Memoir on Thar and

100. I now proceed to notice the settlement made for the Chiefs of Veerawow, Pittapoor
and Parkur: it is needless to allude to Bakasir, as the district of that name has been
transferred, by the demarcation of .the Sind and Marwar boundary, to the Joudpoor *
State. The Chiefs of Veerawow, as well as of the petty district of Pittapoor, comprising
five hamlets only, and the chiefs of Parkur (including the Rana, 21 in number) received,
previous to the conquest, one-half of the town and transit duties of their respective
districts. Subsequently, transit duties were abolished, and the chiefs who had shared
therein were allotted corresponding portions in the frontier duties as compensation; and
under these arrangements, they continued to enjoy one-half of the town and frontier
duties of the eastern portion of the Desert and Parkur, comprising their own districts and
villages respectively, till 1848, when town duties were abolished, and the frontier levy
assimilated to that in force in other parts of Sind; and an annual money allowance of
Rupees 5,463 † was then sanctioned as compensation to the Parkur, Veerawow, Pittapoor
and Bakasir Zemindars for the loss of their share of the duties; from this amount may
now be deducted Rupees 345, being the amount of compensation paid to the Chief of
Bakasir previous to his district being transferred to the Joudpoor State.
“The Chiefs of Veerawow and Pittapoor formerly had no recognized territorial rights,
though the collection of the land revenue for the Ameers gave them an opportunity of
collecting something for themselves also, and further enabled them to remit the
assessment on their brethren’s fields as also on those of their dependents, and the artisans
who worked for them. A considerable revenue, however, was derived by the Zemindar of
Veerawow from a salt lake situated close to his village, and the right of working which it
was deemed expedient to purchase, with the view of preventing the export of that article.
This was accomplished by granting a sunnud, ‡ confirming in perpetuity the entire
revenue of the village, and one-fourth of the Government share of the land revenue of the
district, to the Chief of Veerawow, while the Chief of Pittapoor was offered a few santees
or ploughs of land for free cultivation. He, however, refused to take them, and at present
therefore enjoys nothing beyond the compensation for the loss of customs duties.”
101. In Parkur, the Rana produced deeds under the seal of the Ameers, granting him two
villages, which were accordingly confirmed to him by a sunnud § under the signature of
the late Governor in Sind. The small village of Mokleeah was similarly granted to the
Rana’s manager, Ukka Malday, ** on his representing that he had, under the Ameer’s
government, enjoyed it free of taxes. The sunnuds granting these three villages are for the
limited term of seven years, as was the case with those alluded to above.
* Further allusion to the transfer will be found in paragraph 221.
† For details, vide Appendix marked M.
‡ Vide Appendix N, being translation of Sunnud granted to the Chief of Veerawow.
§ Vide Appendix marked O, being translation of Sunnud granted to the Rana.
** Vide Appendix marked P, being translation of Sunnud granted to Ukka Malday.
<strong>Memoir</strong> on the Thurr and Parkur Districts of Sind. Copyright © www.panhwar.com
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