The maund (/ˈmɔːnd/), mun or mann (Bengali: মন; Urdu: من) is the anglicized name for a traditional unit of mass used in British India, and also in Afghanistan, Persia, and Arabia:[1] the same unit in the Mughal Empire was sometimes written as mann or mun in English, while the equivalent unit in the Ottoman Empire and Central Asia was called the batman. At different times, and in different South Asian localities, the mass of the maund has varied, from as low as 25 pounds (11 kg) to as high as 160 pounds (72 kg): even greater variation is seen in Persia and Arabia.[2][3]
In British India, the maund was first standardized in the Bengal Presidency in 1833, where it was set equal to 100 Troy pounds (82.28 lbs.av.). This standard spread throughout the British Raj.[4] After the independence of India and Pakistan, the definition formed the basis for metrication, one maund becoming exactly 37.3242 kilograms.[5][6] A similar metric definition is used in Bangladesh and Nepal. Throughout Bangladesh, one মন/mun/mann is 40 kg. In Nepal's southern plains one Mann equals 40 kilograms and is generally used to measure agricultural output.
The Old English, 'maund' may also be the origin of Maundy Thursday. As a verb, 'maund' : to beg; as a noun, 'a maund' : a small basket held out for alms.
Prinsep (1840) summarizes the evidence as to the weight of the mun (later "maund") during the reign (1556–1605) of Akbar the Great,[8] which comes from the Ain-i-Akbari written by the vizierAbu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak (anglicized as "Abul Fuzl"). The principal definition is that the mun is forty seers; and that each seer is thirty dams.
1 mun = 40 seers = 1200 dams
The problem arises in assigning the values of the smaller units.
The section of the Ain-i-Akbari that defines the mun also defines the dam as five tanks. A separate section defines the tank as twenty-four ruttees. However, by the 19th century, the tank was no longer a uniform unit across the former Mughal territories: Prinsep quotes values of 50 grains (3.24 g) in Darwar, 72 grains (4.67 g) in Bombay and 268 grains (17.37 g) in Ahmednugur.[8]
The jilály, a square silverrupee coin issued by Akbar, was said by the Ain-i-Akbari to be 11+1⁄4mashas in weight: surviving jilály and other Mughal rupee coins weigh 170–175 Troy grains (11.02–11.34 g), so the masha, defined as eight ruttees, would be about 15+1⁄2 grains (1 g). Masha weights sent back to London in 1819 agree with this value.[9] This basis gives a mun of 34+3⁄4 lb. av. (15.75 kg). One Koni was 4 muns.[10]
However, in yet another section of the Ain-i-Akbari, the dam is said to be "twenty mashas seven ruttees": using this definition would imply an Imperial mass of about 47 lb. av. (21.3 kg) for the mun. Between these two values, the maund in Central India was often found to be around 40 lb. av. (18 kg) in the East India Company survey of 1821.
A Maund was 55.5 British pounds mass under Akbar.[11]
Nineteenth centuryedit
British India is shown in pink on this 1837 map. The Madras Presidency is in the southeast, the Bombay Presidency is in the west and the Bengal Presidency is in the northeast.
The maund of India may as a genus be divided into four different species:
That of Bengal, containing 40 seers, and averaging about 80 lbs. avoir.
That of Central India (Malwa, Ajmeer, &c.) generally equal to 40 lbs. avoir. and containing 20 seers (so that the seer of this large portion of the continent assimilates to that of Bengal.)
The maund of Guzerat and Bombay, equal to 1⁄4 cwt. or 28 pounds and divided into 40 seers of smaller grade.
The maund of Southern India, fixed by the Madras government at 25 lbs. avoir.
There are, however many other varieties of maund, from 15 to 64 seers in weight; which it is unnecessary to particularize.
