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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
LITERATURE with fuel, and the temple where they assembled for prayers. These are mentioned in some grants in connection with the boundaries of the donated fields. The king was, no doubt, the owner of all marshy and barren land, woodland and jungles, pasture-lands, tanks and watering places. When he donated a village, he transferred his rights to the donee;1 but in practice, the village folk used these in common. The king was also the owner of the mines of minerals and salt, of the mango and mahuā trees, and also of the treasure trove.2 He had further the privileges of ditya and vishti.3 The former probably signified the obli-gations of the villagers to make customary presents on the birth of a prince or the marriage of a princess, and the latter, that of rendering occasional service free of charge. There were other miscellaneous royal privileges designated as prātibhēdīkā.4 Besides, the villa-gers were required to provide for the lodging and boarding of royal officers on tour.5 Sometimes a small cess was levied for the purpose. The donated villages were free from all these obligations. They could also adjudicate their own law-suits and levy fines for the commission of the ten crimes (daś-āparādhas).6 They could not also be entered by soldiers and policemen except for apprehending thieves and persons accused of high treason.
The towns were in a flourishing condition. In the Bālarāmāyana Rājaśekhara ascribes the origin of Tripurī, the capital of the Kalachuris, to the fall from the sky of a portion of the three cities of Tripurāsura burnt by Śiva.7 The description suggests the great magnificence of the capital which justified such a fancy. It is borne out by numerous beautiful sculptures and extensive remains of buildings discovered at Tewar. Tummāna, the earlier capital of a branch of the same family in Chhattisgarh, is said to have been beautified by Ratnadēva I with magnificent buildings, lofty temples of gods and beautiful groves of mango trees. Ratnapura, the later capital founded by the same prince, is said to have resembled the city of Alakā.8 The existing extensive ruins of buildings and temples and large tanks at both the places testify to the past splendour of the towns. Mallāla, Jājallanagara and Vikarnapura were some of the other places in Dakshina Kōsala, noted for their grandeur and prosperity. As remarked in a private record at Mallār,9 the country was well governed, it was free from the infestation of troubles, and the people were happy under the rule of the Kalachuris. LITERATURE We have very meagre information about the literature of the earlier period. The only reference of a literary work occurring in the earlier inscriptions is that noticed in the Nasik plates of Dharāśraya-Jayasimha.10 His religious preceptor, who was an ascetic of the Śaiva sect, but whose full name has, unfortunately, not been preserved, wrote a Sanskrit play called Harapāravatiya. This work had not come down to us, but its title indicates that it treated of some incident in the life of Hara and Parvati, probably their marriage. This is _____________________ 1 See, e.g., No. 50, 11. 38-39.
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