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No. 23.)
VELLANGUDI PLATES OF VENKATA I: SAKA-SAMVAT 1520.
301
ntti-tāstras, was daily engaged in the performance of one or other of the sixteen mahādānas. Ho presented to the god Ranga (of the temple at Srirangam) a covering (karacha), studded with gems of different kinds, a head-dress (118h nisha), yellow silk garments, necklaces, kiritas (diadems), kundalas (ear-ornaments) and girdles; he granted to the same deity several villages and lands, celebrated the car-festival and in various other ways served Him and obtained His grace. Again, to the lord Saundarn-uāyaka (of Madura) he presented several lamp-stands (making provision to burn lights in them), made arrangements for the celebration of the abhishēkas (holy baths) of milk and the car-festival and presented the deity with several rich ornaments. He is said to have set up a mani-stambha before this deity. He performed the tula-purusha and the hiranya-garbha Mahādānas, and on that occasion made valuable prosents to Brāhmaṇas; allusion is made to the Mahadānas, kulpaka-triksha, samudra (supt- mblodhi) and kāma-dhēnut. Prince Křishna-Mabīpati granted enough money to the Brāhmaṇas of other kingdoms to redeem their lands, which they lost to their kings owing to their inability to pay the taxes thereon. By this statement we are to understand that the government of other kings was so oppressive even in the case of Brahmaņas, and consequently much more so in the case of other castes, that the former had, on account of their inability to make good the heavy taxes imposed upon their lands, to abandon them; whereas the government of Kșishna-Mabipati was so good as to attract Brahmaņas even from other countries to seek the beuefit of his munificence. The statement is not a mere boast, as will be seen from the list of villages from which came the Brāhmana donoes of this grant; I shall revert to this matter later on. KrishnaMahipati is further stated to have been praised by the Pandya, Chëra and Chöļa kings. He was styled "the lord of the southern ocean." Lastly, he is reported to have wrested from the Pancha-Tiruvadisl their kingdom. The genealogy of the Nayakas of Madura, as obtained from this record, may be represented conveniently thus :
Nagama-Nayaka of the Kasyapa götra.
Visvanātha Nayaka. [Conquered the Tiruvadi, the great Pandya and the Våņadarāya and other kings, and became
the lord of Madhura.]
Krishna-Bbipati I m. Lakshmyambika.
Vira-Bhüpati. [Constructed a mandapa in frout of the shrine of Saundara-näyaka, and presented Minakshi with
a jewelled kavacha and performed several mahadanas. m. Tirumalāmbika.]
Krishna-Mabipati II. [Presented the god Ranganatha with costly orna
ments, clothes, villages, gardens, etc., porformed mahādānas and made gifts to the god Sundara-nayaka for abhishēkas,
lights, rath-otsava, etc.] As stated above, the newly formed agrahāra of Virabhupa-samudram was granted, at the request of prince Krishna-Mahipati, by Venkatapati-deva-Mahārāya to a very large number of
See below, p. 317, foot-note 5.
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