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 VI. The last phase in Northern India

Collection:: Economics Books

164 THE AGRARIAN SYSTEM OF MOSLEM INDIA of the customary remuneration or perquisites which it offered; and in the last days of the Moslem period the Headmen were often either men of straw, or else men of exceptional force of character. A person with a very small stake in the village was put forward as nominal Headman, prepared to abscond if his position became really dangerous; or, in the alternative, the post was accepted by a man strong enough to turn it to his personal advantage. The usurping Headman was thus a characteristic figure at this period, but I think it would be rash to assume that he emerged in it for the first time. The fullest description of him is contained in the following extract from a docu- ment! which Jonathan Duncan transmitted to the Govern- ment in the year 1704. “There are cases where there is one Zemindar, in whose name the Pottahs have all along stood, who is very powerful, and of whom all his brethren stand in fear; he collects from his brothers and from the Ryots the Malgoozary or revenue, taking on himself to settle for the whole of what he pays to the Sircar [“ Treasury,” or ‘“Government”], as he is in his own person the master of profit and loss, and if all the brethren should desire to enter into possession with him according to their re- spective shares, he will not admit thereof, but, at the same time, without preventing them from carrying on their cultivation, only keeping them excluded from any proportion of the general profit, having, besides, this additional voucher in his favour, that for 5 or 6, or 8 or 10 generations, the ancestors of these brethren of his have in like manner paid in their revenue to his particular line of ancestors, but neither does he collect from these brethren of his at the same rates as he does from the common Ryots; so much the contrary; that if the common Ryots pay for instance after the proportion of Rs. 3 per Begah [bigha], he will only take from these his brethren at the rate of Rs. 2 per Begah, and the rvots and all submit to this from ancient custom.’ That this aspect of the position of the Headman was not peculiar to the Benares country may be seen from the Report? which Mr. T. Fortescue, the Civil Commissioner of Delhi. wrote in the vear 1820 on the revenue svstem of the 1 Rev. Sel., i. 169. It will. be seen that the writer of this description meant by ‘‘zemindar,” one of the Brotherhood, and by *‘ryots” peasants outside the Brotherhood. ‘ Pottahs’ (pafta) were the documents given to the individuals who engaged to pay the revenue. * Delhi Records. 60 ff. The auotations in the text begin with para. 190.

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