The maund (), mun or mann (Bengali: ; Urdu: ) is a traditional unit of mass used in British India, and also in Afghanistan, Persia, and Arabia:. 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... One maund in Pakistan is measured as 40kg.
History
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.. After the independence of India and Pakistan, the definition formed the basis for metrication, one maund becoming exactly 37.3242 kilograms..Schedule 1 to the Standard Weights and Measures Act (No. 89 of 1956). A similar metric definition is used in Bangladesh and Nepal. Throughout Bangladesh, one মণ/mun/mann is 40 kg. In Nepal's southern plains one Mann equals 40 kilograms and is generally used to measure agricultural output.
South Asia
Delhi Sultanate
During the reign of Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate, 1 mann was roughly equivalent to 15 kg.
Mughal Empire Prinsep (1840) summarizes the evidence as to the weight of the mun (later "maund") during the reign (1556–1605) of Akbar the Great,. 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 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.
The jilály, a square silver rupee coin issued by Akbar, was said by the Ain-i-Akbari to be mashas 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 grains (1 g). Masha weights sent back to London in 1819 agree with this value.. This basis gives a mun of lb. av. (15.75 kg). One Koni was 4 muns.Kashmir Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh
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.
Nineteenth century
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
PlaceKelly's transliterations of place names have been retained, but the transliterations of names of districts have been updated where possible. Subdivision Imperial Metrickg lb. oz. dr. Ahmadābād, in Gujarat 40 seers 42 4 13 19.817 Amod, in Broach 40 seers 40 8 12 Anjar, in Cutch 40 seers 27 3 8 Bairseah, in Malwa 40 seers 77 1 12 Bārdoli, in Surat seers, 2 pice 37 4 Broach, in Gujarat 40 seers 40 8 12 Baroda, in Gujarat 42 seers 44 9 10 Cambay, in Gujarat 40 seers 37 8 0 Chanadore, Central Provinces 64 seers 149 12 0 Dewas, in Malwa 64 seers 137 8 2 Doongurpoor, in Rajputana 40 seers 50 1 14 Hānsot, in Broach 40 seers, "market" 38 9 9 42 seers, for oil 40 8 6 40 pergunna seers 39 3 10 Indore, in Malwa 20 seers, for grain 40 8 6 40 seers, for opium 81 0 12 Jambusar, in Broach 40 seers, "market" 40 6 4 42 seers, for cotton 42 6 9 Kota, in Rajputana 40 seers 30 0 0 Kumbharia, in Surat 40 seers 8 pice 37 13 10 Kurod, in Surat 40 seers 15 pice 37 15 Malwa 20 seers 40 7 8 Mundissor, in Malwa 15 seers 34 4 Okalesur, in Broach 40 seers 38 8 13 40 seers, "pergunna" 40 6 13 Omutwara, in Malwa 28 seers 54 10 8 Oujein, in Malwa seers 33 5 13 Pertabgurh, in Ajmer 20 seers 38 8 14 Rutlam, in Malwa 20 seers 40 7 8 Surat, in Gujarat 40 seers 37 8 0 Source: Kelly's Oriental Metrology (1832)
Bombay Presidency
Place Subdivision Imperial Metrickg lb. oz. dr. Ahmadnagar 40 seers 78 15 12 Aurangabad 40 seers 74 10 10 Belgaum 44 seers 26 3 15 Bombay 40 seers 28 0 0 Carwar, in Kanara 42 seers 26 0 0 Dindoor 64 seers 157 10 10 Dukhun Poona seers, for ghee, etc. 24 10 14 seers, for metals 27 9 48 seers, for grain 94 9 8 Goa (Portuguese) — 24 12 0 Jamkhair, in Ahmednagar 64 seers 147 10 0 Jaulnah, in Hyderabad 40 seers 80 2 8 Onore, in Kanara 40–44 seers 25 0 0 Poona seers, for ghee, etc. 24 10 14 seers, for metals 27 9 48 seers, for grain 94 9 8 Roombharee, in Ahmednagar 64 seers 160 13 8 Source: Kelly's Oriental Metrology (1832)
Madras Presidency
Place Subdivision Imperial Metrickg lb. oz. dr. Anjengo, in Travancore — 28 0 0 Bangalore, in Mysore 40 seers 25 0 0 Bellary, in Madras 48 seers 25 6 0 Calicut, in Malabar 68 seers 34 11 11 Cochin, in Malabar seers 27 2 11 Coimbatoor, in Mysore 40 seers 24 1 0 Colachy, in Travancore 125 pollums 18 12 13 Hyderabad, in Madras 12 seers, "kucha" 23 13 0 40 seers, "pucka" 79 6 0 Madras 40 seers, or 8 vis 25 0 0 Madura, in Carnatic 39.244 seers 25 0 0 Mangalore 46 seers, "market" 28 2 4 46 seers, "Company's" 28 8 13 40 seers, for sugar 24 7 8 Masulipatam, in Madras "kucha" 35 10 0 "pucka" 80 0 0 Negapatam, in Carnatic 41.558 seers 25 0 0 Pondicherry 8 vis 25 14 Quilon, in Travancore 25 old Dutch pounds 27 5 8 Sankeridroog, in Carnatic 41.256 seers 25 0 0 Seringapatam 40 seers, "kucha" 24 4 8 Tellicherry, in Malabar 64 seers 32 11 0 Tranquebar, in Coromandel 68 Danish pounds 74 12 9.6 Travancore, in Madras — 25 0 Trichinopoly, in Carnatic 13.114 seers 25 0 0 Vizagapatam, in Madras "kucha" 35 10 0 "pucka" 80 0 0 Source: Kelly's Oriental Metrology (1832) Maund was known as Mudi in Tulu language
Bengal
Place Subdivision Imperial Metrickg lb. oz. dr. Calcutta 40 seers 82 4 Luckipoor, in Bengal Source: Kelly's Oriental Metrology (1832)
Notes
References
External links Sizes.com Maund to Kg Calculator The maund in India (historical values)