A History of the Mahrattas v1.c30.116

v1.c30.116

In the different departments of the state under Sivajee, every separate establishment, when complete, had eight principal officers; all such officers, as well as their superiors, were styled Durrukdars, and although declared not hereditary at the time of their institution, they generally descended in the usual routine of everything Hindoo. Precedent, however, that grand rule of sanction to Mahratta usurpation, soon became, whilst anarchy prevailed, a mere name for the right of the strong, and the title of Durrukdars, like every other claim, was only regarded according to circumstances.