Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c24.s2.67

v2.c24.s2.67

The Gauḍas and other people were more concerned in the agricultural welfare of the country than the Brahmans. In A. D. 1429 Ujeni Rāma Gauḍa's son Rayicharasa, Masana Gauḍa's son Muttu Gauḍa, and the elder Gauḍas and subjects of the Ujeni village, granted by a śāsana a koḍage to Ujeni Bayicharasa's son Chēmarasa. The inscription relates that Chēmarasa and the temple priests (sthānikaru) having provided the funds and entered into an agreement, constructed a tank to the east of the town.² In about A. D. 1521 all the Brahmans of the agrahāra Bhaṭṭa-ratnākara, which was Nāgamaṅgala, granted a vōle to Viṭhṭhaṇṇa, son of Jannikūchiga of the same town. On Viṭhṭhaṇṇa having constructed a tank (situation described) they gave him many paddy fields under the waste weir of the same Māyi-Dēvi tank, as kere-goḍaṅge.³ The Mahānāyakāchārya Harti...Vithaṇa Nāyaka, the farmers and Sēnabōva of Taluku and the farmers and sēnabōvas of the fourteen places in the Doḍēri-sime, granted, in A.D. 1560, some unspecified land to the Mahānāyakāchārya Yallappa Nāyaka, evidently as a tank mānya.⁴ In about A. D. 1591 the Sirya-sthaḷa Gauḍa Dāsapa's son Sandikāmi Gauḍa and others (named) constructed a tank and a well, in addition to certain other works of charity, "in order that the Gauḍas of Dāsanahaḷḷi of the Yaleyūr-sthaḷa may enjoy it under our charge from generation to generation", the gauḍike of the place having been given to the donors. The charities refer to a new village built by them.¹