The Colas c32.5.3

c32.5.3

In the reign of Rājēndra I, the *sabhā* of Rājarājacaturvēdimaṅgalam (Eṇṇāyiram), in South Arcot, resolved in the presence of an officer of the king's government, to arrange for the feeding of the pupils and the remuneration of the teachers of a college in accordance with the terms of an order made by the king himself.⁷ From the words of the inscription it is not easy to say whether the college was founded on this occasion, or had been in existence for some time before Rājēndra came forward to give it such splendid support. However that may be, the details recorded in the inscription give an accurate idea of the strength of the college, the popularity of the different courses, the relative esteem in which teachers of different subjects were held in so far as this may be judged from their respective salaries, and the average cost of maintaining pupils of different grades. The provision in this record contemplates 270 junior students and 70 senior students and a teaching staff of 14 persons. Among the junior students, Brahmacāris, forty studied the elements of grammar according to the *Rūpāvatāra*, and the rest were learning the Vedas by rote—75 devoting themselves to the Ṛg- and 75 to the Yajur-veda, twenty to each of the Vājasanēya-, and the Chandōgā- and Talavakāra- sāmas, ten to the Atharva-Vēda and the remaining ten to the Baudāyana-*gṛhya*, -*kalpa*, and *gaṇa*. Each of these junior pupils was allowed six *nāḷis* of paddy per diem.