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{{Short description|Records of the Sikh Empire}}
[[File:Khalsa Darbar record of the Sikh Empire's Lahore Darbar, concerning various members of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's court, ca.1827–34 01.jpg|thumb|Khalsa Darbar record of the Sikh Empire's Lahore Darbar, concerning various members of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's court, ca.1827–34]]
{{Sikh literature}}
'''Khalsa Darbar records''', also known as '''Lahore Darbar records''', refers to the official government documents produced by the [[Sikh Empire]]'s administration in India and Pakistan (which was referred to as the ''Khalsa Darbar'' or ''Lahore Darbar'').<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Murphy |first=Anne |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198081685.003.0006 |title=Religious Interactions in Modern India |date=March 2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198081685 |editor-last=Fuchs |editor-first=Martin |pages=165–187 |chapter=6: Configuring Community in Colonial and Precolonial Imaginaries: Insights from the Khalsa Darbar Records |editor-last2=Dalmia |editor-first2=Vasudha}}</ref><ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Jawad |first=Khizar |date=18 October 2018 |editor-last=Chatterjee |editor-first=Nandini |title=Work With Forms of Law in the Persian World Project |url=https://lawforms.hypotheses.org/239 |access-date=18 August 2024 |website=Lawforms |language=en, ur |doi=10.58079/qqvh}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Archives Wing - Attached Sections |url=https://www.punjab.gov.pk/s_and_gad_aw_attached_sections |access-date=26 August 2024 |website=Government of the Punjab (Pakistan)}}</ref> The records cover various aspects of the state, such as civil, military, and revenue administration.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Hasrat |first=B. J. |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University |year=2011 |isbn=8173802041 |editor-last=Singh |editor-first=Harbans |edition=3rd |volume=2: E–L |location=Patiala |pages=477–78}}</ref>

== Dating ==
[[File:Detail of court chroniclers scribing down Khalsa Darbar records, from a painting of the royal court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, by Bishan Singh, ca.1863–64.jpg|thumb|Detail of a painting of the royal court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, by [[Bishan Singh (artist)|Bishan Singh]], ca.1863–64. Court chroniclers can be viewed scribing down Khalsa Darbar records.]]
The extant records covers the years 1811–1849 (Samvat 1868 to [[Chet (month)|Chet]] 1906 [[Vikram Samvat|B.S.]]), covering a period of 38 years, though the Pakistani government claims to possess records dating earlier to 1804.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":10" />

== Classification ==
Much of the extant Khalsa Darbar records relate to the economic/financial management system of the Sikh Empire.<ref name=":03" /> The economic-related records can be divided into four categories.<ref name=":03" /> Some of the records relate to correspondences and treaties between the [[East India Company|British East India Company]] and the Sikh Empire.<ref name=":12" />

=== Daftar-i-Fauj ===
[[File:Khalsa Darbar record of the Sikh Empire's Lahore Darbar, concerning Sikh victories in Kashmir, Skardu, Peshawar, Kabul and against the Baloch, each folio bearing the seal of Ali Muhammad, ca.1843–44 08.jpg|thumb|Khalsa Darbar record concerning Sikh victories in Kashmir, Skardu, Peshawar, Kabul and against the Baloch, each folio bearing the seal of Ali Muhammad, ca.1843–44]]
The ''Daftar-i-Fauj'' records relate to the army.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":2" /> This category of records consists of pay-rolls of the cavalry, infantry, and artillery of the Sikh Empire's military forces, from which information can be deduced about the composition and strength of it.<ref name=":2" /> Even the salaries of blacksmiths and [[Beldar|beldars]] attached to the military are noted in the records.<ref name=":2" /> Conclusions can also be made about the caste-background of the military and the dominance of various castes.<ref name=":2" /> For example, until 1813 the military was mainly composed of Hindustanis, Gurkhas, and Afghans, with Jat Sikhs being a smaller element.<ref name=":2" /> After 1818, Punjabi Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims became predominant in the Sikh Empire's military.<ref name=":2" /> It is important to note that membership of the Sikh military was not restricted to any particular caste or class.<ref name=":2" /> The records also reveal the names generals, colonels, and commandants of the Sikh military forces.<ref name=":2" /> The records reveal that in 1811, the Sikh Empire's military consisted of 2,852 infantry and 1,209 artillery.<ref name=":2" /> By 1845, these figures had risen to 70,721 total, with 53, 962 infantry, 6,235 cavalry and 10,524 artillery.<ref name=":2" /> The infantry and cavalry was 60 percent composed of Sikhs, 20 percent Muslims, and 20 percent Hindu.<ref name=":2" /> The artillery regiments were dominated by Muslims, with some being commanded by European officers.<ref name=":2" /> The total military expenditure amounted to 12,796,482 rupees, which was around a third of the annual revenue of the empire.<ref name=":2" /> The records note the date of transfers from one military unit to another, and removals by death, desertion, or dismissal.<ref name=":2" /> The pay-roll records and the ''jama' kharch'' (income and expenditure) records reveal the expenditures for the three branches of the military but also notes the income from rents of shops in regimental bazaars, revenue earned from selling the property of men dying without heirs, and a return of the ''in'ams'' or awards bestowed upon infantry officers on the occasions of [[Vijayadashami|Dussehra]] and [[Diwali]].<ref name=":2" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+Salaries for positions within the Sikh Empire's military based upon the Khalsa Darbar records<ref name=":2" />
!Position
!Monthly salary range (in rupees)
|-
|Commandant
|60–150 rupees
|-
|Adjutant
|30–60 rupees
|-
|Major
|21–25 rupees
|-
|[[Subedar]]
|20–30 rupees
|-
|[[Jemadar]]
|15–22 rupees
|-
|[[Havildar]]
|13–15 rupees
|-
|[[Naik (military rank)|Naik]]
|10–12 rupees
|-
|Sergeant
|8–12 rupees
|-
|[[Sepoy]]
|7–8 rupees
|}

