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Mughal Administration c14.s3: § 3. Work in State factories described.

Mughal Administration c14.s3

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§ 3. Work in State factories described.

c14.s3.1

In popular parlance there were 12 treasuries and 36 *karkhanahs*, as we find even in Shakir Khan’s memoirs. The Marathi histories cited above mention only 18 *karkhanahs*, though these two works do not agree with each other as to their names. The *Zawābit-i-Alamgiri* (f. 132b) gives a list of 69 *karkhanahs*, but, on account of the bad writing of the MS. some of the names cannot be clearly read. The *Ain-i-Akbari* separately describes 26 of the *karkhanahs* and indirectly or briefly refers to 10 others, making a total of 36.

c14.s3.2

Before examining these lists critically and enumerating the stores and offices separately from the workshops or true *karkanahs*, I shall describe the working of the State-factories.

c14.s3.3

∗ *Zakāt* is the obligatory alms-tax of 2½ p.c. from Muslims, while *sadqa* is a voluntary payment for charity. In time the two became confounded together. (*Ency. Isl.* iv. 33 and 1202; *Quran*, ix. 60.)

c14.s3.4

Shams-i-Afif writes thus about Firuz Shah’s *karkanahs* from personal observation: “The Sultan had 36 *karkanahs* and tried his utmost to collect materials in them, each of them being filled with many kinds of valuable goods and things,—[*i.e.*, plant, furniture and materials],—the number of which cannot be computed......Every year a large sum of money was spent in each *karkanah*. Some of these stores were *rātibi*, *i.e.*, they had fixed annual money grants; such were the elephant stables, cavalry stables, mule stables, camel stables, kitchen, lamp-room, butlery, and mattress store. One lakh and sixty thousand *tankas* per month was the fixed grant of these *ratibi* stores taken together, besides the price of their plant and the wages of their accountants and other officers,—making a total of one lakh and sixty thousand silver *tankas* ...In the *ghair-ratibi karkanahs*,—such as the *jamdar-khanah*, *ilm-khanah*, *farash-khanah*, *rikab-khanah*, &c.—the expenditure every year varied with the amount of the new goods ordered to be made in each (*farmaish*) ......Each *karkanah* was placed in charge of a great lord (*Khan*) or notable chief (*malik*)......A general superintendent (*mutasarrif*) was placed over them all, and he was Khwajah Abul Hasan......When the Sultan wanted anything to be made, he first of all wrote to this general superintendent, and the latter sent the order to the superintendent of the *karkanah* concerned, and the work was very quickly done......

c14.s3.5

Each *karkhanah* had a number of accountants." (Afif's *Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi*, text, 337-339.)

c14.s3.6

This Sultan had a standing order that when there were any workmen out of employment in the city, they were to be sent to him. The prefect of police used to inquire through his subordinates in each ward, and bring such unemployed men to the Sultan, who used to give them work in his *karkhanahs* or in the offices of his ministers or in the households of the nobles, according to their capacity and desire. (Ibid, 334.)

c14.s3.7

The Arab geographer Dimishqi writes, "The Sultan has a manufactory in which 400 silk-weavers are employed, and where they make stuffs of all kinds for the dresses of the persons attached to the Court, for robes of honour and presents, in addition to the stuffs which are brought every year from China, Iraq, and Alexandria. Every year the Sultan distributes 200,000 complete dresses......Dresses are also distributed to the [Muslim] monasteries and hermitages......

c14.s3.8

"The Sultan keeps in his service 500 manufacturers of golden tissues, who weave the gold brocades worn by his wives or given away as presents to the nobles and their wives." (Elliot, iii. 578.)

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