The agrarian system of Moslem India

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1804119261

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-188010

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Moreland, William Harrison http://d-nb.info/gnd/172263670

Title:: The agrarian system of Moslem India

Edition:: 2. ed. Reissue (d. Ausg. Cambridge) 1929; [Reprint]

Place of publication:: Delhi

Publisher:: Oriental Books, Munshiram Manoharlal

Year of publication:: 1968

Scope:: XVII, 296 S.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter VC. The seventeenth century

Collection:: Economics Books

THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 135 judged largely by the results attained; and there were obvious inducements to practise towards the peasants the severity which characterised the general administration of the time. Excessive severity would indeed defeat itself, because it would drive the peasants off the land, as we shall see later on; but we may reasonably infer that the peasants in Reserved areas were ordinarily kept under strict discipline. The basis of the revenue-Demand was now higher than ander Akbar: his standard of one-third of the produce had become the minimum, while more could be claimed, up to 2 maximum of one-half (H. 6, 16). Within these limits the local officials were apparently allowed some discretion; but, seeing that their primary duty was to increase the revenue, we may infer that the actual Demand worked out nearer the maximum than the minimum. In practice, however, the arithmetical side of assessment was less promi- nent than in Akbar’s time, because the methods had been changed. The methods in force are described clearly in the preamble »f the first farman. In some villages where the peasants were poor, Sharing was practised, at rates adapted to the local conditions, ‘one-half, one-third, two-fifths, or more, or less”; but Group-assessment was the regular rule. At the beginning of the year the assessor (Amin) fixed the total sum to be paid by a village, or apparently on occasion by an entire pargana, on a consideration of the available data, including recent assessments, and the area to be cultivated in that year; the village could refuse the assessment offered by the Amin, in which case the revenue was taken from it by either Measurement or Sharing, apparently at the dis- cretion of the local officials; but, in the circumstances of the period, we may reasonably infer that refusal was the exception. The Demand on the individual peasants was thus ordi- narily left to be fixed by the headmen: and, as usual, we find that, in the official view, “the burden of the strong” tended to fall on the weak. The provincial Diwan was therefore instructed (R. 6) to examine the distribution itafrig) of the Demand in every village which he had oc- casion to visit. and to rectify any unfairness on the part of

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: The agrarian system of Moslem India

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation