Chola Dynasty's Temple Economy
BY AADRIKA SHUKLA / JANUARY 22, 2022
One of south India's longest-ruling dynasties, the Cholas, made significant contributions to Tamil Nadu's economy and culture, with their temples playing a key role.
n the ninth century CE, the mighty Cholas built a formidable empire in Thanjavur and its vicinity. They ruled for four and a half centuries, achieving enormous success in all aspects of royal endeavor including military conquest, effective administration and cultural integration. During their reign, in the eleventh and twelfth century, these rulers built three magnificent temple structures which were later given the title of ‘The Great Living Chola Temples’ and were also declared a UNESCO world heritage site.The temple's daily, weekly, and yearly worship rituals, which date back over a thousand years and are based on far older Agamic literature, are still an inseparable part of the people's life. These three temple complexes together form a unique ensemble, and through their acclaimed architecture and art, embody a distinct period of the Chola history and culture. These very temples, as well as other temple constructions, served as massive socio-economic centers that had a tremendous influence on the Chola economy.
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In medieval South India, temples were erected as acts of devotion, to celebrate great triumphs, to remember the dead, and, most of all, to fulfill the wants of the people. A temple was a center of study, art, and social activities in addition to being a religious center. It needed to hire a lot of people to carry out its varied duties. As an employer, it set a high standard in public life, as shown by several inscriptions on various temples’ walls. The temple established suitable criteria for working in different roles and took great care in the welfare of its employees by providing clothes, food, and housing, as well as organizing proper education and creating hospitals to care for the ill and crippled.
Pictured: Illustration by MocomiKids via Youtube
Apart from such administrative positions, the temple employed many musicians, singers, gardeners, artisans, dancing girls as well as other personnel that took care of the temple premises. Teachers and scholars were also employed by the temples, which had schools and colleges linked to it. Regular patrols to keep an eye on the temple's properties were also a part of their jobs.
The temple's daily, weekly, and yearly worship rituals, which date back over a thousand years and are based on far older Agamic literature, are still an inseparable part of the people's life.
The number of employees at the temple varied depending on the temple's prominence. Payments for temple work were mostly in grains, with a fixed amount set before the work that sometimes fluctuated depending on the crop growth. Some workers, such as the chef, watchmen, and others were also given a daily ration of rice, curries, ghee, and other foods. Lands given to the temple for production of the aforementioned crops were managed by tenants who also took the responsibility of distribution of these crops to the employees. Additionally, the temple took great care to build adequate accommodation for its servants, as evidenced by a number of references in temple scriptures. So by means of employment, the temples incorporated the people of the Chola dynasty into everything that they stood for- academia, artwork and other social and religious pursuits.
The temples played a key role in the sphere of irrigation for agricultural expansions too. The epigraphs show that several villages were given to temples as devadana. However, it appears that a lot of these settlements lacked irrigation. In some situations, the temples built tanks and other irrigation infrastructure on their own dime in order to increase agriculture inside their control region. Though temples were affluent and contributed to irrigation and reclamation projects to benefit the villages, they frequently encouraged others to participate in these endeavors as well. Individuals were given tax-free lands as an incentive.
Pictured: Illustration by Ram Bhangad via Behance
Villages frequently had leaks in irrigation tanks, and as a result, agriculturists left their cultivated areas fallow for lengthy periods of time owing to a lack of cash. In such circumstances, temple administrators frequently lent a helping hand to the residents by selling temple-owned property to repair the village tanks' breaches. Temples also actively participated in reclaiming forest or waste lands too. Irrigational work to put the area under effective agriculture, and leasing the fields to farmers, according to inscriptional evidence. The excellent tenancy terms offered by the temples also drew cultivators in. The growers reaped significant benefits from the capital investment, which was mostly used for labor services in the building of irrigation canals.
The number of employees at the temple varied depending on the temple's prominence. Payments for temple work were mostly in grains, with a fixed amount set before the work that sometimes fluctuated depending on the crop growth.
But what is it that enabled these temples to carry out such huge functions the way they did? The Chola rulers were extremely passionate about temple construction, seeing them as not just places of worship but also economic hubs of their kingdoms. The temples' economic prominence was due to the many grants it received. Important events like the establishment of a dynasty, the crown prince's coronation, or the royal military expedition either prompted the construction of a new temple or brought improvements to old ones. Local events were also remembered by special donations to the temple, such as a king's visit to select villages, special gatherings of the municipal assembly, or seasonal celebrations in the area. Owing to these massive endowments, which were usually in the form of land, gold, and money, the temples became the richest institution in ancient civilization due to the massive endowments.
Pictured: Chola Monarchs by Vishnu Ram via Behance
Other than that, the temples were entitled to a number of economic benefits as a result of their privileges. They were the first to stake a claim to irrigation water, the cattle of the temple were free to graze on certain lands, and in certain communities, the temple was even given permission to accept the property of individuals who died without sons, as well as property which was left unclaimed. The large quantity of money equipped the medieval temples to serve as banking institutions, which is also how they aided the agrarian culture of the period. The donations that the medieval temples received were of a philanthropic character, they were mostly created with a specific purpose in mind. The temples had no authority to utilize the funds for anything other than the donor's intended purpose. As a result, the temples lend the money to the society with interest. In most cases, the temple grants the loans on the condition that the interest be paid to the temple in cash or that certain objects be provided to the temple in exchange for the interest. This interest helped the temples achieve their objective.
The Chola rulers were extremely passionate about temple construction, seeing them as not just places of worship but also economic hubs of their kingdoms.
Temples were a major social and economic force throughout the Chola period. As we can see, they did not only service the people's spiritual needs, but also played an essential role in their daily lives. In many ways the temples used their upper hand to carry out a multitude of beneficial development operations for society, either directly or indirectly. Though the temples gave money to assemblies and people at interest, their fiscal assistance to the community was seen as particularly unique in terms of the society's socio-economic aspects. To this date, these temples continue to have a large impact on their socio-economic surroundings.
Pictured: Illustration by unknown via Wikipedia
Keywords
Chola dynasty, chola economy,Agamic literature,devadana,tax-free lands, economic hubs
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References
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Heitzman, J. (1991). Ritual Polity and Economy: The Transactional Network of an Imperial Temple in Medieval South India. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 34(1/2), 23–54.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3632277
Talwai, P. (2010). Praying through Politics, Ruling Through Religion: The Rajarajeswaram as an Instrument of Economic and Political Unification in the Chola Empire. UC Berkeley: Library. Retrieved from
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/70v1v9dh
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Nagaswamy, R. (1965). South Indian Temple—as an Employer. The Indian Economic & Social History Review, 2(4), 367–372.
https://doi.org/10.1177/001946466400200405
Burton, & Stein (2009). The State , the Temple and Agricultural Development A Study in Medieval South India.
Pandeya, B. K. (1979). THE CHOLA TEMPLES AND ITS PRIVILEGES. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 40, 125–128.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/44141950
Stein, B. (1960). The Economic Function of a Medieval South Indian Temple. The Journal of Asian Studies,19(2), 163-176. doi:10.2307/2943547
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