THE ROLE OF THE.

ZAMINDARS IN BENGAL
(1 7 0 7 -1 7 7 2 )

T h e s i s s u b m i t t e d f o r t h e D egree o f D o c t o r o f
P h i l o s o p h y a t . t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f London

by
SHIRIN AKBTAR
S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l and A f r i c a n S t u d i e s

F e b r u a r y , 1973.
 ProQuest Number: 10731262

All rights reserved

INFORMATION TO ALL USERS

The quality of this reproduction is d e p e n d e n t upon the quality of the copy subm itted.

In the unlikely e v e n t that the a u thor did not send a c o m p le te m anuscript

and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if m aterial had to be rem oved,
a n o te will ind ica te the deletion.

uest
ProQuest 10731262

Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). C opyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author.

All rights reserved.

This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C o d e
M icroform Edition © ProQuest LLC.

ProQuest LLC.
789 East Eisenhower Parkway
P.O. Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 4 8 1 0 6 - 1346
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

To Dr*K®N*Chaudhuri, i n t r i b u t e t o h i s i n s p i r i n g
g u i d a n c e , i t i s a c k n o w le d g e d t h a t t h e s t r i d e s made
u n d e r h i s s u p e r v i s i o n c u l m i n a t e d i n t h e p r e s e n t study®
I am e x t r e m e l y g r a t e f u l to>-him f o r h i s i l l u m i n a t i n g
c r i t i c i s m and s u s ta in e d i n t e r e s t *
To M a jo r J . B . H a r r i s o n who h e l p e d me a t t h e
i n i t i a l , s t a g e o f . my w o rk , I owe a d e b t o f a p p r e c i a t i o n ®
I w o u ld l i k e t o t h a n k Mr#Shah Shu;j j a t u l l a h f o r h i s
assistance® ' • - '?•;
I am g r a t e f u l t o t h e B r i t i s h C o u n c i l f o r , f i n a n c i a l
a s s i s t a n c e ® . I am a l s o i n d e b t e d t o M rs*Y in 0®L i u f o r . h e r
e n c o u r a g e m e n t and counsel®
F i n a l l y , my t h a n k s a r e due t o t h e s t a f f o f t h e
. S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l and A f r i c a n S t u d i e s an d t h e I n d i a
O ffiee/ L ib ra ry f o r t h e i r co -operation*
 ABSTRACT

T h i s work i s . a s t u d y o f t h e d i f f e r e n t r o l e s
o f t h e z a m i n d a r s i n B e n g a l d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d 1707-1772*
I t rev ie w s th e o p e r a t i o n a l a s p e c ts of t h e rev en u e,
m i l i t a r y , p o l i c e and J u d i c i a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e Mughals
i n t h e p r o v i n c e o f B e n g a l and exam ines how t h e z a m i n d a r s
f i t t e d i n t o t h a t s t r u c t u r e and d i s c h a r g e d t h e i r d u t i e s .
The k e y i s s u e s and a p p r o a c h e s h av e been s t u d i e d a g a i n s t t h e
b ac k g ro u n d o f ( i ) t h e Mughal p o l i t i c a l s y s te m a t t h e z e n i t h
o f i t s pow er, ( i i ) th e d e c lin in g days of t h e im p e r ia l
a u t h o r i t y when v i r t u a l l y an autonomous Mawabi was e s t a b l i s h e d
i n t h e p r o v i n c e , and ( i i i ) t h e emergence o f t h e B a s t I n d i a
Company as a p o l i t i c a l f o r c e .
The o p e n in g c h a p t e r d e a l s w i t h t h e p e r i p h e r a l
a s p e c t s o f t h e z a m i n d a r i s y s te m w hich have some b e a r i n g s on
t h e r o l e of th e zam indars. I t also attem pts at a c l a s s i ­
f i c a t i o n f o r b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e i n s t i t u t i o n as w e l l
as J u d g i n g one c a t e g o r y o f z a m i n d a r s a g a i n s t o t h e r s o f t h e
same g e n r e .
C hapter I I a n a ly se s th e g e n e s is of th e za m in d aris
and t h e m o b i l i t y w i t h i n t h e t r a d i t i o n a l p a t t e r n o f t h e z a m in d a r
c l a s s as a r e s u l t o f some h i s t o r i c a l f o r c e s a t work.
C h a p t e r I I I d w e l l s on t h e r e v e n u e management,
w h ich a l s o em braces some a l l i e d r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s , such a s
t h e d e v e lo p m en t o f a g r i c u l t u r e , r e c l a m a t i o n o f t h e waste.
l a n d s and t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f t h e r o a d s , b r i d g e s and
embankments*
I n C h a p t e r IV, t h e m i l i t a r y o b l i g a t i o n s o f t h e
zam indars w ith t h e i r a tte n d a n t im p li c a t i o n s are d isc u sse d
and t h e r o l e s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s a r e e v a l u a t e d i n t h i s c o n t e x t *
C hapter V i s devoted to th e q u e s tio n of e n fo rc in g
law and o r d e r i n t h e t e r r i t o r i e s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s and t h e
r o l e of th e zam indars as th e c u s to d ia n of peace.
The i s s u e i n v o l v e d i n e n f o r c i n g law and o r d e r i n
t u r n p ro m p ts i n q u i r i e s i n t o t h e r i g h t t o a d m i n i s t e r J u s t i c e
g ra n te d t o th e zam indars. C h a p t e r VI i s a d d r e s s e d t o t h i s
p ro b le m and ex am in es f u r t h e r t h e im p a c t o f t h e r o l e o f t h e
z a m i n d a r s a s J u d g e - m a g i s t r a t e on t h e i r s u b j e c t s .
 . TABLE OF CONTENTS'

L i s t o f A b b re v ia tio n s -
P re fa c e
Chapter* I ( i n t r o d u c t o r y : Zam indar and Z am indari
C h a p te r I I - 'S ta b ility and Change i n th e I'"
• \ Z a m in d a r.c l a s s - ( i t i.. '
C h a p te r I I I / The .Zam indars and th e !R e v e n u e
Management • > "■
C h a p te r IV The Z am in d ars1 M ili ta r y Power1 and
O b lig a tio n s . ( : ‘
Gharpter V The ’Zam indarsJ iP b l ie e F u n c tio n s
C h ap ter VI - The R o le .o f t h e 1Zam indars i n th e ' *
- A d m in is tra tio n o f - d u s tic e
C onclusion
A ppendices 1 ■
G lossary !■
B ib lio g rap h y
 k

ABBREVIATIONS
A in A i n - i - A k b a . r i . Abul F a z l , T r . H . S . J a r r e t t
A. O.R.
■ iirm iti iiw»ji%iiio r Tm
A s i a t i c Q u a r t e r l y Review
nn— w m iij^iw flJiini.ijHii nnm n ■w lJ lia ^ K a B M W w e n iia « w w n « « u g

A^R. A s ia tic R esearches

B ah aristan Ba h a r i s t a n - d - G h a y b i T M irz a N a t h a n , T r . M .I .B o r a h
Bs,P.G. Bengal D i s t r i c t G a z e tte e rs
B engal D i s t r i c t Records
B.M. ADD.MSS B r i t i s h Museum A d d i t i o n a l M a n u s c r i p t s
B.P.C* Bengal P u b lic C o n s u lta tio n s
B .P .F . B e n g a l P a s t and P r e s e n t
B.R. Board o f Revenue
Board o f Revenue C o n s u l t a t i o n s
B*R.M.P. Board o f Revenue M i s c e l l a n e o u s P r o c e e d i n g s
B .R .P. Board o f Revenue P r o c e e d i n g s
B .R .J.C . Board o f Revenue and J u d i c i a l C o n s u l t a t i o n s
B*8 .C . Bengal S e c re t C o n s u lta tio n s
C.C* C om mittee o f C i r c u i t
C.C-K* Com m ittee o f C i r c u i t a t K a s im b a z a r
C .C .R . C a l c u t t a Com m ittee o f Revenue
C^C.R^M* C o n t r o l l i n g C o u n c i l o f Revenue a t M u rsh id aba d
C.C+R.P. C a l c u t t a C om mittee o f Revenue P r o c e e d i n g s
C.N*L* C om m ittee o f New Lands
C. P . C . C alendar of P e r s ia n C orrespondence

S&E*
 Dacca F a c to r y R ecords
E a s te r n Bengal D i s t r i c t G a z e t t e e r s
wgffi n mhwu n u i n ii in.iM i iimiin «ie m u 'l l m jiwwBtenttMllano ■jt m i i ^ i ^ w q wnnr>iaaiTi,,’T'^ r - .-fflr ?T^-rr^r,i fc

E a s t e r n B e n g a l and A s s am D i s t r i c t G a z e t t e e r s
—w w iuwi K w i w w —ww j i ' m wu a iw f WBu r wafwiuMTiinniwi w w n m u m m a mihih i u k i i h i i n i i w> miwi ^ m b l m i nwu ijjB<yipmuwM»w^&natB*Mii&a

George V a n s i t t a r t P a p e r
Home M i s c e l l a n e o u s S e r i e s
The I n d i a n Economic and S o c i a l H i s t o r y Review
[— i - r — — i* n i ! | ||' ■■ i i ■i 1 nrnr~OTTTiTr ' 'T m u h h i < iiii ii i iii ii i ii iiii ii i iiiii iiw ii/Ti r r ti T ^ w Ti i riiiiWfinii'iiiiiw iM im i P f l i i i i t r t f i i w i n n w ^ i W M w O 'i iiiiii ii iM W ii i w n M ii m m M iiiiiii i i i i h» m i i i w j h i i h i

The I n d i a n H i s t o r y C o n g r e s s
I n d ia n H i s t o r i c a l Q uarter l y
J o u r n a l o f t h e Ame r i c a n O r i e n t a l S o c i e t y
au m w w 1— WWWH«|w|im f , i j imuua u.Wii i^ g ta a wamwwtnij t t w —w w m r w i n n » « >— Qfawipnwu.riiiu iMUiWWWUWiriSWW* n in m i i hiiphh

J o u r n a l A s i a t i c S o c i e ty o f Bengal
The J o u r n a l o f S o u t h A s i a n S t u d i e s
J o u r n a l o f th e Royal A s i a t i c S o c ie ty
L e t t e r Copy Book o f t h e R e s i d e n t a t t h e D u r b a r
L e t t e r Cony Book o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r o f Ra .is h a h i
^^■■wrTTniniTTTimi^wrif»imMniMiTrrMMCT«nifJii^«rw^MTiawmBiTTTfrirwrmMw>i^iTrmiifcri»rnwroiTiiiiw>w^Miiil>i^niiTimMiiiiTWiw<iMi*ii*>aiTTir<ii<ifMirpTT-'iiTrwni»«i*iiiiMwiiiiiii><i> fliWnmi-—niiriwrinm^nn 11

M i r a t - i - A h m a d i « A l i Muhammad Khan, Tr# M*F*Lokhand

w ala
M*R,F. M u rs h id a h a d F a c t o r y R e c o r d s
P.C*C#D, P r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e Committee o f C i r c u i t a t D acca
P«C»C»K» P r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e Committee o f C i r c u i t at
K a s im h a z a r
P.C«C.R.M. P r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e C o n t r o l l i n g C o u n c i l o f Revenue
a t M u rsh id aba d
P*C«N*L* P r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e Com m ittee o f New Lands
Q .J » E « The Q u a r t e r l y J o u r n a l o f Econom ics
M ad R i a d - a l - S a l a t i n , Ghulam H u s a i n S a l i m ,
T r . A b d u s ' S a l am -
S eir S e i r - a l - M n t a k h k h e r i n T Ghulam H u s s a i n T a b a t a b a i 1-
' T r . .Ha^i M u s t a f a
S»A»B« A S t a t i s t i c a l Account o f B e n g a l
S e l e c t Committee
S.C.C# S e l e c t C om mittee C o n s u l t a t i o n s
T aw arikh-i-B angalah. S a l i m A l l a h , T r . F. Gladwin
r,B.D*R. West Benga l D i s t r i c t R e c o r d s .

