Administration and Social Life under Vijayanagar c15.38

c15.38

Next mention may be made of the śāsanācāryas who were the engravers of royal edicts. Imperial grants or orders were generally engraved on stone or copper plates by these engravers. They generally belonged to the carpenter class but a few stray inscriptions indicate that Brahmans were also employed in the work.²⁸ Men of position and eminence were also employed as engravers. This is indicated by the fact that in A.D. 1475 one Timmarasa, the son of Aṭhavaṇi (revenue) Dēvarasa, was an engraver.²⁹ In another case in A.D. 1431 one Pratāpa Rāya, the son of Maṅgappa Daṇṇāyaka, was an engraver.³⁰ These instances indicate that the engravers must have been well paid.