![]() ![]() At some point, the peasants realised that this would mean the loss of their property and refused to uphold the agreement. Narasimha II had ordered the village granted to Brahmins, to which the peasant landholders of Haltore had initially agreed. Dating to 1230 CE, during the reign of Narasimha II of the Hoysala dynasty of South Karnataka, it records the death of one Marayaperaya, son of Harimara Gowda of Haltore village. While it is possible to find examples throughout South Asia, here’s one inscription I’ve come across from the medieval Deccan. ![]() But throughout time and space, the royal court was a space of unimaginable luxury, sustained by the extraction of resources from territories under military and ideological domination.īut once in a while, something slips through the cracks. I’m often asked: which period of history would I like to live in? I find this question very interesting, because the unspoken assumption is that I would be living in a royal court. This is the story of the Kaivarta Rebellion: the most important revolt we never hear about. In short order, this led to a rebellion that killed two kings, transformed Bengal’s political economy, ended the 300-year reign of the Palas, and opened the region up to the arrival of Turkic raiders. In the 11th century, seeking to rein in their wealthy feudal lords, the Palas of Bengal attempted to tighten their grip on the countryside through taxation. Since the latter wrote most of our history, instances of struggle and resistance are rare in the historical record: except in one truly extraordinary case. Just like the citizens of the Indian Republic, the subjects of medieval kings were not overjoyed at the prospect of their taxes being used to fund the ruling elite. ![]()
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