Administrative System of the Marathas c26: Appendices

Administrative System of the Marathas c26

Language: English

c26.s1 A. The Arabs in Sind (Book III) — 1 part
c26.s2 B. State Departments (Book III) — 1 part
c26.s3 C. Evolution of Marathi Danapatras (Book III) — 29 parts

Appendices

A. The Arabs in Sind (Book III)

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"The toleration which the native Sindians enjoyed in the practice of their religion, was greater than what was usually conceded in other countries; but it was dictated less by any principle of justice or humanity, than the impossibility of suppressing the native religion by the small number of Arab invaders. When time had fully shown the necessity of some relaxation in the stern code of Moslim conquest, it was directed, that the natives might rebuild their temples and perform their worship, and that the three per cent., which had been allowed to the priests under the former government, should not be withheld by the laity for whom they officiated. Dahir's prime minister was also retained in office, in order to protect the rights of the people, and to maintain the native institutions; while Brahmans were distributed throughout the provinces to collect the taxes which had been fixed." *The History of India as told by its own Historians* by Sir H. M. Elliot and Professor John Dowson, Vol. I, pp. 468-469. Also see Elphinstone, *History of India*, pp. 302-303.

B. State Departments (Book III)

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In the Panchobh copper-plate inscription of Samgramgupta, Superintendents of kine, buffaloes, goats and mares are mentioned (*gomahiṣābivāḍhyakṣādi*). The inscription probably is not later than the 12th century A.D. See *Journal of the Bihar Orissa Research Society*, Vol. V, Part IV, p. 589.

C. Evolution of Marathi Danapatras (Book III)

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Of the innumerable Marathi documents that have come down to us, not a few are grant deeds. They are worth studying not merely because they yield interesting information about the various taxes that the landholder had to pay but also because of the unbroken link with the past that they furnish in their style and form. Vishnu lays down the following rules to be observed in drawing up a grant deed or *Danapatra* "To those upon whom he had bestowed (land) he must give a document, destined for the information of a future ruler, which must be written upon a piece of (cotton) cloth, or a copper plate, and must contain the names of his (three) immediate ancestors, a declaration of the extent of the land, and an imprecation against him who should appropriate the donation to himself, and should be signed with his own seal."¹ Let us reproduce a Danapatra of Chhatrapati Shahu and see how far the writer conformed to the above rules. The document runs as follows: Vedamūrti Gaṇeśbhaṭ wa Baḷambhaṭ bin Bāpūbhaṭ upanām Puraṅdare, gotra Bhāradvāj, sūtra Aśvalāyan, vāstavya Kasbe Sāsvaḍ, yān̄n̄i huzūr Śāhūnagarājik kille Sātāra yethil mukkāmīn svāmisaṅnidh yeūn vidit keleṅ kin, kailāsvāsī Bālāji Paṇḍit Pradhān yān̄n̄i ähmāṅs Mauje Khānvaḍī, Tarph Karhepthār, Prānt Puṇeṅ, yethil jirāyat jamin uttam pratīchī chāvar ⅕. yekūṇ bighe tis svarājya wa moṅgalāī yekūṇ dutarphā dekhil inām tijāī wa sardeśmukhī kulbāb wa kulkānū, hallipattī wa pestarpattī, jal taru, tṛṇa, kāṣṭha, pāṣāṇ, nidhinikṣepsahit kherij hakkadār karūn inām deūn Mauje majkūrchyā dastānt bād ghālūn patreṅ dilhīn tyāpramāṇeṅ anbhavīt ahoṅ. Tarī, Mahārājān̄iṅ sadarhūpramāṇeṅ inām karār karūn hallīn nūtan sahotrā wa nādgauṇḍī inām deūn vaṅśa parampareneṅ chālavāveṅ yāviśīn patreṅ karūn dilhīn pāhijet hmaṇūn vidit karūn Paṇḍit maśārnilhe yān̄chīn patreṅ āṇūn dākhavilī. Tyāvarūn manās āṇūn he bhale brāhmaṇ satpātra snānsandhyādi ṣaṭkarmī nirata yān̄cheṅ chālaviliyā svāmis wa svāmiche rājyās śreyaskar aiseṅ jāṇūn svāmī yāṇjvarī kṛpālu hoūn yāūsī Paṇḍit maśārnilhe yāṇṇiṅ Mauje majkūrpaikīṅ jirāyat uttam pratīchī jamīn chāvar pāv ekūṇ tīs bighe svarājya wa moṅglāī ekūṇ dutarphā darobasta inām tijāī wa sardeśmukhī hallīpaṭṭī wa pestarpaṭṭī kul bāb wa kulkānū jal, taru, tṛṇa, kāṣṭha pāṣāṇ, nidhinikṣepsahit kherīj hakkadār vaṅśaparam-pareṇeṅ inām dilhā. Tyāpramāṇeṅ karār karūn hallīṅ nūtan sadarīl jamīnis sahotrā wa nāḍgauṇḍī yāsī wa yāūche vamśaparamapareṇeṅ inām karūn dilhā yevīśīṅ dharmaśāstrāchīṅ vachaneṅ.

