KHADIMS

"ROYAL FRAMEEN"

Mughal Documents:"Documents of offerings made to khuddam"

2nd Shaban, A H 1084/12 November 1673- 20 biga of land were given to Saiyed Dan, the wakil of teh donor, to finance his khanqab.

Ist Shaban, A H 1087/9 October 1676 A khadim, named Habullah, establishes that he the rightful recipient of a regular gift to the dargah from money raised by a levy on every cart-laod of copper in the kotri of Darabachinpur in the sarkar of Chittor. It is for the exclusive use of Syed Habullah, who is instructed to busy himself in praying for the well-being and longevity of the Emperor.

A H 1094/1682-3- Raja Amorda Singh of Bundi bestows the village of Chanigapur on his wakil, Syed Jafar.

2nd Regnal Year of Farukh Siyar (1714) - Muhammad Murad is the wakil of Jafar Khan Nasiri and has received an elephant, a horse, and some gold trinkets from him. These were offerings to the dargah made through his wakil

Jamada I1 7th Regnal Year of Farukh Siyar (1719) - Muhammad Namdar Khan and Qalandar Ali Khan, both jagirdars, grant 15 biga of land from the area of Chandina to Syed Jahangir and his sons, Syed Raj, Muhammad and Syed Ghulam Murtaza.

3rd Jumada I, 3rd Regnal year of Mubammad Shah (1 April 1721)- Azim Khan, jagirdar of Ajmer, gives 700 rupees as an offering to the shrine of his wakil, Syed Sharifullah, son of Syed Habibullah.

19th Rajab, 8th egnal Year of Muhammad Shah(23 March 1726)- A letter from a devotee to his wakil enclosing a gift of Rs. 96 in return for which he expects prayers to be said from him in the dargah on his behalf and some tabarruk to be sent to him.

3rd Shawwal, 9th Regnal Year of Muhammad Shab (24 May 1727) - Azim Khan sends Rs. 3000 to his wakil, Syed Sharifullah.

Reign of 'Alamgir II (1754-9) - Maharaja Sawa'i Madhu Singh writes to his wakil, Syed Masud. The Maharaja acknowledges receipt of some tabarruk and sends a money offering in return. He expresses a wish that his wakil will continue to pray for him at the shrine.

Reign of ShabAlam II, AH 1173/1759-60 - Another letter from Maharaja Sawai Madhu Singh to his wakil, Syed Masud, thanking him for some more tabarruk that he has received and sending in return some money as an offering for the shrine.

13th Shawwal, AH 1177/ 14 April 1764 - A document from the Court of Manh Singh, Maharaja of the State of Kishengarh, in answer to an appeal from his wakils, Syed Rajab 'Ali and Muhammad 'Ali, son of Rahmatullah, son of 'Inayatullah. The wakils claimed that a former Maharaja of Kishengarh had bestowed 129 biga of land on their grandfather, 'Inayatullah, but that their family had subsequently lost the original sanad which legitimized the bequest and wanted another copy. Their claim was accepted by Manh Singh who issued another document granting the same land to their family in peretuity on condition that they continued to pray for the well-being ofthe Maharajas of Kishengarh at the shrine.

2nd Safar, AH 1204/22 October 1789 - Allah Bakhsh and Husain Bakhsh grant 10 biga their ladholding near Shahjahanabad, Rampur, to their wakil, Miyan Qalandar Bakhsh, son of Syed Taj Muhammad.

Reign of Akbar Shah II, AH 1231/1815-16 - The Nawab of Lohru grants Rs. 450 annually to his wakils, Syed Sadar Ali and Syed Bayatullah,'

26the Dbu al-Qa'da, AH 1230/29 October 1815 - Shah Muhammad Khwaja Bakhsh Ahmadi grants 5 biga of land from his holding in the Saharanpur district to his wakil, Miyan Qalandar Bakhsh. He mentions that the ancestors of Shaykh Qalandar Bakhsh have been the wakils of his family for many past generation.

