History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.33

v1.c14.33

As Moka Bassaya said, Brāhmanābād was the chief city of Sind and when that was conquered the whole of Sind came into Kasim's possession. He made a long stay there and made arrangements for the administration of the country. One day it is said a thousand Brahmins came before him with shaven heads and beards. On inquiry they said "We are Brahmins; many of us had killed themselves when our Brahmin king Dāhar was killed. We have shaved our heads and beards in token of our loyalty to him." Kasim pardoned them, extolled their conduct and asked them to serve the country as before. They were asked to do the same duties to government as heretofore and were reinstated in their offices. Those who were actual priests were allowed to worship the idols in the temples as before and were allowed even to beg as before "with a copper-bowl collecting corn in it." This description probably applies to the Buddhist monks. Kasim even allowed the cultivators to give three out of every hundred Dirhams of revenue to the Brahmins and to pay the rest to the treasury. This toleration of the religion of the people—their being permitted to build their temples, to worship, their idols and to pay their priests is in strange contrast with the policy of the Mahomedan conquerors in succeeding centuries. As we have said before, Kasim followed this wise and honourable policy with the consent of Hajjaj who said that on payment of tribute the subjects had a right to worship in their own way. The tribute was fixed at 48 Dirhams on rich men (about 12 rupees in weight of silver), 24 for the middle class and 12 for the poor yearly. As the old revenue administration and even old officers were confirmed we may take it that the old system of revenue taxation remained in force and was not changed and taxation increased as in later times. The whole policy of Mahomed Kasim and his superiors was thus generous and truly wise.