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¹ S.B.E., Vol. VII, pp. 21-22.

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¹ Selections from the Satara Raja's and the Peshwas Diaries. Vol. I, pp 205 and 206.

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Svadattāṅ paradattāṅ vā yo harechcha vasuṅdharāṅ. Saṣṭhivarṣa sahasrāṇi viṣṭāyāṅ jāyate kṛmi. Svadattā duhitā bhūmi pitṛdattā sahodarī. Anyadattā bhavenmātā yo haret triṣu saṅgamī. Dānapālanayormadhye dānāt śreyo nu pālanam. Dānāt svargamavāpnoti pālanādachyutam padam. Yeneṅpramāṇeṅ dharmaśāstrāchīṅ vachaneṅ yukta patren karūn dilhīṅ āhet tarī tuhmīṅ Mauje majkūrpaikīṅ sadarhūpramāṇeṅ pāvchāvar jamīn chatuḥsīmā pūrvak yāsī wa yāūche vamśaprampareṇeṅ inām chālavaneṅ Prativarṣīṅ novīn patrāchā ākṣep na karṇeṅ. Patreṅ Rājyābhiṣek śake 90 Subhānu nāma saṁvatsare Aśvina śuddha pañchamī Bhāumavāsara yevīśīṅ patreṅ.

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2. Sanadapatreṅ (1 Mukhypatra, 1 Mokadam).

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3. Chitṇisī (1 Deśmukh Deśpāṇḍe, 1 Deśādhikārī 1 Rājaśrī Mādhavarāv Paṇḍit Pradhān) ekūṇ 5. Kārkīrd Rājaśrī Mādhavarāv Paṇḍit Pradhān Sātāriyās tyāche tarpheneṁ Gaṇeś Viṭhṭhal yāche kārkīrdīs sikke jāle. Paravāngī Vyaṅkajīpant."

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It is to be noted that in the above grant deed the extent of the land has been defined, an imprecation against him who should appropriate the donation has been inserted, and the grant deed has been sealed in conformity with the regulations of Vishnu. In some Marathi Danapatra the Sanskrit imprecation is substituted by a Marathi one, which threatens the appropriator of the land with the sin of cow-slaughter if he is a Hindu and the infamy of killing a pig if he is a Muhammadan.

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This, however, is not all. The phrase "hallī paṭṭī va pestarpaṭṭī kulbāb va kulkānu jal taru, tṛṇa, kāṣṭha, pāṣāṇ, nidhinikṣep sahit kherīj hakkadār" demands our special notice as it has been in use in donatory deeds for centuries before the rise of Shivaji or the accession of Shahaji to power. It may also be added that in many Marathi grant deeds (that we need not quote in extenso) the act of donation is described as dhārāika or dhārādatta which corresponds to the latter part of the Sanskrit phrase sasurvaṇa-dhārā pūrākaṁ of the pre-Maratha copper-plate grants. As for the other phrase which we have quoted above let us see how frequently it occurs in South Indian copper-plate grants, we may dismiss the North Indian practice as comparatively less important as we are discussing here the evolution of South Indian grant deeds.

