Mughal Administration c7.s4: § 4. Duties of the Diwan of Crownlands.

Mughal Administration c7.s4

Language: English

§ 4. Duties of the Diwan of Crownlands.

c7.s4.1

So much for the High *Dīwān*. The duties of the Diwan of Crownlands (*khālsa*) were the following [D. 87 *b* ; Z 30*b*) :—

The posting of the *subahdārs*, *faujdars*, *āmins*, *diwāni* officers, *kroris*,† and *dāroghas* of the provinces,—of the āmins, mushrifs and tahvildārs of mahals,—of the fotahdārs, clerks of issue (bar-āmad-navisān), dāroghas of āmins, mushrifs and khazānchis of [provincial] treasuries,—of the sazāwals of papers, the āmins and kroris of arrears,—the collectors of the mutāliba (recovery of loans or advances made by Government) and [the dues from] the zamindārs.

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∗ *Daul*—an estimate of the amount of revenue which a district or estate may be expected to yield; valuation. (Wilson, 129.) Nuskha—a copy, a specimen or draught of a writing etc. (Wilson, 381.)

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† *Krori*—the collector of a revenue area yielding one *kror* of *dām* i.e., 2½ lakhs of rupees. The office was insti-

c7.s4.5

On parwānahs the High Diwān should write ‘correct’ (sad) and the Diwān of Khālsa should write ‘seen’ (mulāhiza shud).

c7.s4.6

Among the duties of the Diwān of Khālsa were to answer the inquiries of the lower officials (amāl) ; to issue letters-patent (sanad) for services ; to issue orders (parwānahs) on the parganāhs assigning the cash salary (tankhā) of the Emperor’s sons and grandsons, according to the daul prepared by the cash department [of the Treasury] ;—also parwānahs for the recovery of Government advances, for the payment of the fixed salaries of the servants (āhal-i-khidmat), the customary commission of the fotahdārs,

c7.s4.7

tuted by Akbar, but the jurisdiction of a krori soon lost all relation to the above amount of revenue.

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Mushrif—an examiner (of accounts), i.e., auditor; an officer of the treasury who authenticates accounts and documents. (Wilson, 358.)

c7.s4.9

Fotahdar—a cash-keeper, a money changer, an officer in public establishments for weighing money and bullion, and examining and valuing coins. (Wilson, 160.)

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Sazawal—a bailiff or agent appointed to compel payment or attendance; an officer specially appointed to take charge of and collect the revenue of an estate from the management of which the owner or farmer has been removed. (Wilson, 473.)

c7.s4.11

and the collection-fee of the kroris ;—parwānahs on complaints,—for the attachment [of property or crops] for unpaid arrears,—for calling up money from the [subordinate] treasuries,—for cash assignment in payment of things ordered to be manufactured [for the State, farmāish] and whatever is ordered on the provinces and troops,—for investigating any matter reported in the news-letters ;—to write letters by order (hasb-ul-hukm) on any subject as desired by the Emperor ;—to issue permits (dastak) addressed to the clerks (mutasaddi) of the treasuries about the fixed tankhā which might be ordered to be paid out of the Public Treasury,—permits addressed to the treasurers about the tankhā that may be ordered to be paid to the [sub] treasuries and the troops,—passports for roads, passes for workmen.

c7.s4.12

The Diwan of Khālsa was to submit to the Emperor in writing a summary of the despatches of the lower diwani officers and clerks (amāl) that were fit to be reported, and to reply according to the regulations to those that required reply. The other prayers were to be verbally reported, or, if worthless, to be initialled by him without reporting to the Emperor.

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Then we have lists of the papers which had to be read to the Emperor by this Diwan and of those that had to be merely initialled by him without submission to his master. Even in the case of the former class, the Diwan could withhold unimportant papers if he thought fit. He had also to report to His Majesty the cash balances of the treasuries very frequently and the doings of the zamindars.

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All parwānahs for cash payment in the imperial Household department were issued by the Khan-i-saman, and the Diwan merely endorsed them.

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The Diwan of Khalsa had to endorse the security-bonds (tamassuk-i-zāmini) of the workmen and those for the repayment of State loans (mutāliba), and the indemnity-bonds (muchilka) signed by certain officers binding themselves to carry out certain specified tasks on pain of fine.

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Reports from the fotahdars and khazānchis of the parganahs and provinces stating the amounts they had recovered from the loans or advances made by Government, [had to be read by the Diwan of Khālsa.]

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The High Diwan should write ‘sanctioned’ (manzur shud) and the Diwan of Khalsa ‘seen’ on the badar-navisi* of the amāl (clerks) in the Khālsa office.

c7.s4.18

The High Diwan should write ‘pay into such and such a fund’ (tahvil-i-falān numāid) on the audit-reports (muhasibāt) that are brought [to him] for signature by the mustaufis, viz., the mustaufis of revenue (māl), the mustaufi of rās-ul-māl (=trading stock, or the original prices of articles), the mustaufi of treasuries, the mustaufis of arrears, the mustaufis of *āmuāl* [attached property of officers who died indebted to Government], and the mustaufi of *jaziya*. He should also sign the attestation copy of the fixed salaries of workmen.

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∗ Badar-navisi—writing off items of an account which are objectionable or excessive; audit of an account. (Wilson, 43.) Mustaufi—an examiner or auditor of accounts, the principal officer of the department in which the accounts of ex-collectors or farmers of the revenue were examined. (Ibid, 358.)

c7.s4.20

The High Diwan should sign the sheets of the abstracts (*zimn*)* of imperial farmans and the Diwan of Khālsa should sign the sheets of the abstracts of Diwani, faujdari and āmini works (*khidmat*).

c7.s4.21

The *siāha* of *āhkām* (imperial orders in writing) should be sent directly to the offices of the High Bakhshis, the Khān-i-sāman, and others.

c7.s4.22

The duties of the Diwan of Khālsa include—investigating into the notes (*nuskha*) of the revenue department,—correction of the *tumār-i-jama* (record of total standard assessment) of the Crownlands, estimating (*barāwardān*) the expenditure of the troops and the Emperor’s personal staff and retinue.

c7.s4.23

The facts about dismissed officers, compiled from the office-records, should be initialled by the High Diwan. An attested copy of it should be sent to the officer concerned and the *siāha* to the offices of the High Bakhshi, etc.

c7.s4.24

The Diwan of Khālsa drew up the statement of the income and disbursement of the imperial camp and of all the subahs, and kept the records of the *tankhā* (allowance) of the Begams and lists of the mahals (villages) of the Crownlands, workmen and annual lists (*fihrist* statistical abstracts.)

c7.s4.25

∗ *Zimn*—the endorsement of a grant giving an abstract of its contents. Formerly the words *zimn navisand*, ‘let them write the abstract’ were inscribed on a sanad granting an assignment of revenue, which served as authority for the subordinate officers to make out the particulars of the grant. [Wilson, 567.]

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The High Diwan’s office kept copies of all sheets signed by the Emperor.

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Then we have a long list of the papers which the Diwan of Khalsa had to secure from different classes of officials, such as revenue officers, amins, kroris, collectors of *sair* mahals, clerks of the treasuries, etc.