Apparatus of The Rathors

The state of Marwar denoted the territory over which Rathors comprising of a number of branches (khamps) claimed domination either by virtue of occupation or conquest. Right from the times of Rao Jodha, who happened to be its founder-ruler, the state underwent radical changes keeping the. basics intact, with the changing times, which were corollaries to the main themic aspects. It began maturing during the fag end of seventeenth century and ultimately blossoming in the eighteenth.

The period encompasses a century beginning from the reign of Ajit Singh to Bhim Singh (1764-1858 v.s.) the last two years of Bhim Singh's reign could not be covered for want of relevant records.

The Rathor state, during the period under study, possessed a highly unified and systematized bureaucratic apparatus revolving round the assignment of jagirs. Generally, jagir defined the income of a pattayat (the holder of jagir assigned through a pasta) but with no official bearing. The assignment of a jagir or a grant of pasta, invariably carried the provision or being posted any where and be assigned any appointment irrespective of its civil or army contents. But again there were a lot of nobles who enjoyed it as their hereditary possessions or their position in the social milieu or services rendered by a particular family or social group but even this was subjected to chakri (service) obligations in turn qualified by the hierarchy of the holder in the social set up. As such every assignment, unvaryingly, carried the obligation of some service or the other unless otherwise.

Much of the inner political history of the state was the outcome of the assignment of jagirs and appointments to state offices. There is thus an obvious need, then, to compile record of these awards in chronological order along with the award of titles and honours which distinguished one noble from the other.

The jagirs could not be treated as hereditary possessions enjoyed for endless times but invariably in the absence of successfully enforcing the law, the non-execution tended to make them hereditary in practice, against, the theoretical hypothesis.

The present work attempts at a chronological record of the assignment of jagirs and grant of titles and honours to Rathor nobility, compiled almost entirely from archival records. By providing cross-references. I have ventured to give a complete glimpse of the political career of an official right from his first known appointment till his death or the first assignment of a jagir or badhara or zapt during our period of study. The cross-references are however, confined to reign-periods.

Before concluding it I would, however, like to pin-point some of the structural defects which could not be made. good for want of relevant records. The patta bahis open right with the accession of Ajit Singh in 1764 v.s. but come to a screeching halt in between 1771-73 and 1791-1813 v.s. The void has been plugged to some extent by resorting to Khamp var bahis, khamp var jagir ro khato, Mutaffarik bahis, Patta singa ri khata bahis, Sanad bahis, Khas parwana rukka bahis and Hath bahis, that are exceedingly brief with marked characteristic of diction. The second gap has been overcome, to a large some extent, by stray references in patta bahi number two which has been marked for the years 1774-91 v.s. yet enumerates jagirs roughly upto 1800 v.s. Then one comes across regular series in khamp var bahis (Mutaffarik bahis) beginning from 1808 v.s.

The fall-out is apparent for it was well-nigh impossible not only to bring the careers of some nobles to totality but also the jagirs assigned during the period or appointment of officals to different positions. The same stands good for Ohada bahis too for though they begin from 1765 v.s. yet they give copious details from the times of Bijay Singh's reign.

Finally, I remember the words of Albert Einstein when he said, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new". Lapses of omission and commission may have creeped into it but I am sure that my younger compeers would be able in delivering a readable and comprehensive picture of the apparatus.

The present work could not have seen the light of the day in the absence of a higher research project sanctioned by the U.G.C.

I am thankful to the Directors of Rajasthan state Archives, Bikaner and Rajasthan Sodh Sansthan Jodhpur. I am also grateful to the staff of District Archives office, Jodhpur, Rajasthan Oriental research institute, Maharaja Man Singh Pustak Prakash and Sumer public library, all stationed at Jodhpur, for the co-operation they extended to me in collecting the material.

The state of Marwar possessed an immense degree of systematization, This systematization of the Rathor bureaucratic apparatus was the outcome of the contact that the rulers had with the Mughals. It had its rude beginning during the times of Mota Raja Uday Singh (1583-95) when jagirs began to be assigned to the incumbents irrespective of definite well- defined categories.

As against the Mughal system where mansah indicated the rank, payment, military and other obligations, Rathor system governed as it was by clan system - the nerve-centre of Rathor administrative system - coupled with the geo-politicat-cum economic factors - was the main stay. The Rathor system revolved round the placement which a class carried in the society and state, governed in turn by the sacrifices which a clan/class made in the making and unmaking of the state. The durhar as such was an exact replica of the oblations made by each clan/class. As a consequence it, lamentably, lacked that scientific classification based upon a footing of hierarchy of offices. This was a system applied by Rathors as far as centralization went and was a device of organizing the ruling class.

Assignment of jagirs is thus important for a study of the political or economic history of every Rajput State, in general. The former would provide the position or influence of individuals, families or khamps while the latter would be seen in the total burden upon the state exchequer from its revenue resources at different periods.

Jagir Statistics In view of the importance as well as the availability ofjagir-data, as provided in the pawl bahis, munafarik hahis, khamp var hahis, (leaving the gaps) it is singular that no comprehensive list of jagir assignments- and reduction has so far been attempted for 1 811' century. An attempt, in the present under-taking, has been made for it.

On this basis a chronological record (based on year to year basis) of all assignments or resumptions or reductions (over and above a rekh of Rs. 1000 p.a. at any time) to which there is any reference in the sources has been compiled. This has been done by transferring to tables all references to assignments held by individuals. Thus while there may not be any reference to a jagir assignment granted to a certain individual A, when it was first assigned, he may be mentioned in 1781 v.s. the opening year of Abhay Singh's reign, where he has been treated -as the first reference to A.

If no additional jagir is listed, say for a couple of years or even a decade or so, he is mentioned again in the year when a badhara (increment) was made, with a cross-reference to the earlier entry. Cross-'referencing, is however, confined to each reign. Death of an assignee has also been recorded subject to availability as palta bahis generally give the assignments but not the particulars when jagirs ceased to be with an incumbent. For it one has to refer to khampvar bahis which provide incomplete datas.

Inspite of all these handicaps it is possible from these lists to tabulate the total assignments of jagirs in each year, distributed to various individuals or families and to trace the history of every individual-holder by following up cross-references, based, exclusively, upon archival records.

The assignment of jagirs indicated the total demand of the ruling class on the revenue resources of the state. An increase in the assignments had its fall-out in the shrirkkage of the khalisa land. Since the assignments were heavily made in terms of rekh, with almost a negligible per cent in nagdi, so the entire burden was shifted upon khalisa alone.

But while preparing a tabulated form of jagir assignments, one is faced with a difficult job of filling up the gaps for which no archival records are available. The gaps from 1771-1773 and again from 1791-1808 v.s. are formidable ones where patta bahis are miraculously missing, for it is believed that the records were burnt down by Ram Singh." These gaps have been covered by khampar bahis but the information provided is exceedingly brief. At the same time diction of the scribers misses a scientific approach which makes it doubly difficult. Thus the latter period of Abhay Singh's reign and brief reigns of Ram Singh and Bakhat Singh could not meet the desired treatment. The bahis are in continuous sequence thereafter till the very last year of Bhim Singh' reign.

On the basis of available records an attempt has been made to tabulate the rekh of the major clans of Rathors and non-Rathors. It is as follows :

**Content and Sample Pages**