A History of Agriculture in India v1.c38.s8: Economic Condition of the People

v1.c38.s8.1

C.H. Rao has given an excellent account of the economic condition and village administration in the Chola period, based on the study of inscriptions. He states, ‘the Tanjore inscriptions throw light on the economic condition of the people of the Chola country about the beginning of the 11th century. The land assessment (kanikkadan) was roughly one hundred kalam of paddy for each veli of land. Paddy was sold at the rate of two kalam for each kasu and three ewes could be purchased for one kasu. The rate of interest was apparently 12½ per cent. It was actually ⅛ kasu per year for each kasu of three kuruni of paddy for each kasu per year. For Sivayogins who had to attend the temple on certain festive occasions and who may be taken to represent the average middle-class men of the time, the allotment made for each meal is one kuruni and two nari of paddy. Assuming that a middle-class man took two meals a day, the consumption for each man would be 2¼ kuruni of paddy per day. The parasol-carrier may be taken as the type of the lowest class of manual labourers and each of them got 40 kalam of paddy per year and this would yield 1⅓ kuruni of paddy for each day. It is worthy of note that chillies are not mentioned and coconuts seem to have been unknown at least in the vicinity of Tanjore, if not in the Chola country.