The State and the Subordinate Peasants in Karnataka

During the period between fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, Karnataka was ruled by kingdoms such as the Hoysala and Vijayanagara. This was a period that witnessed major political developments, including the decline of the Hoysalas and the rise of the Vijayanagara kingdom. These dynasties introduced measures to protect the interests of the agricultural communities, particularly the dominant peasantry. For example, the state allowed some tax concessions to the peasants so that they were able to pay the taxes.1 The state also allowed land ownership rights to the members of the peasant families so that they were able to pay their dues to the state treasury, even though it does not mean that there was an ideal social order where most of the occupational groups benefited from the state policy.