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historical information such as archaeological finds, numismatic materials, literary works, etc. All the prabandhas, however, - no matter whether they are historical, semi-historical or even fictitious -- are important for cultural and historical information in a broad sense.
The present editor does not wish to go into detailed discussions on all such points in the present chapter. His main intention here is to place before the readers the facts which reveal the importance of LPS from the historical point of view.
X. Cultural Gleanings
The cultural data that can be gleaned out from the text of the Laghuprabandha-sangraha at a glance may be rendered as under :
The caste-system was quite rigid. A learned Brāhmana enjoyed supremacy over all the rest to such an extent as the sons of the royal priest of Pāța na, on return from their study-tour, are stated to have bestowed blessings upon the king himself ( 25.2 ). Vaisyas were rich traders, who at times utilized their wealth in construction of such public places as lakes (27.12 ff.). The traders used to move to distant cities for trading. They moved in groups and used to camp in the outskirts of the cities where they wished to exchange commodities (6.4, 10). For tents they used such waterproof textiles as wax-cloth or oil-cloth (6.4).
Such classes as those of Ghâñcikas or Oil-men were really deemed low. A king, when gone to such a one's place, was not expected to accept food from him and, as such, was offered two mudrā-ratnas-one as the usual gift and the other for meals ( 22.20-21).
The Mātangas or Cāndalas were naturally held in contempt. A minister is stated not to be seeing his king's face since the former came to learn that the latter was destined to fall in love with a Mātanga girl (28.9). Likewise, the king, having been observed in that condition, was so much ashamed of having loved her that he was prepared to kill himself by embracing a red-hot iron-statue ( 28.12-14).
Other occupations that have secured a mention in our text are those of astrologers ( 28.3 ff.; 28.18), gardeners ( 22.1, II, 17; 23.9 ; 28.16), washermen (23.2), cloth-printers (23.3), fisher-men ( 25.23 ff.), and bamboo-workers
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