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The Empire and the Zamindars

The Empire and the Zamindars

Section titled “The Empire and the Zamindars”

2020-04-27 12:31:17

  • Zamindars were locally known as Rai, Raja, Rana etc aka marzabans. Babur tells that 1/6th of his total revenue collection amounting to Rs 8-9 crore used to come from them.
  • @ Moreland : has classified them as vassals who had accepted Mughal sovereignty over them. They were mostly hereditary rulers who had considerable rights and even military power during this time. Bengal was an exception to this.
  • $ Arif Qandahari tells us that during Akbars reign there were 200-300 local zamindars.
  • There was no difference between princely states and zamindary estates.
  • @ Irfan Habib has divided them into 2 types :
    1. those who enjoyed ‘sovereign powers’ over their estates and
    2. the ordinary zamindars who had superior rights overland and were appointed by Mughal rulers.
    • As per him they were found in every part of the empire.
  • S Nurul Hasan has divided them into 3 types : Autonomous Rai’s, Intermediary Zamindars and the Primary Zamindars.
  • It was more prominent in the North.
  • & They Did not participate in agricultural production. Caste was one factor that accounted for the elevated status of the Zamindar.
  • $ Their personal land was called Milkiyat. Abul Fazl tell that the Brahman-Rajput class had enjoyed control over the society.
  • The zamindari consolidation and confirmation of transfer of lands through sanads for the colonisation of new lands brought into fold ‘lower’ castes into the ranks of zamindars.
  • 2 ways were used to collect revenue. 3. 1 was from Jagirdars - no hereditary rights, were given salaries, frequently transfered and 4. the other was from revenue officers of Khalisa land.
  • Religious men were also given revenue grants it was known as madad i maash.
    • It was controlled by Sadr us sudur.
    • In cash it was known as wazifa. The land grants did not give them ownership.
  • Akbar put ceiling of 100 bighas per person. He also asked to give half cultivable and half waste land to improve agriculture.
  • These grants slowly turned into hereditary ones and by the end of Aurangzeb’s reign they were being sold and transferred at will acquiring zamindari characterstics. They were mostly concentrated in the Urban upper Ganges area.
  • Waqf was another type of grant given to institutions for the maintenance of religious tombs, shrines, madrasas etc.
  • They were given to men of learning partly to increase cultivation of waste land and also to curb local disturbances.
  • The old local terms like Khots, muqaddams, satarahi etc were replaced by the Zamindar.
  • & When they came to assist the gov in collection of revenue for their service (khidmat) they were entitled to a percentage of share called nankar it was 10%.
  • Nankar was given to revenue collectors too when they collected revenue by passing zamindars. It was called Malikana fixed at 10%.
  • In Gujarat it was called Banth, In Deccan Chauth. Other intermediaries were Chaudhuries, Muqaddam’s in North India, Patel in Deccan. Patwaris assited the Muqaddams in revenue extraction.

PYQs

Section titled “PYQs”
  1. Discuss the working of Zamindari System under the Mughal rulers. Also describe the role played by the Zamindars in the agrarian economy of Mughal Indian. [2018, 20 Marks]