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Indian Temple Economy System
A South Indian medieval system centering on temples for land, labor, and trade management, making temples major landowners through devadana and brahm…
Timeline
- c. 600–1000Tamil Nadu and Karnataka · IndiaThe Pallavas and early Cholas granted whole villages to temples (devadana) or Brahmins (brahmadeya); temples obtained tax exemption and rent-collection rights, forming autonomous economic units managed by sthalam and sabha, with inscriptions recording donations, boundaries, and distribution rules in detail.
- 1161–1170Thanjavur and Belur temple districts · South IndiaInscriptions of the 1160s show Chola and Hoysala temples continuously receiving land, gold, and livestock donations, managing irrigation, market taxes, and artisan wages; the great temples of the Rajaraja II and Ballala II periods were centers of regional wealth and labor, supporting bronze casting and construction projects.
- c. 1336–1600South India · IndiaThe Vijayanagara Empire inherited and expanded the temple-grant tradition while strengthening central oversight of temple property; some temple lands were converted into nayankara military fiefs, but the core devadana structure and ritual economy continued into the 16th century.
Sources
- South Indian Temples: An Economic Study — Burton Stein (1960)
- Temple Towns of Tamil Country — R. Nagaswamy (1980)