16.(MEDIEVAL INDIA)FEW TERMS

16.FEW TERMS

Amils—revenue officers

Amir-i-akhur—amir or officer commanding the horse

Amir-i-hajib—officer-in-charge of the royal court

Amirul Mominin—Commander of the Faithful; the Caliph

Arz-i-mamalik—minister in charge of the army of the whole country

Abwab miscellaneous cesses, imposts and charges levied by zamindars and public officials

Adl justice

Afaqis foreigners (in the Deccan)

Ahadi gentleman trooper

Ahl-i-qalam a scribe

Amil, amalguzar revenue collector

Amu Darya The River Oxus

Arraba a wagon, a cart

Ashraf a person of noble birth, a gentleman

Ataliq guardian

Banduqchi musketeer

Bania, Baniya merchant; in some areas also refers to money-changer or banker; a caste traditionally

engaged in the above activities

Banjar waste or fallow-land, fit for cultivation

Banjara grain and cattle merchant; name of an itinerant tribe

Baqqal trader, grain-dealer

Barawardi a recruit on ad-hoc pay

Bargi, bargir an auxiliary soldier, a plunderer

Batai division of the crop between the cultivator and the landlord or the government; payments may be

in kind or cash

Bayutat House-hold expenses, especially royal karkhanas

Beg noble

Bidat innovations in matters of religion, heresy

Balahar—the lowest grade of the agricultural peasant

Banjara—a corn merchant

Barid—intelligence officer appointed by the state to collect information

Cartaz a permit given by the Portuguese to traders.

Chachar land out of cultivation for 3-4 years

Cha'uth or chauthai one-fourth of the land-revenue, Orignally a zamindari charge in Gujarat, demanded

by Shivaji as war expense.

Chetti, Chettiar merchant caste of South India

Charai—a tax on cattle

Chatr—royal umbrella

Dadni giving of advances (dadan) to artisans by merchants

Dagh System of branding of horses and animals

Dahsala Revenue settlement based on assessment of ten (dah) years revenue

Dalai, Dallal Broker

Dam A copper coin, considered 1/40* of a silver rupee for official purposes

Darogha a minor officer in charge of a local office

Dar-ul-harb Land not owing allegiance to Muslim rule, enemy land

Dastur rule, assessment circle

Dastur-al-amal Rule book

Dhimmi A non-Muslim client or subject

Diwan chief financial minister, a department, a book of verses

Doab land between the Jumna and the Ganges

Du-aspa sih-aspa A technical term meaning twice the number of sawars entertained otherwise

Dagh—mark of branding

Dallals—brokers

Darogha—a minor officer in charge of a local office

Darul Adl—the market of Delhi or cloth and other commodities; literally, place of justice

Darul Mulk—capital

Doab—land between the Jumna and the Ganges

Farman a royal order

Farr-i-izadi Divine Light communicated to ideal rulers

Gazz-i-Sikandari—the yard of Sultan Sikandar Lodi

Gumashta—agent or representative

Gajnal A swivel gun born by an elephant (gaj)

Garhi A hill fort, mud fort made of thick clay

Ghalla-bakshi One mode of batai (q.v.)

Gharib Foreigners (in the Deccan)

Ghazi A hero, a soldier fighting against infidels

Ghusal-Khana Private audience hall near the bathroom

Gumashta agent or representative

Gunj; ganj Mart

Habshi Abyssinian, East African

Hadis acts or words of the Arabian prophet

Hakim A governor, a commander

Hakim A physician, a sage

Hammam Room for Bath of hot and cold water

Haram Forbidden

Harmandir The Sikh golden Temple at Amritsar.

Hasil Actual realization (of land revenue)

Hun A gold coin

Hundi bill of exchange

Ijara revenue-farming

Ijaradar farmer of any item of public revenue, mainly land

Imam supreme commander, leader; also the person leading the congregation Muslim prayers

Inam gift; benefaction; land held free of revenue or at low rates of revenue

Jagir income from a piece of land assigned to officers by the ruler

Jagirdar holder of a jagir

Jama total sum; total land revenue levied from an estate or division of country

Jamabandi settlement of the amount of revenue assessed upon an estate, village or district.

