The merchants, who were prosperous during the long and peaceful reign of the Cholas, thought that their prosperity depended on supernatural elements and made valuable endowments to temples. They donated lands to temples to ward off dangers in the course of their inland and foreign trade. The offerings were made by them collectively as well as individually. Following the kings and royal family members, the merchants also set up shrines and images of god and donated for their worship and maintenance. Religious festivals were the main occasions when merchants made generous gifts to the temple.
The community of nagarattars who took the leading part in trade and commerce, belong to the guild called Ainurruvar1 evidently the Thisaiayairattu Ainurruvar. The nagarathar of Ilachchikkudi (alias) Viranarayanapuram made a grant of land free of taxes for forming a flower garden called after the king Rajendra chola for the temple in 1016 A.D.2
An inscription issued in the 6th regnal year of Rajendrachola records a grant of land by the nagarthar of Tirunavalur (alias) Rajadittadevapuram, a city in Tirumunaippadi Melurnadu, a subdivision of Jayangondasola mandalam, for offerings to the image of Suryadeva and Nmbiyaruranar in the temple of Tirutondisvaramudaiyar.3
The nagarattar of the town Telungukulakalapuram created a tax free endowment out of the village Kudikkadu in favour of the deity Karumanikkalvar in Tirumerkkoyil. It was entrusted as kudininga devadanam to Devan Periyan a merchant. He is said to have made village gift for cultivation and he should pay 75 kalams of paddy to the temple for the daily food offerings to the god.4
A record dated in the 4th regnal year of Vikrama Chola in 1120-21 A.D. registers a gift of 3 mas and odd of vacant land situated on the north wing of the Maligaitteru at Tiruvidaimarudur by the nagarathar of the place for meeting the expenses of the big annual festival in the temple.5
There is a reference from the inscription found on the north wall of the Vachesvara temple, Tiruppachchur, Tiruvallur Taluk, Chengleput district. The merchant communities of Nellur, Narayanapuram, Arkkadu, Mayilapur, Tiruvorriyur, Poondamalli, Nedumbirai acquired the village Kaivandur in Ikkattukottam and gave it as a tax-free devadana in favour of the temple Tiruppachchur, for the construction of the wall called Danmadavalavan tirumadil in it and left the village in charge of Madurantaka Pottappichcholan, the Telugu Chola chief.6
At times the merchant guilds sent their representatives, who participated with other persons and representatives of other bodies in making endowment. In an inscription of the third regnal year of Sundara Chola, Sekharan Sattan, the representative of a mercantile guild of Malainadu, joining other members of the mulaparishad in a transaction dealing with the endowment of tax-free devadana land to the temple of Tirukkurakkuttural-Perumanadigal.7 These communities also provided for daily offerings.8
Although the merchants made various donation to the temples, the gift of land for a lamp seems to be the most popular. A record dated in the reign of Parakesarivarman who took the head of Virapandya registers a gift of land for a lamp in the temple of Srikamainakkar (alias) Nurrenmakkavarasetti son of Mayilatti, a merchant of Periyaangadi at Tanjavur.9 Another inscription of the same king mentioned a gift of land for lamp by a merchant of Nandipura to the Palakkarugavur of Tirukkudmukkil.10 Samundan Murti, a merchant of Nandipuram purchased and gave 1/8 veli of land for one perpetual lamp to the temple of Mahadeva at Karugavur.11
An inscription issued in the 3rd regnal year of Parthivendradhivarman Sandaran Elunurruvan (alias) Nulambamayilatti paid purvacharam for the 1095 kulis of land to the assembly of Uttaramelur chaturvedimangalam in Kaliyur-kottam. The land was granted to Mahadeva of the temple on the eastern side at Kumanpadi to provide for worship and sacred offerings.12
A record dated in the 4th regnal year of Parthivendradhipativarman registers that Nulamba Mayilatti, a merchant of Ranavirappadi in Kanchipuram, purchased from Uttramerur chaturvedi mangalam and granted the land as sribalibhoga for sounding sribali in the temple of Subrahmanya Bhattara,13 at Uttaramallur and in the 6th regnal year of the king he granted 7 padagam of land as sribalibhoga to the of Tiruvunnavur.14
