Thank you. Natural breathing life K. R On Sat, Jul 23, 2022, 10:34 AM APS Mani <[email protected]> wrote:
> I am living in one of the Agraharams in Palakkad Dist and enjoy to the > utmost. Thanks, > > Mani > > On Sat, Jul 23, 2022 at 9:22 AM Rajaram Krishnamurthy < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Pranam >> >> AGRAHARAM >> >> 1 Agrahāra (अग्रहार) was a village, or consisted of fields which were >> given to Brāhmaṇas. The *agrahāras* enjoyed exemption from several taxes >> and had other administrative immunities. ( The Successors Of The >> Satavahanas In Lower Deccan: Chronology of the Viṣṇukuṇḍins) Agrahāra ( >> अग्रहार) refers to villages or parts of villages given to Brāhmaṇas for >> their maintenance.—Agrahāras were generally granted to Brāhmaṇas when they >> returned from the *gurukula* after finishing studies, in order to help >> them in settling themselves as *gṛhasthas*. Agrahara (अग्रहर*).**.** [agre >> hriyate dīyate'sau; hṛ-ac]*1) that which must be given first. >> >> 2) = अग्रहारिन् (*agrahārin*).Agrahara is a Sanskrit compound consisting >> of the terms *agra* <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/agra#sanskrit> >> and *hara* (हर).--- OR ---Agrahāra (अग्रहार).—1) a grant of land given >> by kings (to Brāhmaṇas) for sustenance (*agraṃ brāhmaṇabhojanaṃ, >> tadarthaṃ hriyante rājadhanāt pṛthak kriyante te kṣetrādayaḥ- nīlakaṇṭha* >> ; *kṣetrotpannaśasyāduddhṛtya brāhmaṇoddeśena sthāpyaṃ dhānyādi, >> gurukulā- dāvṛttabrahmacāriṇe deyaṃ kṣetrādi, grāmabhedaśca* Tv.); >> अग्रहारांश्च दास्यामि ग्रामं नगरसंमितम् (*agrahārāṃśca dāsyāmi grāmaṃ >> nagarasaṃmitam*) >> >> Mahābhārata (Bombay) 3.64.4. कस्मिंश्चिदग्रहारे (*kasmiṃścidagrahāre*) >> Daśakumāracarita 8.9. >> >> 2 The inscription titled as “Navalākhī Plates of Śīlāditya >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/shiladitya#hinduism>” (USVAE, vol. >> IV, pp.159-166, 605 CE) issued by The king Śīlāditya of Maitrakas >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/maitraka#hinduism> of Valabhī >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/valabhi#hinduism> Dynasty records >> the village Bhōṇḍānaka included in Vaṭanagara >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/vatanagara#history>-sthalī >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/sthali#hinduism>, to forty four >> *Brāhmaṇas* belonging to different gōtras >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/gotra#hinduism> and charaṇas >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/carana#hinduism>, engaged in >> austerities and studies. Whatever land in the village had been granted >> previously to gods (temples) and *Brāhmaṇas*, was exempted in this >> current grant. Kāvī <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kavi#hinduism> >> Plates >> issued by Gōvindarāja (c. 827 CE) (*ibid*., vol. VI, pp. 162-168) of the >> same dynasty records a grant of a village to a vedic *Brāhmaṇa* that >> carried with its usual privileges of udraṅga, uparikara, etc. The granted >> village was not to be entered by the *Chāṭas >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/chata#history>* and *Bhaṭas >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/bhata#hinduism>* and not to be >> meddled with by royal officers. It is interesting to note that the lands >> gifted previously to the gods and *brāhmaṇas* were excluded from the >> current grant. >> >> 3 The concept of *dāna >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dana#hinduism>* was well >> demonstrated in the land grants. Besides containing genealogy of the donor, >> appraisal, and other incidental informationthey recordnecessary details >> directly connected with the act of donation. As seen from these >> epigraphical records, things that were usually given in the early medieval >> period, included mainly landed property though gift of other things like >> wells, gardens, temples and othersis also not rare. The most important item >> of gift, however, was land, which is evident from the numerous land grant >> charters in this period. And it certainly plays an important role in >> understanding the socio-economic history of the period. >> >> 4 Granting lands to an individual or institution seems to be highly >> commendable in early and early medieval periods in northern India >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/northern-india#history>. At that >> time, the receivers of land grants were mostly vedic *brāhmaṇas >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/brahmana#hinduism>*. As the >> spiritual authority, they were always patronized by the kings >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/king#history> and other members of >> the ruling family <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/family#hinduism>. >> >> 5 There are plenty of inscriptional evidences where the kings from >> Āryāvarta <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/aryavarta#hinduism> >> (Northern India <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/india#hinduism>) >> granted acres of landed properties to the *brāhmaṇas* of *yajurvedīya śākhās >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/shakha#hinduism>* viz. *Vājasaneyī >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/vajasaneyi#hinduism> Mādhyandina >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/madhyandina#hinduism>, >> Vājasaneyī Kāṇva <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kanva#hinduism>, >> Maitrāyaṇī* and others to perform vedic sacrifices and to increase >> religious merit of their own or their parents. We may notice that the >> *yajurvedīya >> brāhmaṇas* were the most welcome in the society as they were the supreme >> priest for performing *yajña >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/yajna#hinduism>*. However, we are >> going to see some *ṛgvedīya* or *sāmavedīya brāhmaṇas* who were gifted >> lands to perform vedic sacrifices and to initiate vedic teachings as well. >> >> 6 As recorded in the Kailan copper plate of King Bhāvadeva >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/bhavadeva#hinduism> of Devaparvata >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/devaparvata#hinduism> (second half >> of the eighth century) Mahāsāmanta >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/mahasamanta#hinduism> Namadhāra >> himself requested the king to make an endowment of land free of taxes to a >> buddhist monastery at Vendāmati. D.C. Sircar thinks that some of these >> grants, though contain no reference to the making of payments, were based >> on transactions