Administration of Forta Aa It Aanaltttutad Ona of Tht Major Aapaota of Tha Atata
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X26 flhivttji paid WMh attention to th« administration of forta aa It aanaltttutad ona of tht major aapaota of tha atata. Aaatym rightljr ebaarraa that Shivaji oould areata a kingfton onljT baaanaa of farta* Tha 91 Qalaoi Baichar says, •4ti8t aa ahipa and boats ara atrangthanad vith nails of iron, ao bgr mana of forta and radoubta tha kingdom ia strangthanad and tha r/ota aafaguardad* Furthar it ia manticinad that 'tha 4 fortt ara for tha protaotion of land and paopla.* Ma oan gat tha<ivta of Shivajlta poliey towarda tha fortt In hia axoallant adminiatratlon of forta, m hia vorda quotad in 91 Q. Bakhar* *X hava an anaajr Ilka tha Bnvaror Aurangzab. Iff Ood forbU if, i ha dacida^ on (activa) hostility and apanda hia vhola lifo in varfara (vith at), tlw oonquast of thaaa forta wotOd ba bayond hia povar. In fnotf forta ara tha dafandanta ftnd guarc^iana of tha klngdoa and tha royal 4 povar. * iki 1664t aiirajl vrota a vary atrong lattar to tha otfiomra of tfat Eoparor* In thia lattar ha vritaa, (flgr how hara ia not lika tht tovna of Kalyani and Badar vhloh eouid ba aaally aaattnltad and takan* ^tr oottntry haa lefty bill- rangaa, two hundrad laa^gaa in langth and forty in braadth 127 ttnd if wXl prel«ot«d bj Bixty cirong fort* n«vly built... 1% iM my dtttj to guard mr imvA and I vill do it.* ffhjftf QfflftMi 9f ^ rait Aeoerdltei to Sabbatodf tho thr«e wjor offioora •t a fort uador AiiTaJi voro fiavmldirt Sabnla and Sarnobat, vhe lookad aftor tho military afid eiTil affair*. 8o alao hintt that tlitr should ba of aqual 7 3 •tatua. But it aaaaa tdat tha aamobat vas aubordiaata to tha Bavaldar* If a fort vaa of utnoat ii^>ortanea or if it poaaa^aad ilpitli rodoubta or *Miohia>, tha aamobat a vara appeintod aa aubordiaata* to tha Bavildar to look •ftar tha ailitArj affftir** For azaapla* thara vara thraa Sndopandaat aamobata for thraa ^ehia of Raj gad 9 fort. Raghuaath Pandit apaoica of Bavildar and ftarkhinis* but ha ia lilant about Sarnobat. SUMiaaad too asntiona l^rkt^nia aa an off ioar having tha portfolio of atoraga and ita aeoouat* ••atym In hia traatiaa (A4n?patra* • rmfwM to four nain offieials ria. Bavildlr, Sarndbatf Sibnla and xSMthanla.^ Uotvhare ha aantiona that if Ravildar of a fort pasaat ovajr vhila parforaing tha duty of tha 'SamobatiS hia aenrleea liiould not ba of farad to hia aon or^anj othar ralativa. go it nasr ba praaunad that tha poat of a aamobat vaa not proriiad to aaeh and 128 •¥«rr fort. laMlMA of mumebat, it ••«•• ttot tte ffttaarnobats mrt gmowfttlXj sppolnUd to look ftft«r * 13 ttat dofonoo of ruv^rts. Tho i^khinlf v«s un- doi»l»t»<Sly ft r«tpoRSibl« off Ifior ftoA firots ttit i»ao« rsndtuB drawn 19 in tte first yoar of ttit oorcnatlon •ra. It apptars tiiattha fSrHfaiiila too •njoTWl an aqual aUtua of tha Ravildir and tlia Sanbla. It flaijr 1aa» tbarafera, oeneladad tliat tba thraa oajor official a at tha fort war* tiia lavildar* ttia ^bnla and tha KSrlshinla. All tiiaaa thraa off ioara vara raaponalbla for tha adalniatratiim of fort and no aingla offloar waa able 16 to aarraniar tha fort to any rabal w siaareant* In thia aamtr* aeeording to aibhaaad* a now a/stan vaa Id introduBOd (bj ShivaJD* Bat it la oftan argtiad thut thia was not a nav aiaaant that ahivaji Introduead in the fort adaiai* atratlon* Bvan Ifttalin nalara iaplaoantad thia nethod. RoweYert it nuat ba adaittad that ailvajl alona realiaad tha liiq;»ortanea of hill forta in tha ayatan of hia atata^ and paid otieh attantion to ita organiaation. Prior to aiivaji tha Babaflmni nilera did not pay asrlfiua attantion to tha organiaatlon of hill forta. On tha contrary thay allovad tha local Watandara to look aftar tha adainiatration ao far aa tha Juriadictlon nndar thair reapaotiva forta ymrs conccrnad* theaa local WaUn^^ara oftan usad to pay tlM r«tp«etlTe diMt and soiwtliMt tritd to b«tMiv« lnd«p«iid«ittl/« TowaMt %ht tnd of the f afteonth oonturrt tho Bahifl»iii KjUifdOB K»« porcoIUd out into f lv« Mparatt branohtt* Tht local Hatandarf alasod this opportunity and trlod to aatablish thalr mxpvmQy tn thair ratpootito jurladictiona* It laay ba notad hara that tba hill forttf partlmilarly in tha Wastam Ohatflf ^9rm la tha handi of the Nbratbt Captalna, Thoat Maratha ohiafa vara practically indopandant or rathar aonixkall/ dapandant v^on tha Mxaiai rulart* It la iataraatiAg to nota hov flhlTaji aiqploltad thia looaa adnlnlatratlon of hill fort a UBdor Naalia rulara. SA hla aarliar aetl7ltiaa« ha aaourad tha fort ChaKaa^fro* Flrangil If&raaala, tha Mughal offloial of tha