rāmapura which is Bannūr, and Chokka Gauḍa seem to have made a grant in A. D. 1366.⁵ In the same year " the mahājanas, the heads of the maṭhas and sthānas, the reciters of the Vēdas, the temple manager (dharmakartḷār), Śembāṇḍai, the pūjāris Vaitti-baṭṭar, Mādēva-baṭṭar and their sons, the Kaikkōḷar (? weavers) of the fine temple at (?) Kavarippiṇā, the (?) mūlachchēdi Śri-Virabhattira and the servants performing various duties, from the pūjāri at the top to the scavenger at the bottom,—having assembled on the seat of justice", agreed among themselves to measure out "a certain quantity (specified) of paddy and pay certain taxes (named) to Śrī-Rudra-Śrī-Māhēśvara of Chitramēḷi Peruk-kāḷan-Dirukkāvaṇam residing in the temple of Sōma-īsvaram-uḍaiyar of Tāmaraikkirai in Rājēndra-Chōḷa-vaḷa-nāḍu.¹