Jama-dami Assessed income in terms of dams

Jama-i-kamil Maximum assessment

Jamiat A military following

Jarib A measurement, land measurement or survey

Jharoka darshan Showing of the Emperor to the Public from the Palace

Jihad holy war

Jihat Extra cesses

Jizya has two meanings: (a) in the literature of the Delhi Sultanat, any tax which is not kharaj or land tax;

(b) in the shari'at, a personal and yearly tax on non-Muslims

Junglah Horses of mixed breed

Kafir non-Muslim (literally, one who is ngrateful to God)

Kankut Estimation of land revenue

Karinda Agent

Karkhanas royal factories or enterprises for producing or collecting commodities required by the state

Karori A revenue official

Khalifa Caliph, Commander of the Faithful, or successor of a sufi

Khalisa land land held and managed directly by the state

Khalsa The Sikh order set up by Guru Govind

Khanazad One born in the house, old (Turkish) employees

Khanqahs a house of mystics but more commodious than the jama'at khana

Kharif winter crop

Khil'at robe of honour

Khilafat Caliphate; commander of the faithful

Khiraj, kharaj tax; especially land revenue

Khud-kasht Owner of land who cultivates with his own ploughs and bullock and some hired labour,

resident cultivator

Kufr Disbelief

Kulkarni village accountant

Kunbi caste of cultivators in Maharashtra

Liwan Ante chamber

Madad- i-ma'ash assignment of revenue by the government for the support of learned or religious

persons, or benevolent institutions.

Madrasa an educational institution

Mahajan merchant, banker

Mahal a group of lands regarded as a unit for land revenue purposes

Mahawara-un-Nahart Transoxiana

Mahzar A declaration signed by ulama

Malik Owner

Malikana special allowance assigned to zamindar or landowner

Malikut-Tujjar literally, chief of merchants; a title given to one of the highest officer of the state

Mansab military rank conferred by the Mughal Government

Mansabdar holder of a mansab

Mapillah Muslim community in Kerala

Math Monastery

Mauza revenue term for a village

Mihrab High alter from which the priest prays.

Miras hereditary right

Mirasdar holder of miras lands

Mokasa Grant of land for military service, rent-free land.

Muhtasib an officer appointed to maintain regulations in a municipality

Mujannas Mixed breed of Arabi and Iraqi horses.

Mujtahid One entitled to interpret holy laws

Mulhid A heretic, one who renounces the faith.

Mullahs persons claiming to be religious leaders of the Musalmans

Muqaddam village headman; literally the first or senior man

Murid Disciple

Mustaufi An auditor of accounts specially of those collecting land revenue.

Mutasaddi A writer, a clerk

Nabud Remission of land revenue on account of natural disasters.

Nabuwat Prophethood

Naib deputy, assistant, agent, representative

Na-Khuda Commander or captain of a ship

Narnal Swivel gun carried by men

Nasaq A mode of assessment

Naukar, Nokar Servant, term used by Timurid rulers for their nobles

Nawab viceroy, governor; title of rank

Nazrana gift, usually from inferior to superior; forced contribution

Nilgai A kind of deer

Pahar One-eigth of a day i.e. three hours

Pahi A non-resident cultivator, temporary cultivator

Paibaqi Land reserved for allotment in jagir

Paibos kissing the feet, a ceremony generally reserved for God

Patar mistress, kept woman, common law wife.

Patel village headman

Patta document given by collector of revenue to the revenue payer stating terms on which the land is

held and the amount payable

Patwari village accountant

Peshkar Agent, manager of finances

Peshkash Tribute from subordinate rulers

Polaj Land constantly in cultivation

Qasba small town

Rabi the winter crop

Rahdari Protection money paid by travelers

Rai a Hindu chief, usually one having his own territory and army

Raiyat Subjects, payers of land-revenue

Raiyati Areas without a zamindar, or where cultivation of land-revenue was easy, productive.

Ray A schedule

Rekh Assessed land revenue in Rajasthan

Riyayati Sections assessed at a concessional rate

Sair, sayer taxes other than land revenue; transit duties

Sama music, some time accompanied by dance for the mystics

Saranjam Lane allotted in lieu of military service

Sardeshmukhi One-tenth of the assessed income

Sarrafs money-changers, bankers

Sayurghal Rent-free land

Shahbandar Official in charge of a port

Shariat Muslim religious law

Shroff banker and moneylender; moneychanger

Sijdah Prostration, theoretically before God

Sufis Mystics

Tappa small estate or a group of villages

Taqavi Advance of money for sowing or extend ing cultivation.