B. S. Bengal s a l . . , *,
Bs . k s . chs B i g h a s , k a t h a s and c h a t a k s . , ,
B s . k s . g s . c s . B i g h a s , k a t h a s V g a n d a s ' 'and cawras,.
R ^ . a s . g s . c s . Rupees-,, a n n a s , gandas and c a w r a s . ;;
R s . as ,p s . R u p e e s , . an n a s , p a i s . .. : :
 The Mughal c o n q u e s t o f B e n g a l d i d n o t b r i n g a b o u t
any r e v o l u t i o n a r y c h a n g e s i n t h e e x i s t i n g a d m i n i s t r a t i v e s e t ­
up. The s u b a h w i t h i t s f a i r l y d i s t i n c t p h y s i o g r a p h y ,
s i t u a t e d a t a d i s t a n c e from t h e i m p e r i a l c a p i t a l and s u r r o u n d e d
by h a l f - s u b d u e d n e i g h b o u r s , c o u l d n o t be b r o u g h t u n d e r t h o r ­
ough a d m i n i s t r a t i v e c o n t r o l o f t h e c e n t r a l g o v e r n m e n t. The
p o l i c y o f t h e Mughal s o v e r e i g n s o f c o l l e c t i n g l a n d r e v e n u e
d i r e c t l y from t h e p e a s a n t s a s f o l l o w e d i n t h e Upper I n d i a ,
c o u l d n o t be im p le m e n te d i n Bengal# T hus t h e b a s i s o f
r e v e n u e s e t t l e m e n t t h e r e re m a in e d more z a m i n d a r i t h a n r a i v a t -
w ari. The p a r t i a l i n t r o d u c t i o n o f t h e r a i y a t w a r i s e t t l e m e n t
e f f e c t e d i n some p a r t s o f t h e s u bah a t t h e b e h e s t o f M urshid
Q u l i Khan d i d n o t s u r v i v e t h e Nawab1s d e a t h l o n g . From t h e
l a t e r p a r t o f t h e s e v e n te e n th c e n tu r y t i l l t h e m iddle o f t h e
e i g h t e e n t h and a l i t t l e b ey o n d , t h e e m p h a s is i n t h e z a m i n d a r i
t e n u r e v i s i b l y moved away from t h e n o t i o n o f c o n t r a c t t o t h a t
of s ta tu s .
The e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y was a p e r i o d o f t r i a l i n
t h e h i s t o r y o f I n d i a as a w ho le and B e n g a l i n p a r t i c u l a r .
Four f a c t o r s dom inated t h e h i s t o r y of t h e p erio d s the
g r a d u a l e r o s i o n o f t h e Mughal p o l i t i c a l s y s t e m , t h e a t t e m p t s
 8

o f t h e p r o v i n c i a l powers t o a c h i e v e v i r t u a l i n d e p e n d e n c e ,
t h e M a r a t h a d e p r e d a t i o n s , and t h e a s c e n d a n c y o f t h e E n g l i s h
E a s t I n d i a Company* T h e s e h i s t o r i c a l f o r c e s a t work
"brought f o r t h marked c h a n g e s i n t h e r e v e n u e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n
o f t h e p r o v i n c e o f Bengal.#
The t r a d i t i o n a l and o r g a n i z a t i o n a l a r r a n g e m e n t s
r e f l e c t t h e n a t u r e o f t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s o f t h e z e m in d a r
class* I n i t i a l l y t h e r o l e o f t h e z a m i n d a r s was a l i m i t e d
o n e , stemming f o r t h e s e a r c h f o r r e v e n u e p e r s o n n e l and
p o litic a l allies* But t h e f r o n t i e r s and c h a r a c t e r s o f
t h e i r r o l e changed under t h e v a ry in g c ir c u m s ta n c e s . New
r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s , new t e r m s o f r e f e r e n c e c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e
changing p a t t e r n . Many p o w e r f u l z a m i n d a r s d e v e l o p e d new
instrum ents of c o n tro l. The governm ent r e c o g n i z e d t h e i r
a u t h o r i t y o c c a s i o n a l l y b e s t o w i n g upon them t i t l e s and k h i l a t s .
Many i n f l u e n t i a l z a m i n d a r s f o r a y e d i n t o t h e r e a l m o f
p o l i t i c s where t h e y c h a l l e n g e d t h e Nawabs and t h e E a s t I n d i a
Company i n an a t t e m p t t o m a i n t a i n t h e i r t e r r i t o r i a l autonomy
and economic p r i v i l e g e s . But i n t h e l o n g r u n t h e z a m i n d a r s
had t o g i v e i n b e f o r e t h e m o u n tin g p r e s s u r e o f t h e new r u l e r s .
I n t h e r e c e n t p a s t t h e a g r a r i a n h i s t o r y o f Mughal
I n d i a h as a t t r a c t e d th e a t t e n t i o n of a h o st of scholars* Of
t h e s e m e n t i o n s h o u l d be made o f W .H .M oreland, I . H a b i b , 8 . N .H a s a n ,
 9

B .R * G ro v e r, B . S . C o t a , and N . A . S i d d i q i . D e sp ite i t s w ealth

o f i n f o r m a t i o n and a n a l y t i c a l , r e v i e w W .H .M oreland 1 s The
A g r a r i a n System o f Moslem I n d i a i s n o t a c o m p r e h e n s i v e s t u d y
o f t h e Mughal l a n d r e v e n u e h i s t o r y * H is o b s e r v a tio n has
g i v e n r i s e t o t h e c o n t r o v e r s i e s as t o w h e t h e r t h e word
z e m i n d a r c a r r i e d t h e same s i g n i f i c a n c e i n t h e Mughal p e r i o d
a s i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , and w h e t h e r t h e z a m i n d a r s
e x i s t e d i n a l l p a r t s o f t h e Mughal Empire* These p o i n t s
h a v e b e e n t a k e n up by I . H a b i b * H i s a r t i c l e “The Z am in d ars
i n t h e A i n 11 and t h e book e n t i t l e d The A g r a r i a n s y s te m o f
Mughal I n d i ^ d w e l l i n g on many o f t h e t e n u r i a l r i g h t s o f t h e
z a m i n d a r s and t h e i r r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e g o v ern m e n t and t h e
p e a s a n t s , have e s t a b l i s h e d th e p o s i t i o n o f t h e zam indars i n
t h e r e v e n u e h i s t o r y o f Mughal I n d i a * H is use of e x te n s iv e
P e r s i a n s o u rc e s h a s broadened th e scope o f t h e stu d y of th e
Mughal A g r a r i a n system* N. A . S i d d i q i 1 s Land Revenue A d m inis­
t r a t i o n u n d e r t h e M ugh als, a n o t h e r s t u d y b a s e d on P e r s i a n
s o u r c e m a t e r i a l , h e l p s g r e a t l y i n u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e w o rk in g
o f t h e Mughal z a m i n d a r i i n s t i t u t i o n * B ut i n s p i t e o f t h e
v a l u a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n and c r i t i c a l a n a l y s i s o f many a g r a r i a n
p r o b l e m s o f p r e - B r i t i s h I n d i a , t h e s e works d e a l w i t h t h e
whole o f I n d i a and a r e i n a d e q u a t e i n e a s t i n g l i g h t on t h e
l a n d r e v e n u e h i s t o r y o f B e n g a l and ev e n more so on t h e l a n d e d
a risto cracy .
 The z a m i n d a r s o c c u p i e d an i m p o r t a n t p l a c e i n t h e
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e , economic and s o c i a l h i s t o r y o f r u r a l Bengal#
T h e i r l i f e and e x p l o i t s which c o l o u r e d t h e i m a g i n a t i o n o f so
many, a r e e n g a g i n g l y p r e s e n t e d i n s t o r i e s , poems and f o l k ­
songs* B ut l i t t l e h a s b e e n done f o r a c o r r e c t a p p r a i s a l
o f t h e i r h i s t o r i c a l role* I n t h e p a s t few y e a r s a t r e n d
c a n be s e e n among t h e s c h o l a r s t o c o n c e n t r a t e t h e i r s t u d i e s
on t h e l o c a l h i s t o r y o f t h e Subah o f B e n g a l , B i h a r and
O rissa# The London U n i v e r s i t y t h e s e s by A . M . S e r a j u d d i n ,
K*M.Mohsin, A.B*M*Mahmood, and K# P . M i s h r a i l l u s t r a t e such
trend* T h e ir s tu d ie s h elp to a g re a t e x te n t i n u nd erstan d in g
th e a d m in istra tiv e set-u p a t lo c a l le v e ls , th e lo c a l fo rc e s
a t work and t h e v a r y i n g cu s to m s and p r a c t i c e s w h ich i n f l u e n c e d
t h e g e n e r a l p o l i c y making o f t h e government* A.B.M.Mahmood1s
stu d y - t h e only t h e s i s d e a lin g w ith a za m in d a ri o f Bengal
h a s , h o w e v e r, b e e n l i m i t e d t o t h e d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e l a n d
r e v e n u e h i s t o r y s o l e l y o f t h e R a j s h a h i z a m i n d a r i fro m t h e
commencement o f t h e B r i t i s h p e r i o d (1 7 6 5 - 1 7 9 3 ) • The work
does n o t p re s e n t a f u l l p i c t u r e of th e v a r io u s a s p e c ts of a
z a m in d a r i* A c o m p r e h e n s i v e s t u d y on t h e r o l e of t h e zam indars
o f B e n g a l i s n e c e s s a r y and i m p o r t a n t b o t h i n i t s own r i g h t
t o su p p le m e n t t h e l o c a l h i s t o r y , and t o complement t h e
p o litic a l, and economic h i s t o r y o f t h e s u b a h d u r i n g t h e
d e c l i n i n g d a y s o f t h e Mughal r u l e and t h e t r a n s i t i o n o f t h e
 11

E a s t I n d i a Company fro m i t s c o m m e rc ia l e n t e r p r i s e t o t h e
r u l e r of t h e country*
The p r e s e n t s t u d y h a s b e e n l i m i t e d t o t h e p e r i o d
fro m 1 7 07 , t h e y e a r o f t h e d e a t h o f Em peror A u ra n g z e b , t o
1 7 7 2 , when t h e E n g l i s h E a s t I n d i a Company assumed d i r e c t l y
t h e f u l l D iw an i power o f t h e Subah o f B e n g a l , B i h a r and
O rissa. T h i s h a s b e e n done as a m a t t e r o f c o n v e n ie n c e *
I t may, h o w e v e r, be p o i n t e d o u t t h a t d u r i n g t h e i n t e r v e n i n g
p e r i o d b e t w e e n t h e a s s u m p t i o n o f t h e Diwani and t h e p ro m u l-
g a t i o n o f t h e P erm an e n t S e t t l e m e n t o f 1793? b h e c o n t i n u a l
c h a n g e s o f t h e Com pany's p o l i c i e s on t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e and
r e v e n u e m a t t e r s h ad u n s e t t l i n g e f f e c t s on t h e z a m i n d a r s , -
t h e i r p o s i t i o n became g r a d u a l l y u n c e r t a i n and t h e i r r o l e
lim ited .
Bengal i n i t s contem porary sense denoted th e
Mughal S u b a h ^ o f B e n g a l , B i h a r and O r i s s a . To d e a l w i t h t h e
subah i n i t s e n t i r e t y would have meant i g n o r i n g t h e r e g i o n a l
d i v e r s i t y i n i t s component p a r t s . I n o r d e r t o a v o i d making
s w ee p in g g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s and im p o s in g a p a t c h e d - u p u n i f o r m i t y ,
I h a v e c o n f i n e d my a t t e n t i o n e x c l u s i v e l y t o B e n g a l p r o p e r ,
now t h e p r o v i n c e o f West B e n g a l and t h e n ew ly form ed s t a t e
o f B angladesh. N e v e r t h e l e s s , i n many c a s e s , s t u d i e s on
t h e r e s i d u a l p a r t s o f t h e su b ^ h h a v e b e e n i n c o r p o r a t e d and
p r e s e n t e d t o g i v e a c l e a r e r view o f t h e s i t u a t i o n .
 12

