Part 17 - The Donor Image (of the Mahanadi Delta and the Gangas)

In most of the eulogies found kingship praised for his munificence. In inscriptions, the analogy of kalpa-vrksa, found in consistent manner to eulogise the king’s benevolence as donor. The donations listed are lands, gold, grains, cows, and elephants. The land charters benedictory and imprecatory verses praising the king as the donor of land to the Brahmanas. The practice of donating land is described as the recommendations of the ancient seers or Rsis of Mahabharata, Dharmasastrs and Manu-Smrti. The devotion to these Brahmanical traditions was praised by the titles of Parama-Brahmanya (greatly devoted to the Brahmanas). In period I, we find Prthvi-Maharaja and the Bamhani plates of Panduvamsi king Bharatabala;in period II, Ganjam plates of Sailodbhava king Madhavavarman and Russellkonda grants of Nettabhanja; and in period III, Anantavarman-Codaganga’s korni and vizagapattanam plates, evidently show the reverence to the Brahmanas. Throughout the period under study we find affluent number of grants of land or ritual-giving of land (bhumidana) to the Brahmanas and religious establishments as a pious act of the excellence of the kings.

The Ganga grants depicting land donations to the Brahmana donees and to the religious establishments were frequently found. Along with these donations, several instances found where kings or royal family members and officials as Nayakas were donating land to Brahmana and other establishments with religious importance. Generally the imperial Ganga endowments to the Brahmanas were made to more than one Brahmana. Counting from 58 to 500 Brahmanas were mentioned in Plates like Chicacole Plates of Rajaraja I, and Madras Museum Plates of Vajrahasta. 300 Brahmana donees were mentioned in Galavalli Plates of Rajaraja I Dendravarman and Korni Plates of Anantavarman Codagangadeva.

Madras Museum Plates of Vajrahasta mentioned The specific occupations of the beneficiary Brahmanas, like yajana, yajana, adhyayana, adhyapana and pratigraha. These genres of epigraphs, throughout the period of study found with various other information also. The type of beneficiaries, whether of religious or secular establishments, the gotra, pravara, sakha, carana and the place of the donees, were clearly mentioned in royal Plates. Sometimes the sectarian associations to these Brahmana donees appear in few epigraphs of the Panduvamsi rulers.^[1] The Brahmana beneficiaries of royal grants sometimes found with other occupations related with the court like priest, astrologers, and administrators. These administrative capacities were like desaksapataladhikrta, pratihara, patra and karanika; like priests as purohita, punyaha-vacaka and jyotisi.