Indian Antiquary Vol 50

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 62

52
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(FEB., 1921
became the real heads of the Maratha empire, and established their head-quarters of the Government at Poona, while the weak descendants of Shivaji were left to languish in the prison of Satara, the sentimental capital of Maharashtra, had still to leave Shivaji's system unaltered and unaffected in many respects, and a few changes were effected in the central Government only. Otherwise the administrative system of Shivaji was for all essential purposes identical with that of the Peshwas. It will, therefore, be my duty to indicate here the few differences that existed in the theory and practice of Government of these two periods. While dealing with the Peshwa period, we are confronted with such an amazing abun
dance of materials that we can hardly expect to do justice to them. Scarcity of State-papers have been carefully preserved. Revenue regulations, Materials.
instruction to revenue collectors and higher officials, deeds of sale and other documents, judgments in both civil and criminal suits, have come down to us in their hundreds and thousands. They give us a vivid picture of the Government as it actually was in the Peshwa period. But when we approach the Shivaji period we are confronted with such a scarcity of materials as is most discouraging. Of State-papers we have but very few, and they are not very important either. Mr. Rajwade complains (Itihas Ant Aitihasik) that during his twenty years of labour and research he has hardly come across twenty-five important Shivaji-papers. Most of these papers again are political and diploma. tic correspondence and do not enlighten us about the administrative system. Fortunately, however, some old documents that cannot properly be styled State-papers, have after ages seen
light, thanks to the wonderful tact and lat our of Mr. V. K. Rajwade. Family papers of These give us useful information about some of the early adherents old Sardars.
of Shivaji, the history of their Watans, sometimes an account of their deeds and exploits, and often a long and exhaustive list of the taxes, cesses, and abwabs of those days. From these family papers of the old Sardars and Jagirdars we can frame a fairly accurate sketch of the administrative system of Shivaji, but these papers have to be used with extreme care and caution. Many of them are of doubtful origin, and some of them were undoubtedly forged to deceive the Government of the day.
Bakhara. Next in importanoe, are the Bakhars' or Marathi prose chronicles.
Supremely indifferent, like their Muhammadan teachers, to every thing that affected the ordinary people, the Maratha chroniclers pay very little attention to the administrative system of their times and the economic condition of their country. They give lengthy accounts of battles, gossiping stories of the superhuman deeds of their heroes and confine
themselves mainly to the narration of political events. ConseSabhasad.
quently we learn very little from them. Sabhasad, who wrote in 694. is perhaps the most sensible as he is the earliest of Shivaji's biographers. Condensed and concise in style, he devotes a few pages to Shivaji's regulations, both civil and military. Chitragupts who elaborated Sabhasad's work added a few stories and verses of his own composition. The only additional information that we obtain from Chitragupta is a
Chitracta short page where he enumerates the duties of the Secretariat Officers
1 The papers have been published by Mr. Rajwade in the 8th, 13th, 18th, 17th, 18th and the 20th volumes of his Marathyancha Itihasanchi Sadhanen.
* Most of theso Balhars have boon published by Rao Bahadur Sane in the Karyetli has Sangraha.