South Indian Inscriptions

INTRODUCTION

which formed part of Vijayanagara Kingdom. The record from Varāṅga (No. 164) states that Ratnappa-oḍeya was governing the above Tuḷu-rājya and under the orders of the king, he got the forests cleared, brought under cultivation the lands originally granted to the temple of Nēminātha of Varāṅga-sthāna by king Vīra Pratāpa Dēvarāya-mahārāya.

        We come to know from the inscriptions of the Vijayanagara period that Bārakūru-rājya seems to have come under the direct rule of the kings while in the Maṅgaḷūru region, the chiefs of many subordinate families like those of Kaḷaśa-Kārkaḷa, were permitted to retain hold on their territories. The reason for the absence of governors in Maṅgaḷūru-rājya was that those portions were under the sway of several local ruling families.

       Some of the Vijayanagara records are valuable and furnish interesting events. The record from Uḷāyabeṭṭu (No. 55) belonging to the reign of Bukka I and dated Śaka 1298, Rākshasa (1375 A.D.) registers a gift of land as dēvasva to Vidyāgiritīrtha-śrīpāda, the religious preceptor by Paṇḍaridēva, who was governing over Maṅgalūru-rājya. The imprecatory portion of the record stipulates that the person flouting the grant was to be fined 1000 gadyāṇas payable to the king. Another record of the same king and dated three months later than the above inscription registers a royal grant of the villages Kuḍupu and Mālūru, with rights of ownership (ūroḍetana) and free from taxes saṭṭu, beḍige, to Vidyāraṇya-śrīpāda of Siṅgēri (i.e., Śriṅgēri). The donee of the above two records is identical. The donee, who in turn, gave in the temples of Śaṅkara and Rāmanāthadēva, but also for the feeding of twelve brāhmaṇas in the temple at Kuḍupu. The above rights were issued with the confirmation of nāḍu, grāma, nakhara and hañjamāna.

       We learn from the inscriptions that Bārakūru was an important trade centre and a number of townships had trade guilds. Of these townships mention may be made of Maṅgalūru, Kārakāḷa, Baindūru, etc. The nakhara and nakhara-hañjamāna are the guilds functioned from Bārakūru and Basrūru. It is significant to note that nakhara-haṇjamāna guild is frequently referred to in the inscriptions of the Vijayanagara period. The nakhara and nakhara-hañjamāna are the guilds of local itinerant merchants who were mainly engaged in trade activities. It has been emphasized that hañjamāna was the guild of Arabic and Persian merchants settled along the west coast. (See Ind. Ant., Vol. XLI, pp. 173-76, A History of South Kanara, pp. 252-53). In the light of the present inscription. It may be said that Kuḍupu also