The work: aims a t an e v a l u a t i o n of t h e r o l e o f

t h e z a m i n d a r s d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d m en tio n ed above w i t h o u t
b e i n g enmeshed i n some o f t h e h i g h l y c o n t r o v e r s i a l and much-
d i s c u s s e d land, r i g h t s o f t h e zam indars* Even a c u r s o r y
r e v ie w o f t h e s u b j e c t makes i t c l e a r t h a t many o f t h e f u n c ­
t i o n s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s were i n t r i c a t e l y i n v o l v e d , i n s e p a r a b l e
i n r e l a t i o n t o o t h e r d u t i e s - b u t by no means c o n v e r g e n t
on a common r e s p o n s i b i l i t y *
The s t u d y i s b as e d m o s t l y on t h e o r i g i n a l
sources. For a study of t h i s type th e fa m ily a r c h iv e s of
t h e z a m in d a r s a r e o f immense i m p o r t a n c e . U n fo rtunately
t h e p r a c t i c e of keeping d i a r i e s or w r i t i n g b io g r a p h ie s
was n o t a s p o p u l a r among t h e l a n d l o r d s o f I n d i a i n t h e
e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y a s i t was i n E n g la n d . A g ain , t h e
i n d i v i d u a l z a m i n d a r i r e c o r d s as f a r b a c k a s t h e p e r i o d u n d er
s t u d y e i t h e r h av e p e r i s h e d o r i n a few c a s e s where t h e y s t i l l
e x i s t i n t h e p o s s e s s i o n o f some a r e n o t r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e
fo r research. However some o f t h e s a n a d s r e f e r r e d t o i n
t h e s e c o n d a r y w orks r e l a t i n g t o t h e Burdwan z a m i n d a r i were
k i n d l y p l a c e d a t my d i s p o s a l by Hajkumar P.O. Mahtab o f t h e
Burdwan f a m i l y .
Of t h e P e r s i a n s o u r c e s t h e B r i t i s h Museum Add.
M anuscripts c o n ta in in g d a s tu r - a l- a m a l ( a d m in is tr a tiv e
p r o c e d u r e s ) , s a n a d s and parw anas o f t h e Mughal government have
 13

"been f o u n d u s e f u l , E x t e n s i v e u s e h a s a l s o b e e n made o f t h e
c o n t e m p o r a r y p r i n t e d P e r s i a n works w hich hav e b e e n t r a n s l a t e d .
The Bahar i s t a n - i - G h a v b i « t h e T a w a r i k h - B a n g a l a h y t h e R i a d - a l -
B a l a t i n , t h e H u n ta k h a b u u l- h u b a b T t h e M i r a t - i - A h m a d i . and
t h e S e ir -a l- M u ta k h k h e rin c o n ta in in g in f o r m a tio n about t h e
c e n t r a l and p r o v i n c i a l g o v ern m e n ts o f t h e Mughals were of
immense v a l u e t o t h e p r e s e n t s t u d y . The a c c o u n t s o f t h e
E u ro p e a n t r a v e l l e r s and c o n t e m p o r a r y w r i t e r s were u t i l i z e d
i n s u p p l e m e n t i n g t h e d o cum entary e v i d e n c e .
But most o f t h e m a t e r i a l h a s b e e n drawn from
t h e v o lu m in o u s r e c o r d s o f t h e E a s t I n d i a Company s y s t e m a t i ­
c a l l y p r e s e r v e d i n t h e B r i t i s h Museum, t h e I n d i a O f f i c e
L i b r a r y and t h e B o d l e i n L i b r a r y , Oxford, The g aps i n t h e
o f f i c i a l docum ents o f t h e Mughal government i n B eng al have
b e e n b r e a c h e d by t h e v a l u a b l e re v e n u e l i t e r a t u r e o f t h e e a r l y
B r i t i s h p erio d . Of t h e e a r l y m a n u s c r i p t s o u r c e s o f t h e
E a s t I n d i a Company, t h e D i a r y and C o n s u l t a t i o n s o f t h e
E n g l i s h C o u n c i l a t C a l c u t t a c a t a l o g u e d as B e n g a l P u b l i c
C o n s u lta tio n s i n th e I n d ia O ffice L ib ra ry d e se rv e p a r t i c u l a r
atten tio n . R e c o r d in g d a y - t o - d a y e v e n t s from an e a r l y d a t e
o f 170**, t h e s e m a n u s c r i p t s a r e m in es o f i n f o r m a t i o n f o r a
study of th e e a r l y e ig h te e n th c e n tu ry B engal. These a s i d e ,
t h e F a c t o r y R e c o r d s , t h e S e l e c t Committee C o n s u l t a t i o n s , t h e
Home M i s c e l l a n e o u s S e r i e s , t h e B e n g a l Revenue C o n s u l t a t i o n s ,
 Ik

t h e B oard o f Revenue P r o c e e d i n g s , , and t h e P r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e

Mu r s h i d a b a d C o u n c i l were e x t e n s i v e l y u t i l i z e d . Since t h e s e
r e c o r d s c o n t a i n i m p o r t a n t m i n u t e s , o b s e r v a t i o n s and l e t t e r s
o f t h e B r i t i s h and n a t i v e o f f i c e r s as w e l l as many p e t i t i o n s
fro m t h e z a m i n d a r s , t h e i r i m p o r t a n c e i n w r i t i n g any h i s t o r y
o f B e n g a l can h a r d l y be m in im iz e d . The . t a i n A c c o u n ts ,
c a t a l o g u e d a s t h e H a s t i n g s P a p e r s ( a l s o B r i t i s h Museum
A d d i t i o n a l M a n u s c r i p t s ) s u p p l y monjh u s e f u l s t a t i s t i c a l i n f o r ­
m a t i o n on t h e D i s t r i c t s o f B e n g a l where t h e am ins were s e n t .
The c o r r e s p o n d e n c e b e tw e e n t h e C o u rt o f D i r e c t o r s and F o r t
W i l l i a m , and t h e R e p o r t s o f t h e P a r l i a m e n t a r y C om m ittees
appointed to enquire i n t o th e a f f a i r s of th e E ast I n d ia
Company were a l s o fo u n d u s e f u l . A n o th er i n f o r m a t i v e s o u r c e
i s th e D i s t r i c t Records. Bengal D i s t r i c t Records of C h i t t a ­
gong, D i n a j p u r , M idn apu r, R an gp ur, and S y l h e t p u b l i s h e d by
W .K .F irra in g e r r e v e a l mU&Jrv i m p o r t a n t i n f o r m a t i o n .
Of t h e s e c o n d a r y s o u r c e s m e n t i o n s h o u l d be made
of th e D i s t r i c t h i s t o r i e s , such as t h e Memorandum on t h e
Revenue H i s t o r y o f C h i t t a g o n g . A G e o g r a p h i c a l , S t a t i s t i c a l
and H i s t o r i c a l D e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e D in a.ip u r D i s t r i c t , A Report
on t h e D i s t r i c t o f R a n g p u r. The D i s t r i c t o f Bakargan.1. A R e p o r t
on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e ? H i s t o r y o f M i d n a p u r , and A H i s t o r y
o f M ursh id ab a d D i s t r i c t . W r i t t e n by t h e B r i t i s h o f f i c e r s
s e r v i n g i n t h e d i f f e r e n t D i s t r i c t s o f B e n g a l , t h e s e works
t h o u g h l i m i t e d i n t h e i r sco p e a r e v a l u a b l e f o r any l o c a l
stu d ies. . ' '
L a s t l y , t h e c o n te m p o ra ry B e n g a l i l i t e r a t u r e , y e t
a n o t h e r s o u r c e o f immense i m p o r t a n c e h a s a l s o b e e n u t i l i z e d .
Many a s p e c t s o f l i f e s p i c e d w i t h p o e t i c i m a g i n a t i o n o r
masked by l i t e r a r y e x t r a v a g a n c e f e a t u r e p r o m i n e n t l y i n t h e
contem porary l i t e r a t u r e . B u t r. i f we b r u s h a s i d e much o f
t h e r h e t o r i c i n d i a t r i b e s and p a n e g y r i c s , a p i c t u r e o f
the so c ie ty i s p resented. From i t t h e s o c i o - e c o n o m i c
h i s t o r y o f t h e p e r i o d c a n be r e c o n s t r u c t e d .
I n t h e q u o t a t i o n o f e x t r a c t s fro m t h e Company
R e c o r d s , t h e i n d i s c r i m i n a t e u se o f c a p i t a l l e t t e r s h a s n o t
been reproduced. And f i n a l l y , t h e t e r m D i s t r i c t h a s b e e n
u s e d k e e p i n g i n view i t s c u r r e n t meaning and a p p l i c a t i o n
i n d e n o t i n g modern b o u n d a r i e s . , The z a m i n d a r i e s h a v e b ee n
lo c a te d accordingly* .
 16

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTORY

ZAMINDAR AND ZAMINDARI

W i t h t h e c o n q u e s t o f I n d i a , t h e Mughal governm ent

h ad t o e n s u r e t h e r e c e i p t o f a c o n s t a n t f l o w o f income f o r
its survival* T h i s c o u l d he done by c a r r y i n g t h e s t a t e d u e s
from d i f f e r e n t p a r t s o f t h e Empire t o t h e c e n t r a l s e a t o f t h e
government and t h e n r e d i s t r i b u t e them f o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f
t h e d i f f e r e n t c a d r e s o f a d m i n i s t r a t i v e s t a f f - a m easu re w hich
c o u l d c a u s e d e l a y and d i f f i c u l t i e s . These d i f f i c u l t i e s could
be a v e r t e d by em ploying t h e l o c a l c h i e f s t o c o l l e c t t h e t a x e s
and hand them o v e r t o t h e government a f t e r ta lc in g t h e i r s h a r e .
A c t i n g on t h i s p r i n c i p l e , t h e House o f Timux1 u t i l i s e d t h e
e x i s t i n g S e p a r a t i s t , l o e a l i s t and p a r o c h i a l * in flu en ce to
s e r v e t h a t en d . T h i s was o f t e n l i k e l y t o c a u s e e r o s i o n o f
power o f t h e c e n t r a l g o v ern m e n t. But t h e a l t e r n a t i v e a g a i n s t
t h i s e v i l was t h e b u r e a u c r a t i c s o l u t i o n w h ich was d i f f i c u l t t o
a c h i e v e and r e q u i r e d s u b s t a n t i a l r e s t r u e t u r i a l g o f t h e b a s i c
p a t t e r n o f t h e e x i s t i n g l a n d t e n u r e and t a x s y s te m . P articu ­
l a r l y b e f o r e t h e d i s i n t e g r a t i o n o f t h e Em pire s e t i n , such
e v i l s a s i n e v i t a b l y f o l l o w e d i n t h e t r a i n o f programme o f
zam indari ten u re Seemed i n s i g n i f i c a n t i n t h e l i g h t o f e x t r a -
o r d i n a r y b e n e f i t s e n jo y e d by t h e Mughal s .
The a s s i g n m e n t o f l a n d on c o n d i t i o n o f payment o f
r e v e n u e o r m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e t o t h e s t a t e was an o l d p r a c t i c e
i n India* Under t h e H in d u r u l e , t h e b h u i y a s , b h u m is ,
c h a u d h u r l s ? m an d als ( o r muqaddams) and o t h e r s were t h e a g e n t s
o f t h e crown f o r t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f t h e s h a r e o f p ro d u c e
c l a i m e d by t h e s t a t e * These in te r m e d ia r y lan d e d i n t e r e s t s
t h o u g h re m o v a b le a t t h e p l e a s u r e o f t h e crow n, t e n d e d t o
become h e r e d i t a r y and t h e r e b y “t r a n s f o r m e d t h e i r r i g h t t o
1
t h e r e v e n u e i n t o a r i g h t i n t h e l a n d I t s e l f . 11 By t h e t i m e
t h e Muslims came t o power some o f t h e s e h e r e d i t a r y t e n u r e - h o l d e r s
had a l r e a d y d e v e l o p e d i n t o an o v e r l o r d c l a s s by d e p r e s s i n g t h e
p o s itio n of th e peasant in to th a t of a te n a n t. The Mughal
r e v e n u e p o l i c y was a t t u n e d t o t h i s a n c i e n t f i s c a l p r a c t i c e .
The a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e Muslim t h e o r y o f s o v e r e i g n t y c l a i m i n g
t h a t a l l l a n d s b e l o n g e d t o t h e crown, d i d n o t s u b s t a n t i a l l y
a lte r the situ a tio n . The a s s i g n m e n t o f l a n d s t o t h e f o r m e r
2
Mings and c h i e f s , and f a r m i n g o f l a n d t a x were f o l l o w e d . Two
r e m a r k a b l e c h a n g e s - t h e enhancement o f t h e s t a t e 1 s s h a r e o f .

1. R .K .M u k h e rje e . “Land T e n u r e 11, E n c y c l o p a e d i a o f t h e So c i a l

V f / — mi I tM tiiiw WM» l. ■ J ,p | iTjagttUJ. .

Sc i e n c e s . IX-X, 110$ G . D . F i e l d , I n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e Regu­

l a t i o n s o f B e n g a l Code T 2 8 5 See a l s o J . S h o r e 1 s M in u te ,
A p r i l 2 , 1 788, W .K .F irm in g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h Repo r t II,
738.
2 . F . B e r n i e r . T r a v e l s i n t h e Mughal Empir e . A . C o n s t a b l e ( t r , ) , .
/ ^ rri 1 m— —‘r ~ ^ i— ) T m m i “ n t r • mo r r if i~ n i ■f ir tm n n r n i Mw f m.ri r i nii* i inni*-m— f . /

2 2 ^ - 2 2 5 , W .H.M oreland, From Akbar t o A u ra n g z e b , 2 k 7 - 2 ^ 8 . .

 ■;:..the‘-produce' -t o r«'|f*o r m o re .u p t o and t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n o f c a s h , ;7-
7^77 ' 7 '■■• 7 ‘ , ' 7\ , “ ' 7 .. 1 , , 7 '77-
;x ,;p.aymeht i n s t e a d o f c r o p - s h d r i n g w e r e . e f f e c t e d . -
7 > 7 The Mughal .s o v e r e i g n s ' a t t e m p t e d t o c o n t r o l t h e /, 7'7 ;r7
r e v e n u e management by p l a c i n g o f f i c i a l s - t h r o u g h o u t t h e , 7 ,7 :
' ’a d m i n i s t r a t i v e ' d i v i s i o n s ,pf the, E m p ire . / D e s p i t e t h i s , t h e 7- v7
d i r e c t c q n t a c t W ith t h e p e a s a n t s t h r o u g h t h e a m i l s - t h e >777
^77./77> ■-■7-/:V7 777/- . ■. 7-2'" ; : : 7'- ^ ‘ • ' ■. ■- ;v7/
7 i m p b r i a l r e v e n u e v c o l l e c t o r s y . ' c o u l d n o t be f u l l y : m a t e r i a l i z e d . •
:v-T-he -v^ripgate^7'phy;s i c . a l f e a t u r e s , d i f f e r e n t a g r i c u l t u r a l . 7
c o n d i t i o n s , d i v e r s e s o c i a l customs, and' r e v e n u e p r a c t i c e s o f t h e -- :;
7 e # tp ris iv .Q y fl^ •t h e t a s k v e r y d i f f i c u l t . : The immense 7 .
7 p ro b lem o f l a n d - r e v e n u e management i n / I n d i a - h a s b e e n a p t l y 77
■ ’ : 7 7' 7‘ . ' :/ r ’ ■ ''' ■ 3 . •7' ' . . : ■ ■ . - , ' "77
d e s c r i b e d .by;-Baden-P.owell:, * «’ •; .7
77 ; ,”The l i a n d - t a K 1 i n England, i s 7o n l y one i t e m , and 7:/
h o t , a v e r y / l a r g e -qhe, among . a,..host o f o t h e r t a x e s ; 77
7 7 i t f a l l s on a - s m a l l 7 c l a s s . I n I n d i a t h e . l a n d - :
,7v re v ehue.Yis a t o t a l l / d i f f e r e n t t h i n g . ./With/ t h e 'v77;
7. / / n e c e s s i t y 7 vf o r f a i r l y ; a d j u s t i n g t h e amount o f , % 7;
; re,v en u e7 v h ich e a c h c l a s s o f l a n d h a s t o ; p a y , comes
t h e n e c e s s i t y o f t h o r o u g h l y t u a d e r s ta n d in g , t h e , 7 7
7 7 >•; a ^ r i c u i t u r a l - - c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e c o m t r y , ; t h e c a s t e , 7.v
b f - t h e p e o p l e as i t a f f e c t s t h e i r c u l t i v a t i n g , ... 7 7 ;;
' 7' c a p a c i t y * , t h e modes o f h o l d i n g l a n d , t h e i n t e r e s t s ’ 777
e a c h 7 c l a s s ; h a s i n t h e land* and on what c l a s s e s , • 7:
7 .; c ahd td v w h a t e x t e n t on e a c h r e s p e c t i v e l y , t h e 777
,7 r e v e n u e b u r d e n i s t o ' f a L l . l*7 : .7" 7 f 7 f7

; 1 . BfH., B a d e n - P d w e i l, The -Land-Bystems o f B r i t i s h I n d i a.- I , ; 7-77.

1 8 2 -1 8 3 ; .* R .lC M u k h e r je e , “Land T e n u r e 0 f -E n c y c l o p a e d i a . 7:7
•.*.* «*IX— X ,I11. > r . ./ ■' ' - ,;--''.V7'
'.2>..Abul- Fazlj, A i n - i - A k b a r i T H.7B, J a r r e t t ( t r . . ) , 1 1 , 7: ;7
7 3 . B.;H,BadenrrPowell, The. Lahd-Sy stem s . . . . . . . 1 , 2 5 - 2 6 . 77
'■ ■
' ' V/V,:,. ■ ■■■■ ' ‘: '■ _ V 19

The Mughal f a u . i d a r s , s h i k d a r s o r a m i l s . w i t h no c l o s e exper-* /.

i e n c e o f t h e complex r e v e n u e sy stem o f t h e n a t i v e s , had t o / 7 ;
;l;eave t h e d e t a i l e d management o f re v en u e, a f f a i r s t o t h e ; i
e x i s f i n g interm .ediary a g e n ts . : ■
7/ f Some m e a s u r e s , t a i l o r e d t o t h e i m p e r i a l n e e d s o f t h e
;Mughals b r e d a c l a s s o f l a n d e d i n t e r e s t . The ' a n c i e n t p o l i c y •
o f . g r a n t i n g l a n d a s a m i l i t a r y rew ard o r t o e n c o u r a g e e n l i s t m e n t 7
was a m m e d i a t e l y a d a p te d t o t h e Mughal i m p e r i a l r e q u i r e m e n t s . vV.h
Land was, a s s i g n e d t o t h e m i l i t a r y c h i e f s or/ t h e i r p r i n c i p a l , \v:
c o h o r t s ; s u b j e c t , t o r e n d e r i n g m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e s . : Many o f /
t h e m ; a s t i m e w e n t . o n , commuted t h e i r l i a b i l i t y f o r a q u i t r e n t .
The p l a n t i n g o f d e f e n d e r s a t some s t r a t e g i c p o i n t s watis--
a c h ie v e d , by; o f f e r i n g l a n d s t o p r o s p e c t i v e ; p a r t i s a n s w i t h
t h d ; . s t i p u l a t i o n t h a t t h e y m a i n t a i n armed r e t a i n e r s t o r e s i s t
an i n v a d e r . , Ah a d d i t i o n a l s p u r t o t h e l a n d e d i n t e r e s t was -ht.
v f u t n l s h e d by th e ; g r a n t s o f l a n d s t o t h e r e c l a i m e r o f w a s t e s . / /
7 The a s s i g n m e n t o f l a n d c a r r i e d w i t h i f c e r t a i n : 7;
^ r ' e s p o n s i b i l i t l ces>f.. The p r o t e c t i o n o f l i f e and p r o p e r t y - a :;
f u n c t i o n o f t h e s t a t e , was t o be found i n t h e l o c a l l a n d e d
;;,b lt^!sf^7k ;w h o d e r i v e d t h e i r s t r e n g t h and a u t h o r i t y p a r t l y >
fro m t h e . s h a r e . o f t h e p r o d u c e o f t h e , p e a s a n t s and p a r t l y from >
t h e i r t r a d i t i o n a l s u p e rio r p o sitio n , i n the s o c ie ty . The
l a n d e d a r i s t o c r a c y a f f o r d i i i g t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l need f o r
p r o t e c t i o n a n d ; s e t t l e m e n t o f d i s p u t e c o u l d e n f o r c e d e c i s i o n s . /•:
T h e . Mughal s. fou nd i t c o n v e n i e n t t o wade t h r o u g h t h e m orass >
 20

o f r e v e n u e , p o l i c e and j u d i c i a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s e x p r e s s e d
■ • 1
i n th e zam indari i n s t i t u t i o n .

D e f i n i t i o n o f za m in d ar and z a m i n d a r i
■■" ■ , ' - 2 .
The t e r m z a m in d a r h a s p a s s e d i n t o h i s t o r i c a l
v o c a b u la ry o f I n d i a t o denote a landed c l a s s . The a p p e l l a t i o n
i t s e l f lackS^g c l a r i t y and a p r e c i s e d e f i n i t i o n ; lite ra lly
i t mieans h o l d e r „o f Idnd w i t h o u t s i g n i f y i n g any s p e c i f i c t y p e o f
r i g h t i n t h e l a n d . !,The p o s s e s s o r s of z a m i n d a r i r i g h t s 11, t o
■ 3 ■‘ . '

q u o t e H a b i b , ■ "were n o t p o s s e s s o r s o f a. v i s i b l e a r t i c l e of
p r o p e r t y , l i k e - any o t h e r , b u t o f a t i t l e t o a c o n s t a n t s h a r e
i n t h e p ro d u c e o f t h e s o c i e t y . 11 I n t h e revenue p r a c t i c e of
t h e ’ Mughal E m p ire , z a m in d ar came t o s i g n i f y a p e r s o n who
h e l d a p o r t i o n o f l a n d r e g i s t e r e d i n t h e Id a a ls a (r e v e n u e
d e p a r t m e n t ) a s h i s z a m i n d a r i , and was a n s w e r a b l e f o r t h e f i x e d
amount o f r e v e n u e due t o t h e s t a t e from t h a t l a n d . In t h i s
s e n s e z a m i n d a r s were f a r m e r s o f t h e g overnm ent r e v e n u e i . e . ,
i n t e r m e d i a r i e s b e tw e e n t h e go vern m e n t, and t h e i n f e r i o r
r e v e n u e f a r m e r s and r a i v a t s ( p e a s a n t s ^ .

;1 . A .C onstable ( t r . ) T ra v e ls . . . . . . . 2 2 5 ; B . H .B a d e n - P o w e l l ,
The L and -By stem s . . . . j,183»
2 . From t h e P e r s i a n words,' zamin meaning l a n d , and d a r which
i s an i n f l e x i o n o f t h e v e r b d a s h t a n , d e n o t i n g t o h a v e ,
hold or p o s s e s s .
3 , I . H a b i b . The Agrar i a n System o f Mughal I n d i a . 18^; See
a l s o B .H .B a d e n - P o w e ll, uI s t h e S t a t e t h e owner o f a l l
Land i n I n d i a , 11 A . Q . R . . J u l y , 1 8 9 ^ 5 7*
 2i

I n Mughal I n d i a t h e z a m i n d a r i s y s te m p r e v a i l e d
1 2
b o th i n th e R h alsa land and . i a g i r l a n d . reason is
n o t f a r t o s e e k . D u r i n g t h e Mughal r u l e * l a n d g ra n ts in li e u
o f immediate' c a s h paym ents had b e e n f r e q u e n t l y u sed t o
3
rem unerate t h e i r o f f i c i a l s . S o o n e r o r l a t e r some o f t h e
a s s i g n e e s commuted t h e i r l i a b i l i t y o f m anaging and c o l l e c t i n g
th e revenues of t h e i r .ia g irs t o c o n t r a c t o r s i n r e t u r n f o r a
f i x e d sum, The d i f f e r e n c e , b etw e en t h e z a m i n d a r s i n t h e
K h a l s a and t h o s e i n t h e .i ascir l a n d s l a y i n t h e f a c t t h a t t h e
l a t t e r had t o pay t h e i r r e v e n u e s t o t h e .1 a g i r d a r s ( h o l d e r s o f
b
t k e - i a g i r s ) i n s t e a d o f p a y i n g d i r e c t l y t o t h e g o v ern m e n t.
I t a p p e a r s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a t i o n z a m in d a r was a
s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d t r a n s l a t i o n from t h e c u r r e n t n a t i v e t e r m s
s i g n i f y i n g t h e h e r e d i t a r y l a n d h o l d e r s i n p re -M u g h al I n d i a .
The t e r m bhum i, bhaumik o r b h u i v a which l i t e r a l l y means a
l a n d h o l d e r was i n g e n e r a l u s e i n B en gal I n t h e p e r i o d
p r e c e d i n g t h e Mughal r u l e . T h i s e x p l a i n s why t h e c o u n t r y

1. Land t h e r e v e n u e s from which was d i r e c t l y c o l l e c t e d by

t h e crown.
2. Land t h e - r e v e n u e s from w hich were a s s i g n e d t o a n o t h e r by
t h e crown,
3 ; W .H.M oreland, The A g r a r i a n System o f Moslem I n d i a . 9 3 .

l+.EN.Hasan, "Z a m in d a rs u n d e r t h e M ughalsn , R.E,Fry^$ceriberg

( * ) > Land C o n t r o l and S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e i n I n d i a n
H i s t o r y . 18; N .K . S i n h a , The Economic H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l ,
11,2.
 22

was c a l l e d by some a s t h e ' B a r a B h u iy a Mulk* (country of th e

1
tw elve b h u iy a s ). I n O ris s a to o , th e n a t i v e la n d lo rd s bore
2
t h e t i t l e s o f bhu i y a n , bhumi o r bhupat i . The d e s i g n o f t h e
Mughals t o mould t h e e x i s t i n g l a n d t e n u r e i n t o a new m a c h in e r y
t o s e r v e t h e i r economic and p o l i t i c a l i n t e r e s t s p e r h a p s
n e c e s s i t a t e d t h e c o i n i n g o f a new t e r m t o s i g n i f y t h a t system .
T h i s a c c o u n t s f o r t h e p o p u l a r i z a t i o n o f t h e t e r m za m in d a r
t h e n onward, t h o u g h t h e l i t e r a l meaning r e m a in e d t h e same a s
b h u i y a o r bhum i.
The z a m i n d a r i i n s t i t u t i o n a s i t t o o k shape u n d e r
t h e M ughals, e l u d e s s p e c i f i c d e f i n i t i o n . I n f a c t , th e zam indari
c o n n o te s 1a v a r i e t y o f s u p e r i o r i n t e r e s t s i n t h e la n d or i t s
u su fru ct. 1 The a p p e l l a t i o n za m in d a r h a v i n g a wide s p e c tru m
o f m eaning s i n Mughal a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , gave t h e i n s t i t u t i o n a
complex c h a r a c t e r . The z a m in d a r became a g e n e r i c t i t l e
e m b ra cin g p e o p l e from d i f f e r e n t s t r a t a o f t h e r u l i n g h i e r a r c h y -
th e c h ie fs of p rin c e ly t e r r i t o r i e s lik e ra.ias. ra n a s . r a is
down t o t h e i n f e r i o r r e v e n u e c o l l e c t i n g a g e n t s such a s
■a
c h a u d h u r i s . muaaddams. ic k o ts and so on. The u n d e r l y i n g
p r i n c i p l e was p e r h a p s t o mould a l l t h e d i f f e r e n t h o l d e r s o f
l a n d t e n u r e s i n t o a g roup of l o y a l a g e n t s u n d e r t h e Mughal

1 . J . W i s e , l,0n t h e B a r a Bhuyas o f E a s t e r n B e n g a l 11, J . A.B.B* ,

IB ? 1*, 197? H . B o s t o n , "The Twelve Bhuyas o r L o rd s of
B e n g a l 11, J . A . S . B . . N.S. 1 9 1 3 , 1*3 7 .
2. A , S t i r l i n g , nAn A cc o u n t, G e o g r a p h i c a l , S t a t i s t i c a l and
H i s t o r i c a l of O r i s s a P r o p e r o r C u t t a c k 11, A.R. 1 8 2 5 ,XV,222.
3 . I.H ab ib , “The Z am in d ars i n t h e A i n " , I . H . C . . 1 9 5 8 . 322; S.
N .H asan , “ Z am indars u n d er t h e Mughals'1, R . E . F r y k e n b e r g
( e d . ) Land C o n t r o l & S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e ............18.
 23

"b u reau cracy . Thus “ a c h a i n o f l o c a l d e s p o t i s m s , c o v e r i n g

t h e whole E m p ire , h e r e s e m i - i n d e p e n d e n t , t h e r e f a i r l y su b d u ed ,
1
h e r e r e p r e s e n t e d by c h i e f s , t h e r e by o r d i n a r y z a m i n d a r s 11,
#«•

b e i n g t i e d o r g a n i c a l l y and i n e v i t a b l y t o t h e t a s k - o r i e n t e d
b u r e a u c r a t i c e n t i t i e s su ch a s t h e s u b a h d a r s , f a u . i d a r s . p a n u n g o s ,
s h i k d a r s . a m i l s and a a z i s were h a r n e s s e d i n t o t h e i m p e r i a l
s e r v i c e o f t h e M ughals. By p l a c i n g t h e autonomous t r i b u t a r y
c h i e f s and t h e o r d i n a r y r e v e n u e f a r m e r s u n d e r a common
d e n o m i n a t i o n , t h e Mughal government a t t e m p t e d t o d e p r e s s t h e
s t a t u s of th e t r a d i t i o n a l p r in c e lin g s . B ut i n a c t u a l p r a c t i c e ,
t h e s e p a r a t e e n t i t y o f t h e autonomous c h i e f s was acknowledged
by t h e E m p ero rs. The r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw e en t h e r u l i n g a u t h o r i t y
and t h e s e z a m i n d a r s was b a s e d s p e c i a l l y on m i l i t a r y and
p o l i t i c a l i n t e r e s t s r a t h e r t h a n on f i s c a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s which
2
m a i n l y c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e b u l k o f t h e z a m in d a r c l a s s . A p art
from t h i s , t h e p o s i t i o n o f t h e i n t e r m e d i a r y and p e t t y z a m in d a r s
b e i n g w i t h i n t h e d i r e c t a d m i n i s t r a t i v e c o n t r o l was q u i t e
d ifferen t. S t a t i o n i n g a c h a i n o f i m p e r i a l o f f i c e r s t h e Mughal
3
r u l e r s s o u g h t t o k e e p t h e s e z a m in d a r s u n d e r s u r v e i l l a n c e .

1 . I . H a b i b , The mAgrari&nJ3j£§t em 18^.

2. ' 182-189 5 .... _ ■ ~ N .A .S id d iq i,
Land Reven u e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n un d e r ' t h e M ughals , 2 2 .
3. B.M.Add. MSS 1 7 7 9 , 2 1 7 a - 2 l 8 a ; B.M.Add. MSS 19505, 7a;
I.H ab ib , £ ^ A g |^ i m _ S x ^ t ; a m ,1 7 3 ; P . S a r a n , Th§
P r o y i n c i a l Government of t h e Mughals , 1 1 1 *
 I t i s t o be n o t e d t h a t t h e t e r m za m in d a r d i d n o t
c a r r y t h e same s i g n i f i c a n c e i n a l l p a r t s o f t h e Umpire* In
N o rth ern ,In d ia t i l l th e eig h teen th .cen th ry th e a p p e lla tio n
z a m in d a r was c o n f i n e d ' t o t h o s e c h i e f s whose p o s s e s s i o n o f
p r o p e r t y was denoted, by a p a r t i c u l a r t i t l e antecedent to
Muslim ru L e. The z a m i n d a r s i n B e n g a l were d i s t i n c t fro m t h e
■ ■ ■ \ "■■■ ' V'}: 2
v i l l a g e z a m i n d a r s o f B u n d e lk h a n d , b u t c l o s e l y r e s e m b le d t h e
. ■■ * ■V ' 3 ■ T ■' ;
t a l u k d a r s of:.Upper I n d i a . I n t h e subah o f B e n g a l i t s e l f , t h e '
z a m i h d a r i t e n u r e o f ’ B en gal and t h a t o f B i h a r d i f f e r e d t o some
V ■/"' ' V' -V •
ex ten t. The n a t u r e o f z a m i n d a r i t e n u r e was marked n o t o n l y
by p r o y i n c I a l p r a c t i c e s b u t by. r e g i o n a l p r a c t i c e s t o o . "Thus,
■V , , \ ■ . / ;v. • . . • 5 . :• ■ ’

i n R u n gp ur, we hav e w h a t , s a i d G l a z i e r ,
" f o r want of. b e t t e r t e r m s , may be. s t y l e d t h e serai -
fe u d a to T y - e s t a t . e s , s u c h a s B y k u n tp o re and t h e C h a k l a s ,
h e l d by t h e R a j a h o f Coo’c h B eh ar; t h e s u b - f e u d a t o r y
. o r t h e r e s t o f Coochwara, h e l d by d e s c e n d a n t s o f
' G ooch .B eh ar o f f i c e r s , who had a c e n t u r y b e f o r e b e e n
, i n d u c t e d - b y t h e Moguls i n t o t h e i r e s t a t e s a s
z e m i n d a r s ; t h e new p u r c h a s e r s , su c h as Baharbund
. and S o r o o p p o r e , who c o u ld p r e t e n d t o no r i g h t s beyond
any l i m i t a t i o n s t h e Government m ig h t h a v e c h o s e n t o
have e n te re d i n t h e i r deeds o f p o s s e s s io n ; th e la r g e
z e m i n d a r s , ow ners o f what had b e e n p r i n c i p a l i t i e s , such
a s E d r a k p o r e and D i n a g e p o r e ; and l a s t l y , t h e s m a l l e r
o n e s , w hich were g e n e r a l l y h o l d e r s o f t a l o o k s , w hich
• had b e e n s e p a r a t e d from t h e l a r g e r e s t a t e s . "

1 . W. H. Mo r e l a n d , "The Aar a r l a n S ystem . . . . . , 191 ~192,19*+ ♦

•.j **i*
2 . InisBundalkhahd t h e -zamindars were t h e a c t u a l t i l l e r s of
t h e soil." - ‘ .
3 . C . D . F i e l d . I n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e R e g u l a t i o n s . . . . . . . 19.
*4 . J . S h o r e * s M i n u t e , A p r i l 2 ,1 7 8 8 and S e p t . 1 8,1 7 89 ? W.K.
. F i r m i n g e r . C e d .) The F i f t h R e p o r t ^ I I T^78~M3Q. 7MS-7Lf7.
5. E . G . G l a z i e r , A R ep o rt' on t h e D i s t r i c t o f R a n g p u r. 1 , 3 6 .
 25

