Administrative System of the Marathas c27.s6.1

c27.s6.1

The agency of collection was practically the same under the Muhammadans and the Marathas. The village communities flourished undisturbed and the village headmen were responsible for revenue collection and the village accountant kept the accounts. The account books were sent to the government officials almost in the same manner under both the Governments. "The Patwari," says Abul Fazl, "of each village was to apportion (the village) name by name, among the various subordinate agents, and the collectors were to send the cash under the seal of the Patwari to the treasurer." ⁹ The Muquad-dams were considered so indispensable that Murshid Quli Khan, during his Dewanship in the Deccan, found it necessary to appoint new village headmen where the old family had either died out or migrated to some other place.