History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s22.10

v3.c41.s22.10

The authorities entrusted with the administration of these several denominations were the Rājasthāniya (viceroy) for the Bhukti or province, the Rāshṭrapati for the district mentioned only in southern India grants, the Vishayapati or Tahsildar mentioned in almost all provinces and the village officer called Pattakila in Malwa only. In grants from northern India the inhabitants generally of the village granted as also of the adjoining villages are addressed and they are always described as consisting of Brahmins and others, the latter described further in detail as Kuṭumbi (from which the Marathi word Kulambi is derived, meaning the settled family-man agriculturist), Kāyastha, Dūta, Vaidya and Mahattara (Patel probably) down to the " Meda and Chāndāla " vide an inscription of Paramardin (Appendix); often they are described simply as Jānapada. These named persons seem to have some duty, with some income assigned to them, in the village. There are besides many district officers mentioned such as Śaulkika, Gaulmika and Tarika i. e. officer for customs duty, officer of gulma which very probably was a Police Thana and officer for navigation. In U. P. and Bengal much traffic, both passenger and goods, was carried on by rivers and this was under a special officer. In Southern India, in places where rivers were crossed, there was a small tax to be paid to the state as also a fee to the nāvikas or boatsmen; these were also under an officer. There were separate Adhyakshas or superintendents as they were called for state forests, as also for royal gośālās or cattle-breeding operations. Finally operatives or servants in employ under all these civil officers were called Chaṭas, the employees in the army being called Bhaṭas. All these persons or public servants required to know of inam grants of villages as they had their duties to perform in connection with them. For instance inam villages are in all grants declared as free of the entry of Chaṭas and Bhaṭas. No civil or military servant could enter them to purchase provisions or exact labour.