=== Daftar-i-Mal ===
[[File:Khalsa Darbar record of the Sikh Empire, concerning payments issued by Maharaja Sher Singh.webp|thumb|Khalsa Darbar record of the Sikh Empire, concerning payments issued by [[Sher Singh|Maharaja Sher Singh]]]]
The ''Daftar-i-Mal'' records relate to the revenue department.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":2" /> They can be further subdivided into three sub-categories:<ref name=":2" />

* ''Awarja'' – receipts and disbursements<ref name=":2" />
* ''Tauzihat'' – adjustments<ref name=":2" />
* ''Roznamcha'' – the day-book of disbursements<ref name=":2" />

The Sikh system of collecting revenue and maintaining accounts was well-developed, including the royal expenditures.<ref name=":2" /> From these records, information can be obtained regarding the reorganization of administrative sub-divisions of the polity, namely the ''[[Taluqa|taluqas]]'', detailing the districts and their subdivisions.<ref name=":2" /> Within each taluqa of the Sikh Empire, a general summary settlement was produced, recording the total area of cultivable land and the liabilities and rights of the landlords over the paying tenants.<ref name=":2" /> The names of the ''kardars'' (governors) of the administrative divisions are noted, as well as the per annum state revenue from various sources.<ref name=":2" />

=== Daftar-i-Toshakhana ===
The ''Daftar-i-Toshakhana'' records relate to the royal wardrobe and the maharajas' [[Privy Purse|privy purse]].<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":2" /> Inventories of confiscated properties and treasures are recorded in them.<ref name=":2" /> Corrupt officials had their immorally obtained wealth taken away from them.<ref name=":2" />

=== Jagirat ===
The ''Jagirat'' records relate to the ''[[jagir]]s''<nowiki/>' accounts.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":2" /> Jagirs of various kinds were bestowed upon or assigned to civil and military officers but also religious figures and shrines.<ref name=":2" /> Many of the extant Khalsa Darbar records are in the form of ''dharmarth'' (charity) grants.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Banga |first=Indu |title=Agrarian System of the Sikhs: Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century |date=20 August 2023 |publisher=Manohar Publishers and Distributors |isbn=9789388540193 |edition=Reprint |pages=69, 148}}</ref>

== Language ==
[[File:Detail of a stamp mark made by a Gurmukhi seal, from a folio of a Khalsa Darbar record of the Sikh Empire..jpg|thumb|Detail of a stamp mark made by a Gurmukhi seal, from a folio of a Khalsa Darbar record of the Sikh Empire]]
The Khalsa Darbar records were written in [[Persian language|Persian]] (Farsi).<ref name=":03" /> The fact they were [[Persian language in the Indian subcontinent|written in Persian]] makes them difficult to decipher in the present-age.<ref name=":03" /> An additional difficulty is that they were written in a form of Persian fast-running-hand known as ''shikasta''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Bhatia |first=Sardar Singh |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University |year=2004 |isbn=817380530X |editor-last=Singh |editor-first=Harbans |edition=2nd |volume=4: S–Z |location=Patiala |pages=217–18}}</ref> There are also limited "incursions" of [[Gurmukhi]] in the records.<ref name=":24">{{Cite web |last=Chatterjee |first=Nandini |date=22 May 2018 |title=Fieldwork in Punjab, Pakistan, March 2018 |url=https://lawforms.hypotheses.org/147 |access-date=18 August 2024 |website=Lawforms |doi=10.58079/qqvc}}</ref> The documents were written in Persian as the Sikh Empire was a highly Persinate entity, showing aspects of continuity but also change in the tradition of administrative writing.<ref name=":24" />

== Publication ==
Much of the collections of the Khalsa Darbar records were catalogued and published by Sita Ram Kohli in two volumes in 1919 and 1927, respectively.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":1" /> Sita Ram Kohli studied 300,000 Khalsa Darbar records, from between the years 1811–1849, that were tied-up with red-cloth in bundles at the [[Tomb of Anarkali]] in Lahore.<ref name=":1" /> His published catalogues of these records includes the name of the department, date, and a brief reference to the subject-matter in each case.<ref name=":1" /> The first volume of ''Catalogue of Khalsa Darbar Records'' by Sita Ram Kohli was published in 1919 and sums-up the records of the military department (''[[Sikh Khalsa Army|Daftar-i-Fauj]]'').<ref name=":1" /> The second volume, published later in 1927, covers the revenue records.<ref name=":1" />

