The Foundation of Muslim Rule in India: A History of the Establishment and Progress of the Turkish Sultanate of Delhi, 1206–1290 A.D. c15.s1.29

c15.s1.29

*Khalisah.* Latterly, the term came to have a purely fiscal connotation, but in the 13th century its administrative organization also was different. Raverty translated the term as ‘crown-land’ but Moreland, more correctly, rendered it as ‘reserve area”, in which no assignment was given, the kharaj being collected directly by the central revenue ministry². Such an area was Bhatinda in the first half of the century when it was in charge of a shahnah³. Since the revenue was collected by the king's fiscal staff and was all credited to the central exchequer, the superintendent was most probably remunerated by a fixed salary. Under the same system was the territory in the immediate neighbourhood of Delhi, the area described as the havali-i-Dehli and also known as Harianah⁴, for it does not appear as part of any iqta. Its administrative officer is nowhere mentioned, but the diwan-i-wazarat directly supervised the fiscal staff. Bhatinda was later converted into an ordinary iqta⁵.