— Prinsep (1840), p. 77
Prinsep's values for the maund come from a survey organized by the East India Company in 1821. The Company's agents were asked to send back examples of the standard weights and measures used in the places they were stationed, and these were compared with the English standards in London by Patrick Kelly, the leading British metrologist of the time. The results were published as an appendix to the second edition of Kelly's Universal Cambist (1831), and later as a separate book entitled Oriental Metrology (1832).
It will be seen from Kelly's results below that Prinsep's generalizations are only partially correct. The Gujarat maund is more closely related to the Central Indian maund than to the standardized Bombay maund, except in the town of Anjar, except that it is divided into 40 seers instead of 20 as was found in Malwa.
Central India and Gujaratedit
Ahmadābād
Amod
Bārdoli
Baroda
Broach
Calicut
Cambay
Doongurpoor
Hānsot
Indore
Jambusar
Kota
Kumbharia
Kurod
Masulipatam
Mundissor
Okalesur
Oujein
Pertabgurh
Rutlam
Surat
Tellicherry
Vizagapatam
class=notpageimage|
The towns where the maund was found to be approximately 40 lb. av. (18 kg) in the 1821 East India Company survey, superimposed onto a map of modern India.
Chanadore
Dewas
Dindoor
Jamkhair
class=notpageimage|
The towns where the maund was found to be more than 130 lb. av. (59 kg) in the 1821 East India Company survey, superimposed onto a map of modern India.
The towns where the maund was found to be approximately 28 lb. av. (12+3⁄4kg) in the 1821 East India Company survey, superimposed onto a map of modern India.
The towns where the maund was found to be approximately 25 lb. av. (11+1⁄3kg) in the 1821 East India Company survey, superimposed onto a map of modern India.
The towns where the maund was found to be approximately 80 lb. av. (36 kg) in the 1821 East India Company survey, superimposed onto a map of modern India.
^ abcdePrinsep, James (1840), Useful tables, forming an appendix to the Journal of the Asiatic Society: part the first, Coins, weights, and measures of British India (2nd ed.), Calcutta: Bishop's College Press, pp. 84–90.
^Doursther, Horace (1840), Dictionnaire universel des poids et mesures anciens et modernes, Brussels: Hayez, pp. 259–63.
^ abPrinsep, James (1840), Useful tables, forming an appendix to the Journal of the Asiatic Society: part the first, Coins, weights, and measures of British India (2nd ed.), Calcutta: Bishop's College Press, p. 81.
^Prinsep, James (1840), Useful tables, forming an appendix to the Journal of the Asiatic Society: part the first, Coins, weights, and measures of British India (2nd ed.), Calcutta: Bishop's College Press, pp. 17–18.
^Narang, Kirpal Singh; Gupta, Hari Ram (1969). History of the Pubnab, 1500-1858 (2nd. ed.). Delhi: U.C. Kapur. p. 181.
External linksedit
Sizes.com
The maund in India (historical values)
November 28, 2023
maund, people, with, surname, surname, maund, ɔː, mann, bengali, মন, urdu, من, anglicized, name, traditional, unit, mass, used, british, india, also, afghanistan, persia, arabia, same, unit, mughal, empire, sometimes, written, mann, english, while, equivalent,. For people with the surname see Maund surname The maund ˈ m ɔː n d mun or mann Bengali মন Urdu من is the anglicized name for a traditional unit of mass used in British India and also in Afghanistan Persia and Arabia 1 the same unit in the Mughal Empire was sometimes written as mann or mun in English while the equivalent unit in the Ottoman Empire and Central Asia was called the batman At different times and in different South Asian localities the mass of the maund has varied from as low as 25 pounds 11 kg to as high as 160 pounds 72 kg even greater variation is seen in Persia and Arabia 2 3 A one maund weighing stone of the Madras PresidencyThe vast extent of the Bengal Presidency shown here in 1858 facilitated the adoption of the standard of 100 Troy pounds for the maund throughout British India Contents 1 History 2 South Asia 2 1 Delhi Sultanate 2 2 Mughal Empire 2 3 Nineteenth century 2 3 1 Central India and Gujarat 2 3 2 Bombay Presidency 2 3 3 Madras Presidency 2 3 4 Bengal 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksHistory editIn British India the maund was first standardized in the Bengal Presidency in 1833 where it was set equal to 100 Troy pounds 82 28 lbs av This standard spread throughout the British Raj 4 After the independence of India and Pakistan the definition formed the basis for metrication one maund becoming exactly 37 3242 kilograms 5 6 A similar metric definition is used in Bangladesh and Nepal Throughout Bangladesh one মন mun mann is 40 kg In Nepal s southern plains one Mann equals 40 kilograms and is generally used to measure agricultural output The Old English maund may also be the origin of Maundy Thursday As a verb maund to beg as a noun a maund a small basket held out for alms South Asia editDelhi Sultanate edit During the reign of Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate 1 mann was roughly equivalent to 15 kg 7 Mughal Empire edit Prinsep 1840 summarizes the evidence as to the weight of the mun later maund during the reign 1556 1605 of Akbar the Great 8 which comes from the Ain i Akbari written by the vizier Abu l Fazl ibn Mubarak anglicized as Abul Fuzl The principal definition is that the mun is forty seers and that each seer is thirty dams 1 mun 40 seers 1200 damsThe problem arises in assigning the values of the smaller units The section of the Ain i Akbari that defines the mun also defines the dam as five tanks A separate section defines the tank as twenty four ruttees However by the 19th century the tank was no longer a uniform unit across the former Mughal territories Prinsep quotes values of 50 grains 3 24 g in Darwar 72 grains 4 67 g in Bombay and 268 grains 17 37 g in Ahmednugur 8 The jilaly a square silver rupee coin issued by Akbar was said by the Ain i Akbari to be 11 1 4 mashas in weight surviving jilaly and other Mughal rupee coins weigh 170 175 Troy grains 11 02 11 34 g so the masha defined as eight ruttees would be about 15 1 2 grains 1 g Masha weights sent back to London in 1819 agree with this value 9 This basis gives a mun of 34 3 4 lb av 15 75 kg One Koni was 4 muns 10 However in yet another section of the Ain i Akbari the dam is said to be twenty mashas seven ruttees using this definition would imply an Imperial mass of about 47 lb av 21 3 kg for the mun Between these two values the maund in Central India was often found to be around 40 lb av 18 kg in the East India Company survey of 1821 A Maund was 55 5 British pounds mass under Akbar 11 Nineteenth century edit nbsp British India is shown in pink on this 1837 map The Madras Presidency is in the southeast the Bombay Presidency is in the west and the Bengal Presidency is in the northeast The maund of India may as a genus be divided into four different species That of Bengal containing 40 seers and averaging about 80 lbs avoir That of Central India Malwa Ajmeer amp c generally equal to 40 lbs avoir and containing 20 seers so that the seer of this large portion of the continent assimilates to that of Bengal The maund of Guzerat and Bombay equal to 1 4 cwt or 28 pounds and divided into 40 seers of smaller grade The maund of Southern India