Taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Kumaon contemporary to Jahangir

(History of Kumaon from 1000-1790 AD)

         (History of Chand Dynasty Rule in Kumaon)

History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar) - Part 179

                                              By: Bhishma Kukreti

                  The Kumaon or Manashbhumi King Lakshmi Chandra, Lakhmi Chand or Lakshman Chandra (1597-1621) was contemporary to Badshah Jahangir (1605-1627).

                        Reform by Shakti Chandra or Shakti Chandra

                   Shakti Chandra or Gusain was elder brother of Lakshmi Chandra. However, being blind by birth Shakti Chandra could not become King of Kumaon. Shakti Chandra did various Tapas, went for religious fast and visited various pilgrim places. Shakti Chandra got command over power of touch, hearing that he was able to fill the vacuum due to birth blindness. Shakti Chandra chalked out policies for general administration and land revenue in his father’s time. Lakshman Chandra followed the policies of Shakti Chandra. Shakti Chandra used to look after general administration in the rule period of Lakshmi Chandra.

                     Shakti Chandra divided administrative staff into three classes.

1-Sardar- These officers was as today’s civil secretaries. These top posted Sardar were responsible for important jobs as in charge of district administration and central administration in capital.

2-Faujdar- These were army officers used to look after battalions of permanent soldiers or contractual soldiers.

3-Negi- These officers were low cadre officers looking civil service and army service. Negi were responsible to collect Neg or taxes from villages.

        The salary to government servants was paid from fixed land. The tax from these villages was called ‘Vittkar’.  

           The new social groups emerged as soldiers due to continuous war, battle and conflicts. Their main profession was just to take part in war, battle or conflicts. These soldiers used to get salary in the form of land from where these professional army men used to get revenue. The law for these army men was called ’Beesi Banduk’.  

 There were two types of court-

1-Bishtavali – Bishtavali court used to hear the pleas of soldiers or army related matter

2-Nyauwali- Nyauwali court was for common men.

 There were rules for appointing permanent soldiers and there were exams for appointing soldiers.

The brave and retired soldiers were awarded Jagir or Thokdari (villages).

‘Katakvale sainik ’ soldiers or reserve soldiers were also provided villages (to collect revenue as for their salary) and the condition was that whenever the kingdom needed those soldiers used to attend court.

                           Reform on taxation    

           Rudra Chandra wanted tax reform. Shakti Chandra helped his father and he reformed taxation system.

 Beesi – Shakti Chandra decided a unit of measuring farm land. One unit land was Bees Nali or twenty Nali (Nali means the quantum of seeds sown in a particular field).  Farmers have to pay tax on according to Nali measurement. British also kept same way of farmland measurement. By this new measurement system, every farmer came under taxation.

 The following taxes planned by Shakti Chandra were there in Lakshmi Chandra time.

Parviyon kar- Tax upon festivals time

Teeka kar –

Ghee kar –tax on production of Ghee by individual family

Jyula tax-

Sirti Tax-

Baikar Tax-

Racchyaa Tax-

Koot tax-

Bhat tax-

Khirchi tax-

Galla tax-

Bhent tax-

                                    State Stores  

 Shakti Chandra initiated having state stores for different materials as

Ganj- ganj store was for materials received from Ghee, Parviyaon, Khirch tax, Galla tax

Bhandar store- The store for material reccieved for Sirti, Maseek, Rachhaya, Teeka, Mal taxes

Sejwal store- The store for dresses of King as personal and formal dresses, Khadaun, shoes, Dushale, and personal arms

Kotyal store- Stores for dresses, meva or dry fruits and other gifts received from people

Selwan Store - The store for ammunition and arms as Dhanyu, Duna, Kan, sword, guns, Ramchangi, janbara etc

Darughar – store for raw materials for making gun powder and gun powder etc

                                         Animal sheds

 There were different sheds for state owned animals

Seekar shed - State wpned sheds for Goats of Lakha , Boka, Hilwan classes

Thath sheds – The milk providing caw and buffalos sheds

Bada sheds - The animals for sacrifice to deities were kept in Bada

Sate servants were kept for looking after state owned stores.

