Lawforms

Digitised Legal Documents from the Indo-Persian World

Order of Nawazish Khan to Purshottam Das and Paras Ram regarding the construction of a water tank

In response to a petition from Purshottam Das and Paras Ram, Nawazish Khan orders a mason to be sent, the deployment of workers to build a water tank in the village Ratnagra and the appointment of Muhammad Hashim as the superintendent (darogha) and inspector (mushrif) of the tank.

Functional document type: Orders

Formal document type: Parvana

Themes: Administration, Natural Resources, Petitioning

Date:
Hijri-qamri calendar: 30 Ramzan 1070
Gregorian calendar: 9 June 1660

[Page 1r]

invocation (top centre): Arabic

الله اکبر

God is great

authorisation (right margin): Persian

[نوازش] خان [مرید] حضرت محمد اورنگ [زیب] عالمگیر بادشاه غازی ۱۰۷۰

[Round black ink seal] [Nawazish] Khan [disciple] of Lord Muhammad Aurang[zeb] Alamgir Badshah Ghazi 10701

main text: Persian


1زبدة الاقران پرسوتم چودری و پرسرام قانونگوی پرگنه دهار بعنایت و
2مهربانی امیدوار بوده بدانند عرضه داشتی که درینولا ارسالداشته بودند
3رسید حقیقت مشروحاً مفهوم گردید انچه در باب معمار بجهته سنگ موضع
4 نواسه نوشته بودند معمار فرستاده شد انچه در باب چونه پزان و بیلداران
5برای بند تالاب رتناگره نوشته بودند پار سال بجهة کندن تالاب انها [او]
6دو صد بیلدار جمع شده بودند باید که الحال هم هر قدر بیلدار در کار باشند
7سر براه نمایند و چونه پزان انجا در انجا آید چونه سر براه خواهند کرد انچه در باب
8داروغه و مشرف بند مذکور 2 نوشته بودند دازوغگی 3 بعهده محمد هاشم شقدار انجا است
9و مشرف هم از [سه] ۳ بندی خود مقرر خواهد نمود درین باب تاکید دانند ۳۰ رمضان سنه ۱۰۷۰


1Eminent among Contemporaries Purshottam [Das] chaudhri and Paras Ram qanungo of pargana Dhar ,
2being hopeful of favour and kindness, know that the ʿarzdasht, which they had sent recently,
3has arrived. The situation explained was understood. Regarding what they had written in the matter of the mason on account of the stone of village
4 Nawasa , the mason was sent. In the matter of the lime burners4 and the diggers
5for the dam of Ratnagarh's [Ratnagra's] water tank, which they had written about,
6two hundred diggers had been gathered last year for the digging of their [his] water tank. Now, too, it is necessary that [they] supply all diggers who [are able to] work
7and the lime burners of that place will supply quick lime. [Regarding] that which they had written
8in the matter of the darogha and mushrif of the aforesaid dam, the superintendency is the obligation of Muhammad Hashim , the shiqdar of that place,
9and the mushrif too will be appointed out of his own sih-bandi. In this matter they shall know it settled. 30 Ramzan year 1070 .

invocation (bottom right margin): Arabic

هو

He [God] is

authorisation (right margin): Persian


1حسب المسطور مقرر شناسند بیلدار باشد
2معمور از حضور فرستاده شده چونه [پز] دهار چه شده
3باو مقرر نماید که مصالح طیار نماید و اگر در نعلچه امده است
4بمتصدی نعلچه نوشته شده که او را بفرستاد خواهد فرستاد


1Know it settled as written. The digger shall be.
2The mason having been sent from the Lord, whatever lime burners there are [in] Dhar
3appoint [them] to [work under] him so that the public conveniences are prepared. And if he has come to Nalcha ,
4the mutasaddi of Nalcha has been written to that he should be sent, [and] he will be sent.

[Page 1v]

clerical notes (right margin): Persian


1نقل [سیاهه]
2بتاریخ ۳۰ رمضان سنه ۱۰۷۰
3نقلدفتر دیوان رسید فقط


1[Register] copy
2On the date 30 Ramzan year 1070
3the copy of the daftar of the diwan arrived.

later addition (top left): Hindi


रतनागर तलाब का
[छ] ह तमाम [कीए]


Ratnagra water tank's
[made] complete

Notes

1. A very clear impression of the same seal is found on 1660 Order of Nawazish Khan to Purshottam Das granting a house. Gaps in the reading of the seal impression are supplied through comparison. [BACK]

2. This phrase is added above the line. [BACK]

3. This appears to be a misspelling for دروغگی, i.e. 'daroghagi', meaning superintendency. [BACK]

4. Known as chuna-paz in Persian, these workers burnt limestone to produce quicklime, a key ingredient of mortar. [BACK]

emperor (alternately, padshah)

religious warrior; an honorific

landlord (similar to desai, deshmukh)

record-keeper (similar to deshpande)

district

petition (used for any formal address from an inferior to a superior)

superintendent

inspector

revenue officer

inspector

revenue allocation for maintaining soldiers

local revenue official (As a state post, often in charge of trade and the collection of customs in a city or port. Can also refer to a clerk or accountant.)

register (particularly in the compound "daftar-khana," also refers to a record-keeping office and repository)

Head of imperial or provincial revenue department, or manager of finances in a noble's household

Participants

Issuer: Nawazish Khan
Recipient: Purshottam Das
Recipient: Paras Ram

Language(s)

Arabic
Persian
Hindi

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