BANKING, TRADE AND COMMERCE

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

No specific data is available about the system of weights and measures prevailing in the district in the past. However, the description of the same appearing in the old Aurangabad Gazetteer [District Gazetteer of Aurangabad, pp. 738-39.] may be taken to be representative of the Marathwada region and prevailing in Bhir district during that period as well. Metric system came in to force only recently.

"The standard unit is seer, but its weight in terms of rupees is not uniform at different places and for different commodities. Thus the standard seer of the city weighs 82 Hyderabad rupees, whose relative value is thus shown—Rs. 82 equal to 1 seer; 40 seers equal to 1 maund; 3 maunds equal to 1 palla The seer in the bazars of British cantonment was Rs. 84 weight; and the average weight of the Hyderabad rupee was 173.56 grains. The seer for selling ghee and metals is but Rs. 80. Another table of measures of capacity divides the palla as follows—16 chitaks=1 seer; 5 seers=1 panseera; 8 panseeras=1 maund; 3 maunds =1 palla. Grains are sold by these two measures; but the goldsmiths have a particular system of weights of their own as follows—2 grains of wheat =1 gunj or ratti; 2 gunj=1 val; 4 vals=1 masha; 12 mashas=1 tola".

"The standard unit adopted for agrarian measures was 'gaz'. It was made of teakwood, about an inch in breadth and 43 inches in length, sealed with the seal of Munir-ul-Mulk Munir-ud-Daula Bahadur. The 'gaz' measure was of two kinds, the gaz of Aurangzeb's (also marked as Akbar's) measuring 35 inches and the Ilahi gaz measuring 29 inches. The former was used in measuring lands with the valuation as under 2 gaz=1 pand; 20 pands=1 bigha, which forms a square of 2,210 yards or something less than half an acre. Another table of measurement was—20 viswasa=1 viswa; 20 viswas=1 pand; 120 pands=1 chawdur".

"The linear measurements employed are the rasmi gaz of 33½ inches, the cubit and the English yard. The rasmi gaz is thus divided:—4 taswassu= tassu, 24 tassu=1 gaz. This is the measure generally used for measuring timber, masonry and buildings. Cloth merchants divide the gaz into the following:—3 fingers' breadth = 1 gira; 16 giras=1 gaz. The cubit is divided into 12 tassus. The English yard measure is used by Bohras who call it Var".

"The seer generally used was 84 halli sicca rupees in weight. and the maund in the Sillode taluka weighed 16 seers instead of 40. At some places a measure of capacity called Paili was also used for measuring grain, salt. The paili of grain waighed 5½ seers and of salt 6 seers. Sixteen pailis made one maund-The practice of weighing was, however, much more general than that of measuring. When the Revenue survey was started, the land measurements were conducted with a 36 feet, chain, and the standard of measurement was a bigha. Subsequently, in order to bring the system on par with the one followed in British India, the measurements were conducted with a 33 feet chain, and the acre was made the standard. These weights and measures were in use till recently ".

As the weights and measures differed from place to place and also sometimes for each commodity at the same place, the government of India enacted the Standards of Weights and Measures Act in 1956. The Act laid down the basic unit under the metric system, which derives its name from the primary unit of measurement the metre. The prototype of the metre is maintained at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Serves, France. The decimal system is applied to the units of weights and measures to indicate multiples.

In pursuance of the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1956, enacted by the government of India, the then government of Bombay enacted the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1958, for the enforcement of standard units based on the metric system. The Act was made applicable to this district in 1958.

The following are the conversion tables concerning weights measures, area and volume: —