The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c9.55

c9.55

The outposts guarding the outskirts of a fort were left in charge of Ramoshis, Bhils and other predatory tribes. Their knowledge of the jungle byways made them excellent watchmen, and as they were people of nocturnal habits, they were specially efficient in keeping vigilance at night. Tradition says that Shivaji was the first sovereign to employ Ramoshis as watchmen of his fortresses, and they seem to have performed their duty with loyalty and zeal.¹ Their work made it imperative for them to live outside the ramparts, and as their standard of living was abnormally low, they were contented with a small salary and some insignificant perquisites. Whether the latter was granted in Shivaji’s time we do not precisely know; but these soon became the *watan* of the Ramoshis, Bhils and Kolis who kept watch around the hill forts, and, like everything else connected with the Marathas, their office also became hereditary.