THANJAVUR TEMPLE'S MUSIC AND DANCE 27 artists and the artisans and craftsmen employed in stage construction and to discover the sources of income specially tapped to defray the mainte< nance and other charges for the artistic trappings of temple life. The main form of property being land, the emperor had to make changes in land^ ownership, tenures and rates of kanikkatan (rent for the use of land, the ownership of which vested in the temple deity). This enquiry is based on the inscriptions of Raja Raja Chola on the vimana of the Thanjavur temple and its walls.3 What th^ Immptwm Say These inscriptions indicate that 700 persons were on the temple payroll to perform religious and artistic functions.8 A classification of the jobs is given alongside a job description of and the wages for each post.4 It is possible to calculate roughly the quantity of paddy given to them annually. From other inscriptions of Raja Raja purporting to record payments of the entire kanikkatan to the Swami of the temple and cash taxes levied for temple expenses, it is possible to estimate the income allotted to meet the additional costs of maintaining the artistic contingent on the temple staff. Some incriptions on the temple walls record appointment orders sanctioning new jobs and stipulating their remuneration. Other inscriptions provide for income by altering land ownership and the temple's share in land rent and vesting the right for collecting the entire melwaram (land rent) from devadanam (temple-owned) lands. Accommodation allotments are made lo devadasis and other artistic personnel. Quotations from a few such inscriptions are given below. «-w)t,(L//r/r ij§ irir^Trr^fO-s'LCs s-.emi^.iu Q^seuirsQ jS^uujSaju^ vQessr sysruuiL Q'FUJIU SfTir^irirf!^ G ft GUT Q(St,s,£ i9 Loirs'IT sesi pir puftQftessriQ (T^tif gfw/raeffiCei) jS^ujfruj a.®^flB)« eulrSuuiresr ^(T^eu^SUti Qeu/rasfPQeo jBS^ujfriu QSL^IS^ LL^s^sffirii wirQuuiresr ^(T^eu^iui ^s ^LbuJSesrL^^a^ Qua'ir4o fiv^su^ (ip's^jp/esyfl fleujSftUbiriu TIT^ QafifiQtuirQ e^s^La. ^L^w^e^iresr eresT^ili mar as/recurs e^GO)L-.{uirir y^ uessrL— ITH- /sOft (u Qup [Raj Raja Devar gave 48 pidaras to recite Thimpathyam (Thevaram of the three Saivite Saints) before the deity of the temple of Raja Raje-swaram Udaiyar. One of them must play on udukkai, the other on kotti mathalam, both leather percussion instruments like small drums.'] It was ordered that they receive mukkurini (three marakkals) of paddy from the temple treasury every day. The number of pidaras who sang Thevaram and the accompanying artists was 50. Their emoluments amounted to 150 kurinis a day. The record is precisely put leaving no doubt or query on details. Dewdasis9 Board and Residence Another inscription contains information on the selection and post^ ing of hundreds of devadasis to sing and dance in the temple. They were