Brahmadeya ( Sanskrit for "given to Brahmana " ) was tax free land gift, either in the form of single plot or whole villages, donated to Brahmanas in the early medieval India . It was initially practiced by the ruling dynasties and was soon followed up by the chiefs, merchants, feudatories, etc. Brahmadeya was devised by the Brahmanical texts as the surest means to achieve merit and destroy sin.
31-625: Mayurasharma or Mayuravarma (reigned 345–365 CE), a native of Talagunda (in modern Shimoga district ), was the founder of the Kadamba kingdom of Banavasi , the earliest native kingdom to rule over what is today the modern state of Karnataka , India . Before the rise of the Kadambas, the centres of power ruling the land were outside the Karnataka region; thus the Kadambas' ascent to power as an independent geo-political entity, with Kannada ,
62-520: A commander ( dandanayaka ) in the army of the Pallavas, as the inscription uses such terms as Senani and calls Mayurasharma Shadanana (six-faced god of war). However, after a period of time, availing himself of the confusion caused by the defeat of Pallava Vishnugopa by Samudragupta (from the Allahabad inscriptions), Mayurasharma carved out a kingdom with Banavasi (near Talagunda) as his capital. It
93-511: A demi-god. According to the Talagunda inscription, Mayurasharma went to Kanchi the capital of the Pallavas to pursue his Vedic studies accompanied by his guru and grandfather Veerasharma. Kanchi was an important Ghatikasthana (centre of learning) at that time. There, having been humiliated by a Pallava guard (horseman), in a rage Mayurasharma gave up his Brahminic studies and took to
124-468: A gift. Brahmadeyas however helped to bring virgin land under cultivation and to integrate the existing rural settlement into a new economic order, dominated by the Brahmana proprietors. They were exempted from various land taxes and dues either entirely or partially such as in the initial states of settlement. The taxes from the donated villages were assigned to Brahmana donees. Brahamdeyas also helped
155-599: A place called Ahi-kshetra to Sthanagundur by Mukanna (or Trinetra), thereby creating an agrahara .. Mukanna was an ancestor of Mayurasharma , the founder of the Kadamba Dynasty . The word Ahi means snake or Naga in Sanskrit . Nagas were a group of ancient people who worshiped serpents. The word khsetra means region in Sanskrit. This implies that Ahi-kshetra was a region of Nagas . This could mean that
186-560: A portion of the crop they helped to cultivate. In the Deccan region, specifically present-day Maharashtra , Buddhist establishments are known to have received land grants during Satavahana rule since as early as 1st century CE. The historical evidence of the practice of donating lands to Brahmanas in return for spiritual favour is traced back to 3rd-4th century CE in South India. The earliest royal land grant inscription that mentions
217-518: Is also known that in other battles, Mayurasharma defeated the Traikutas, Abhiras, Sendrakas, Pallavas, Pariyathrakas, Shakasthana, the Maukharis and Punnatas. To celebrate his successes, Mayurasharma performed many horse sacrifices and granted 144 villages (known as brahmadeyas ) to Brahmins of Talagunda. With an effort to rejuvenate the ancient Brahminic faith and to perform the royal rituals and
248-540: Is known to be free of legends, giving a realistic and true account of the Kadamba line of kings. According to the inscription, Mayurasharma was a Vaidika brahmin and scholar and a native of Talagunda. He was the son of Bandhushena, grandson of his guru (teacher) Veerasharma and a student at the Agrahara (place of learning) in Talagunda. The inscription confirms the family is named for the Kadamba tree that grew near
279-476: The Pallava capital, Kanchipuram to study scriptures, accompanied by his guru and grandfather Veerasharama. There, having been humiliated by a Pallava guard (horseman), in a rage Mayurasharma gave up his Brahminic studies and took to the sword to avenge his insult. The inscription vividly describes the event thus: That the hand dextrous in grasping the kusha grass, fuel and stones, ladle, melted butter and
310-692: The 5th centuries. The Chhattisgarh region was Brahmanized during the 6th and the 7th centuries under the rule of the Nalas , the Sharabhapuriyas , and the Pandavas (of Mekala and Dakshina Kosala ). The eastern Andhra region was brahmanized in the 3rd and 4th centuries during the rule of the Ikshvakus (who also patronized the Buddhists), Salankayanas , and Vishnukundinas ; the western region
