The economy of medieval India – and of the great dynasties which controlled the country between the 6th and 13th centuries AD – was based on the land and its produce. A highly developed legal system controlled land ownership, agricultural production and the administration of taxes. To intensify and increase agricultural activity, reward royal service, and introduce the king’s power into undeveloped areas, lands were granted to priests and temples.

Priests, always members of the Brahmanical elite and experts in sacred lore, settled on the granted lands in estates known as agrahāra – tax-free holdings. In the case of temples, the lands were ‘held’ by a deity, images of which were often installed in a temple specifically built for the purpose. Temple lands were used to support the priests who worshipped the god and to supply the necessary materials for worship, such as garlands, cloth and oil for lamps.

Grants of land were made in perpetuity, the permanence of the donation being reinforced by statements that the recipients – whether gods or men – were to hold title as long as sun and moon endured. In addition, durable materials such as copper were used for the grant itself, and sacred texts were invoked which promised an afterlife in heaven for those who maintained earlier grants and rebirth in hell for those who tampered with them.