PADDY CULTIVATION AND PREPARTIONS IN MEDIEVALANDHRADESA

Abstract

Rice is the staple food of the South Indians. It is the main product of Paddy, a commercial crop. In Telugu Paddy is generally called Dhanya, Vari and Biyyam respectively. In Sankrit they are called Dhan, Chawal and Sadha or Anna respectively. Rice occupies the first place as the best of the food articles. The recent discoveries of the German scientists, vari or rice was cultivated first by the people of Andhradesa and the word vari is a source for Sanskrit derivation of vrichi.  Amongst the donations many donors preferred to give away Nivartanas of Sali and vadlu. Literature has much to speak about the preparations of rice relatively modern account can be found in Hamsavimsati, which discusses fifty six types of paddy.¹ Warangal was known for the cultivation of a superior quality of rice known as karpura – rajanalu. The first word karpura indicates that the rice was fragrant when cooked and it was considered as king of all varieties of paddy as its name rajanalu indicates. Both the indigenous and foreign works refer to this variety of rich.