341-512: The 5th century CE, the Vakataka king Pravarasena II is known to have granted land to as many as 1,000 Brahmanas in a single district, using a single charter. The Vakataka rulers also made several land donations to Brahmanas in central and western Madhya Pradesh . Their contemporaries, including Gupta vassals, donated lands to the Brahmanas in north-eastern Madhya Pradesh during the 4th and
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#1732772657641372-553: The 5th century; in the east Bengal in the 6th century; in Gujarat , Odisha , Himachal Pradesh ( Kangra and Chamba ), and Nepal in the 7th century. Land grant inscriptions show that in present-day Tamil Nadu , the Chola rulers introduced Brahmana settlements during the 8th century, and such settlements increased considerably during 9th-10th centuries. In present-day Kerala , large-scale land grants to Brahmanas do not occur until
403-480: The domination of the Kshatriya power as wielded by the Pallavas of Kanchi. Thus was born, in a moment of righteous indignation, the first kingdom native to present day Karnataka region. Other scholars however feel Mayurasharma's rebellion was well timed to coincide with the defeat of Pallava Vishnugopa by the southern invasion of Samudragupta of northern India. Mayurasharma first succeeded in establishing himself in
434-407: The family home. The Gudnapur inscription further confirms Mayurasharma's parentage and that he acquired the character of a Kshatriya. There are several legends and tales that describe the progeny of the Kadamba family. One legend states the family descended from a three-eyed, four-armed being called Trilochana Kadamba who sprang to life from the drops of sweat from the forehead of Shiva falling at
465-707: The forests of Shriparvata (possibly modern Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh ) by defeating the Antharapalas (guards) of the Pallavas and subduing the Banas of Kolar. The Pallavas under Skandavarman were unable to contain Mayurasharma and recognised him as a sovereign in the regions from the Amara ocean (western ocean) to Prehara ( Malaprabha River ). Some historians feel that Mayurasharma was initially appointed as
496-487: The grant of land either in a single plot or whole villages donated to Brahmanas by making them land-owners or land-controllers. It was also given to more than one Brahmana ( ekabhoga ), to several Brahmana families ( ganabhogam ) which is estimated to be from few to several hundreds or even more than thousands, particularly in South India. The gifts of land were mostly selected around the irrigation facilities such as tanks or lakes and were supposed to be operable to fulfill
527-422: The language of the soil as a major regional language, is a landmark event in the history of modern Karnataka with Mayurasharma as an important historical figure. The earliest Kannada language inscriptions are attributed to the Kadambas of Banavasi. The Talagunda inscription of 450 is considered the most reliable source of information about the family of Mayurasharma and the origin of the kingdom. The inscription
558-481: The needs of the donees. In the absence of facility, new means of irrigation systems were created near the brahmadeyas. The kings and feudatories were to lose their right over donated lands and could not take it back even in the absence of heirs. In the absence of heir, brahamdeya was transferred to some other eligible person of the same caste . Though mostly lands, other objects such as food, grains, paddy, gold, money, cow, oxen, ploughshare, etc. were also given away as
589-530: The oblation vessel, unsheathed a flaming sword, eager to conquer the earth The inscriptions thus describe Kadambas as Brahmins turned conquerors and praise Brahmins as "Gods on earth, and speakers of Sama , Rig and Yajur Vedas " . The Kadamba lineage is described as descending from a three-sage line in the Hariti pravara and belonging to the Manavya gothra . Brahmadeya Brahmadeya represented
620-457: The post- Gupta period and were recorded on the copper plates . The tradition of land grants through the history of practice took the shape of a legal form governed by the law book called Dharmaśāstra . The Anushasana Parva , a part of the great epic Mahabharata has a complete chapter dedicated to Bhumi-dana-prasamsa , commending the gifts of land. The Vakataka rulers made several land grants to Brahmanas in present-day Maharashtra: in
651-405: The region was populated originally by Nagas, Nairs , Bunts of Kerala and Tulu Nadu who claim Kshatriya descent from the nagas trace their origins to this place. Education was imparted at Talagunda for eight centuries and the subjects that were taught included vedas , vedanta , grammar and philosophy. The Kannada language was taught at primary level and clothing and food was provided to