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Maharashtra proper had been formerly ruled by the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Shilahras and the Yadavas. It is from the Yadava kings of Devgiri that the Muhammadans first conquered the land of the Marathas. We shall therefore examine the copper-plate grants of these four families and compare the terms of grant with those of the grant deeds of Shahu Chhatrapati already referred to. A grant deed executed by Govinda III Rashtrakuta in 716 of the Shaka era³ defines the grant as sodramgaḥ saparikaraḥ sadaśāparādhaḥ sabhūtapātapratyāyaḥ sotpadyamānari(vi)ṣṭikaḥ sadhānyahiraṇyādeyo chachā(chā)ṭabhāṭapraveśyaḥ sarvvarajīyānām ahas-taprakṣ(e)paṇiya. The terms of the Kauthem grant of Vikramaditya V. of the later Chalukya dynasty⁴ is more similar to the terms of the Marathi Sanad. They are: Savṛkṣamālākulaḥ sadhānyahiraṇyādeyaḥ rājakīya(nā)m ananguli prekṣaṇiyaḥ nidhi nidhāna sametaḥ ghaṭikāch-chhatrachāmarādisahitaḥ saśukl(aka)ḥ sarvavanamasya iti.

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³ Paithan plates of Govinda III, Kielhorn Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 109.

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⁴ Fleet, Ind. Ant., Vol. XVI, p. 24.

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In the Kharepatan plates of Rattaraja (Shilahar)⁵ it is recorded that a village in the Ratnagiri District was granted to the king's preceptor, Abhoja Sambhu, and the grant is defined as pūrvvadatta devadāya vra (bra) hmadāya varjjaṁ which corresponds to Marathi kherij hakkadār karūṇ. Another donation of a Shilahara king, Bhoja II, by name⁶ was dhārā-pūrvvakaṁ analogous to Marathi dhārāika or dhārādatta and the terms of the grant are sarvva bādhā parihāraṁ sarvva-āya-viśuddhaṁ rājakīyānāṁ anaṅguli prekṣaṇīyam. These show that some of the terms we came across in Shahu's Sanad were already in use when the Rashtrakuta Chalukya and Shilahara princes inscribed those donatory plates. Let us now examine the copper plate inscriptions of the Yadavas and the Hindu-monarchs of Vijayanagar who in some respects can be regarded as the immediate Hindu predecessors of the Maratha kings of the house of Bhonsla.

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⁵ Kielhorn, Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 301.

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⁶ Kolhapur Inscription, Kielhorn, Ep Ind., Vol. III, pp. 213-216.

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About the year 922 of the Shaka era (or 1000 A. D.) Mahasamanta Bhillama II granted certain lands to twenty one Brahmans and the fact is thus recorded in the Sangamner copper plate inscription⁷:

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⁷ Kielhorn, Ep Ind. Vol., II, p. 220.

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Evamīṣāṁ dvijānāṁ pitṛpaitāmahopārjjitaṁ Matulingītaṭasamāvāsitaṁ Arjjuṇodhikāgrāmaṁ tathā Laghuarjuṇodhigrāma Laghu vavvula-vedagarāma (dv) yābhyamṭaram savṛkshamālākulaṃ chāchatuḥsīmāparyantaṃ sāṣṭādaśa prakṛtyopetaṃ vāpikūpataḍāgārāmasahitaṃ satṛṇakā (stha) pāṣhāṇopetaṃ sa (sa) kala samastopetaṃ, etc.