Taqlid Religious show without real piety, hypocricy

Tasawwuf Mysticism

Tauhid unity of God

Upari temporary occupant; tenant-at-will

Usar barren land

Vatan, watan hereditary lands

Wahdat-al-Wajud Unity of God and the beings

Wajh money, salary

Wajhdar a salaried officer

Wali governor, guardian

Wali Successor

Wali-ahad heir-presumptive

Wazir-i-mutlnq wazir with full powers, who could administer without interference by the king

Yassa Regulations or code book of Chingiz

Zabtjzabti System of assessment based on measurement

Zawabit Secular laws

Zimmi, dhintmi protected non-Muslim

Zor-talab Areas of turbulence often held by powerful zamindars.

Hadis—acts or words of the Arabian Prophet

Imam—supreme commander, leader; also the person leading the congregational Muslim prayers

Inam—gift; reward

Iqta—a governorship; or grant of revenues of a piece of land

Iqtadar—governor or a person in whose charge an iqta has been placed

Jagir—a piece of land assigned to a government officer by the state

Jama'at' Khana—a house of mystics

jitals—Copper coins of the Delhi sultanat

Jizya—has two meanings: (a) in the literature of the Delhi sultanat, any tax which is not kharaj or land

tax; (b) in the shari'at: a personal and yearly tax on non-Muslims

Kafir—non-Muslim (literally, one who is ungrateful to God)

Karkhanas—royal factories or enterprises for producing or collecting commodities required by the state

Khalifa—Caliph, Commander of the Faithful, or successor of a sufi

Khalisa—income which went directly went to the king

Khanqahs—a house of mystics but more commoditous than the jama'at khana

Kharif—a winter crop in India

Khil'at—robe of honour

Khilafat—caliphate; commander of the faithful

Kharaj—land revenue; also tribute paid by a subordinate ruler

Khuts—class of village headmen

Kufr—disbelief

Madad-i-Maash—grant of land or pension to religious or deserving persons

Madrasa—an educational institution

Malikut-Tujjar—literally, chief of merchants; a title given to one of the highest officers of the state

Mameluks—slave-officers

Mohalla—a section or part of a town; quarter of a city

Muhtasib—an officer appointed to maintain regulations in a municipality

Mullahs—persons claiming to be religious leaders of the Musalmans

Muqaddam—village headman; literally the first or senior man

Mushrif-i-mamalik—accountant for all provinces

Naib—deputy, assistant, agent, representative

Nawisandas—clerks

Nabuwat—prophethood

Paibos—kissing the feet, a ceremony generally reserved for God

Pir—spiritual guide

Qalandars—a class of Muslim mendicants, generally uneducated, who did not believe in private

property and wandered about from place to place and lived by persistent begging

Qasbas—towns

Qazi—a Muslim judge

Rabi'—the winter crop in India, as opposed to the kharif or rainy season crop

Rai—a Hindu chief, usually one having his own territory and army

Rai Rayan—the Rai of Rais; the title given by Alauddin Khalji to Rama Deo of Deogir

Ra'iyyat—subjects

Sadah—literally, one hundred; the term sadah amirs meant officers controlling territory containing

about a hundred villages

Sadr-i jahan—title of the central officer of the Delhi sultanat, who was in charge of religious and

charitable endowments

Sama—an audition party of the mystics

Sarrafs—money-changers, bankers

Sarai—inn

Sarai-Adl—name given to Alauddin Khalji's market in Delhi for the sale of cloth and other specified

commodities

Shahr—city, used for the capital, Delhi

Shari'at—Muslim religious law

Shiqdar—an officer-in-charge of an area of land described as a shiq

Shuhna—head of the police, mayor, provost

Shuhna-i mandi—officer-in-charge of the grain-market

Sufis—mystics

Tanka—silver coin of the Delhi sultanat

Tauhid—unity of God

Ulema—Muslims of religious learning; plural of alim

Umara—Plural of amir; amir means ruler or commander

Usar—saline land

Wajh—money, salary

Wajhdar—a salaried officer

Wali—governor

Wali-'ahad—heir-presumptive

Wazir-i mutlaq—wazir with full powers, who could administer without interference by the king

Zawabits—state laws

Zimmis—protected non-Muslims