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#1732772657641682-638: The related functions of the government, Mayurasharma invited learned Vaidika Brahmins from Ahichatra. The Havyaka Brahmins claim descent from these early Brahmin settlers of the 4th century called the Ahichatra Brahmins or the Ahikaru/Havikaru. Talagunda Talagunda is a village in the Shikaripura taluk of Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India . Many inscriptions found here have provided insights into
713-538: The rise of the Kadamba Dynasty . Talagunda was earlier known as Sthanakunduru and it was an agrahara (a place of learning- ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಕೇಂದ್ರ). This is the earliest known agrahara found in Karnataka . Built at the time of Gouthamiputa Shathakarni (ಗೌತಮಿಪುತ್ರ ಶಾತಕರ್ಣಿ). An inscription found at Talagunda indicates that Kanchi was a major centre (ghatika) for learning, especially of the vedas taught by learned brahmanas. It indicates that 32 Brahmins were relocated from
744-460: The roots of a Kadamba tree . Another legend states Mayurasharma was born of Rudra (a form a Shiva) and the mother earth under an auspicious Kadamba tree and that he was born with a third eye on his forehead. According to yet another tale, Mayurasharma was born to the sister of a Jain Muni under a Kadamba tree. It appears that all these legends evolved so as to present the founder of the kingdom as
775-641: The ruling families as they did gain the ideological support for their political power. It is said to be a chief characteristic of the Indian feudalism . The donation of land sometimes represented more than just the transfer of land rights. At many instances, human resources such as peasants, artisans and others along with revenues and economic resources were also transferred to the donees. There are several inscriptional evidences of conflicts between peasants, Brahmanas, and donors arising out of alienation of rights. Among other conflicting issues, right over drawing water
806-400: The students and teachers. A temple dedicated to Pranaveshwara ( Hindu God Shiva ) is located in Talagunda. Next to it is located a stone slab containing inscriptions. In front of it is a pillar containing inscriptions in Sanskrit . The pillar inscriptions were written in the mid 5th century CE during the reign of Śāntivarman (a descendant of Mayurasharma ). The author of this inscription
837-463: The sword to avenge his insult. The inscription vividly describes the event thus: That the hand dextrous in grasping the kusha grass, fuel and stones, ladle, melted butter and the oblation vessel, unsheathed a flaming sword, eager to conquer the earth It can be said that the rise of Mayurasharma against the Pallava hold over the Talagunda region was actually a successful rebellion of Brahmins against
868-454: The word "brahmadeya" is discovered from the 3rd century CE during the reign of Brihatphalayana King Jayavarman . Brahmadeya soon developed into a systematic attempt to avail subsistence to Brahmanas and a common practice from the 4th century CE onward . The registration of donated land that included cultivable land, garden, residential plot were recommended by the Smritis and Puranas of
899-428: Was Kubja, the court-poet of Śāntivarman. He engraved the inscriptions himself to prevent any other engraver from committing mistakes. Kubja, describes these inscriptions as a kavya thus: In deference to the command of King Santivarman, Kubja has written this, his own kavya , upon the face of this rock The inscriptions indicate that Mayurasharma, native of Talagunda, was accomplished in vaidika and went to
930-487: Was brahmanized later, in the 5th century. The southern part of Karnataka came under Brahmanical influence under the Kadamba rule during the 5th and the 6th centuries, but large-scale Brahmana settlements came to be distributed in Karnataka during the Vatapi Chalukya rule in the 6th-8th centuries. Epigraphic evidence suggests that the land grants to Brahmanas became frequent in northern Bengal and Assam in
961-526: Was the most sensitive issue. An inscription dated back to 1080 CE belonging to the Hasan Taluk mentions a water dispute between a Brahmana and a farmer's family. Another inscription from the same taluk of 1230 CE. evidences the death of two farmers over land rights issue. Peasants were sometimes forced to agree to the conversion of their land into brahamdeya by denying water to them. In the brahmadeya villages, villagers were landless laborers who were paid