History of Postal Communications in India
by Sangeeta Deogawanka
Part 8 – MEDIEVAL INDIA (1030 – 1757 AD)
Structure of the postal systems in Mughal period The medieval period, was dependant on natural factors and human resources, for its communication modes. There does not seem to exist however, a complete picture, of the routes during this period. One has to largely depend upon accounts of travelers and normative texts, or autobiographical narratives like the Baburnama, drawing conclusions from movements of army, centers of trading activity and location of fords and bridges.
Despite the presence of river traffic, chiefly used for transit of heavy materials, there is no known record of their being used for any communication or postal purpose. However, the many rivers and major harbors provided an excellent waterway for trade and commerce. Thus riverain towns developed as centers of trading activity, like Daybal, Thathah, Attock, Ludhiana, Lahore and Delhi. These assume importance in postal history studies, as the routes of communication eventually linked these centers of trade.
The postal system functioned at intervals of few kos. Most roads were turnpike roads, evident from the levies realized from merchants and travelers. Serais were built at convenient points, and were a boon to travelers and postal couriers, as written in the paeans contained in the chronicles of that period.
The Mughal rulers ruled over great distances, with the aid of super-efficient runners and courier news agencies. This enabled them to keep a constant watch over wide distances. The question which plagued the author, “were the conveyance of mails and military intelligence network operations mutually exhaustive?” during the period of Sher Shah Suri, remains no longer a mystery in the context of Mughal administration. The two operated separately, though under the command centre of Darogah-i-Dak Chawki, and supervision of the Darogah overseeing the operations at grass-root levels. The job description and control area of postal officers also evolved in new avatars, and shall be dealt separately for each Mughal emperor, highlighting the semantical shift in the terms.
This was also the period, which saw the serious evolution of the language of Urdu or Lashkar Bhasha or Hindusthani, as a means of communication, for administrative and trading purpose.
An innovation of the Mughals was the mansabdar system, started by Babar in an originally crude form. Perhaps this paved the way towards the concept of land revenue administration and village community during the Mughal period, which eventually gave shape to the Ta-Aluqdari system in Awadh during the 18th century.
ZAHIRUDDIN MOHAMMED BABUR (1526-1530)
Babur further developed the speed and efficiency of the horse courier system along the north-western route of Kabul-Agra to serve the postal and army link with his capital at Agra, in 1527. This was used for both military purpose and the traders that abounded on that route.
Babur’s contribution to road management can be established with his construction of Char-dwaris, which served more like watch-towers, ensuring safety along the routes. We also find mention herein, how he appointed officers to measure the road from Agra to Kabul to erect a tower 12 qaris (yards) high with “a Char-dari on top”, at every 9th Kuroh. At distances of 18th Kuroh, a yamb, a Dak Chauki and 6 post-horses were kept fastened, and arrangement was made for payment of post-masters and grooms, as well as for the horse-corn. The order was that “If the place where the horses are fastened up, be near a crown-domain, let those there provide for the matters mentioned, if not, let the cost be charged in the beg in whose pargana the post-house may be”.¹
Babar seemed to have continued with the postal reforms started by Sher Shah, albeit, integrating the Departments of Post and Intelligence, under the aegis of Darogah-i-Dak Chawki. This postal system followed throughout the empire, with a large number of postal officers under the Darogah-i-Dak-Chawki, was called Diwan-i-Insa. The chief Darogah, or postmaster juggled his duties, acting as overseer of postal conduit points, ensuring steady supply of dak runners, couriers and jasus, coordinating the news gathering from far-flung provinces and the functions of the two post-house clerks called tariq-navis.
Intelligence gathering played an important role in the military administration of the Mughals. So it is obvious that news reporters were treated as officers, complying with the same rules as that of military officers. These news couriers too, were each given the military rank of mansab, and assigned a horse, for optimum performance.
Though the Mansabdar system may have been started by the founder of Mughal rule, Babur, the same was further developed into an efficient multi-level functional system by Akbar. Herein, the ruler would confer portion of land to a Mansabdar, on condition that he would supply soldiers as required or additional forces of men during war-time, against the revenue earned by him from the said land. Greater the size of the land granted, greater was the number of soldiers committed by the Mansabdar.
