The Colas c29.25.1

c29.25.1

*Dēvadāna* lands were often marked off, as just noticed, by means of boundary stones bearing the emblems of the deity to whom they belonged.⁵³ The rights and exemptions enumerated in *dēvadānas* have a family likeness to those of the *brahmadēyas*, as already noticed. *Dēvadāna* lands were managed by the authorities of the temple subject to supervision and control of the village assembly on the one side and the central government on the other. It was open to the authorities of the temple acting in concert with the local assemblies to award *jīvitas* or *kāṇis* to the servants of the temple as remuneration for the performance of services or the supply of articles required for use in the temple. Such assignments are sometimes made by the assembly acting by itself; for instance, the *ūr* of Neṟkuppai received as *dēvadāna* to Tiru-mudu-kunṟam-uḍaiyār some wet land and a house from Uttama Cōḷa; these they gave over as *kāṇi* in the third year of Rājarāja I to a person who was to supply to the temple half *palam* of sandal paste and quarter *palam* of bdellium, besides bathing materials on the days of the *ayana-sankrānti*.⁵⁴ The temple often came by land of low fertility or even waste land which was sometimes dumped on it by village assemblies which found themselves under the necessity of raising money urgently for some public purpose.