The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c9.51

c9.51

It does not appear that this huge sum was designed to be spent in a single year, for labour in those days was cheap and Shivaji had practically finished building his principal forts by the year 1671 when this fund was constituted. We shall not, therefore, be wrong if we hold that this also was somewhat in the nature of a reserve fund, as the previous one, to be used when money from the normal sources were not forthcoming to ensure regular payment of masons and artisans employed in the forts, although it is not explicitly mentioned in the paper quoted.