Order of a Mughal official to Purshottam Das granting him a house and giving further instructions
Following communication from a carpenter called Hamid, Purshottam Das is granted a house, but he is instructed to demolish it, then send the wood to the authorities and pay 150 rupees as tribute.
Functional document type: Orders
Formal document type: Parvana
Themes: Building and Construction, Natural Resources, Petitioning, Property, Taxation and Tribute
Date:
Hijri-qamri calendar: 28 Zi al-qaʿda 1070
Gregorian calendar:
5 August 1660
[Page 1r]
invocation (top centre): Arabic
الله اکبر
God is great
authorisation (right margin): Persian
…
[Circular black ink seal that is illegible]
main text: Persian
1زبدة الاقران
پرسوتم
چودری پرگنه دهار بعنایت و مهربانی امیدوار
2بوده بداند که درینولا
حامد
معمار بعرض رساند که او خدمت خوب کرده
3 مجری او شد حسب الالتماس او حویلی که در آنجا
بولاقیچند
می بود
4باو مرحمت فرمودیم باید که بموجب قرار داد خود حویلی مذکور مسمار نموده
5چوب آنچه باشد بحضور برساند و مرمت پشت تالاب بعهده خود
6دانسته زود سرانجام دهد و مبلغ یکصد و پنجاه روپیه که
7برای حویلی مذکور پیشکش قرار کرده بحضور ارسال نماید
8و در دولتخواهی و کفایت سرکار و تردد آبادانی و کشتکار
9زراعت خود را معاف و مقصر ندارد درین باب
10نهایت تاکید دانسته از فرموده تخلف نورزد
11تحریر فی التاریخ
۲۸
ذی قعده سنه
۱۰۷۰
فقط فقط
1Eminent among Contemporaries
Purshottam [Das]
chaudhri of pargana
Dhar, having hoped for kindness,
2should know that recently the builder
Hamid
has petitioned that having done good work,
3he has completed the job. According to his petition, I have kindly given the house over there that
used to belong to
Bulaqi Chand
4to him [i.e. Purshottam Das].1 It is necessary that according to his own agreement,
the said house should be destroyed2 [and]
5whatever wood is available is sent to the Lord, and knowing the repair of the
rear of the tank as his own responsibility,
6he shall finish the work quickly. And he shall send 150 rupees,
7which is settled as the tribute for the house, to his Lordship.
8And in the loyalty and support of the government and the organization of
populating and agriculture,
9he shall not consider himself exempt in the least. Knowing this matter
10to be fully settled, do not neglect to do what is ordered.
11Written on the date of
28 Zi al-qaʿda [in the] year 1070.
Nothing further. Nothing further.
invocation (right margin): Arabic
هو
He [God] is
authorisation (right margin): Persian
حسب المسطور مقرر شناسد تاکید
تمام دارند
فقط
Know all that is written to be settled and
fully confirmed. Nothing further.3
Notes
1. Grammatically, it is unclear to whom the pronoun او in 'his petition' and 'to him' refer. Based on social status and the subsequent document regarding the grant of a house, it appears the house was given to Purshottam Das. [BACK]
2. It is very strange that the order is to destroy a house but the order is similar to that in '1660 Order of Nawazish Khan to Purshottam Das granting a house'. Perhaps old houses were being destroyed. [BACK]
3. Near this authorisation an office note on the verso appears faintly. However, an image of the verso was not supplied so this note cannot be read. [BACK]
landlord (similar to desai, deshmukh)
district
Participants
Recipient:
Purshottam Das
Language(s)
Arabic
Persian
Source
Choudhary Family Collection, Bada Raola Dhar, no shelfmark
Archival Collection: Purshottam Das collection
Transcribed from manuscript image.
Edited by Elizabeth Thelen
Encoding support and website development by Lizzy Williamson, Eva Bodenschatz, Richard Holding, Julia Hopkin and Gary Stringer