involving the sale of land. In support of this argument, he >> cites the Nālandā <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/nalanda#hinduism> >> Copperplate >> of Devapāla <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/devapala#hinduism>[8] >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/history/essay/impact-of-vedic-culture-on-society/d/doc1121352.html#note-e-186839> >> according >> to which King Devapāla granted villages as a tax-free holding to a >> monastery at the request of Balaputradeva >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/balaputradeva#history> king of >> Suvarṇabhūmi <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/suvarnabhumi#hinduism>. >> Sircar argues that Balaputradeva purchased the five villages from Devapāla >> as otherwise the whole of the religious merit occurring from the donation >> would go only to Devapāla , not to Bālaputra. D.C. Sircar further points >> out that this was no doubt an unwanted position for the king of >> Suvarṇabhūmi, if he purchased the village, as he no doubt did, five-sixth >> of the merit would be his own and only one-sixth would go to Devapāla. >> However, this mere supposition from which he attempts to summarize the >> conclusion is in no way supported by the contents of the inscription.The >> said inscription does not mean that the donation was for the increase of >> religious merit of the king of Suvarṇabhūmi;instead, it states very clearly >> that the King Devapāla, donated the village in question for enhancement of >> the spiritual glory of his parents and himself. If Devapāla received any >> payment for making the tax-free holding theoretically, he would not be >> entitled to any merit accruing from the endowment. Thus, it is quite clear >> that it was not Balaputra’s intention to acquire merit by donating >> villages, but to ensure a permanent source of income for the maintenance of >> the building and provisions of the monastery he established. He had already >> attained religious merit by constructing a monastery. Therefore, there >> could be no question of a monetary transaction in the grant recorded in the >> Nālandā copper plates. >> >> 7 As the donation of villages together with relaxations and special >> privileges had been a well-established practice by the period under >> discussion, in most of the cases these privileges are explicitly mentioned, >> and some of the terms are repeated in an almost uniform manner in the >> inscriptions of all regions under consideration during early and early >> medieval period. In many cases, it is difficult to examine how far the land >> tenure and the rights of beneficiaries of different regions varied from >> each other and in different periods. Because in some cases, there are >> instances of change of ownership of land as a result of a change of dynasty >> or king. >> >> 8 Notably, not only the king but also the private individuals had the >> right to own the lands in well-developed places. These people were brought >> by the king himself but were not confiscated. From the above discussion, it >> is clear that the central themes in all land grants at the period under >> discussion are the specification of the gift of land, the name of the >> donor, the occasion and the purpose of the donation, and the boundaries of >> the donated land. The gift generally consists of a village in earlier >> times, and afterward plot of land or a step well with a small piece of land >> or agricultural fields gifted usually*. *The charters refer to the name >> and location of the granted land which is often indicated concerning the >> territorial divisions such as *grāma*, *viṣaya, bhukti*, and others. >> >> The varied characters of land are minutely mentioned in the epigraphic >> records. In the village landscape, two major types of land were *sthala >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/sthala#hinduism>-bhūmi >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/bhumi#hinduism>* (high or elevated >> land) and *nimna >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/nimna#hinduism>-bhūmi* (lowland). >> It means that *sthala-bhūmi* had exclusive use for habitation. >> *Nimna-bhūmi*, in the majority of cases, was used to mean wetland. In >> this sense low-land also comprised marshy land, however, low-land for the >> cultivation of crops was not rare. Other types of land were *ūṣara >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/ushara#hinduism>* (salty land, >> generally barren), *nimāna*- *bhūmi* (table land), *garta >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/garta#hinduism>* (either salt >> deposition spot after digging or depressed land) and *tala >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/tala#hinduism>* (flat land). >> Village land area had two separate zones, inside and outside land as >> evidenced from the boundary descriptions of the donated lands. The three >> major land divisions were *vāstu >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/vastu#hinduism>* (for a living), >> *kṣetra >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kshetra#hinduism>* (cultivable), >> and *khila <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/khila#hinduism>* >> (fallow). *Vāstu-bhūmi >> <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/vastu-bhumi#history>* is described >> as having fixed four boundaries >> 9 Hence the structure of vast agricultural lands with residences of >> the farmers as owners or laborers adjoining the lands, with an inner >> circle of vaishya and Kashatriya as arches and at the centre with a temple >> and rows of Brahmin homes with water running along with the fields as HARAM >> and Dollar -was an Agraharam. We can live even today where nature is >> blissful and harsh. Food and medicines were available in the vicinity. But >> today all Gadgets we use might remove nature from there. But for that we >> can live. The days during which we friends sat on the banks of the river >> Cauvery , splashing our legs in the water gave a glee in the heart even >> today, which we don’t get at present with all the facilities surrounding >> us. The West is clever; they manufactured everything sold to the east and >> they live in villages called counties, driving hefty miles with fine roads. >> We are annihilating our lives. KR IRS 23722 >> >> On Sat, 23 Jul 2022 at 08:55, Rangarajan T.N.C. <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> http://www.agraharamhomes.com/ >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZopnZJg%3DEOByNzpq9bbYr-qPsx9WPT32hvR9KDcoe_qdSg%40mail.gmail.com.
