A History of Agriculture in India v2.c84.s7.2

v2.c84.s7.2

How the sarais functioned, and what was life like in these sarais? An answer is provided by Niccolao Manucci, who states, ‘For the use of wayfarers there are throughout the realms of the Mogul on every route many sarais. They are like fortified places with their bastions and strong gates; most of them are built of stone or of brick. In every one is an official whose duty it is to close the gates at the going down of the sun. After he has shut the gates, he calls out that everyone must look after his belongings, picket his horses by their fore- and hind-legs; above all, that he must look out for dogs, for the dogs of Hindustan are very cunning and great thieves.