Education in Ancient India c7.s7.t1: Salotgi Temple College
Education in Ancient India c7.s7.t1
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Salotgi Temple College
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A Famous and Free College: The village of Salotgi in Bijapur District of the Bombay Presidency was a famous centre, probably of Vedic learning, in the 10th and 11th centuries A. D. The Sanskrit college that flourished at this place must have existed for a long time, for it eventually transformed the original name of the place, Pāviṭṭage, into Sāloṭgi, which is an abbreviated and Prakritised compound of Śālā and Pāviṭṭage. The college was located in a spacious hall, attached to the temple of Trayī-Puruṣa, which was built by Nārāyaṇa, a minister of the Rāṣṭrakūṭa emperor Kṛṣṇa III. Owing to its far spread fame for efficiency, the college could attract students from different parts of the country. The strength of the college is not known, but it seems that 27 houses were necessary for lodging the students. An endowment of 12 Nivartanas (probably equal to 60 acres) of land was made for meeting the lighting charges of the boarding houses.¹ The students were offered free boarding, an endowment of 500 Nivartanas having been received for that purpose. It would appear that at least 200 students were offered free boarding, lodging and education at this institution. The salary of the principal was provided for by another endowment of 50 Nivartanas. The inscription is silent about the salaries of the other teachers.
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¹ The relevant verses from the inscription are given below:—
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Public Support: The inhabitants of the village were not slow to appreciate the benefits of the institution; they had agreed to offer to the college a donation of five rupees at every marriage, of two and half rupees at every Upanayana and of a rupee and quarter at every tonsure ceremony. Besides whenever
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नारायणोऽभिधानेन नारायण इवापरः ।
प्रधानः कृष्णराजस्य मन्त्री सन्सन्धिविग्रहे ॥
तेनेयं कारिता शाला श्रीविशाला मनोरमा ।
अत्र विद्यार्थिनः संति नानाजनपदोद्भवाः ।
शालाविद्यार्थिसंघाय दत्तवान्भूमिमुत्तमाम् ।
मान्यां निवर्तनानां तु पंचभिश्च शतैर्मिताम् ॥
निवर्तनानि दीपार्थ मान्यानि द्वादशैव च ।
पंच पुष्पाणि देयानि विवाहे सति तज्जनैः ।
देयं तथोपनयने विवाहे यत्पुरोदितम् ॥
केनचित्कारणेनेह कर्तव्ये विप्रभोजने ।
भोजयेत्तु यथाशक्ति परिषत्परिषजनम् ॥
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a feast was given in the village, the host was expected to invite as many teachers and students as possible. A later inscription from the same place informs us that when the college hall built by the minister of Kṛṣṇa III in 945 A. D. crumbled down in the next century, it was rebuilt by a local magnate.