Previous Year Question

Medieval administration required an organised official correspondence system for transmitting royal orders from the centre to the provinces and various officials.

A Farman was an official royal order issued by the ruler. The transmission of such orders and official correspondence to the concerned officers and places was extremely important for the functioning of the administration.

In this question, the Khareetadar is treated as an official associated with this communication system. His function was connected with dispatching royal decrees or orders to their designated officials and destinations.

Barani's account in the context of Muhammad bin Tughlaq also indicates an administrative arrangement involving the regular transmission of large numbers of orders. Such orders were transmitted to provincial officials such as Walis and Muqtis.

Therefore, the Khareetadar is not treated here as an officer trained in keeping accounts. Separate officers and departments existed for financial accounting in the administration.

Similarly, he was neither the main custodian of the royal palace nor the chief officer of a Pargana. These represented different administrative functions and offices.

An historical caution is necessary here. Some scholarly sources also use the term Kharitadar for an official associated with the Sultan's writing case or pen-and-paper. Thus, some variation is visible in the broader historical usage of this medieval office.