Land Revenue Demand Under the Mughals

Under the Mughals, the agricultural community and some of those who were associated with the work of assessment and collection enjoyed certain rights and interests in land. These rights, which were hereditary, ; entitled them to varying shares in the produce of the soil. The peasants, the zamindars, the Qanungos, the Chaudhris and the Patwaris, all claimed and received a share in the produce of the land cultivated in the village. These we can describe as the local rights and interests. But the claim of the sovereign in the produce of the land was more important and a considerable part of it was appropriated by him through his agents and officers. According to Abul Fazl he appropriated a part of the produce as dremuneration of sovereignty for maintaining law and order and for ensuring a settled society in which people could work and earn their livelihoodd.’ As a matter of fact the sovereign’s right was not confined to the produce of the land ; he exercised the prerogative to impose taxes on all sorts of property and sources of income or produce.2 2 Various taxes levied on the cultivated and pasture lands, on the produce of rivers and ponds, on the commodities manufactured by artisans, on the sale and purchase of commodities and cesses to meet the administrative charges, were classified under three broad heads namely mal, jihat and sair jihat or sair-ul-jihat. The available assessment accounts contained in the administrative and accountancy manuals, indicate that the assessment under these heads was made separately and the total assessment constituted the jama or land revenue demanded of the villager . ’

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• The Slow Conquest

  Open Access•Stewart N Gordon•Modern Asian Studies•1977

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