Order of Asadullah to Purshottam Das and Paras Ram regarding removal of soldiers from villages
In response to their petition (ʿarzdasht), the landlord (chaudhri) Purshottam Das and the record-keeper (qanungo) Paras Ram of district (pargana) Dhar are informed that the police officials Abdul Hamid and Khuda Dost have been instructed to remove their soldiers from the villages. Additionally, Purshottam Das and Paras Ram are told to send certain dues, having already been forgiven a large amount of rupees.
Functional document type: Orders
Formal document type: Parvana
Themes: Petitioning, Policing and Crime, Soldiers, Taxation and Tribute
Date:
Hijri-qamri calendar: 20 Jumada
Gregorian calendar:
1659 – 1665
[Page 1r]
invocation (middle centre): Arabic
الله اکبر
God is great
main text: Persian
1زبده الاماثل و الاعیان
پرسوتمداس
چودری و
پرسرام
قانونگوی پرگنه
دهار
2را انهاء آنکه عرضه داشتی که دراینولا در باب بر طرف شدن دهات شحنگی
3عبد الحمید
نوشته ارسال داشته بودند رسید
بعبد الحمید
و
خدا دوست
نگاشته اند که
4برسیدن نوشته پیادهای خود را از دهات مذکور بردارند یقین که بزودی پیادها
5را ازاینجا برطرف خواهد نمود باید که ازینممری خاطر خود را جمعداشته در
6تردد ابادانی و کشتکار زراعت خود را معاف ندارند و در یکساعت
7برای رضامندی شما هست
سه
٣
هزار روپیه
را معاف نموده شد عجب که شما جزوی ما را نمی فرستید الحال لایق انکه بزودی زر اینجانب را ارسال
[دارید]
و پاره در رضاجوی ما سعی نماید
…
زیاده
[چه نوشته]
…
بیض1
8۲۰
[جمادی]2
…
1Eminent among Equals and among Nobles Purshottam Das chaudhri and Paras Ram qanungo of pargana Dhar
2are informed that the ʿarzdasht which recently had been written and sent about the matter of the setting aside of the villages [by the] police [officer]
3Abdul Hamid has arrived. To Abdul Hamid and Khuda Dost it has been written that
4on the arrival of the writing [instructions], they should remove their soldiers from the said villages. Surely, the soldiers
5will be removed from here immediately. It is necessary that in this matter [Purshottam Das and Paras Ram] settle their minds and
6not take themselves as exempt from populating [the area] and managing agriculture. At the same time,
7to please you,3
3000 rupees have been forgiven. It is strange that you are not sending a part of my [dues]. Now it is suitable that you send the money here quickly and that you make a little effort to please me. What more [should be] [written]? Ended.
8[On] 20 [Jumada]4
…
invocation (bottom right margin): Arabic
هوُ
عزت اثار
He [God] is,
bearing respect
authorisation (bottom right margin): Persian
1بموجب که شما نوشته بودید مقرر شد
2قوی با قوت است رعایا را
3خاطر جمع سازید الله الله خاطر خود را
4جمع سازید انچه نگارد
بیض
1That for which you had written has been settled.
2The strong are with strength.
3Settle the minds of the peasants and [by] God
4settle your own minds, and so it should be written. Ended.
authorisation (top right margin): Persian
1زر ما را بزودی حواله منتخب ما را نمایند که
2بفرستند الله الله اینقدر زر چه خواهد بود
3رعایت ما مسطور
…
عجزی آن است
4[انچه]
نگارد
بیض
5
اسد الله
مرید
[اخلاص]
نوازش خانی
1Entrust my money, with speed, to the person selected by me so that
2he can send it. [By] God, what use is such money?
3My opinion as written will be the cure [of this problem].
4So should be written. Ended.
5[Round black ink seal] Asadullah, [sincere] disciple of Nawazish Khan5
Notes
1. This line of text is written up the left margin. Unusually, the scribe has written a 'pesh' above the baiz. [BACK]
2. The date is written in the top left corner and due to damage is incomplete. [BACK]
3. Unusually, here the writer addresses Purshottam Das and Paras Ram directly, using the second-person subject "shoma." [BACK]
4. Because the edge of the page is tattered, the date is incomplete. The date range ascribed to the document has been estimated based on the years Asadullah and Nawazish Khan are known to have been active in the area based on other documents in this collection. [BACK]
5. This seal, which belonged to Asadullah, the deputy of the noble Nawazish Khan, also appears in the document "Order of Asadullah to Purshottam Das and Paras Ram regarding a search for a stolen camel". [BACK]
landlord (similar to desai, deshmukh)
record-keeper (similar to deshpande)
district
petition (used for any formal address from an inferior to a superior)
Participants
Issuer:
Asadullah
Recipient:
Purshottam Das
Recipient:
Paras Ram
Language(s)
Arabic
Persian
Source
Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, LNS 235 MS q1
Archival Collection: Purshottam Das collection
Transcribed from manuscript image
Edited by Dominic Vendell
Encoding support and website development by Lizzy Williamson, Eva Bodenschatz, Richard Holding, Julia Hopkin and Gary Stringer