Mail of the Mughal ruler and those of the military, administration and commerce, were carried by runners and mounted couriers. During times of emergency, the messages were borne by carriages drawn by fast stallions. These were however used specially for conveying express news of the State. In deserts, camels were used, where they were trained to run at great speeds
The obsession of the Mughals for speed, is evident from the fact that these couriers, mostly Mewras, depended upon opium to help them complete their journey on time. Reward or remuneration was payable only upon delivery of the letter.
A postal runner began his journey with a written permit, (signed and sealed) by the Darogah-I-Dak-Chawki, which made it obligatory for the respective Darogah and Faujdar, to provide safe journey through their areas of supervision. The return journey permit was sanctioned by the Sawanih-navis. All of these men, serving the postal and news-gathering needs of the emperor’s domain, were on the State payroll even though many were stationed at the roadside serais.
The letters handled by the Department included the farmans or royal orders, with the Mir Munshi serving as the Secretary for processing the same. It maybe noted that during the period of Sher Shah’s administration, the role of the Mir Munshi, was more of a Head Clerk, whereas herein assumed more powers as of a Chief Secretary.
Royal mail was transported to the districts, wherefrom the reports and local news were in return communicated to the centre. At the seat of the postal administration in the capital of the kingdom, the Darogah-i-Dak-Chawki conveyed the royal mail received from various provinces to the Mir Bakshi (secretary) for the knowledge of the emperor. The Mir Bakshi dealt with all mail except for those personally addressed, and summarized them for perusal and comments of the emperor.
NASIRUDDIN MOHAMMED HUMAYUN (1530-40,55-56)
The same postal system continued in the time of Humayun, with no significant changes.
¹Babar-Nama, translated by A. S. Beveridge, pg 629
Notes:
KUROH – 1 ½ - 2 MILES
YAMB – Post-House of the ‘Yamb’ messenger system
KOS – mile
DAROGAH-I-DAK-CHAWKI – Chief of Postal Department
JASUS / KHUFIA-NAVIS – spy
TARIQ NAVIS – Clerk, posted at the post-house or saras, who coordinated the receipt and despatch of post and movement of the postal couriers
MANSAB – A rank in the Mughal army based on the number of horsemen the officer was supposed to bring into the field. Mansabdars, the holders of the rank, were graded from those responsible for ten horses up to those who were responsible for ten thousand.
FAUJDAR. – In the early period, the word was applied to a military officer, but under the Mughals, it meant the head of a district. Later it was used for a police official.
SAWANIH-NAVIS – Person entrusted with collation of news
SERAIS – inns cum post-houses
FARMAN – A Mughal constitutional term meaning an irrevocable royal decree issued by the emperor. Some established processes were always followed while issuing an imperial farman. It was promulgated either in response to an application made by a subject to the emperor or as a royal policy decision.
MIR MUNSHI – Secretary, issuing the royal decree, upon completion of the formalities
MIR BAKHSHI – Head of the military department, holding rank of imperial minister.
References:
Tarikh-i-Sher-Shahi by Abbas Khan Sherwani,translated in vol.4 of Elliot & Dawson’s History of India as told by its own Historians
Mughal Administration by JaduNath Sarkar
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/ikram/glossary.html Copyright © 2008, Sangeeta Deogawanka, Kolkata Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 & 7 | Part 8 | Part 09 | Part 10 |
Sangeeta Deogawanka is a freelance writer, author and researcher. Her writing interests are quite eclectic, ranging from environment, health, and travel to humour and the off-beat. Whenever she is not working on her philatelic research, she indulges in writing blogs at http://www.4indianwoman.com/ and some other niche blogging sites. Some of her best blogs have featured in http://technorati.com/. She has also made a foray into Science Fiction with her first futuristic novella published online. A parenting writer, she has earlier served as Parenting Expert on www.allexpert.com.. She can be reached at s_deogawanka@yahoo.co.in
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