fixed by the Madras government at 25 lbs avoir There are however many other varieties of maund from 15 to 64 seers in weight which it is unnecessary to particularize Prinsep 1840 p 77 Prinsep s values for the maund come from a survey organized by the East India Company in 1821 The Company s agents were asked to send back examples of the standard weights and measures used in the places they were stationed and these were compared with the English standards in London by Patrick Kelly the leading British metrologist of the time The results were published as an appendix to the second edition of Kelly s Universal Cambist 1831 and later as a separate book entitled Oriental Metrology 1832 It will be seen from Kelly s results below that Prinsep s generalizations are only partially correct The Gujarat maund is more closely related to the Central Indian maund than to the standardized Bombay maund except in the town of Anjar except that it is divided into 40 seers instead of 20 as was found in Malwa Central India and Gujarat edit nbsp nbsp Ahmadabad nbsp Amod nbsp Bardoli nbsp Baroda nbsp Broach nbsp Calicut nbsp Cambay nbsp Doongurpoor nbsp Hansot nbsp Indore nbsp Jambusar nbsp Kota nbsp Kumbharia nbsp Kurod nbsp Masulipatam nbsp Mundissor nbsp Okalesur nbsp Oujein nbsp Pertabgurh nbsp Rutlam nbsp Surat nbsp Tellicherry nbsp Vizagapatamclass notpageimage The towns where the maund was found to be approximately 40 lb av 18 kg in the 1821 East India Company survey superimposed onto a map of modern India nbsp nbsp Chanadore nbsp Dewas nbsp Dindoor nbsp Jamkhairclass notpageimage The towns where the maund was found to be more than 130 lb av 59 kg in the 1821 East India Company survey superimposed onto a map of modern India Place note 1 Sub division Imperial Metrickglb oz dr Ahmadabad in Gujarat 40 seers 42 4 13 19 817Amod in Broach 40 seers 40 8 12Anjar in Cutch 40 seers 27 3 8Bairseah in Malwa 40 seers 77 1 12Bardoli in Surat 39 3 4 seers 2 pice 37 4 4 3 4Broach in Gujarat 40 seers 40 8 12Baroda in Gujarat 42 seers 44 9 10Cambay in Gujarat 40 seers 37 8 0Chanadore Central Provinces 64 seers 149 12 0Dewas in Malwa 64 seers 137 8 2Doongurpoor in Rajputana 40 seers 50 1 14Hansot in Broach 40 seers market 38 9 942 seers for oil 40 8 640 pergunna seers 39 3 10Indore in Malwa 20 seers for grain 40 8 640 seers for opium 81 0 12Jambusar in Broach 40 seers market 40 6 442 seers for cotton 42 6 9Kota in Rajputana 40 seers 30 0 0Kumbharia in Surat 40 seers 8 pice 37 13 10Kurod in Surat 40 seers 15 pice 37 15 8 1 2Malwa 20 seers 40 7 8Mundissor in Malwa 15 seers 34 4 4 1 2Okalesur in Broach 40 seers 38 8 1340 seers pergunna 40 6 13Omutwara in Malwa 28 seers 54 10 8Oujein in Malwa 16 7 8 seers 33 5 13Pertabgurh in Ajmer 20 seers 38 8 14Rutlam in Malwa 20 seers 40 7 8Surat in Gujarat 40 seers 37 8 0Source Kelly s Oriental Metrology 1832 2 Bombay Presidency edit nbsp nbsp Anjar nbsp Belgaum nbsp Bombay nbsp Cochin nbsp Mangalore nbsp Poona nbsp Quilonclass notpageimage The towns where the maund was found to be approximately 28 lb av 12 3 4 kg in the 1821 East India Company survey superimposed onto a map of modern India Place note 1 Sub division Imperial Metrickglb oz dr Ahmadnagar 40 seers 78 15 12Aurangabad 40 seers 74 10 10Belgaum 44 seers 26 3 15Bombay 40 seers 28 0 0Carwar in Kanara 42 seers 26 0 0Dindoor 64 seers 157 10 10Dukhun Poona 12 1 2 seers for ghee etc 24 10 4 1 314 seers for metals 27 9 9 2 348 seers for grain 94 9 8Goa Portuguese 24 12 0Jamkhair in Ahmednagar 64 seers 147 10 0Jaulnah in Hyderabad 40 seers 80 2 8Onore in Kanara 40 44 seers 25 0 0Poona 12 1 2 seers for ghee etc 24 10 4 1 314 seers for metals 