Another inscription of the same king in the same year records the grant of 180 kulis of first rate land by a merchant for offerings to god Ganapathi in the temple of dess Konerinnangai at Kumanpadi of Uttaramallur.15
Brahmakuttan, a merchant residing in the Virasolaperunderu at Tanjavur made a land gift of 48 kulis at Nedumaral to maintain a perpetual lamp in the temple of Tiruviramilvaran at Madanamanjeri chaturvedimangalam, a village in Nenmalinadu during the reign of Uttamachola.16 Another merchant namely Venkadan Singan (alias) disaiyayirattainnurruvan of Tirunarayanapuram made an endowment of land for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple at Tirunallam, a brahmadeya in Vennadu.17
In the 10th regnal year of Uttama Chola, Pratigandan Darachcholan granted half a sey of land and a quarter sey of land as Salaippuram, left in charge of the urar of the village for the celebration of the annual karthigai (November) festival in the temple of Tiruvarappallialvar in Valappunadu, Namakkal Taluk, Salem District.18
In an inscription dated in the 22nd regnal year of Rajaraja I in 1006-07 A.D. records the gift of 10 velis of land by purchase from the sabha of Iraiyanmangalam by Viliyur Udaiyan, Achchan Pirammadamallan, a merchant of eriyaangadi at Tanjavur for performing pithu puja and other rituals to the deity Tirumaraikkad Udaiyar for the merit of Tayan and Achchan, his own elder and younger brother.19
Niyamankilar Chakravartigal, a merchant made a gift of land as devadana to the temple of Tirumaniyural Nayanar at Mulibil (Mogili) in Chittoor Taluk and district in the 6th year of Rajendra Chola II in 1057-58 A.D.20
There is a reference from the inscriptions found on the wall of Arulala Perumal temple of Poygai (alias) Rajendrachola Nallur near Vrinchipuram mentioned about a Kerala merchant namely Adirama, an inhabitant of the hill country granted three villages,21 which he had bought from Sengeni Virasani Ammaiappan Aragiyasoran seems to have been a vassal of Rajendra II. The same donor donated the village of Puthur to the Vishnu temple, in the 24th regnal year of Rajaraja II22 and he also donated the village of Athiyur as a divine gift given in the 28th regnal year of Rajaraja II.23
The Nagaratom of Telungakulakatapuram in Irattapadi konda Valanadu sold lands, to Kadamban Sengudiyar Gangadharar, a native of Parambaiyur and a merchant. The assembly agreed to pay irai, kudimai and other taxes of every kind. The land was given as a gift to the Nayanar who abides in the tiruvanaikkavu temple, Narttamaai, Kulattur taluk in the 27th regnal year of Kulottunga III.24
A record dated in the 32nd regnal year of Kulottunga III registers gift of land made by Olaimangalam Udaiyan Tiruvenkadu Udaiyan Siriyandan, a merchant of Kulothunga Cholapattanam in Sellurnadu in Rajaraja Valanadu after purchase from the temple authorities.25
Tirumanikkilar Devan Umaiyorupakan, a merchant of Aruvimanagaram, made the endowment to Nayanar of Umapatisvaram for the provision of rice and other articles of food for offerings and materials required for the adornment of the Nayanar.26
The merchants of the Chola period kept apart a part of their income derived from all commercial transactions for the purpose of religious endowments.
– Dr. Jeyabalakrishnan
Asst. Professor in History, T.K.G. Arts College, Vridhachalam.
References
1. K.V. Raman, “Merchants Guilds in the Pandyan Country” in the Proceedings of the SIHC, Madurai, 1980, pp. 133-134.
2. Annual Report on Epigraphy (There in after referred to as A.R.E.).
3. A.R.E., 225/1939-40.
4. A.R.E., 91/1974-75.
5. South Indian Inscriptions (here in after referred to as S.I.I.).
6. A.R.E., 120/1929-30.
7. S.I.I. Vol. XIII, p. 10.
8. A.R.E., 508/1911.
9. A.R.E., 247/1938-39.
10. A.R.E., 36/1910.
11. S.I.I., Vol. III, Part III and IV, No. 100.
12. Ibid., No. 168.
13. Ibid., No. 171.
14. Ibid., No. 182.
15. Ibid., No. 172.
16. S.I.I., Vol. XIX, No. 453.
17. Ibid., No. 280.
18. Ibid., Nos. 274 and 275.
19. S.I.I., Vol. XVII, No. 470.
20. S.I.I., Vol. XXII, Part III, No. 587.
21. S.I.I., Vol. I, No. 59.
22. Ibid., No. 61.
23. Ibid., No. 64.
24. Inscriptions of Pudukkottai State (here in after referred to as I.P.S.), Part II, No. 158.
25. S.I.I., Vol. XXIV, No. 146; A.R.E., 18/1938-39.
26. I.P.S., Part II, No. 167.