Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c24.s2.60

v2.c24.s2.60

An interesting case of settling the question of false claims put forward to a gauḍike is given in a stone record dated A.D. 1612. During the reign of Veṅkaṭapati Dēva Mahārāya, the Mahānāyakāchārya (with other epithets) Harati Immaḍi Raṅgapa Nāyaka-ayya's (son) Huṅgahati Nāyaka's family relatives and others (named) granted to the nāḍ Gauḍas a stone śāsana as follows : "Whereas according to the copper śāsana formerly given by Vīra Ballāḷa Rāya the nāḍ gauḍike was being carried on,—and Muḍi-Gauḍa...of the two tanks says that the nāḍ-gauḍike is his, and having sent those on his side to Tumukur, and they and Muḍi Gauḍa having had a false vōle written, came saying that they had gained the (case)—And whereas that the channel overseer's vōle was a false vōle having been proved by the men sent from our palace, they returned the vōle, saying that we will not submit to Muḍi Gauḍa and that the gauḍike did not belong to him,—Thereupon to Anegonḍa Kariṇigappa they deposed that as long as sun and moon endure there should be no joint gauḍike or substitute, and in the presence of the chief priest of the god Mēlikuṇṭe Bālakṛiṣhṇa's temple, set up this stone *śāsana*.¹