Mumbai, India

salt measures

From the 19th century.

				rash
			anna	16
		parah	100	1600
	adowlie	10.5	1050	16,800
cubic inches, according to Kelly	156.11	1607.61	160,761	2,572,176
liters	2.51	26.34	2634.4	42,150.4
	5 1/3 lb	56 lb	2½ tons	40 tons
	2.419 kg	25.40 kg	2540.12 kg	40,641.88 kg

1. “India does not, properly speaking, possess dry or liquid measures. Where these are employed, they depend upon, and in fact represent, the seer or the maund weight; the mention of measures has been accordingly omitted in the foregoing scheme for Bengal, leaving the value of any vessel of capacity to rest solely on the weight contained in it.

“The mode in which this is effected for the ‘dry measures’ of South and West India is, by taking an equal mixture of the principal grains, and forming a vessel to hold a given weight thereof, so as to obtain an average measure. Sometimes salt is included among the ingredients. Trichinopoly is the only place where grain is said never to be sold by weight.”

[James Prinsep.]
Useful Tables, forming an Appendix to the Journal of the Asiatic Society. Part the First. Coins, Weights and Measures of British India.
Calcutta: Printed at the Baptist Mission Press, Circular Road, 1834.

sources

Salt Measure.
                                          Cubic Inches
10½ Adowlies = 1 Parah = 1607.61
100 Parahs     = 1 Anna = 160761
16 Annas        = 1 Rash   = 2572176

The Anna weighs 2½ Tons, and the Rash 40 Tons.

Kelly (1821), Supplement page 337.

The large dry measure for salt in Bombay is the para, containing 10½ adholee, whereof 100 make an anna; one anna is equal to 2½ tons, and 1600 para, to 16 anna, make one rash, or 40 tons. The para measure when used is struck off even with the rim by a rod made for the purpose.

Robert Montgomery Martin.
History of the Colonies of the British Empire in the West Indies, South America, North America, Asia...
London: W. H. Allen & Co. and George Routledge, 1843.
Page 144 of Appendix 4.

Bombay. L'adowly, measure de sel, dont 10½ font le parah, contient 153.1057 pouces cubes anglais = 4.417 pintes anglaises = 2.509 litres et pèse 5.333 livres avoirdupois, 2.419 kilog.

Bombay. The adowlie, a salt measure, of which 10½ make a parah, contains 153.1057 English cubic inches = 4.417 English pints = 2.509 liters and weighs 5.333 pounds avoirdupois or 2.419 liters.

Doursther (1840) page 4.

Salzmaass. Das Rash (Räsch) von 16 Annas zu 100 Parahs, an Rauminhalt = 421,4816 Hektol., an Gewicht = 40 Engl. Tons = 4064,190166 kg.

Salt measures. The rash of 16 annas each of 100 parahs, in volume = 421.4816 hectoliters, in weight = 40 English tons = 4064.190166 kg.

Nelkenbrecher (1890), page 138. The conversion of 40 English tons (of 2240 pounds each) to kilograms is in error.