15th Rabi'II, AH 1240/7 Deceber 1824 - The Nawab of Thonk, Bahadur Mir Khan, grants Rs. 100 per annum to his wakil, Mir Qazim 'Ali, son of Syed Muhammad Hayat.

26th Jumada II, AH/1251/19 October 1835 - The Nawab of Bahawalpur, Muhammad Khan Abhasi, gives one maun of sesamum oil to his wakil, Syed Kumar Ali Shah.

A H 967/8 February 1560- A previous grant of 20 biga of land including two wells, in favour of Shaykh Qutban 'Ali is confirmed.

AH 984/28 May 1576- Akbar grants 6890 biga to Shaykh Fathullah and his brothers. The land consisted of 4200 biga of cultivated land and 2690 biga of uncultivated wasteland. The revenue of 1000 biga of this land was to be assigned to the expenses of the 'urs, while the remainder was for the maintenance of the grantees.

AH 995/1586-7- Akbar grants 240 biga of land to a khadim named Shaykh Ismail.

AH 1023/1614-15 - Jahangir grants 400 biga to Syed Khubullah, Syed Karamullah, and Muhammad Raza.

AH/1026-30/1617-21 - Between these years several famans were issued, all of which were concerned with a prolonged controversy over Jahangir's grants of land to the khadim community, which, at that time, numbered 229. He bestowed a total of 27,310 biga on the khuddam. However, when Jahangir visited Ajmer, only 198 khuddam presented themselves to him at court. The 31 khuddam who failed to go to the imperial court had all their land (1866 biga) confiscated and the remaining 198 khuddam had their land grants reduced from a total of 25,450 biga to 5161 biga. (The discrepancy here of 6 biga can perhaps be explained by a clerical error.) The whole khadim community was far from satisfied by this treatment and followed Jahangir to Malwa and Mandu where he stayed for the next eight months. The khuddam continually petitioned the Emperor and eventually succeeded inobtaining a new set of farmans. These still did not benefit the thirty-one who had not presented themselves to Jahangir on his arrival at Ajmer, but half the original quota of land of the remaining khuddam was returned to them. (i.e., a total of 12,725 biga). All this land was situated in and around two villages, Bhir and Konkinawas, in the area surrounding ajmer.

4th Ramadan, AH 1020/10 November 1611 - A previous grant of 140 biga in favour of Shaykh Chandan.

A H/1024/1615-16 - Jahangir grants 36 biga of land to Hajji Muhammad.

A H 1024/1615-16 - 230 biga of land is redistributed in favour of Bibi Jan and other khadim widows.

23rd Jamada II, AH 1092/10 July 1618 - The Emperor Aurangzeb grants 30 biga of cultivated land to Shaykh Bayazid, who is said to be a very old man with no other source of income.

AH/1092/1681-2- 30 biga are granted in favour of Syed Ayyub.

4th Rabi II, AH 1092/7 - April 1681.30 biga are granted to Syed A'zam, son of Syed Sulaiman, who is said to be destitute with may dependants.

14th Rajab, AH 1094/9th July 1683 - 45 biga are granted to Syed Baqir Muhammad and colleagues (an unspecified number), all of whom were scholars of Islam and hand no other source of income.

Reign of Shab 'Alam Babadur Shah, 1707-12 - Syed Muhammad 'Aqil is granted 100 biga of land.

Reign of Shab 'Alam Bahadur Shab, 1707-12-Syed Muhammad Mumriz, son of Shaykh Nur Muhammad and his sons are granted 100 biga.

29th Rabi 'II, AH1126/14 May 1714 - The Emperor Farukh Siyar grants the village of Geegul, which had an annual revenue of Rs. 949, to all the khuddam.

27th Dhu' l-Hijja, AH 1137/5 September 1725 - 28,000 dam per annum, the revenue from the village of Banuri in the environs ofAjmer are granted to the khanqab run by Muhammad Saleh, khadim of the dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty.