Bill of Sale

Ravenshaw, the Collector of South Kanara, appended a number of orders passed by Tipu’s amildars auctioning properties confiscated from Christians in his letter of July 19, 1801 to the Board of the East Indian Company at Madras.[1] One such bill of sale was made out by Mahomed Ally Cawn Jalul, amildar of Barkur, in 1785. It reads:

“Whereas I have received orders from the Hazoor to sell all lands as have been cultivated by the Christians together with all garden grounds and trees grown thereon and to deposit the amounts arising from such sales in the circar treasury, I do hereby in pursuance of the said order make over to Vattapacha Kistniah the three sanads herein after mentioned viz (1) a bill of sale for a coconut garden given by Devup Chitty to Banboo Christian, 2nd a bill of sale for a piece of ground for planting coconut trees for some Gudgen (sic) ground and paddy land given by Porni Shetty to the aforesaid Christian, 3rd a bill of sale for some coconut trees given by But Shetty to the said Christian.

The whole garden ground and wet lands and coconut trees mentioned in the aforesaid three sanads having been cultivated and made into one estate or garden called Pudduenthura by the above-named Christian.

The three plots of wet lands lying on the eastward of the garden and the whole being bound west by a river, on the east by the lands of Barlaya and Venkya, north by a nullah, and south by the garden of Leroor Shunnay the aforesaid garden and ground containing 25 coconut trees bearing fruit, 16 not yet bearing, 151 in a declining state, plants 261, and 8 past bearing, total 461 coconut trees and the quantity within the said boundary (exclusive of that part appropriated to garden grounds) as much as one more 1/8th of attain of grain will now sow also lying within the aforesaid boundary and bordering on Bup Shett’s Chinnyales land 4 coconut trees in full bearing 6 in a declining state total 10 coconut trees. The whole of which together with those mentioned as being within the aforesaid boundary having been valued by the inhabitants of this village and bazaar as follows:

Number         Pagodas        

Coconut trees 1st sort                      29                14-05-0          

Coconut trees 2nd sort                    16                 4-00-0            

Coconut trees 3rd sort                    157                39-02-8          

Coconut trees 4th sort                     8                 1-00-0  

Plants                                                 261                16-03-2

SUB-TOTAL                                    75-10-0

3 pieces of paddy land                                          15-00-0

GRAND TOTAL                            90-10-0

Which sum I do acknowledge to have received from you for the circar and in consideration thereof do make over and sell the aforesaid three sanads of the said Banboos to you together with all right and title to the before mentioned garden and paddy ground with the trees and growing and being thereon you accordingly take possession thereof and cause the same to flourish. The amount of shist you have to pay therefore being 2 pagados 1 fanam and 14 annas according to the shanbhougue’s account and in the same proportions as the other inhabitants pay theirs. You will hold the same lands enjoy and safety on these conditions and neither allow any balance to be outstanding or the cultivation thereof to diminish. 5th Mangasur year Vishwavasu” (Silva 1961: 44-45).

Another order issued by Gulam Muhammad, amildar of Mangalore, in 1784 is reproduced in Silva 1958: 213. He sold the property of Pudduvulty Munnu Christian of Bantwal to Vencannah of Arcool village for 132 pagodas. The property was assessed at 10-1-10 pagodas (in money 8-1-10, 12 mooras of rice 2-0-0).

Silva’s date for the order, 1794-95 krodhi, is wrong. The Indian calendar progresses through a cycle of 60 years, each year given a different name, and krodhi in this cycle is the year 1784 (Punganuri 1849: 37).

 [1] Silva 1958: 226; Silva 1961: 45.  Silva writes that there were 50 such enclosures.