== Collections ==
[[File:Khalsa Darbar record of a financial account related to the Sikh Army, the folio is elaborately illuminated and decorated, dual-usage of Gurmukhi and Perso-Arabic scripts can be witnessed, classified as a Daftar-i-Fauj record.jpg|thumb|Khalsa Darbar record of a financial account related to the Sikh Army, the folio is elaborately illuminated and decorated, dual-usage of Gurmukhi and Perso-Arabic scripts can be witnessed, classified as a ''Daftar-i-Fauj'' record]]
After the [[Second Anglo-Sikh war|annexation of the Sikh Empire]] in 1849, the vast corpuses of Khalsa Darbar records fell into the possession of the British.<ref name=":2" /> They were relegated to the storage of the vernacular office in the Civil Secretariat in Lahore.<ref name=":2" /> The records remained there untouched until [[Michael O'Dwyer]], the Lieutenant-Governor (1912–19), initiated a project to arrange and classify the records, which was led by Sita Ram Kohli.<ref name=":2" /> Kohli spent four years ordering the records.<ref name=":2" /> The records consisted of 129 bundles, with some bundles containing several thousand of sheets each.<ref name=":2" /> The individual record sheets are composed out of Kashmiri or Sialkoti paper, with the dimensions of the sheets generally being 5"x7.5".<ref name=":2" /> A supplement to the record bundles are fifteen manuscripts that are bound in leather, which are copies of the orders issued to various government officials and the sizable correspondence between the Lahore Darbar and the Ambala and Ludhiana political agencies of the British.<ref name=":2" />

=== Pakistan ===
Around 100,000 Khalsa Darbar records are kept in the collection of the [[Punjab Archives]] in Lahore.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":24" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Khalid |first=Kanwal |date=28 September 2020 |title=International News: The Treasures of the Punjab Archives, Lahore, Pakistan |url=https://www.collegeart.org/news/2020/09/28/international-news-punjab-archives-pakistan-kanwal-khalid/ |access-date=26 August 2024 |website=College Art Association of America}}</ref> Khalsa Darbar records dating back to 1804 are kept in the Historical Record Office (Anarkali Tomb), with a Microfilming Unit included.<ref name=":10" /> The Punjab Archives has in its collection the ''Akhbar Darbar-e-Lahore'', produced between 1835 and 1849, which were the written accounts of the daily court proceedings of the Sikh Empire.<ref name=":0" /> Individual documents are on-display in the museum's general gallery.<ref name=":24" /> Pakistani scholar Khizar Jawad is currently working on a project to catalogue and translate all of the Khalsa Darbar records kept at the Lahore Museum.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jawad |first=Khizar |date=18 December 2019 |editor-last=Chatterjee |editor-first=Nandini |title=Of Gold, Gems, Gifts and Tributes: A Summary of important Economic Information in Amarnath’s Zafarnama-i-Ranjit Singh |url=https://lawforms.hypotheses.org/551 |access-date=18 August 2024 |website=Lawforms |doi=10.58079/qqvs}}</ref>

Some records are kept in the [[Fakir Khana|Fakir Khana Museum]].<ref name=":24" />

=== India ===
After 1947, some of the Khalsa Darbar records were shifted from Lahore to Shimla (then part of [[East Punjab]]).<ref name=":2" /> In 1959, the records were moved to the [[Punjab State Archives|Punjab Stale Archives]] in Patiala.<ref name=":2" /> In 1984, they were moved to the Archives Cell of [[Ram Bagh, Amritsar|Ram Bagh]], Amritsar.<ref name=":2" /> The West Bengal State Archives has some Khalsa Darbar records in its collection.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Chatterjee |first=Nandini |date=22 May 2018 |title=Fieldwork in Bengali Zone Part II Mar18 |url=https://lawforms.hypotheses.org/145 |access-date=19 August 2024 |website=Lawforms |doi=10.58079/qqvb}}</ref>

=== United Kingdom ===
The [[British Library]] has a collection of Persian manuscripts from the darbar (court) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.<ref name=":03" />

== Microfilming and digitization ==
Some of the Khalsa Darbar records kept in the Lahore Museum have been digitized.<ref name=":24" /> The [[Panjab Digital Library]] has digitized some of the records.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":8" /> An Indian project being carried out by Panjab Digital Library to digitize two million records held in the Punjab state archives department, including 2,500 bound volumes of Khalsa Darbar records, was reported to have stalled in April 2016 due to a lack of funds (the records have already been microfilmed).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pal |first=Amaninder |date=17 April 2016 |title=State govt has no funds to digitise British-era files |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/state-govt-has-no-funds-to-digitise-british-era-files-223908 |access-date=26 August 2024 |work=The Tribune}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />
{{Sikh Empire}}

{{coord missing|India}}

[[Category:Sikh literature]]
[[Category:Indian manuscripts]]
[[Category:Archives in India]]

Khalsa Darbar records - Revision history

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