Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s9.40

c18.s9.40

The Maratha village was a self-contained unit. Surrounded by a wall, it tried to be independent of the outside world as much as possible. We have already seen how it had its own Patil, Kulkarni, Chaugula, Mahar and Potdar; and we shall see later on how the civil suits could be decided by the village Panchayat without any intervention from the Peshwa's Government. As it had its political autonomy, the Matatha village tried to have its industrial autonomy also; and this brought into existence the twelve balutas or the village artisans. The logical consequence of the idea and the ideal of industrial autonomy was that the artisans became watan-holders, and expected that they and their descendants should enjoy a monopoly of their particular trade in the village and their right to such a monopoly in theory as well as in practice was recognised by all. Civil suits about ownership of such watans were frequent and often complicated, for neither did a Maratha watan-holder easily lose his hereditary office, nor was he willing to do so. Long absence from the village did not prejudice his rights in any way; he or his descendants could return after thirty or forty years and replace the man who had in the meantime been serving the villagers. Wonderful perfection of their knowledge of genealogy and village history and tradition was on such occasions exhibited. In the year 1779-80, Raghoji and Satbaji son of Abaji Khadke, applied for a sanad of the barber's watan in Kasba Poona; in the history of the watan, described in the application, we find that their ancestor had left the watan in time of scarcity and during his absence the barber's service was rendered by another family. On the return of the descendants of the original watan-holders, the watan was divided between the two families. In the year 1749-50, however, the barbers' watan at Chinchodi, Tarf Siral, in Pargana Nevase was recovered by Jakhoji and Yamaji sons of Santa barber after a long absence of the family from the watan for two generations (their grandfather had left the village owing to scarcity).²² Similarly the blacksmith's watan of Mauja Khodad, Tarf Narayangaon, Prant Junnar, was recovered by four cousins Shivaji son of Tanhaji, Visaji son of Malji, Darkoji son of Malharji, and Nimbaji son of Shivaji Chaudhari in 1763-64, although their uncle Santu had voluntarily left the watan and his native village and refused to return to his duties, even when his co-villagers repeatedly requested him to do so.²³ In 1764-65 the Sonarki (goldsmith) watan of Lonikhurd Tarf Haveli Sangamner was recovered by the heirs of the original watandars after a long absence.²⁴ Similarly the heirs of the village officers like Patil, Kulkarni, Chaugula, etc., could recover their ancestral watan, for the modern rules of limitation were either unknown or always ignored.