The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration c16.7

c16.7

Under Akbar the elephants ridden by the emperor were called *khāṣah* (special), and all others were arranged in groups of ten, twenty or thirty, called *ḥalqah* (ring, circle). In later reigns, (B.M. 1690, fol. 176*a*) the same classification was employed, with a rather more extended meaning, *khāṣah* then including all riding, and *ḥalqah* all baggage elephants. Manṣabdārs from 7000 down to 500 were required to maintain each one riding elephant, and in addition, five baggage elephants for every 100,000 *dām* of pay. As I understand the rule, these elephants belonged to the emperor, and were not even made over to the manṣabdār for use. The origin of this practice can, I fancy, be detected in a passage in the *Āīn*, i, 126 (see also i, 130), where Abu'l Faẓl says that Akbar "put several *ḥalqahs*" (groups of ten, twenty, or thirty elephants) "in charge of every grandee, and required him to look after them". In Akbar's time apparently the fodder was supplied by the State. I have already referred to this matter of *Khurāk-i-dawābb* under the heading of Pay (p. 20).