                    State Expenditure management

             Shakti Chandra divided the state expenditure into three classes

1-Expenditure on king families

2-Expenditure on salaries of servants for king and king families

3-Expenditure on salaries of servants for other state department

                          Kitchen and Culinary Management

             Shakti Chandra arranged kitchen and culinary with management skills. Shakti Chandra established many farms and gardens in villages for catering kitchen needs of the King and King Family. The Laksmishwar and Kapina gardens at Almora are witness that Gardening was promoted in Lakshmi Chandra period for state purpose.  The vegetables for king and his family were grown at Narisighbadi and Pandekholabadi.  Das or today’s Shilpkar were designated to do agriculture works on state owned gardens and farms.

                There a couple of villagers of villages responsible who were supposed to supply Snow from Snow Mountains to Almora. These villages were called ‘Hyunpal’.

 Lakshmi Chandra used to obey the advices of Shakti Chandra.

              Dissatisfaction among people against Lakshmi Chandra rule

            No doubt, Shakti Chandra reformed tax collection system at micro level. However, the tax system was just for kingdom benefits and not people’s benefits. There were no people oriented planning or help from the state.

           The tax collectors were very strict in tax collection. The tax collection reform was such that nobody could be relieved from tax payment.

           There are a few folklores from Lakshmi Chandra period for tax payment and tax collection in Kumaon.  

        It is said that many Brahmins of Satravali village of Katyur region stopped growing vegetables on farm but started growing vegetables on the roof of houses as there was no tax on house or land of house. The King Lakshman Chandra saw this system and asked the Brahmins. Brahmins told the King about tax system. King freed taxes on vegetables in Satravali village.

 Lakshmi Chandra expired in 1621. He was called ‘Syal and Biralu (Fox and Cat) king by people due to his coward nature and defeats.

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti -bckukreti@gmail.com 2/11/2013

                                      References

Dr. Shiv Prasad Dabral, Uttarakhand ka Itihas Bhag 10, Kumaon ka Itihas 1000-1790

Badri Datt Pande, 1937, Kumaon ka Itihas, Shri Almora Book Depo Almora

Devidas Kaysth, Itihas Kumaon Pradesh

Katyur ka Itihas, Pundit Ram Datt Tiwari

Oakley and Gairola, Himalayan Folklore

Atkinson, History of District Gazette

Menhadi Husain, Tuglak Dynasty

Malfujat- E Timuri

Tarikh -e-Mubarakshahi vol 4

Kumar Suresh Singh2005, People of India

Justin Marozzi, 2006, Tamerlane: Sword of Islam

Bakshsingh Nijar, 1968, Punjab under Sultans 1000-1526 

The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 13 page 52 

Bhakt Darshan, Gadhwal ki Divangit Vibhutiyan

Mahajan V.D.1991, History of Medieval India

Majumdar R.C. (edited) 2006, The Sultanate

Rizvi, Uttar Taimur Kalin Bharat

Tarikhe Daudi

Vishweshara nand , Bharat Bharti lekhmala

Aine-e Akbari

Akbari Darbar

Tareekh Badauni

Eraly Abraham, 2004 The Mogul Throne

The Tazuk-i-Jahangiri

(The History of Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar write up is aimed for general readers)

                           

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -180  

History of Kumaon (1000-1790) to be continued….

 Middle Himalayan, Indian Medieval Age History of Chand Dynasty rule in Kumaon to be continued…

  (Middle Himalayan, Indian Medieval Age History (740-1790 AD to be continued…)

Xx

Notes on History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Kumaon contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Pithoragarh Kumaon contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Bageshwar Kumaon contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Dwarhat Kumaon contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Champawat  Kumaon contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Almora Kumaon contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Ranikhet Kumaon contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Kumaon, central Himalaya contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Kumaon North India contemporary to Badshah Jahangir; History aspects of taxation, revenue Administration in Lakshmi Chandra period a King of Kumaon South Asia contemporary to Badshah Jahangir;