The agrarian system of Moslem India

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1804119261

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-188010

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Moreland, William Harrison http://d-nb.info/gnd/172263670

Title:: The agrarian system of Moslem India

Edition:: 2. ed. Reissue (d. Ausg. Cambridge) 1929; [Reprint]

Place of publication:: Delhi

Publisher:: Oriental Books, Munshiram Manoharlal

Year of publication:: 1968

Scope:: XVII, 296 S.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter III. The Sayyid and Afghan dynasties

Collection:: Economics Books

THE REIGN OF AKBAR (1556-1605) 95 We are not told how, when, or on what basis, the first Valuation was made. We know only that it is described as ragami, a term of doubtful significance, that it was in use in the early years of Akbar’s reign, and that it had to be discarded in discreditable circumstances! My reading of the official records is that at first, under the regency of Bairam Khan, Assignments were made too lavishly, and the small Empire could not provide the necessary Income; the Revenue Ministry met the difficulty by writing up the Valuation arbitrarily, so that the assignee of, say, a kror of dims would get a district stated on paper to yield that sum, but in fact yielding less. In such circumstances, the corruption which we are told supervened was obviously inevitable. The figures in the Valuation had become irre- levant; each assignee was concerned to get the largest possible real Income; and, while his claim might be formally satisfied, the amount of his real Income would depend solely on the favour of the Ministry, which might offer him a rhoice of two districts, both valued on paper at the same figure, but one yielding only a half, while the other yielded three-quarters, of the nominal sum. This Valuation was consequently discredited, and in the 11th regnal year Akbar ordered a new one to be prepared. The method of its preparation is not described; it was based on a calculation of the actual yield, but was apparently adjusted in some way, for the figures finally adopted were close to, but not identical with, the actual yield as calculated. The matter is not of great importance because this second Valuation did not last for long. It is clear from the account in the Akbarnima (iii. 117), that the change of record was not accompanied by reform in the working of the Ministry; the clerks used to increase the figures without measure, and used to “open the hand of corruption” in increasing and decreasing them; each man did as he liked for his own objects; and the result was a serious threat to the morale of the Imperial Service, which became permeated with discontent. Akbar evidently took a very serious view of the situation, for in the 18th regnal year he decided (iii. 69) on drastic 1 The passages bearing on this topic are examined in Appendix E.

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