History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c12.168

c12.168

The conferment of gifts was not a simple matter. To those who were fortunate in securing royal favour, the Khat-i-Khurd was issued containing an order that the bearer should be paid the specified amount of money from the royal treasury after proper identification by a certain Hājib (Chamberlain). First of all the letter was signed by the man who brought it and identified the recipient of the gift. Then it was signed by three amirs, who in Ibn Batūtah's time were Khan Ā'zam Qutlugh Khan, the Sultan's old tutor, the Kharitadār, the keeper of the Sultan's pen and paper and Amir Nukbah, the dawātdār or the custodian of the king's inkpot. When the letter had been endorsed by these officials, it was taken to the Diwān-i-Wizārat or minister's office, where a copy of it was made by the mutsaddis or clerks and filed. Then it was sent to the Diwān-i-Ashrāf, where a copy of it was made, and lastly it was taken to the Diwān-al-nazar (the office of presents), where after being duly registered, a parwānah (order) was issued in which the Wazir ordered the royal treasurer to make the payment. The latter entered the amount of money in his account books and carried out the instructions of the Wazir. Probably this elaborate system was devised by the Sultan to prevent corruption and defalcation in a department where fraud could be easily practised. A statement of these parwānahs was regularly laid before the king who carefully examined them. In urgent cases payment was made immediately, whereas in unimportant cases sometimes considerable delay was made, but in no case payments were withheld or cancelled. When a gift was made, a deduction of ten per cent was made by government.⁶⁵ Notwithstanding these checks and counterchecks the department was far from immaculate. The officers were venal and even Ibn Batūṭah who held a high judicial office had to offer a bribe to a fellow-officer to expedite payment. Sometimes payments were made after such a long period as six months.⁶⁶