The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c9.61

c9.61

Under the Peshwa’s Government the three old officers were not only retained but they had all become *Darakhdars* or hereditary officers. Under normal circumstances they were not only succeeded by their sons or other legal heirs but even in their lifetime they could absent themselves from the fort, while an agent nominated by them carried on the duties of the office. The pay of a *Havaldar* or *Sabnis* or *Karkhannis* would naturally vary according to the importance of his charge, but when he lived in the fort with his family he got an additional allowance. In the year 1763-64 the *Havaldar* and the *Sarnobat* of fort Bahula got Rs. 125 each per year, while the *Sabnis* and the *Fadnis* were paid at the rate of Rs. 200; the *Subhedar* got Rs. 250 per year.¹ The *Havaldars* of Chawand and Ahmadnagar, however, got Rs. 360 and 300 respectively.² It will, however, be a mistake to suppose that this constituted their total salary, as they received a stipulated quantity of clothes in addition, and in those days of rampant feudalism some officers, at least, preferred to be paid by hereditary *inam* lands instead of cash. The *Sabnis* of Sinhgad in 1750-51 had an annual salary of 600 Rupees besides 100 Rupees worth of clothes, but he had two rent-free villages for his services, and the difference between his salary and the income derived from the two villages alone was paid in cash.³