Daroga Explained

Darogas (also spelled darogha or daroghah) were police officials in the Mughal Empire and the British Raj.[1] In the Mughal Empire, a daroga was superintendent of the "slaves" of a Mughal monarch.[2]

Caste and duties

Lindsey Harlan identified the darogas with the Ravana Rajputs.[3]

Ramya Sreenivasan stated that the male children born from "the illegitimate union of Rajputs and their inferiors" were referred to as daroga and gola, while the female children born from such union were referred to as darogi and goli.[4]

Duties

The darogas served in the armies of Kachhwahas and Mughals; and in accordance with the duties performed by them, the darogas were given various titles like daroga-i-sutarkhana, daroga-i-topkhana, and daroga-i-baroodkhana.[5]

Daroghas answered to district magistrates who were in charge of areas at least 100sqmi; because the magistrates were responsible for such a large area, the daroghas were normally the most powerful local authorities.[6] In some cases, they were in charge of factories.[7] The darogas also had command over the police in rural areas.[8]

Female daroga

The women assigned to the administration of the imperial zenana were also given the title of darogha. The position was appointed by the emperor himself, and marked a great honor for the woman and her family.[9] Consequently, the women given these posts were chosen because they were well brought up, educated and from respectable families.[10] Asmat Banu Begam, the mother of Empress Nur Jahan, had at one time acted in this role.[11] Female daroghas were tasked with maintaining court etiquette and keeping the peace within the zenana.[12]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Connecting Histories in Afghanistan: Market Relations and State Formation on a Colonial Frontier. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi. Stanford University Press. 2011. 142. 978-0-8047-7411-6.
  2. Book: Mughal India According to European Travel Accounts: Texts and Studies, Volume 78 . reprint . Fuat . Sezgin . Mazin . Amawi . Carl . Ehrig-Eggert . Eckhard . Neubauer . Fuat Sezgin . 1997 . Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University . Frankfurt, Germany . 2002487182 . 176 . ...Daroga or Superintendent of the Emperor's slaves....
  3. Book: Harlan, Lindsey . Religion and Rajput Women: The Ethic of Protection in Contemporary Narratives . Satimata Tradition: The Transformative Process . First published 1992 . 2018 . 112–153 . . 978-0520301757 . 91002389 . 1031457813 . 145 . They would be Darogas (also called Ravana Rajputs), who constitute an endogamous caste of palace servants..
  4. Book: Sreenivasan, Ramya . Slavery and South Asian History . 2006 . 136–161 . . Bloomington, USA . Indrani . Chatterjee . Richard M. . Eaton . Richard M. Eaton . Drudges, Dancing Girls, Concubines: Female Slaves in Rajput Polity, 1500–1850 . https://books.google.com/books?id=Nsh8NHDQHlcC&pg=PA136 . 978-0253116710 . 2006008098 . 191950586 . 144 . More derogatory terms included gola (fem. goli) and daroga (fem. darogi), each suggesting descent from the illegitimate union of Rajputs and their "inferiors"..
  5. Indica . Volume 22 . 1985 . . India . 0019-686X . sa66002480 . 143–144 . The camel corps and camel gun was a very useful war innovation in the deserts of Rajasthan in general and Jaipur in particular. The camel corps was looked after by a separate department known as Sutar-Khana. The daroga-i-sutarkhana headed this department under the direct control of the State bakhshi and assisted by a mushrif, who maintained the records of expenditure and managed the other requirements of the corps. [..] This department used to cast cannon and was headed by a daroga. The Kachhwaha rulers and their artillery always remained in contact with the Mughal army. Therefore, their influence was natural. That is why the posts and designations in Kachhwaha artillery were similar to those of the Mughals. The department was headed by the daroga-i-topkhana who was assisted by the amir, mushrif, potedar, topchi, golandaj, musketeers, barkandaj and blacksmith. These officers were also attached to the department of ordnance which was known as Mahakma Atish and Baroodkhana. It was the duty of the daroga-i-baroodkhana to arrange necessary materials like lead, flax bags, salt-petre, glass and palitas for the manufacturing of gunpowder in the state. The Kachhwaha rulers used to give salary in cash to their topchi. The local soldiers were offered land; most of the musketeers were foreigners. But the officers' class was more among them. The British also succeeded in getting jobs in the Kachhwaha artillery with the rising influence of the British over Rajputana and came to be known as Firangis. The cannon which were used by the army can be classified as heavy and light artillery..
  6. Book: Crime, Gender, and Sexuality in Criminal Prosecutions. 113. 17. Louis A. Knafla. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2002. 0-313-31013-0.
  7. Book: Waqai-i manazil-i Rum: Tipu Sultan's mission to Constantinople. 14. Mohibbul Hasan. Aakar Books. 2005. 81-87879-56-4.
  8. The Quarterly Review of Historical Studies . S. P. . Sen . Volume 9 . 1970 . Institute of Historical Studies . Kolkata, India . 0033-5800 . sa63003439 . 95 . The rural police were subject to the orders of the Daroga....
  9. Book: Lal, K.S.. The Mughal Harem. Aditya Prakashan. 1988. 8185179034. New Delhi. 52.
  10. Book: Mukherjee, Soma. Royal Mughal Ladies and their Contributions. Gyan Publishing House. 2001. 8121207606. New Delhi. 37.
  11. Book: Jahangir, Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim. The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri: or memoirs of Jahangir. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1974. Lahore. 216. 83636859.
  12. Book: Abu'l Fazl Ibn-Mubarak. The Ain-i-Akbari. Munishram Manoharlal. H. Blochman, tr.. 1977. D.C, Phillot. New Delhi. 45–47. 631607437.

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