South Indian Inscriptions

INTRODUCTION

varāhas per annum and tax free land by Etirāya-voḍeya to Vyāstīrtha-Śrīpāda-voḍeya for offerings and a perpetual lamp to the image of the god Rāmachandradēva worshipped by him, for the welfare of the king. Vyāstīrtha-Śrīpāda-oḍeya is no doubt the sage Vyāsarāya, the religious preceptor of Kṛishṇadēvarāya.

       No. 176 from Maṭpāḍi, is one of the few inscriptions we have of Tirumalarāya, son of Kṛishṇadēvarāya. This prince was put on the throne by his father in Śaka 1446(1524 A.D.). Unfortunately he died in that very same year.

       From among the records, belonging to the reign of Achyutadēva mahārāya, the Uppūru inscription is an interesting record which registers some concessions shown in the taxes due to the king from the village Uppūru by Koṇḍappa-oḍeya who was administering Bārakūru-rājya under the orders of Sukaṇa-nāyaka who was governing Bārakūru-Maṅgaḷūru-rājya. It states that Koṇḍappa-oḍeya marched his forces on Uppūru and while discharging some duties, committed certain excesses, thereby putting the subjects to harm. The concession includes taxes like Kuḷāgra (tax paid by the cultivator at the time of taking new tenancy). The details of the excesses committed are the action against the lives of men (gaṁḍina-talege-tappidakke) and the chastity of women (heṁṇina-nirige) (No. 180). Koṇḍapa-oḍeya is stated to have meted out the excesses committed by him in the form of compensation of the grant of tax income to one Śivakēkuḍe, son of Aṁṇa-Kēkuḍe.

       Some of the records are of socie-economic interest. A twelfth century record from Puttūru (No. 317) refers to the construction of a tank and further states that the fishing in the tank was prohibited and any one found unlawfully fishing was to pay a fine (tappu-daṇḍa) of hundred of gadyāṇas.

       A record from Viṭla (No. 360) engraved on a copper-plate states that Muṇḍiśeṭṭśēkhara had a golden Kalaśa set up in the temple of Pañchaliṅgadēva of Ishṭakapura on behalf of Māṇimaida, a nephew of Ḍoṁba-veggaḍe as he was cured of a disease, Perhaps this was to fulfil a vow. This inscription is dated Śaka 1358, Rākshasa (1436 A.D.).

       We find Viṭharasa-voḍeya as the administrator of Bārakūru-rājya (Nos. 143, 145-46, 148-49) from 1469 A.D. to 1474 A.D., under the orders of mahāpradhāna Siṅgaṇṇa-daṇāyaka. It is probably this officer, who according to Ujre inscription (No. 369) dated Śaka 1391 (1469 A.D.) burnt the palace at Kōḍiyāḷa as also the village Niruvāra. He gave the village Ujiri as uṁbaḷi