Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, or the Central and Western Rajput States of India v3.c43.16

v3.c43.16

Agriculture at Kheroda.—The agricultural economy of Kheroda, which discovers distinct traces of the patriarchal system, is not without interest. Kheroda is a tappa, or subdivision of one of the greater khalisa or fiscal districts of Mewar, and consists of fourteen townships, besides their hamlets. It is rated at 14,500 rupees of yearly rent, of which itself furnishes 3500. The land, though generally of a good quality, is of three classes, namely, piwal, or watered from wells ; gorma, also irrigated land, extending three or four khets, or fields, around the village ; and mar or mal, depending on the heavens alone for moisture. As has been already stated, there are two harvests, namely, the unalu (from ushna, ‘heat’), or summer-harvest ; and the siyalu (from sita, ‘cold’), the winter or autumnal [596]. The share of the crown, as in all the ancient Hindu governments, is taken in kind, and divided as follows :—Of the first, or unalu crop, consisting of wheat, barley, and gram, the produce is formed into khallas (piles or heaps) of one hundred maunds each ; these are subdivided into four parts, of twenty-five maunds each. The first operation is to provide from one of these the serana, or one ser on each maund, to each individual of the village-establishment : namely, the Patel, or head-man ; the Patwari, register or accountant ; the Shahnah, or watchman ; the Balahi, or messenger and also general herdsman ;¹ the Kathi (alias Sutar) or carpenter ; the Lohar, or blacksmith ; the Kumhar, or potter ; the Dhobi, or washerman ; the Chamar, who is shoemaker, carrier, and scavenger ; the Nai, or barber-surgeon. These ten seranas, or one ser on each khalla, or two maunds and a half to each individual, swallow up one of the subdivisions. Of the three remaining parts, one share, or twenty-five maunds, goes to the Raj, or sovereign, and two to the ryot, or cultivator, after deducting a serana of two maunds for the heir-apparent, which is termed Kunwar-matka, or ‘pot for the prince.’ An innovation of late years has been practised on the portion belonging to the village, from which no less than three seranas of one maund each are deducted, previous to subdivision amongst the ten village officers; namely, one ‘pot for the prince,’ another for the Rana’s chief groom, and a third for his Modi, or steward of the grain department. These all go to the government, which thus realizes thirty maunds out of each hundred, or three-tenths, instead of one-fourth, according to ancient usage. But the village-establishment has an additional advantage before the grain is thrashed out; this is the kirpa or sheaf from every bigha (a third of an acre) of land cultivated to each individual; and each sheaf is reckoned to yield from five to seven sers of grain. The reapers are also allowed small kirpas or sheaves, yielding two or three sers each; and there were various little larcenies permitted, under the terms of dantani and chabani, indicating they were allowed the use of their teeth (dant) while reaping: so that in fact they fed (chabna, ‘to bite or masticate’) upon roasted heads of Indian corn and maize.