History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s22.19

v3.c41.s22.19

Land was measured (Vol. I p. 133) and Nivartana (acre) is a word usually used. But sometimes the extent of the land granted free is given as cultivable with so many ploughs (I. A. XVIII p. 15). The Naihatti grant of Ballālasena (E. I. XIV p. 159) gives not only in very great detail and precision the boundaries of the village granted (which are unintelligible but which detail the nature of land record) but gives the whole area of the village in number of Unmāna or measures (not properly understandable), as also total produce (again not understandable) and the income in money. This is, strangely enough, very small being 500 old Kapardikas. If Kapardika means one fourth of an anna, this means an income of about eight rupees. But we must remember that money value then must have been much greater than now and again apparently this was only the cash income of the village, the greater income being in kind (1/6th of grain produced). The sale and purchase of land as also of inam villages appears to have been allowed, as we find the fact expressly stated in the Semra plates of Paramardideva (E. I. IV p. 153).* These transactions were probably registered as they could be verified from official records (see Vol. II p. 239).