T y p es o f t h e z a m i n d a r s

A c l a s s i f i c a t i o n p u r p o r t i n g t o show t h e c a r d i n a l
i n g r e d i e n t s and t h e d i f f e r e n t i a l c h a r a c t e r s o f t h e z a m in d a r
c l a s s o f B en g al w i l l f a c i l i t a t e n o t o n l y a b e t t e r u n d e r ­
stan d in g of th e zam indari i n s t i t u t i o n but a ls o re s o lv in g
p a r t i a l l y t h e s e m a n t i c c o n f u s i o n c e n t e r i n g aro un d i t . B ecau se
o f t h e complex n a t u r e o f t h e z a m i n d a r i i n s t i t u t i o n t h e c l a s s i ­
f i c a t i o n b a se d m a i n l y on f i s c a l and s o c i o - p o l i t i c a l a s p e c t s
a r e n o t alw a y s s h a r p i n t h e i r d e l i n e a t i o n s . I n many c a s e s ,
t h e bo rde r, l i n e o f one c a t e g o r y s l i d e s o v e r t h e o t h e r .
Almost a l l t h e z a m in d a r s were s u b j e c t e d t o some
s o r t o f f i n a n c i a l o b l i g a t i o n s by t h e s t a t e . I f t h i s prim ary
bond o f r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw een t h e z a m i n d a r s and t h e i m p e r i a l
a u t h o r i t y i s t a k e n a s a c r i t e r i o n f o r z a m i n d a r i , one c o u l d
p u t t h e M a h a r a j a o f Kueh B i h a r or t h e H a j a b a h a d u r o f Burditf an,
and Devi B a s a n t a , a p e t t y z a m in d a r o f C h i t t a g o n g p a y in g o n l y
one r u p e e and two a n n a s as t h e .iama o f h i s z a m i n d a r i
b racketed to g e th e r. But t h e m o n e ta ry c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f t h e
z a m i n d a r s d i f f e r e d n o t o n l y i n amount b u t a l s o i n n a t u r e -
one b e i n g t r i b u t e ( o r p e s h k a s h ) , and t h e o t h e r l a n d re v e n u e
2
( o r m a l- w a .iib ) .
T h e r e were z a m in d a r s who a s a t o k e n o f n o m in al
a l l e g i a n c e p a i d a - f i x e d t r i b u t e o r p e s h k a s h t o t h e Mughals.

1 . A .M . S e r a j u d d i n , The Revenue Admi n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g .

303, 338.
2 . N . A . S i d d i q i , Land Revenu e . A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ,2 1 .
vThe., b e s h k a s h .iama was n o t b ase d on any m easurem ent o f t h e
as sea S B a M o , * . w
N o aanungo was p l a c e d i n such t e r r i t o r i e s t o r e g u l a r i z e t h e
; ' - ■'■'.V/i 7 . ‘ - ‘ . 2
re v e n u e management as was r e q u i r e d f o r t h e o t h e r c a t e g o r y .
The number o f ~ th e :b e s h k a s h l z a m in d a r s i n B e n g a l was l i m i t e d
:t.o t h e autonomous c h i e f s and some z a m in d a r s o f t h e o u t l y i n g ’
'a re a s. " i7;''7 •< 7 -
.v ■’ ' The m a l-w a .iib i z a m in d a r s on t h e o t h e r h an d , had t o
w ii— in in ■nwi n i /

‘p a y 1 t h e d u e s o f t h e s t a t e a s s e s s e d on c u l t i v a b l e l a n d s and
s a i r d u t i e s i n t h e i r zam indariSi . T h eir share of th e revenues
' was v a r i a b l e d e p e n d in g on t h e e s t i m a t i o n o f t h e a c t u a l y i e l d s .
, The m a l - w a q ib l z a m i n d a r s 1 r i g h t s and d u t i e s a s t a x - g a t h e r e r s
from . a l l - l a n d h o l d e r s t s u b o r d i n a t e t o th em , were more s p e c i f i c
and s u b j e c t t o s c r u t i n y by t h e i m p e r i a l a u t h o r i t y . T his
ca te .g p ry c o n s t i t u t e d t h e b u l k :o f t h e z a m i n d a r s i n B en gal and
fo rm e d 1 t h e backbone o f t h e Mughal re v e n u e s y s te m .
But such a c l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f t h e z a m in d a r s d o e s
•not r e v e a l a l l t h e p a l p a b l e d i f f e r e n c e s i n t h e e x t e n t o f
■ th ei# o b l i g a t i o n s and autonomy e n j o y e d . D is p a rity existed
•w i t h i n t he p e shk a s h i z ami nd a r s and so was w i t h i n t h e m a l-w a .iib i ~
7,tam£ndars.- Birice t h e d i v e r s i t y 1 o f t h e fo r m s o f z a m i n d a r i s i s
. g r e a t and, w h e n / t a k e n oh th e - p T o v l n c Q - w i d e b a s i s , b e w i l d e r i n g l y
s o , 7 :a fram ew drk h a s be eh c h a r t e d t o e s t a b l i s h v a l i d u n i f o r m i t i e s

1. 1 . K arim , M urshid Q u li Khan and H i s T im e s . N .A .S id d iq i,

Land Kev enue M m i n i s t r a t i o n . . . . . . , 2 2 - 2 ^ .
, ,2, N . K .S i n h a , The Economic H i s t o r y . . . . . I I , 12. . <
by u s e o f a c l a s s i f i c a t i o n . Founded on t h e c r i t e r i a o f t h e
m a g n itu d e o f t h e i r o b l i g a t i o n s , t h e dy nam ics o f t h e i r powers
and. p r i v i l e g e s , t h e i r r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e g o v e r n m e n t, t h e i r
economic r e s o u r c e s and m i l i t a r y p o t e n t i a l i t y , and t h e r e g i o n a l
c u s t o m a r y p r a c t i c e s , t h e z a m i n d a r s i n B e n g a l may be c l a s s i f i e d
i n t o f o u r t y p e s - t h e autonomous c h i e f s , t h e f r o n t i e r z a m i n d a r s
t h e b i g z a m i n d a r s , and t h e p e t t y o r p r i m a r y z a m i n d a r s .

The autonomous c h i e f s

T h i s g rou p co m p ris e d t h e Hindu c h i e f s o f g r e a t

a n t i q u i t y s u c h a s t h e R a j a s o f Kuch B i h a r , Koch Ha j o , Assam,
and T i p p e r a who a f t e r t h e i r c a p i t u l a t i o n t o t h e Mughals became
1
t h e i r t r i b u t a r y subordinate a l l i e s . The Mughals r e c o g n i z e d
th e t r a d i t i o n a l h e r e d i ta r y r i g h t s of th e s e r a j a s over
c e r t a i n p o r tio n s of t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s but a p p ro p ria te d th e
2
resid u al p ortions. T h e o r e t i c a l l y t h e s e p r i n c e l i n g s were
b r o u g h t w i t h i n t h e f o l d o f Mughal a d m i n i s t r a t i v e sy stem by
-.t

1 . M irz a N a th a n , B a h a r i s t a n - i - G h a y b i . M .I . B o r a h ( t r . ) , 1 1 , 5 2 1 ;
H.Blochmann, MKoch B i h a r , Koch H a jo , & Assam, i n t h e l o t h
& 1 7 t h c e n t u r i e s , . . . . . . u J . A . S . B . , 1 87 2 , 52,93$ J . N . S a r k a r
( e d . ) , H i s t o r y o f Bengal I I j " 5 l 5 $ T . R a y c h a u d h u r i , B engal
u n d e r Akbar and J a h a n g i r . 2.
2 . H.Blochmann, r,Koch B i h a r , Koch H a jo , & Assam, i n t h e l 6 t h
& 17th C e n tu r ie s n J . A . S , B . , 1872, 9^$ K h a f i Khan,
M u n t a k h a b - u l- R u b a b , H . M . E l l i o t & J.D ow son, H i s t o r y of
I n d i a . V I I , 2 6 8 ; E . G . G l a z i e r , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t
o f Rangpur I , 1 3 -1 5 .
 28

c o n f e r r i n g on them t h e g e n e r i c a p p e l l a t i o n o f z a m i n d a r . But
from t h e v e r y B e g in n in g t h e r i g h t s , p r i v i l e g e s and s t a t u s o f
t h e s e c h i e f s c o n t r a s t e d s u b s t a n t i a l l y from t h e r e s t o f t h e
1
zam indars. T h e i r t i t l e t o z a m i n d a r i emanated from t h e i r
l o n g s t a n d i n g l e a d e r s h i p o v e r t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s , n o t fro m
r e v e n u e c o n t r a c t s , r i g h t o f occupancy o r t h e o f f i c i a l g r a n t s .
I n re s p e c t of th e t r i b u t a r y c h i e f s , the h e r e d i ta r y r i g h t to
2
s u c c e s s i o n was n o t s u b j e c t t o t h e r e n e w a l by t h e Em peror;
t h e d i s c r e t i o n a r y power o f t h e s o v e r e i g n was e x e r c i s e d , o n l y
as a m easu re o f e x p e d i e n c y , o r when s o u g h t f o r by t h e r a . i a s
3
them selves. S uch i n t e r v e n t i o n m ight h ave s u p e r s e d e d t h e
r i g h t o f t h e e l d e s t son i n f a v o u r o f some o t h e r member o f
t h e f a m i l y b u t n o t o f an o u t s i d e r . As l o n g a s t h e s e p o t e n t a t e s
re m a in e d l o y a l , made t h e p u n c t i l i o u s r e m i t t a n c e o f t h e t r i b u t e ,
and r e n d e r e d m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e on demand, t h e y were l e f t s o v e r ­
eign in a l l a f f a i r s of t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s . The c o n te m p o ra ry
r e c o r d s r e v e a l t h a t t h e s e c h i e f s w i t h h e l d t h e payment o f t h e i r

1* F o r i n s t a n c e i f any o f t h e s e r a . i a s was d e f e a t e d and c a p t u r e d ,

he was a c c o r d e d w i t h t r e a t m e n t b e f i t t i n g h i s d i g n i t y
( A z a d - a l - H u s a i n i , N a u b a h a r - i - M u r s h i d Q u li K h a n i, J . N . S a r k a r
( t r . ) , Be n g a l Nawa b s , 7 * 8 ).
2. K o y ro y a n 1 s a n s w e r, J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t from H a r i n g t o n 1 s
A n a l y s i s o f t h e B e n g a l Reg u l a t i o n s . Hf9.
3 , S a l i m A l l a h , T a w a r i k h ~ i - B a n g a l a h . F .G la d w in ( t r . ) , l*+2.
 29

t r i b u t e v e r y o f t e n and v i o l a t e d t h e i r a g r e e m e n t s on many
1 2
occasions* Salim A l l a h 's account o f t h e s e autonomous c h i e f s
v i s - a - v i s t h e Mughal a u t h o r i t y i s q u i t e i l l u m i n a t i n g ;
“B e f o r e t h e t i m e o f Moorshed Kuly Khan, t h e R a j a h s
o f T i p p e r a h , G oatch B a h a r , and Asham p r e s e r v e d an
e n t i r e in d ep en d e n ce* They r e f u s e d a l l o b e d i e n c e
t o t h e C o u rt o f D e h ly , used t h e i m p e r i a l c h e t r ,
and c o i n e d money i n t h e i r own n a m e s , . * . ............
As soon as t h e r a j a h o f Asham r e c e i v e d a d v i c e of
t h e a p p o i n t m e n t o f Moorshed Kuly Khan t o t h e j o i n t
o f f i c e s o f s o o b a h d a r and dewan, he s e n t Bud e l l e e
Bhookum t o him as am b a s s a d o r, w i t h an i v o r y t h r o n e
and p a l k e e , 3 pods o f musk: and o t h e r r a r i t i e s * H is
example was f o l l o w e d by t h e R a ja h o f C o a tc h B a h a r ,
who a l s o s e n t an am bassador w i t h a n u z z i r and
p e i s h k u s h . The R a j a h of T i p p e r a h no l o n g e r w i t h - h e l d
t h e c u s t o m a r y a n n u a l t r i b u t e o f an h e r d o f e l e p h a n t s ,
and o t h e r t o k e n s o f s u b m i s s i o n . Moorshed Kuly Khan,
i n r e t u r n , s e n t them d r e s s e s ; and t h i s i n t e r c h a n g e
o f p r e s e n t s and co m plim ents became an a n n u a l custom
d u r i n g t h e whole t i m e o f h i s g o v e r n m e n t * 11
Signs, o f w eakness i n t h e governm ent o f t e n p rom pted them t o
sh ake o f f t h e i m p e r i a l yoke, They a t t a c k e d t h e b o r d e r l a n d s
o f t h e Mughal s ub a h , and c o n t r a r y t o t h e Mughal i n t e r e s t ,
if
i n c i t e d t h e f r o n t i e r zam indars t o r e b e llio n *
The a n n u a l t r i b u t e p a id by t h e autonomous c h i e f s
was n o t d e t e r m i n e d on t h e b a s i s o f any g e n e r a l r e n t - r o l l .

