Land grant terms
Also called: Bhaga, bhoga, kara · Topic: Economy of Early India: Agriculture, Trade, Guilds, Coinage · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Ancient land-grant inscriptions use special words for what villagers owed the king. When land was granted, these dues were often handed over to the new owner.
- Bhaga: the king's share of the crop, usually one-sixth.
- Bhoga: regular supplies to the king, such as fruit, firewood and flowers.
- Kara: a tax that was collected from time to time. Its exact meaning is debated.
- Hiranya: a tax paid in cash rather than in crops.
- Udranga and uparikara: extra taxes on cultivators. Historians do not agree on what they meant. They are often explained as taxes on permanent and temporary tenants.
These words show how varied and heavy rural dues were.
Example
Gupta-period copper plates give a village to a Brahmana "with udranga and uparikara". This means the new owner, not the king, would now collect those dues from the villagers.
Don't confuse with
- Bali: in Vedic times this was a voluntary offering to the chief. Later it became a tax. It is older than the bhaga of land-grant records.