fortf eonfirnlnf hla in hla orlfinal poat vhan ha aasurad to aerro for/^la) ^araj, Tha fort Ko)fdm|fi waa also capturod by IS Shiva J If probably in 1847« by mana of jiatriguaa t^ 19 through T)«ahpanda of KhadbSra* B« also capturad tha fort Purandar in 1648 by uaing tha saoa SO diploaatlo taotiet* fhaa flhlvajl aaourad aueh la^ortant forta lUca Kondaaa« Purandar and Chi (can only bocauaa of the lack of adalnlatratloa of fort a prevailing imr'ar tha MiallB rtaa« Aa ahraifd and 130 and far-algbttd lit ¥ftf« Shiva J i did not allow any roon for loopholaa ia hit fort/adminittration for which ht prtferrtd not ont but thrtt officers of tqual ttatut» who wtrt eonjolntir rttpontiblt for ciTii and military affalrt, and who would aot in vniton. Bt wat aware of tha fact that loft of a fort waaktnt the ttata powar* Ho oould eaptnra forts in tueoettion from tha idllihahl klnfdoiB bacauaa of tha fflitmanagaoitnt and general indiffer- ance ^own hy tha rulers. Ha had raalited the faot that it Wat not enough to oapture a fort, but to detain it, thlB rtquirad tound adutinittration. Shivaji» therefore, did not tpar« aaiy pains in intrdduelng a touad tystem of admin ittr at ion of fortt* ThrM 9Cf tetrff At we have already teen that there were three major offioert of equal ttatus at •yry fort. They were holding speoial departments and respontibilitiet. Among them the Hataldar wat tha head of the ^iton within tha fort. As he possessed his own teal he wat called • Modradhil^rl* Re vat holding the charge not only of fort i^ana but alto of the tphera of influence or turrounding area of tha fort 22 (Qhera) conaitting of Tillaget and open fieldt. He vat authorited to attablith a *Meta* (Watch post) is hit power. In eMrgenoy, if required« he vat allowed to ittua ^tht^ orders 23 for vacating any village under the juriediction of fort. 131 If a fort vat of utaost liqportanca, a number of H*valdar« vara appointed* In auoh caaa tha chief Havaldar vaa oalled *Jarbavaldar •• At Purandar fortK&ndaji Bhole vaa aarharaldar in 1637, The Satmla vas the auperintendent of accounta and In charge of ths tauater roll* The itarkhanis 26 vaa the chief officer of cooaltaarlat. Qualificationa i Caste or Mtrit ? According to Sabtasad, « Tha Haral^ar and the Samobat ahoiad be M^rathaa of noble families, the Sabnla ahoxild be Brahootn. vhlle the Karkhanls 27 : should be Prabhu* Chltnla and other chronicles 28 support aabbaaad in this reapect. Fryer tells us that int^o t^ place a of • Truat and Authority • he (ShiYaJl) puts only * Brahaina * (Brahnanaa) 29 or their aubstltutea, Tla.f * pundita «(Prabhu)« Amatya alao recommends that the Havaldar and the Samobat ahould be noble Marathas vho are loyal« 30 hard working but not corrupt and aluggiah. According to hln the Sabnls and the l^rkhinla are the clerks appointed by the rulera. They are also responsible officials as the Havaldar and 31 the Samobat* But Amatya is silent about their caste a* About this management Dr*S.N*Sen observes, > Shivaji had clearly laid down that the three 132 32 officers oust b« ditalBllar In caste i. But this view la not vhoUr ftceeptable. Shivajl and hia auccasaora vara not partlfiiaar about caste a while appointing their offioiaia. Trimbak Bhaskar, a Brahaan, vaa aakad by Shlraji in looking after the fort Panhali, Wa alao know that the Haraldar of Puran-^ar fort during the tlaa of Jal Singh* s 34 aiege was Marar Baji Deshpande, a Prabhu. Narhari Frndra, a BrahGaany was appointed by Sblvaji at the HaTaldar of the forta Tia. Sajra and Qojara which we.T'e fortified by hia during his Karnatak expedition* Abaj 1 yiahvanath Prabhu was the HaviTldar of Torana 36 in the year 1694. It awaa that Shivaj i and hia auceeaaora might have laid down this rule for attracting the people of particular geniua. Traditionally the Marathaa were the beat warrior a, while Brahamana and prabhua were adept in the art of writing and keeping accounta* Appointaant Flrat preference was given to fserit while employing the officlala* Amatya say a that the Havaldar and the 8arnobat ahould be appointed if they are loyalf hard-workingi non-oovetous and wakeful• They ahould be able to extract the royal work ( from the aubordlnatea). They ahould consider 133 that th« fort is the doarest traasure antrusted to tham by their aastars. and ao It ahould not b« sirran* • 37 , darad as Icmg aa thay ara aliva. In • Budhabhuaanam*, IS la nsntlonad that tha QaTaldar ahould ba unyialdlng A nattura* Ha oust ba brava. a man of famllyi nobla and 38 daTotad to his dutiaa. Sabhaaad hints that the HaTaldar and samobat ahoiild ba appointed, If anybody of royal 39 peraonal ataff agreea to stand surety for them.