BOOKSREVIEWS

Published:March2,201522:44IST|Updated:March2,201522:49IST
March2,2015

LocatingnewdomainsunderCholarule
T.SATYAMURTHY

EpigraphicalReadinginTheCholaHistory.S.ChandnibiRandomPublications,4376A/4BGaliMurariLal,AnsariRoad,Daryaganj,New
Delhi110002.Rs.1500.
Asresourcesforwritinghistory,thecorpusofTamilInscriptionsisheterogeneousandtherangeofhistoricalandsocialissuestheyilluminate
tendstobeextensive.NilakantaSastri,theauthorityonCholahistory,wroteThelanguageofinscriptionsdescribingthetaxesandduesis
susceptibleofcompleteorsatisfactoryinterpretationatpresent,andnothingmorecanbedonethantooffersometentativeinferencesfrom
therecordswhichwillrequireconfirmationormodificationinthelightoffurtherstudy.Forhistorians,therelatedendeavourslike
decipheringthem,knowingthelanguageofinscriptions,techniquesofretrievinginformationandperfectunderstandingofculturaland
historicalcontextsinvolvesubtletiesbutposeachallengingtask.
Effortsusingepigraphicalrecordstoreconstructalldomainsofhumanity,withspecialfocusonsocioculturaltraditionsareawelcome
contribution.Thebookunderreviewisthecombinationofseveralarticlesbytheauthoron15topicsonmanydomainsoftheCholaperiod.
Sabhas,thelocaladministrativesetups,orthelocalselfgoverningbodiesoftheCholaempire,couldworkharmoniouslybecauseofthe
periodicalchangesandrevisionsintheelectoralrulesandregulations.Neverthelesstherewereinstanceswheretheworkwashamperedby
theriseoffactiousspiritamongthemembersandhencetheGovernmentsinterferenceandinsistencehadbecomenecessary.
ItiswelldocumentedthatthepresenceofcommunallandholdingsintheearlyCholaperiodsteadilychangedintoindividuallandholdingsin
subsequentperiods.Thechangeinpatternoflandholdingdividedthesocialstrataintoownersandcultivators,twodistinctgroups,resulting
insuppression,exploitationandunwarrantedquarrelsinvillages.Subsequently,therulershadtograntconcessionstocertaincommunities
ofthesocietytoappeasethemsuchaspersonaltitlesformilitaryservicesandotherpoliticalreasons.Butthesebecamehereditaryrightslater
andfinallycommunal.Infine,Cholasocietywasnotstaticbutwitnessedchangesinmanysectionsandreflectedintheagesthatfollowed.
Theauthordisprovesthebeliefthatallwomenattachedtothetemplesperformedsinginganddancingonlyanddemonstratesthatthey
performedmanydutieslikecleaning,cooking,garlandmaking,huskingpaddyandtheywerepaidequallyliketheirmalecounterpart.
OnemoreinterestingaspectofVediceducationisthatqualifiedteacherswithtitlesBhattaswereappointedwithduelandgrantstoteachall
sastrasontheconditionthattheyshouldnotbenativesofthevillageinwhichonetakesuptheprofessionandthattheteachershouldprovide
atleastmiddaymealforthestudents.DrawingourattentiontotheinscriptionsreferringtothepresenceofKashmirPanditsinTamilNadu,
shepointsouttheirownershipoflandinreligiousplacessuchasSrirangamandChidambaram.Theyintermingledwithlocalsandsomeof
themweregrantedtitleRayandenotingtheirofficialpositionordesignationintheCholaperiod.Inthiscontext,itisworthcorroborating
themwiththebiographyofAdiSankarawhichreiterateshisreturnfromKashmirwithagroupofKashmirscholarstoestablishapanIndian
religiousethos.
UnderFeudalisminSouthIndianContextshereopensthedebateontheexistenceoffeudalisminIndiaasadvocatedbyscholarslike
R.S.SharmainhismagnumopusIndianFeudalism.Sheanalyticallyarguesthatindepthstudyoflandgrantrecordsfromthe6CEtothe13
CE,thedonorsespecially,thekingsdidnotabstainfromcategoricallyspecifyingvariousobligationsthattherecipientshouldcarryoutthat
werebeneficialtothedoneeandthesociety.Herconclusionthatfeudalismofthenorthisnonexistentinthesouthisfoundtobewell
justified.
UnderthesectionCholatownshipsshetakesupthreelesserknownurbanplacessuchasTiruvallam,BahurandTribhuvanaiin
Tondaimandalam.Theyhavegrownaroundthetemplewhichattractedthepublicnotonlyintheangleofreligion,butalsoinimparting

knowledgeinvariousfieldsofeducation,andasasourceofemploymenttosmiths,craftsmenandothers.Itservedasaregionalbankwhere
provisionsweremadetodistributeloanstopeopleattimesofnaturalcalamities.Themethodologyusedbyherinlocatingsuchurbancentres
throughepigraphyisanewdomainandmanysuchcentrescanbetracedbyresearchstudentsinfuture.
Othersubjectsdealtinthebookincludeconstructinghistoryfromherostones,theenvironsofTiruvalangadu,tourisminmedievalsouthin
medievalcontext,ManuandjusticeundertheCholas.FocussingonlandmeasuresintheCholaEmpirelandsweremeasuredbyunitslike
ma,veliandKuzhiinCholamandalamwhileinPandyaandCheraregionstheareaoflandwasknownbyitscapacitytoholdthequantityof
seedsandhenceonlygrainmeasureswerefamiliar.Thisrevelationenhancesthemeritofthebook.
Diacriticalmarksinsuchimportantworkscouldhaveincreasedthevalueofthework.Neverthelesstheauthordeservesouradmirationon
strikingoutanewmethodologyanddatabasedconclusionsoninscriptionalrecordsinthefieldofhistoricalstudies.
EpigraphicalReadinginTheCholaHistory.S.ChandnibiRandomPublications,4376A/4BGaliMurariLal,AnsariRoad,Daryaganj,
NewDelhi110002.Rs.1500.
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