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The first couplet of the Sanskrit imprecatory verse also is inserted in this inscription. In fact innumerable illustrations of this last practice may be given from old Indian donatory inscription as is well known to all students of Indian History. In the Kalas Budrukh plates of Bhillama III (Shaka year 948), we read that the gift was made to twenty Brahmans with great honour and water in hand—hastodakaṃ kṛtvā and the terms also are strikingly similar to those of the Maratha Danapatras. They run as follows:— Sasīmā-paryantaṃ savṛkshamālākulaṃ satṛṇakāṣhṭhaṃ sa prabhṛti-kānuka-vishaya-āśrayaṃ sarid-vāpī-kūpa-kūpikā-taḍāga-dīrghikā-jalasthala-khanyākara-mṛdvanaushadhi-prāsāda-gopur-opetaṃ sarvvāyasthāna-sahitaṃ namasyama karavāṭottaraṃ putra pautrādyanvy-opabhogyaṃ achāṭa-bhāṭa praveśaṃ pūrvva datta dvijadāyadevadāya varjjaṃ vasad bhojya vṛttiṃ Kalasa nāmanaṃ grāmaṃ pradadau, of course with the usual imprecation. The Gaddak inscriptions of Viraballala deva of Hayasala dynasty¹⁰ records the gift of the village Hombalalu to Chaddrabhushan Panditadeva (Shaka year 1114) with—nidhinikṣepa jalapāṣāṇārāmādi sahitam tribhogyābhyantaramaṣṭabhogateṣhja (jaḥ) svāmyayuktaṃ śulkadaṇḍādi sakala dravyo-pārjjanopetaṃ, etc. It is needless to multiply these instances. Let us only quote another Yadava inscription that of Rama Chandra Deva the last king of the dynasty. A grant of Rama Chandra Deva Yadava dated 1212 śaka or 1291 A.D., records that "under the orders of Shri Rama Sri Krishna Deva governs the whole province of the Konkan. For the sake of causing the prolongation of Shri Ram Chandra Deva's life, etc., he giveth to Brahmans, with gold and water, the village of Anjora—with its hamlets limited to its proper bounds with its grass, timber, water and forest trees mines and hidden treasures together with the land marks"—Pallīsahitaḥ svasīmāparyantaḥ tṛṇakāṣṭhodakopetaḥ savṛkṣamālākulah nidhi nikṣepasahitaḥ caturāghātopetaḥ hiraṇyodaka pūrvvakaṃ pradattaḥ.¹⁹ This certainly reads like Shahu's Danapatra quoted above.

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⁹ Ind. Ant., Vol. XVII, p. 121.

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¹⁰ Fleet, Ind. Ant., Vol. II, p. 301.

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¹⁹ J.R.A.S., Vol. V, p. 182.

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It may however be objected that between the fall of the Yadavas of Devgiri in the earlier part of the 14th century and the rise of Shivaji in the middle of the 17th, there is an interval of about two hundred and fifty years. But in the meantime the style and the form of these grant deeds were continued in the Deccan by the Hindu kings of Vijayanagar. The Nallur grant of Harihara II ¹¹ runs as :

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¹¹ V. Venkayya, Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 123.

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Vritti dvādaśasaṁyuktaṁ tamimaṁgrāmam uttamaṁ sarvamānyaṁ chatussīmāsaṁyutam cha samantataḥ nidhi nikṣepa pāṣhāṇa sidhdha (sa) dya jalānvataṁ.

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Akṣānyānāgāmisaṁyu (ktaṁ A) ṣṭabho (gyaṁ) subhūtidaṁ vāpīkūpataṭakaiścha kachchhāramaiścha śobhitaṁ putra pautrādibhirbhogyaṁ kramā (d) āchandra tārakam.

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Almost the same phrases are repeated in the Satyamangalam plates of Deva Raya II (dated 1484 A.D.), ¹² and the Krishnapura inscription of Krishna Raya (dated 1529). ¹³ The kingdom of Vijayanagar came to an end in 1565 when Ramaja was defeated and slain at Talikota near Raichur but a branch of the family known as the Karnata dynasty survived till 1664. ¹⁴ Lands were given to Brahmans and grant deeds were executed in their favour by minor Hindu chiefs in Maharashtra. Some of these pre-Shivaji Sanads have come down to us and they fully explain the continuity of the form and style of these grant deeds for a period of about ten centuries. This in short is the history of the evolution of the innumerable Marathi grant deeds that the labours of Sane, Rajwade, and Parasnis have made familiar to-day to every student of Maratha history.

Linked texts (2)

Vaiṣṇava Dharmaśāstra — Viṣṇu, Sanskrit
Nallūr grant (EC 10 Mb 144) — Telugu