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XV. ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
Agriculture The Dvyāśrayakāvya has depicted a society whose main occupation is agriculture.
It appears to be the main occupation and the source of income. The land is divided into two parts viz. the residential land in the village and the land for argiculture. The land near a is called Anugrāmika (XVI.71).
Some of the people were very rich because they had a large quantity of corn in their stocks. There were large store houses to protect the corn. They are called khalyas (XV.59). Markets and Bazars are also referred to. Even the king and princes went in the open market for purchases (VII.77).
Agriculture and cattle-feeding is called Jānapadīvștti, an occupation of Janapadas (IV.52). Abhayatilakagani has explained it as Paśupālyakarṣaṇarūpā (IV.52).
Products : Vegetables, sugar-cane, various types of corn and pulses were the main products. Barley, sesamum and jute were also cultivated. The poducts of the jungle are various kinds of trees viz. Karīra Kuņa, Pilu etc. (XVIII.20).
The corn was put in large-store-houses called Mahākhalyas. Later on it was crushed by oxen to get corn. People bad very large store-houses and kept dogs to protect them (XV.59). Various forests are named after their products viz. Koțarāvaņa, Sārikāvaņa, Miśrakavaņa etc. are mentioned (VI.61). In the Dvyāśrayakāvya, a prayer for the prosperity of the plough, cows and calves is found (VI.101).
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