Sachiv
Also called: Surnavis · Topic: The Marathas · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Sachiv was the minister in charge of royal letters in Shivaji's Ashta pradhana mandala, his council of eight ministers. He was also called the Surnavis. He checked the wording and style of the king's letters, orders and other official papers before they were sent. Maratha letters were usually written in the Modi script, a joined-up, quick-to-write form of Devanagari.
Example
Under Shivaji, the Rajya-Vyavahara-Kosha gave Sanskrit words to use in place of Persian ones in official letters. After this, far fewer Persian words appeared in Maratha letters. Checking how such state papers were written was the Sachiv's job.
Don't confuse with
- Amatya: the finance minister, who kept the accounts.
- Mantri: another minister of the same council, who kept the king's daily records and news. He did not draft letters.
Related concepts
- Maratha administration
- Ashtapradhan
- Peshwa
- Amatya
- Sumant
- Nyayadhish
- Panditrao
- Deshmukh
- Chauth and sardeshmukhi
- Saranjam