1* S a q i Mustad Khan, M a a s i r - i - A l a m g i r i * J . N . S a r k a r ( t r . ) , 24;

F. Gladwin ( t r . ) T . 5 7 ^ 4 7 ^ 4 8 . G . V a n s i t t a r t t o Mir Qasim,
March 1 0 , 1 7 6 1 , C .P T c . I , 1 0 0 8 .
2. F .G la d w in ( t r . ) T .B . 47* 56.
3 . Palanquin.

4. ¥ .M .T h a c k e r a y t o R . B a r w e l l , J a n 4 & 8 , 1 7 74, D . F . R . , 7;
S . N . B h a t t a c h a r y a , Mughal N o r t h B a s t e r n F r o n t i e r P o l i c y , ^56.
 30
The Mughal r e v e n u e s y s te m o p e r a t i v e i n t h e d i r e c t l y a d m i n i s t e r e d
p a r t s o f t h e Empire were n o t a p p l i e d t o any o f t h e s e s t a t e s .
The c o n t e m p o r a r y a c c o u n t s s u g g e s t t h a t t h e R a j a s o f Kuch B i h a r
f o l l o w e d a d i f f e r e n t c o u r s e o f r e v e n u e c o l l e c t i o n which was
1
more f l e x i b l e t h a n t h e Mughal sy s te m . I n t h e Assam v a l l e y , t h e
r a j a s h e l d p r o p r i e t a r y r i g h t s n o t o n l y on t h e l a n d s b u t on
2.
t h e i r s u b j e c t s a s w ell#
I t i s e v i d e n t from t h e above d i s c u s s i o n t h a t t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw e en t h e autonomous c h i e f s and t h e Mughals
was more o f a p o l i t i c a l n a t u r e . The p r e s e n t s t u d y e x c l u d e s
f u r t h e r exam ination. , o f t h e i r ro le#

The f r o n t i e r z a m i n d a r s
T h is c a te g o r y o f zam indars t o o , enjoyed a v ery
l a r g e d e g r e e of i n d e p e n d e n c e . B eca use o f t h e s i t u a t i o n o f t h e i r
e s t a t e s i n t h e o u t l y i n g p a r t s o f t h e sub a h , t h e c h i e f s o f t h e
n o r t h - e a s t e r n and w e s t e r n f r o n t i e r s o f B e n g a l c o u ld n o t alw ays
be k e p t u n d e r t h e c o m p l e t e c o n t r o l o f t h e M ughals. On payment
o f n o m i n a l p e s h k a s h and i n r e t u r n f o r d e f e n d i n g t h e c o u n t r y9 from
■.01.1 - mu MM— !■ ++

t h e o u t s i d e e n e m i e s , t h e g r e a t z a m i n d a r s o f t h e b o r d e r s were
l e f t fre e w ithin t h e i r j u r is d ic tio n s .

1 . F a t h i y a - i - I b r i a 47b-W3a; Alamgirnama 781-782 q u o te d i n

I . H a b ib , The A g r a r i a n By s t e m 1 8 5 -1 8 6 .
2 . A .C .B a r u a , A s p e c t s o f t h e Economic Dffvelppment o f t h e Assam
V a l l e y , 3 9 ; See f o r T i p p e r a S t a t e , J . B . T a v e r n i e r , T r a v e l s
i n I n d i a , V . B a l l ( e d . ) , I I , 275*
3 . N aib Diwan* s N o t e , P.C.C#R.„M., J a n . l * t , 1771, H I , **9-50; N.K.
S i n h a , The Economic H i s t o r y . . . . . I I , 1 2 ; T . R a y c h a u d h u r i , B en gal
u n d e r Akbar and J a h a n g i r , 21*
 31

The R a j a s o f Birbhum and B i s h n u p u r were more l i k e

1
f e u d a l l o r d s a c t i n g as g u a r d i a n s o f t h e w e s t e r n m a rc h e s . Fven
d u r i n g t h e v i g o r o u s r u l e o f Murshid Q uli Khan, t h e R a j a s o f
Birbhum and B i s h n u p u r i n s p i t e o f b e i n g summoned a t t h e c o u r t
d i d not. make t h e i r a p p e a r a n c e s b e f o r e t h e s u b a h d a r . Instead
2
t h e y s e n t t h e i r w a k i l s w i t h u e s h k a s h . n a z r a n a and g i f t s .
D u rin g Mawab S h u j a Khan’ s t e n u r e (1727 -1 7 39 )? R a j a B a d i - a l - Z a m a n
o f Birbhum w i t h h e l d t h e c u s to m a ry t r i b u t e . An e x p e d i t i o n
l a u n c h e d a g a i n s t him r e s u l t e d i n h i s s u b m i s s i o n , and an
a g reem en t o f payment o f R s . 3 ,0 0 0 0 0 as f i x e d t r i b u t e . The
Birbhum z a m i n d a r i , how ever, l a p s e d i n t o a m a l-w a .iib i z a m i n d a r i
Ll
d u r i n g t h e t i m e o f Nawab A l i v a r d i Khan. The R a j a of B i s h n u p u r
re m a in e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e p e r i o d as u n v a n g u i s h e d as e v e r and
c o n t i n u e d t o pay t h e t r i b u t e i n an i r r e g u l a r manner .
Of a l l t h e b o r d e r z a m in d a r s t h e most t u r b u l e n t were
6
t h o s e o f t h e *J u n g l e - m a h a l s ’ . The R a j p u t R a j a s o f P a c h e t ,

1 . J . Grant,. H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W. K. F i r m i n g e r

( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . . I I .1 9 6 : B. D . G . , B a n k u r a , 2 6 - 2 8 .
2. F .G la d w in ( t r . ) , T . B . 46; Ghulam H u s a i n S a l i m , Rnad~al~
S a l a t i n , Abdus Salam ( t r . ) , 256-257*
3. B.M.Add.MSS.65 86, 1 3 9 ; F .G la d w in ( t r . ) , T . B . . 151*
4 . N . A . S i d d i q i , Land Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n 2 2 -2 3 .
5. J . Z . H o l w e l l , I n t e r e s t i n g H i s t o r i c a l E v e n t s I , 1 9 8 .
6 . The v a s t t r a c t s o f l a n d s b e s e t w i t h d e n s e f o r e s t s and h i l l s
known as the. 1 J u n g l e -m ahal s f i n c l u d e d t h e a r e a s , now
f o r m i n g p a r t s o f t h e D i s t r i c t s o f M idn apu r, Birbhum and
B an k u ra .
 32

C h a n d ra k o n a , and M aynachora were n e s h k a s h p a y i n g z a m i n d a r s , and

came t o e n j o y t h e same p r i v i l e g e a s t h e a n c i e n t l i n e a g e
1
t e r r i t o r i a l lo rd s; t h e i r s tre n g th la y i n t h e i r w arlike
f o l l o w e r s and num erous f o r t s . P r o t e c t e d hy t h e n a t u r a l h a r r i e r s
o f h i l l s , and j u n g l e s some o f t h e s e r a j a s were t h e l e a s t a f f e c t e d
'by t h e Muslim c o n q u e s t . The Mughal r u l e r s had t o c o n t e n t
t h e m s e l v e s w i t h t h e i r n o m in a l s u b m i s s i o n and t h e t r i b u t e o f
. . . . . . . 2
a very i r r e g u l a r n a tu r e . These s u b - f e u d a to r y zam indars of
t h e 1J u n g l e - m a h a l s 1 gave no l e s s t r o u b l e t o t h e Company when
M idnapur was ceded t o i t . “The ze m in d ar o f MMyna“ , rem arked
; 3 ' ■
B a y le y , “l i k e h i s b r e t h r e n of t h e j u n g l e s , was n o t t h e n , a s
now, a p e a c e f u l s u b j e c t ; and u s e d t o s h u t h i m s e l f up i n h i s
P o r t , whenever c a l l e d upon t o s e t t l e f o r h i s l a n d s , o r t o pay
t h e i r r e v e n u e 11.
Again most o f t h e z a m i n d a r s on n o r t h and n o r t h ­
e a s t e r n b o r d e r s o f B eng al,, t h o u g h n o t as p o w e r f u l as t h o s e of
Birbhum and B i s h n u p u r , were untamed. , They t o o w i t h h e l d t h e
payment o f dueA when t h e y deemed i t o p p o r t u n e . S itu ated in
t h e f r i n g e o f t h e s u b ah and i n c l o s e p r o x i m i t y t o t h e i r fo rm e r

1 . J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r

( e d • ) , ; The F i f t h Rep o r t . . . . . . I I , 1 8 ^ , 198; T . R a y c h a u d h u r i ,
e r j ^ h a n g i x , 1 8 -1 9 ; A.Karim, Murshid
...... .
2 . G . V a n s i t t a r t t o J . A l e x a n d e r , J a n . 2 i+ ,1769, B , P . R. Mi d n a p u r , I ,
, 132; X l i i g g i n s o n t o C.C.R.m! S e p t . 3 0 , 17.£l, ,
O c t . 3 0 , 1 7 7 1 , V I I ( A ) , lOH-105.
3 . H .V .B a y le y , H i^t^j;_of_M idnaE ur, 3 . . : . ;
 33

o v e r l o r d s , t h e zam indars i n th e s a rk a rs of G horaghat, Kuch

2 " 3 k *5 6
B i h a r , B a n g a l B h u m , D a k k in k o le , D h e k r i , Kamrup , and
7
U dehpur, were lukewarm i n t h e i r l o y a l t y t o t h e Mughals. The
o l d Bonds w i t h and o b l i g a t i o n s t o t h e i r f o r m e r m a s t e r s nam ely
t h e R a j a o f Kuch B i h a r , Assam or T i p p e r a were t o o s t r o n g t o be
s e v e r e d ev en u n d e r t h e p r e s s u r e from t h e g o v ern m e n t. E n co u raged
by t h e i r fo rm e r p a t r o n s , t h e s e f r o n t i e r z a m i n d a r s o f t e n d e f i e d
t h e Mughal a u t h o r i t y . W ith t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e B r i t i s h
power, t h e z a m i n d a r s o f Boda and B a i k u n t a p u r o p e n l y d e c l a r e d
8
t h e i r a l l e g i a n c e t o t h e R a j a o f Kuch B i h a r . I n 1770 B ech e r
r e c o r d e d t h e p o s i t i o n o f t h e z a m i n d a r s on t h e n o r t h e r n X r o n t i e r s :
11 I c a n n o t h e l p re m a rk in g t h a t i f t h e f r o n t i e r
R a j a h s whose s u b o r d i n a t i o n h a s n e v e r b ee n p e r f e c t l y
e f f e c t e d , c o n t i n u e t o pay us t h e c u s t o m a r y Revenue
we oug ht t o be c o n t e n t e d . By l e n i t y and m o d e r a t i o n
we may g r a d u a l l y r e c o n c i l e them t o o u r Government,
b u t by u n u s u a l demands, and e x e r t i o n s o f o u r a u t h o r i t y
we may e n t i r e l y e x t i n g u i s h t h e s m a l l s p a r k o f a l l e g i a n c e
t h e y h a v e y e t b ee n p o s s e s s e d o f .................. 11 9

