Question

This is how Ibn Battuta describes the postal system: In India, the postal system is of two kinds. The horsepost, called uluq, is run by royal horses stationed at a distance of every four miles. The foot-post has three stations per mile; it is called dawa, that is one-third of a mile ... Now, at every third of a mile there is a well-populated village, outside which are three pavilions in which sit men with girded loins ready to start. Each of them carries a rod, two cubits in length, with copper bells at the top. When the courier starts from the city, he holds the letter in one hand and the rod with its bells on the other; and he runs as fast as he can. When the men in the pavilion hear the ringing of the bell, they get ready. As soon as the courier reaches them, one of them takes the letter from his hand and runs at top speed shaking the rod all the while until he reaches the next dawa. And the same process continues till the letter reaches its destination. This foot-post is quicker than the horse-post; and often it is used to transport the fruits of Khurasan which are much desired in India.

Do you think the foot-post system could have operated throughout the subcontinent?

Answer 1

No, the foot-post system could not have operated uniformly throughout the entire subcontinent due to geographical and logistical barriers. It was likely restricted to major administrative and trade routes connecting key cities. The key reasons are as follows:

• Vast Geography: The Indian subcontinent features highly diverse terrains like dense forests, rugged mountains, and arid deserts.
• Settlement Gaps: The system required a well-populated village every one-third of a mile, which was impossible in uninhibited or sparsely populated regions.
• Massive Human Resources: Maintaining runners at thousands of continuous stations across the entire landmass would require an unsustainably large workforce.
• Safety and Security: Running on foot through wild or lawless regions infested with bandits or wild animals would be too dangerous.
• Route Prioritisation: The state concentrated these high-speed systems on critical routes for military intelligence, royal orders, and luxury trade.