Indian Antiquary Vol 51

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 85

APRIL, 1922) LAND SYSTEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH EPIGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
No satisfactory explanation of the words bhúmicchidra and bhumicchidranydya which apparently relate to land and which are of frequent occurrence in the inscriptions, has yet been offered by any scholar. According to Yådava prakåsa chidra impliesland which is not fit for cultivation' 66. Dr. Fleet, if not Dr. Bühler as well, has evidently confused bhúmicchidra of the inscriptions with bhůmischidra of Yådavaprakåsa, and wrongly interprets it as "land fit to be ploughed or cultivated."'67 If, however, bhumicchidra be rendered as 'uncultivable tract', the sense appears to be inconsistent with bhúcchidram of the Kamauli Insc. of Vaidyadeva, lines 51 and 62,69 where it evidently implies cultivated lands, for the simple reason that the inscription in recording the grant of a village with lands described in points B, C, D, E, and F, (jalasthalakhilára nyava tagoválasamyutam) leaves out cultivable tracts to be implied by this term (thúcchidra). In this sense or at least in the sense of land other than the habitat this word seems to be closely connected with bhúmiccheda or bhúscheda 69. We may also note in this connection the word danaccheda of Yâjñavalkya and the Mitâkşarâ of Vijñâneśvara on it60. The word pariccheda in the Khoh Copper Plate Ins. of Hastin also appears to be connected with land and probably cultivable land61. I do not see my way to accept the translation of Valugartto ndma gramah purvághataparicchedamaryyâdayd in the Majhgawam Insc. of Mahahastino? by Fleet; I would like to offer the following translation : "with the village named Valugartta with the land (possibly, cultivable tracte) lying to the east side (of the village) as its (new) boundary."
As to the expression bhúmicchidranyaya it may be pointed out that there is a chapter in Kautilya's Arthasdstra, titled bhumicchidnavidhanam63. It treats mainly of unculti. vable tracts which are to be utilised as pasture land (akrisyâyam bhûman paśubhyo vivitâni prayacchet), as forests for Soma plantation for religious purposes and which were to be made over to Brahmans (pradintábhayasthavarajangamani ca brâhmanebhyo brahmasomdranyáni ta povanâni ca) and as game forests, elephant-forests and timber.forests. The king is also enjoined to fix the boundaries of each of these. Kautilya seems to differentiate between the settled parts (grama or nagara) including cultivable areas, which he treats in a separate chapter (janapadaniveśa64), and the bhumicchidra or land of other varieties. But the donors of the post-Buddhist period do not seem to have used the expression on such a strictly differentiating principle. It is used
(a) where only cultivable fields are granted, e.g., the Insc. of Dharasena66, the Insc. of Jayabha:66.
56 bhúmidchidram krisyayogyd (see Vaijayanti, edited by G. Oppert, page 124). This expression seems to stand in contrast to kietramurvard sarvadasyabhús in: keddrah kedarah kgetramurvard sarvakasyabha bhumidcidram krisyayogyd prahatam ndlamutthitam khilam tua prahatam athdnamdavalydsarerindu. 57 Gupta Inscriptions, page 138, foot-note 2.
58 Gaud alekhamall, 134-135. 52. raino bhdmicchedam kurvatah in the Insc. of Pravardena (Prac. Lek. II, 62 : LA XII, 243) : cf. bhúsichedikitya of the Inso. of Indravarman (Prac. Lek. III, 101).
60 Yajnavalkys : rdjadharmaprakaranam, 320 : pratigrahaparimanam danacchedopavarnanam sahaslakálasampannam daanam karayet sthiram. Mitdknar ... diyata iki ddram kaelridi taryaccheda chidyate neneti cheda nadydvd au nivarttanam tatparimdnam ca tasyopavarganam, amuka nadyd dak inato'yam gramah ksetram vd, purvagato mukagramasyaitd vanni-uarttanamityadinivarlanaparimdyum ca lekhyam....... But Aparårka (AnandAsrama edition) gives a different meaning to danaccheda According to him .... diyata iti danabhumirnivandhasca, tasya cchedah apahdraetc (page 579).
61 line 9, dakpinena valavarmapariccheda (Gupta Inscriptions, 103).
62 line 6 (Gupta Inscriptions, 107): the village named Valugarta, in accordance with the usago of the specification of (its) ancient boundaries.
63 Sastri's revised edition, page 49. 64 Arthaddatra, 45. But this chapter also treats of forest-lands and refers to "Brahmadeya" land. 65 Prac. Lek. I. 124 : 1.A., XV, 335; Prac. Lek. II, 174. • Ibid., II, 40 : 1.A., XHI, 77.