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270
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
OCTOBER, 1921
The daily account of the expenditure in kind should be written by the Karkhananis and after he has specified the total and the Havaldar has put his seal, the Sabnis should put his sign of approval. .
All orders for goods or commodities upon the province (under the jurisdiction of the fort) should be issued by the Karkhananis. The Sabnis should levy contribution (when necessary). He should put his sign of approval after the Havaldar has sealed the paper.
The Karkhananis should take charge of female slaves, boy-servants, horses or cattle that may come. The Sabnis should put his sign of approval below the seal. If any loss occurs, the Karkhananis should write about it. The Sabnis should put his sign below the seal.
The Karkhananis should supervise the work when a building is constructed. The Sabnis should inspect the work. Cash and clothes should be distributed among the Karkhananis' men when occasion arises. It should have the approval of the Karkhananis. The distribution of grain should be made by the Karkhananis with the approval of the Sabnis.
All accounts of the naval stores should be written by the Karkhananis' Karkuns. The work should be exacted by him under the supervision of the Sabnis.109 Thus did the three officers co-operate and act as a check upon one another. Not a
single fort of Shivaji could therefore be betrayed to his enemies. Treason still attempt. But all these precautions could not put an absolute check on treason ed.
and corruption. When Shivaji was absent in the camp of Jayasingh the entire charge of the fort of Rajgad had for the time being fallen on Keso Narayan Sabnis, as there was no Havaldar. Keso Narayan Sabnis, on that occasion, misappropriated a large sum from public funds.110 In 1663 Shivaji had to postpone an expedition to Konkan as disquieting information of a rebellion came from Sinhagad. In a letter dated the 2nd of April 1663, Shivaji writes to Moro Trimal Peshwa and Abaji Sonder that he was thinking of marching against Namdar Khan in Konkan. But news arrived from Siphagad that some revolt had lately taken place in the fort. He had therefore to give up his project of marching into Konkan at that time. The two officers, however, were requested to march at once to Sinhagad with their troops and militia and take charge of the fort. They were further required to find out the rebels and report their names to the king.111 Shivaji generally stored grain and provisions in large quantities in his forts, for con
sumption during a siege. Towards the close of his career in the
ve year 1671-72) he decided to have a reserve fund to meet the extrafunds for forts.
ordinary needs of the forts while undergoing sieges. A paper under his seal drawn in the year Sanisanne, says that the Rajshri Saheb has decided to raise money from each Mahal in his province and Watan. This money should form a (reserve) fund, and should be spent only when war with the Mughals should commence, and the Mughals should lay siege to forts, and money should be urgently required but should not be available from any other source. Otherwise this money should not be spent for any other government work. So has the Saheb decided and it has been settled that a sum of one lakh and twenty five thousand Hons should constitute the reserve fund (and should be raised from the following Mahale and personages at the following rate) - Kudal .. ..
" Rajapur
20,000 Kolen..
20,000
.
20,000
106 Mawji and Parasnis-Sanads & Letters, pp. 130-132. 110 Rajwade, M. I. S., VOL. VIII, p. 7.
111 Ibid. p. 4
