Question

What did the Devadana type of a land tenure signify?
A) Villages donated to Brahmins
B) Villages donated to the King
C) Villages donated to the gods
D) Villages not normally lived in

Answer 1

Hint: The term "land tenure system" refers to a system in which land is owned by an individual or the land's real tiller. Tenure refers to the connection between the tenant and the lord, not the tenant and the land. Many distinct types of land ownership, or means of owning property, have been formed throughout history.

Complete answer:
The possession or holding of the numerous rights and obligations associated with a parcel of land is referred to as land tenure. These rights could include the right to access the property, the right to manage items produced on the property, the right to succession, the right to transfer, and the right to decide on land-use changes. Land tenure also includes responsibilities to preserve the land.

In early medieval India, Brahmadeya was a tax-free land grant to Brahmanas in the form of single plots or entire villages. It was first practiced by governing dynasties, but it was quickly adopted by chiefs, merchants, feudatories, and others. So, option A is not correct.

Kings and Queens in ancient India were known for their generous land and cash endowments to the priest and artisan classes. Although these endowments were given for a number of purposes, the most notable one was to showcase their power among their peers. So, kings won’t get villages as land tenures. Hence we found that Option B is wrong.

Devadana refers to a gift(dana) to the gods(dev). Temple officials were normally in charge of Devadana
lands, although they were nevertheless overseen by local village councils and the national government. Devadana grants made by private persons, including the monarch, did not automatically become tax-free land because the imperial authority and local assemblies both expected and were required to collect normal tax payments from the endowed property. To make a Devadana tax-free, extra agreements outside of the grant had to be made. Hence option C is the correct answer.

A village is a densely populated human settlement or community of a few hundred to a few thousand people, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town. The land tenure system itself depicts that there was an individual who owns the land. Therefore it is clear that Option D is wrong.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: Land grants to religious institutions were called Brahmadeya, (i.e. donated to Brahmins) Devadana (donated to Gods) and Agrahara (Settlement – of priests) These lands donated to the temples and monasteries apart from being used as normal tenancy also carried a right vested with the temple authorities to call for unpaid labour (called Vishti) as a religious service to the temple from the tillers on the donated land.