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MADHURAVIJAYAM
 
18
 
and invited the helpless refugees to settle in them.20
He treated these new inhabitants with sympathy and
consideration. He tried his best to encourage handi-
crafts and gave all sorts of concessions to the profes-
sional communities.21 He fixed the rates of taxes pay-
able by these, as low as possible. He also repaired or
reconstructed many temples laid waste by the
Muslims.22 Thus he saved his country from moral and
political degradation.
 
While that part of the Tamil country south of the
South Arcot district was going through a period of the
worst political ordeal, Tondaimandalam was enjoying
peace and passing through an era of reconstruction;
and the credit of having restored normal life goes to
a great extent to Venrumaṇkondān.
 
That Venrumankondān had succeeded to a great
extent in his uphill work of reconstruction is proved
by references to activities of normal and peaceful life.
An inscription of his dated in his seventeenth regnal
year refers to the enactment of street plays in Kānçi-
puram and Tondaimandalam. The inscription says
that a licence was obtained by a dramatic troupe from
the ruler for enacting plays.23
 
20. A.R.E., 35 of 1933-34 coming from Kilminnal. Registers de-
tails of taxes payable by settlers of the village. The
cription says
that the village was made an Anjinän Puhalidam, a place for refugees
in the name of the ruler's son, Rajanarayana, referred to as Ponnin
Perumal.
 
The taxes leviable from weavers colonising there was fixed
at 1/4 panam per month on two workers of every loom and 1/8
panam on others. The rules relating to taxes on oil press are not clear.
21. A.R.E., 47 of 1932.
 
22. A.R.E., 45 of 1900; 453 of 1903; 42 and 48 of 1921.
 
23. A.R.E.. 42 of 1921.