સં. ૧૮૨૦ नो, છીપવાડનો ગૃહગૃહણકનો દસ્તાવેજ
By Rasila Kadia
Summary
This article presents and interprets a property deed from Samvat 1820 (equivalent to 1763 CE) relating to a house in the Chipvad area. The document, written on cloth in black ink, is partially damaged but sufficiently legible to reconstruct its contents. The author provides a transcription and translation of the deed, which records the sale of a house, detailing its dimensions, purchase price, names of the buyer and seller and the witnesses. The article discusses the legal terminology used and situates the transaction within the social and economic context of eighteenth‑century Gujarat, noting patterns of urban property ownership and inheritance. The physical description of the document offers insights into archival practices of the period. Such primary sources, the author argues, are indispensable for micro‑history, revealing everyday economic life beyond the grand narratives of kings and wars.
Conclusion
By analysing a single property document, the article illustrates how historians can glean valuable information about urban development, legal customs and social relations in early modern Gujarat. It underscores the importance of preserving and studying such archival materials.