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# The Institutes of Akbar 112: AIN 63. · THE HARNESS OF CAMELS.

The Áín i Akbari (Blochmann, Jarrett) 112

- **Language:** English

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The following articles are allowed for khdcah camels :—an Afsdr (head stall); a Dum-afsdr, (crupper); a Mahér kat’ht (furniture resembling a horse-saddle, but rather longer,—an invention of His Majesty); a hiché (which serves as a saddle-cloth); a Qatérchi; a Sarbeht ; a Tang (a girth) ; a Sartang (a head-strap) ; a Shebband (a loin-strap); a Jaldjil (a breast rope adorned with shells or bells); a Gardanband (a neckstrap); three Chédare (or coverings) made of broadcloth, or variegated canvass, or waxcloth. The value of the jewels, inlaid work, trimmings, and silk, used for adorning the above articles, goes beyond description.  
Five qatdrs of camels, properly caparisoned, are always kept ready for riding, together with two for carrying a Mihaffah, which is a sort of wooden turret, very comfortable, with two poles, by which it is suspended, at the time of travelling, between two camels.  
A camel’s furniture is either coloured or plain. For every ten qatérs, they allow three qatdrs coloured articles.  
For Bughdis, the cost of the \[coloured\] furniture is 225½ d., viz., a head-stall studded with shells, 20¼ d.; a brass ring, 1½ d. ; an iron chain, 4¼ d.; a kallagt (an ornament in shape of a rosette, generally made of peacock’s feathers, with a stone in the centre), 5 d.; a pushtposh (ornaments for the strap which passes along the back), 8 d.; a dum-afsar (a crupper), 1½ d.; for a takalté, (saddle quilt) and a sarbchi, both of which require 5 sers of cotton, 20 d.; a jul (saddle-cloth), 68 d.; a jahdz gajkári, which serves as a mahdrkat’ht (vide above), 40 d.: a tang, shebband, guluband (throat-strap), 24 d.; a tandb (long rope) for securing the burden—camel-drivers call this rope tdgah tandb, or kharwdr—88 d.; a bdldposh, or covering, 15 d.  
For Jammdzahs, two additional articles are allowed, viz., a gardanband, 2 d.; and a sinah band (chest-strap), 16 d.  
The cost of a set of plain furniture for Bughdis and Jammdzahs amounts to 168¼ d., viz., an afsdr, studded with shells, 10 d.; a dum-afsér, ½ d.; a jahdz, 164 d.; a jul, 52¼ d.; a tang, a shebband, and guliband, 24 d.; a táqah tanáb, 37¼ d.; a báláposh, 28 d.  
For Loks, the allowance for furniture is 143 d., viz., an afsár, jaház, kharwár, according to the former rates; a jul, 37¼ d.; a tang, shebband, guliband, 14½ d.; a báláposh, 28 d.  
The coloured and plain furniture is renewed once in three years, but not so the iron bands and the wood work. In consideration of the old coloured furniture of every qatár, sixteen dáms, and of plain furniture, fourteen dáms, are deducted by the Government. At the end of every three years, they draw out an estimate, from which one-fourth is deducted; then after taking away one-tenth of the remainder, an assignment is given for the rest.  
’Aláfí camels (used for foraging) have their furniture renewed annually, at the cost of 52¼ d. for countrybred camels and Loks, viz., \[for countrybred camels\] an afsár, 5 d.; a jul, 36¼ d.; a sardoz, ½ d.; a tang, and a shebband, 10½ d.; and \[for Loks\], an afsár, a tang, and a shebband, as before; a jul, 45¼ d.; a sardoz, 2 d.  
From the annual estimate one-fourth is deducted, and an assignment is given for the remainder.  
Shaltah táts, or canvass sacks, for giving camels their grain, are allowed one for every qatár, at a price of 30½ d. for bughdís and jammázahs, and 24¼ d. for loks.  
Hitherto the cost of these articles had been uniformly computed and fixed by contract with the camel-drivers. But when in the forty-second year of the divine era \[1598 A. D.\], it was brought to the notice of His Majesty that these people were, to a certain extent, losers, this regulation was abolished, and the current market price allowed for all articles. The price is therefore no longer fixed.  
On every New Year’s day, the head camel-drivers receive permission for shearing the camels, anointing them with oil, injecting oil into the noses of the animals, and indenting for the furniture allowed to ’Aláfí camels.

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Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett.112](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett.112) · Pramāṇa
