Administrative System of the Marathas c27.s20: 2. State Documents
Administrative System of the Marathas c27.s20
- Language
- English
2. State Documents
c27.s20.1
We have seen in a preceding Book how every royal grant, sanad, and other papers had to be signed and sealed by the several Pradhans or ministers of state and how the accounts of the Provincial Government had to be passed by the several *Darakhdars*. This practice was in all probability derived from the Muhammadans. Under Akbar every *parwanah* and *barat* had to be signed and sealed by several officers and it will not be altogether unreasonable to infer that the later Maratha practice originated from the previous Muhammadan one. Let us now see what exactly the Muhammadan officers did or were expected to do with regard to the above-mentioned documents. Abul Fazl writes "The *Sarkhats* are entered in the daftars of all *Sub-Bakshis* and are distinguished by particular marks. The *Diwan* then keeps the *Sarkhat* with himself, prepares an account of the annual and monthly salary due on it and reports the matter to His Majesty. If His Majesty gives the order to confer a jagir on the person specified in the Sarkhat, the following words are entered on the top of the report :—*Ta' liqah i-tan-qalmi numayand*. This order suffices for the clerks; they keep the order, and make out a draft to that effect. The draft is then inspected by the Diwan who verifies it by writing on it the words *sabt numayand*. The mark of the Daftar and the seal of the Diwan, the Bakshi and the Accountant of the Diwan are put on the draft in order, when the Imperial grant is written on the outside. The draft thus completed is sent for signature to the Diwan.¹ Other instances of this practice will be found in the same Ain.² About the order of the seals Abul Fazl writes, "Farmans, Parwanchas, and Barats, are made into several folds beginning from the bottom. On the first fold which is less broad, at a place towards the edge where the paper is cut off, the vakil puts his seal; opposite to it but a little lower, the Mushrif of the Diwan puts his seal in such a manner that half of it goes to the second fold. Then in like manner, but a little lower, comes the seal of the Cadr. The Mir Mal, the Khan Samman, the Parwanchi, etc. seal on the second fold, but in such a manner that a smaller part of their seal goes to the first fold. The seals of the Diwan, and the Bakshi do not go beyond the edge of the second fold, whilst the Diwan-i-Juz, the Bakshi-i-Juz and the Diwan-i-Buyutal put their seals on the third fold. The Mustaufi puts his seal on the fourth, and the Cahib-i-Tauji on the fifth fold. The seal of His Majesty is put above the Tughra lines on the top of the Farman where the princes also put their seals in Taliqahs."³ The Marathas, so far as we know, did not go to such niceties in affixing their seals, but in their case too every paper passed through several hands and several officers sealed it before it became legally valid. In spite of this slight difference even a cursory comparison will convince every one that the Muhammadan rule was the progenitor of the Maratha practice.
c27.s20.2
¹ Blochmann, Aini-i-Akbari, Vol. I, p. 261.
c27.s20.3
² Ibid, pp. 262-263.
c27.s20.4
³ Blochmann, Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. I, pp. 263-264.