Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s18: 3. Principle and Method of Assessment
Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s18
- Language
- English
3. Principle and Method of Assessment
c18.s18.1
Now to turn to the method of assessment, its merits and demerits. Agriculture was then, as it is now, the principal industry of the country. Consistently with their policy of increasing the total wealth of the country, the Maratha revenue officer had to pay full attention to the improvement of agriculture. The Peshwas never forgot to remind their officers that their principal duty was to encourage agriculture, and to keep the rayats contented. They were also asked to base their assessment on actual inspection of the condition of cultivation and careful survey of the cultivated area. To illustrate this we may here quote several documents containing instructions to Kamavisdars and the Mamlatdars at the time of their appointment.
c18.s18.2
a For a learned discussion of the policy of this distribution of revenue among the principal officers of the state, its origin, aim, merite, and demerits, see Sardesai's Marathi Riyasat, Vol. II, pp. 119-142.
c18.s18.3
When Bahiro Ram was put in charge of the Mamla Revdanda in 1747, he was instructed among other things to take steps to plant cocoanut trees at the rate of five trees per year, for every hundred trees then existing.⁴ Among the instructions issued to Naro Trimbak of Prant Rajpuri (1748-49) occurs the following significant sentence—"bullocks and buffaloes purchased for agricultural purposes by the rayats should be exempted from octroi for five years."⁵ In 1760-61 Lakshman Bhikaji Mamlatdar of Wan and Dindori was told that the villages should be surveyed. The lands should be classed as superior ordinary and inferior and also as *jirayat* and *bagayat* as well as *patsthal* and *motsthal* (watered by canals and watered by Mot) and should be measured. The result should be reported to the Amin, who would fix the rate to be charged. The land should be assessed accordingly.⁶ That waste lands in these two Parganas should be brought under cultivation within two or three years. In case of failure in this respect, the Kamavisdar would not be continued in his office. That in case of failure of crops or disturbance in the country, remission would be granted according to the usual practice.
c18.s18.4
⁴ P. D., Vol. III, pp. 259-261.
c18.s18.5
⁵ P. D., Vol. III, p. 265.
c18.s18.6
⁶ P. D., Vol. III, pp. 289-295.
c18.s18.7
In fact the Peshwas were so much bent upon the improvement of agriculture that they took almost all the means known to modern governments for that purpose, the most remarkable being their attempt to create for the cultivators a permanent interest in their land by giving them long lease of five to seven years, and by forbidding sale and mortgage of land. The last measure was specially enforced during the administration of the second Madhava Rao, as will be proved by the following documents:
c18.s18.8
In 1774-75, the Mamlat of Pargana Amod in Prant Gujrat was given to Madhava Nana Shet, Raghunath Hari the former incumbent being dismissed. The following are some of the instructions issued for the guidance of the new Mamlatdar:
c18.s18.9
(1) Waste lands should be brought under cultivation and a detailed report of cultivation should be submitted to the Sarsubha annually. *Tagai* should be given in the sowing season and you should behave according to the guidance of the Sarsubha and not otherwise.
c18.s18.10
(2) The Zamindars of the aforesaid Pargana exact from the rayats more than their customary dues, you should enquire into the matter and report to the Huzur the amount of the extra exaction.
c18.s18.11
(3) Land mortgaged or sold in the above Pargana should be taken back and restored to the rayat. No mortgage or sale should in future be allowed.⁷
c18.s18.12
⁷ P. D., Vol. VI, pp. 265-268.
c18.s18.13
A similar set of instructions was issued in 1784-85, when the Mamlat of Pargana Hasot in Prant Gujrat was transferred from Sakharam Sheshadri to Balaji Ram.⁸ The new officer was told that he should see that the cultivation of the said Pargana be made according to the *istawa* and the details of the cultivation be submitted every year to the Sarsubha. If however the amount of the cultivation fell short of the istawa contract, the Government loss should be compensated by the Kamavisdars.
c18.s18.14
⁸ P. D., Vol. VI, pp. 272-276.
c18.s18.15
(1) The Zamindars of the aforesaid Pargana take from the rayats more than their customary dues. You should enquire into the matter and report to the Sarsubha.
c18.s18.16
(2) Lands sold or mortgaged in the said Pargana should be restored to the rayats and no such mortgage of sale should in future be allowed.
c18.s18.17
It is noteworthy that the Punjab Government have also recently made attempts to stop the alienation of agricultural lands by the prohibition of sale and mortgage of such land by the poor peasant. The second item of the instructions enumerated in the last document also demands our notice, as it requires the Kamavisdar to compensate any loss that the government might incur from decrease in cultivation. Thus it was not merely the duty of these revenue officers to pay their best attention to the improvement of agriculture, but also their interest to do so, as the increase or decrease of cultivation in their districts affected their purse so much.
c18.s18.18
The Peshwa's government had good reasons to encourage cultivation, as the assessment was always based on 'pahani' or actual inspection. We have numerous documents enumerating the names as well as the remuneration of the 'Pahanidars' or survey and inspection officers sent to different Parganas in different years. One dated 1742-43 runs as follows :
c18.s18.19
'Inspecting officers sent for inspecting Jirayat lands :
c18.s18.20
Officers sent to Tarf Nagothne should get at the following rate, after one month till the work of inspection was over. Ragho Ballal Amin Rs. 8, Hari Balaji Karkun Rs. 8, Rs. 16 in total, over and above these two sepoys and one measurer (parwari), three in all. Given from Honaji Balkavade's establishment. Blank sheets of papers for writing and a piece of rough cotton cloth." Similar remuneration and establishment were granted to Naro Ballal Amin sent to Tarf Pal, but his Karkun got a salary of Rs. 7 per
c18.s18.21
month. Pahanidars were also sent to Tarf Nane Mawal.* Bagyayat lands were also assessed after inspection and we have already seen in connection with the village system that the Patil as the guardian of the cultivators' interest could demand a pahani whenever he thought that his village had been over-assessed. It seems that the principle of 'no pahani no extra assessment' was generally recognised by the government. A letter of the time of the second Madhava Rao may be quoted here for illustration.
c18.s18.22
"The officer of Prant Kalyan Bhiwandi represented that the *jamabandi* of the province could not be fixed without inspection of the lands and asked sanction to the expenditure of Rs. 700 or 800 on account of diet-money to officers making the inspection. He was ordered to make the inspection, if it was calculated to raise the revenue, and to take care that the inspection was honestly made, and that no oppression was caused to the rayats. Rs. 400 to 500 were sanctioned for expenditure as diet money" (summary by K. B. Marathe).¹⁰
c18.s18.23
¹⁰ P. D., Vol. VI, p. 226.