27 9 9 2 348 seers for grain 94 9 8Roombharee in Ahmednagar 64 seers 160 13 8Source Kelly s Oriental Metrology 1832 2 Madras Presidency edit nbsp nbsp nbsp Bellary nbsp Coimbatoor nbsp Goa nbsp Hyderabad nbsp Madras nbsp Madura nbsp Mangalore nbsp Negapatam nbsp Onore nbsp Pondicherry nbsp Poona nbsp nbsp class notpageimage The towns where the maund was found to be approximately 25 lb av 11 1 3 kg in the 1821 East India Company survey superimposed onto a map of modern India Place note 1 Sub division Imperial Metrickglb oz dr Anjengo in Travancore 28 0 0Bangalore in Mysore 40 seers 25 0 0Bellary in Madras 48 seers 25 6 0Calicut in Malabar 68 seers 34 11 11Cochin in Malabar 42 1 2 seers 27 2 11Coimbatoor in Mysore 40 seers 24 1 0Colachy in Travancore 125 pollums 18 12 13Hyderabad in Madras 12 seers kucha 23 13 040 seers pucka 79 6 0Madras 40 seers or 8 vis 25 0 0Madura in Carnatic 39 244 seers 25 0 0Mangalore 46 seers market 28 2 446 seers Company s 28 8 1340 seers for sugar 24 7 8Masulipatam in Madras kucha 35 10 0 pucka 80 0 0Negapatam in Carnatic 41 558 seers 25 0 0Pondicherry 8 vis 25 14 5 1 2Quilon in Travancore 25 old Dutch pounds 27 5 8Sankeridroog in Carnatic 41 256 seers 25 0 0Seringapatam 40 seers kucha 24 4 8Tellicherry in Malabar 64 seers 32 11 0Tranquebar in Coromandel 68 Danish pounds 74 12 9 6Travancore in Madras 25 0 6 1 2Trichinopoly in Carnatic 13 114 seers 25 0 0Vizagapatam in Madras kucha 35 10 0 pucka 80 0 0Source Kelly s Oriental Metrology 1832 2 Maund was known as Mudi in Tulu language Bengal edit nbsp nbsp Ahmednugur nbsp Aurungabunder nbsp Bairseah nbsp Calcutta nbsp nbsp Indore nbsp Jaulnah nbsp Luckipoor nbsp Masulipatam nbsp Poona nbsp Tranquebar nbsp Vizagapatamclass notpageimage The towns where the maund was found to be approximately 80 lb av 36 kg in the 1821 East India Company survey superimposed onto a map of modern India Place note 1 Sub division Imperial Metrickglb oz dr Calcutta 40 seers 82 4 9 1 7Luckipoor in Bengal as Calcutta 82 4 9 1 7Source Kelly s Oriental Metrology 1832 2 Notes edit a b c d Kelly s transliterations of place names have been retained but the transliterations of names of districts have been updated where possible References edit maund A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles vol 6B 1908 p 250 a b c d e Prinsep James 1840 Useful tables forming an appendix to the Journal of the Asiatic Society part the first Coins weights and measures of British India 2nd ed Calcutta Bishop s College Press pp 84 90 Doursther Horace 1840 Dictionnaire universel des poids et mesures anciens et modernes Brussels Hayez pp 259 63 Introductory notes The Imperial Gazetteer of India vol 1 1909 p xi maund Sizes com retrieved 2010 02 12 Schedule 1 to the Standard Weights and Measures Act No 89 of 1956 Satish Chandra 2014 2007 History of Medieval India 800 1700 Orient Longman p 103 ISBN 978 81 250 3226 7 a b Prinsep James 1840 Useful tables forming an appendix to the Journal of the Asiatic Society part the first Coins weights and measures of British India 2nd ed Calcutta Bishop s College Press p 81 Prinsep James 1840 Useful tables forming an appendix to the Journal of the Asiatic Society part the first Coins weights and measures of British India 2nd ed Calcutta Bishop s College Press pp 17 18 Kashmir Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh Narang Kirpal Singh Gupta Hari Ram 1969 History of the Pubnab 1500 1858 2nd ed Delhi U C Kapur p 181 External links editSizes com The maund in India historical values Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Maund amp oldid 1165839133, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
