Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, or the Central and Western Rajput States of India v1.c19.s2: No. II. Remonstrance of the Sub-Vassals of Deogarh against their chief, Rawat Gokul Das
Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, or the Central and Western Rajput States of India v1.c19.s2
- Language
- English
No. II. Remonstrance of the Sub-Vassals of Deogarh against their chief, Rawat Gokul Das
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1. He respects not the privileges or customs established of old.
2. To each Rajput’s house a charas¹ or hide of land was attached : this he has resumed.
3. Whoever bribes him is a true man : who does not, is a thief.
4. Ten or twelve villages established by his pattayats² he has resumed, and left their families to starve.
5. From time immemorial sanctuary (saran) has been esteemed sacred : this he has abolished.
6. On emergencies he would pledge his oath to his subjects (ryots), and afterwards plunder them.
7. In old times, it was customary when the presence of his chiefs and kindred was required, to invite them by letter : a fine is now the warrant of summons : thus lessening their dignity.
8. Such messengers, in former times, had a taka³ for their ration (bhatta) ; now he imposes two rupees [199].
9. Formerly, when robberies occurred in the mountains within the limits of Deogarh, the loss was made good : now all complaint is useless, for his faujdar⁴ receives a fourth of all such plunder. The Mers⁵ range at liberty ; but before they never committed murder : now they slay as well as rob our kin ; nor is there any redress, and such plunder is even sold within the town of Deogarh.
10. Without crime, he resumes the lands of his vassals for the sake of imposition of fines; and after such are paid, he cuts down the green crops, with which he feeds his horses.
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¹ Hide or skin, from the vessel used in irrigation being made of leather.
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² The vassals, or those holding fiefs (patta) of Deogarh.
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³ A copper coin, equal to twopence.
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⁴ Military commander ; a kind of inferior maire du palais, on every Rajput chieftain’s estate, and who has the military command of the vassals. He is seldom of the same family, but generally of another tribe.
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⁵ Mountaineers.
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11. The cultivators¹ on the lands of the vassals he seizes by force, extorts fines, or sells their cattle to pay them. Thus cultivation is ruined and the inhabitants leave the country.
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¹ Of the Jat and other labouring tribes.
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12. From oppression the town magistrates² of Deogarh have fled to Raepur. He lays in watch to seize and extort money from them.
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² Chauthias. In every town there is an unpaid magistracy, of which the head is the Nagar Seth, or chief citizen, and the four Chauthias, tantamount to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, who hold their courts and decide in all civil cases.
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13. When he summons his vassals for purposes of extortion and they escape his clutches, he seizes on their wives and families. Females, from a sense of honour, have on such occasions thrown themselves into wells.
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14. He interferes to recover old debts, distraining the debtor of all he has in the world: half he receives.
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15. If any one have a good horse, by fair means or foul he contrives to get it.
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16. When Deogarh was established, at the same time were our allotments: as is his patrimony, so is our patrimony.³ Thousands have been expended in establishing and improving them, yet our rank, privileges, and rights he equally disregards.
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³ Here are the precise sentiments embodied in the remonstrances of the great feudal chiefs of Marwar to their prince; see Appendix, No. I.
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17. From these villages, founded by our forefathers, he, at will, takes four or five skins of land and bestows them on foreigners; and thus the ancient proprietors are reduced to poverty and ruin.
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18. From of old, all his Rajput kin had daily rations, or portions of grain: for four years these rights have been abolished.
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19. From ancient times the pattayats formed his council; now he consults only foreigners. What has been the consequence? the whole annual revenue derived from the mountains is lost.
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20. From the ancient Bhum⁴ of the Frerage⁵ the mountaineers carry off the cattle, and instead of redeeming them, this faujdar sets the plunderers up to the trick of demanding rakhwali.⁶
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⁴ The old allodial allotments.
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⁵ Bhayyad.
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⁶ The salvamenta of our feudal writers; the blackmail of the north.
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21. Money is justice, and there is none other: whoever has money may be heard. The bankers and merchants have gone abroad for protection, but he asks not where they are.
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22. When cattle are driven off to the hills, and we do ourselves justice and recover them, we are fined, and told that the mountaineers have his pledge. Thus our dignity is lessened. Or if we seize one of these marauders, a party is sent to liberate him, for which the faujdar [200] receives a bribe. Then a feud ensues at the instigation of the liberated Mer, and the unsupported Rajput is obliged to abandon his patrimony.¹ There is neither protection nor support. The chief is supine, and so regardless of honour, that he tells us to take money to the hills and redeem our property. Since this faujdar had power, ‘ poison has been our fate.’ Foreigners are all in all, and the home-bred are set aside. Deccanis and plunderers enjoy the lands of his brethren. Without fault, the chiefs are deprived of their lands, to bring which into order time and money have been lavished. Justice there is none.
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¹ ‘ Watan.’ ² The Rana. ³ The Author. ⁴ With the articles of complaint of the vassals of Deogarh and the short extorted charter, to avoid future cause for such, we may contrast the following: “ Pour avoir une idée du brigandage que les nobles exerçaient à l’époque où les premières chartes furent accordées, il suffit d’en lire quelques-unes, et l’on verra que le seigneur y disait :—‘ Je promets de ne point voler, extorquer les biens et les meubles des habitans, de les délivrer des totes ou rapines, et autres mauvaises coutumes, et de ne plus commettre envers eux d’exactions.’—En effet, dans ces tems malheureux, vivres, meubles, chevaux, voitures, dit le savant Abbé de Mably, tout était enlevé par l’insatiable et aveugle avidité des seigneurs ” (Art. ‘ Chartres,’ Dict. de l’Ancien Régime). ⁵ This reply to the remonstrance of his vassals is perfectly similar in point to the 43rd article of Magna Charta.
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Our rights and privileges in his family are the same as his in the family of the Presence.² Since you ³ entered Mewar, lands long lost have been recovered. What crimes have we committed that at this day we should lose ours?
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We are in great trouble.⁴