History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.Campbell, James M.
History
History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.
Campbell, James M.
Gujarat (India) -- History
[Minor Offices.] Of both leading and minor officials the Mirat-i-Áhmedi
supplies the following additional details. The highest officer who
was appointed under the seal of the minister of the empire was the
provincial diván or minister. He had charge of the fiscal affairs
of the province and of the revenues of the khálsa or crown lands,
and was in some matters independent of the viceroy. Besides his
personal salary he had 150 sawárs for two provincial thánás Arjanpur
and Khambália. Under the diván the chief officers were the píshkár
diván his first assistant, who was appointed under imperial orders
by the patent of the diván, the daroghah or head of the office,
and the sharf or mushrif and tehwildár of the daftar khánáhs, who
presided over the accounts with munshis and muharrirs or secretaries
and writers. The kázis, both town and city, with the sanction of the
emperor were appointed by the chief law officer of the empire through
the chief law officer of the province. They were lodged by the state,
paid partly in cash partly in land, and kept up a certain number of
troopers. In the kázis' courts wakíls or pleaders and muftís or law
officers drew 8 as. to Re. 1 a day. Newly converted Musalmáns also
drew 8 as. a day. The city censor or muhtasib had the supervision
of morals and of weights and measures. He was paid in cash and land,
and was expected to keep up sixty troopers. The news-writer, who was
sometimes also bakhshi or military paymaster, had a large staff of
news-writers called wákiâh-nigár who worked in the district courts and
offices as well as in the city courts. He received his news-reports
every evening and embodied them in a letter which was sent to court by
camel post. A second staff of news-writers called sawáníhnigár reported
rumours. A third set were the harkárás on the viceroy's staff. Postal
chaukis or stations extended from Áhmedábád to the Ajmír frontier,
each with men and horse ready to carry the imperial post which reached
Sháh Jehánábád or Dehli in seven days. A line of posts also ran south
through Broach to the Dakhan. The faujdárs or military police, who
were sometimes commanders of a thousand and held estates, controlled
both the city and the district police. The kotwál or head of the city
night-watch was appointed by the viceroy. He had fifty troopers and
a hundred foot. In the treasury department were the amín or chief,
the dároghah, the mushrif, the treasurer, and five messengers. In the
medical department were a Yúnáni or Greek school and a Hindu physician,
two under-physicians on eight and ten annas a day, and a surgeon. The
yearly grant for food and medicine amounted to Rs. 2000. [691]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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