1 . I t was composed o f t h e g r e a t e r p a r t o f t h e modern D i s t r i c t

o f R angpur and p a r t s o f B i n a j p u r , Pabna and Mymensingh.
2. Composed o f p a r t s o f Rangpur D i s t r i c t .
3. C o n s i s t e d o f t h e p a r g a n a h s o f B a h i r b a n d and B h i t a r b a n d ,
b e tw e e n Rangpur and t h e B ra h m a p u tra r i v e r .
Composed o f t h e a r e a s on t h e e a s t e r n and o p p o s i t e s i d e
o f Brahm aputra, in c lu d in g K u r i b a r i ,
5* Was s i t u a t e d on t h e f r o n t i e r s o f Assam.
6 . C onsisted, of th e a d j o i n i n g a r e a s n o r t h o f s a r k a r B an g al Bhum
on t h e w est and n o r t h s i d e o f t h e B r a h m a p u t r a , and i n c l u d e d a
g r e a t d e a l o f modern R angam ati and B i s n i .
7. Composed o f t h e whole a r e a now i n c l u d e d i n T i p p e r a .
8 ^ J . G r o s e t o R , B e c h e r , J u l y 21, 1770, L JX ^ B .I, 37-38*
9. R. B ech e r t o J . G r o s e , l u g A , 1770, L ^ J I . I , 133? &ee a l s o
p e t i t i o n o f t h e f a u j d a r o f R a n g a m a ti, P . C . C . R . M . , J a n . 2 Q ,
1 772, IX, 5 1 - 5 2 / "
 31*

I n t h i s p a r t o f t h e c o u n t r y d o m in a te d by 1 s e m i - f e u d a t o r y *
r a j a s , t h e Mughal r u l e r s had t o adop t d i f f e r e n t re v e n u e m e a s u r e s .
T h e s e z a m i n d a r s t i l l 118*+ B*S. (1777-1778) were n o t t h e d i r e c t .
c o n t r a c t o r s f o r t h e governm ent d u e s . In s te a d , ro y a l revenues
1
were farm ed t o i j a r a d a r s .
The z a m i n d a r s o f t h e s o u t h e r n f r o n t i e r s o f B e n g a l ,
how ever, d i f f e r e d v e r y l i t t l e from t h o s e o f t h e i n t e r i o r o f
B engal. H aving a h i s t o r y of l a t e r o r i g i n , t h e z a m in d a r s o f
t h i s r e g i o n , more e s p e c i a l l y o f C h i t t a g o n g , c o u l d n o t f i r m l y
e s t a b l i s h t h e i r hold f o r long. P la g u e d by c h r o n i c p i r a c y ,
s e c u r i t y became t h e i r p r i m a r y c o n c e r n . Such z a m i n d a r s , b e r e f t
o f o u t s i d e a l l i e s o r p a t r o n s a s t h e z a m i n d a r s o f t h e n o r t h and
n o r t h - e a s t e r n f r o n t i e r s o f B en g al had , c o u l d n o t be e x p e c t e d
t o be t u r b u l e n t .
Thus i t i s e v i d e n t t h a t t h e b o r d e r z a m in d a r s
w i t h some e x c e p t i o n s e n j o y e d much more fre e d o m from t h o s e of
t h e i n t e r i o r and s e t t l e d a r e a s o f t h e s u b a h . S i n c e some o f
t h e f r o n t i e r z a m i n d a r s had s t r a t e g i c i m p o r t a n c e , t h e s e c u r i t y
o f t h e c o u n t r y depended t o some e x t e n t on t h e l o y a l t y and ;
goodw ill of those, zam indars. C onsequently, th e tre a tm e n t th e y
r e c e i v e d from t h e government was t h a t o f a l l i e s r a t h e r t h a n t a x -
p a y in g s u b j e c t s . Some o f t h e s e i m p o r t a n t z a m i n d a r s were
d r a f t e d i n t o t h e i m p e r i a l s e r v i c e as m ^n sab dar^ and adorned

1 . B .R*C., Oct. 30, 1777? H50/3; E . G . G l a z i e r , A R e p o r t on t h e , V'

Di s t r i c t o f Ran g p u r I , 20.
 35

1
w i t h t i t l e s and k h i l a t s .

T h e s e z a m i n d a r s c o n s t i t u t e d by f a r t h e most
i m p o r t a n t e le m e n t i n t h e Mughal re v e n u e system* They a c t e d
as t h e r e a l i n t e r m e d i a r i e s b e tw e e n t h e i m p e r i a l a u t h o r i t y and
t h e v a r i o u s s u b o r d i n a t e l a n d e d c l a s s e s - som etim es i n c l u d i n g
th e p e t t y zam indars. The g r e a t l i n e a g e z a m i n d a r i s w i t h
t r a d i t i o n a l f a m i l y b ac k g ro u n d p r e d o m i n a t e d t h e main z a m in d a r
class. The f o u n d e r s o f t h e s e f a m i l i e s grew i n power a l o n g w i t h
t h e a c q u i s i t i o n o f l a n d s , and g o t t h e i r z a m i n d a r i r i g h t s and
p r i v i l e g e s r e c o g n i z e d by t h e Em peror. U n l i k e t h e autonomous
c h i e f s , t h e h e r e d i t a r y s t a t u s o f t h e r e s t o f t h e z a m in d ar c l a s s
was c i r c u m s c r i b e d by t h e M ughals, and t h e s u c c e s s i o n o f t h e
h e i r dep e n d ed t o a c e r t a i n e x t e n t on t h e p l e a s u r e o f t h e
2
sovereign. A g a in , t h e s e z a m i n d a r s were re m o v a b le f o r
O If
i n s u r g e n c y o r f a i l u r e t o pay t h e s t i p u l a t e d r e v e n u e s . A p art
■ i ■ i m in i . I n 111 im i p i i h i m n p n m i i i i i i » n r — m f i ^ i m * W M 'i ■ p h in m ■ ||i r n i W 1 w i W i . i U b in i H ^ i i c

1 . At t h e t i m e o f t h e a n n u a l puny a ceremony t h e R a j a s o f
C a s s i j o r a , M aynachora, Midnapur and N a r a y a n g a r h were
p r e s e n t e d w i t h h o r s e s and d r e s s e s w i t h g o ld f l o w e r s
(H .V .B a y le y H i s t o r y of M i d n a p u r. 1 ) .
x v V iMinr.i.ww^r mm m, ^ m a i u u . i i n j ■
,,nt n.i ' . il / r

2 . G . V a n s i t t a r t t o C .C .R .M ., O ct. 1 6 , 1770, P.G.C.R.M . Dec. 31,

1 7 70 , I I , 1M+; R o y ro y a n 1 s an sw er, J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t
from H a r i n g t o n ' s A n a l y s i s ...........l 4 9 , 158*
3 . F .G l a d w i n ( t r . ) , 3L.B. 6 1 - 6 3 , 106-107*
k, B .R .C . A p r i l 6 , 1 77 3 , R*t9/39; B.D.G. M i d n a p u r, 22?;
E .B .A .D .G . B o g r a . 112.
 36

from t h e s e r e s t r i c t i o n s , an i m p e r i a l o r d e r was n e c e s s a r y f o r .
t h e r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e r i g h t s o f any in cu m b e n t t o s u cc eed
t o t h e z a m i n d a r i . / I t was c u s to m a ry f o r t h e h e i r o f a d e c e a s e d •:
zemindar; t o a p p l y t o t h e Gourt f o r .t h e san a d o r p a t e n t c o n f i r m i n g ■
;W ^ to v , 7
i n t e r m e d i a r y z a m i n d a r s i s e v id e n c e d from an a r z i o f R a j a
’> ■ 2 'V , / '
Raimkanta;. , /;/
. nFr.pm; t h e commencement o f t h e B e n g a l y e a r . 1137, s u b seq u en t. ’
/- - / t o t h e d e a t h o f Ram Jewan, yo u r d e p e n d e n t h a s been r a i s e d /■ v
t o a c t i n t h e c a p a c i t y o f z e m in d a r o f t h e P urguhnah o f
/ . R a j s h a h i r ;& c. and h e n c e f o r t h w i t h much a s s i d u i t y
. c o l l e c t e d t h e whole Revenue p r o c e e d i n g fro m b o t h t h e V
K h a l s a and J a g e e r l a n d s t i l l t h e y e a r ll*+ 0 . But t h e '
■-. / ^d e p e n d e n t Purguiinahs b e i n g d i s p e r s e d i n re m o te c h u k l a h s -
,/ c o n t i g u o u s t o t h e p o s s e s s i o n s o f p o w e r f u l z e m i n d a r s ,
- i-*'^whii^t y o u r / p e t i t i o n e r h a s n o t y e t b e e n f a v o u r e d by a
. : s u n n u d . , ; h i s ' want o f a u t h o r i t y , from a p r e c a r i o u s e s t a b l i s h - , :
, ment. i n t h e z e in in d a ry , l e a v e s , t h e . R y o ts and f r o n t i e r
; .• l a n d s ex p osed t o t h e o p p r e s s i o n s o f t h e s e z e m i n d a r s , which
/ > / . . e q u a l l y d i v e r t t h e a t t e n t i o n ’o f t h e Ryot s. from t h e
■// o p e r a t i o n s \of. a g r i c u l t u r e ; and o f t h e Gomastahs ( h i s
/ a g e n t s ) ' f r o m , t h e i r d u t y i n a n d e a v o u r i n g t o prom ote an
' i n c r e a s e , ; o f p o p u l a t i o n . He t h e r e f o r e h o p e s t o be h o n ou re d ’
V w i t h a F irm a n o r r o y a l sunnud and Perwannah fro m t h e /
S o u b a d a r and Dew a n y . f o r the, z e m in d a ry of t h e above
Pergunxiah w h ich w i l l be p r o d u c t i v e ' o f i n f i n i t e c r e d i t '=
and advantage.M, 3
: , : , The r e l a t i o n s h i p o f t h e m a jo r z a m i n d a r s w i t h t h e
governm ent . d i f f e r e d from t h o s e o f t h e p e t t y o n e s . T he/big

1 . M i r z a Moh'sin q u o t e d i n K . C . M i t r a , “The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o ­
c r a c y o f Bang a t h e R a j a s o f R a j s h a h i " , / C .R. ‘1873*- LVI,-
J . S h o r e ' s M i n u t e , A p r i l 2 , 1788, M . I t . F i r m in g e r ( e d . ) ,
The F i f t h /R e p o r t . . . . . I I , 7^5* ~
2 . Quoted i n J . G r a n t , t o E n q u i r y i n t o t h e M atu r e o f Zemlnd.ajg '
r Tenure's i n . t h e l a n d e d p r o p er t y o f Benga l , ' 79. .
3 . See ,a l s o a r z i o f t h e za m ind ar o f T a h i f p u r , P . C fi,C-*R£M.,
F e b . 6 , 1 7 7 2 , IX, 150; G . P u r l i n g t o ' C.C.R.M, J u n e 11, 1772,
:P .C .C .R .M . , ' J u n e . 1 8 , . 1 7 7 2 . X I, 187.
 37

z a m i n d a r s had t h e p r i v i l e g e o f a d m i t t a n c e t o t h e p r e s e n c e o f
t h e Efmperor o r t h e ■Nawab. B ut i t was n o t so e a s y i n r e s p e c t o f i
1
th e p e t t y zam indars. The p r o c e d u r e c o n c o m i t a n t t o t h e c o n ­
f i r m a t i o n o f t h e s u c c e e d i n g z a m in d a r s docum ents t h e d i f f e r e n c e
i n t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw e en t h e government and t h e z a m i n d a r s .
of t h e v a r i o u s r a n k s :
11Up on t h e dem ise o f a z e m i n d a r , h i s h e i r or h e i r e s s
t r a n s m i t t e d an a c c o u n t o f t h e e v e n t i n a p e t i t i o n t o
t h e Dewan o f t h e Soubah and t h e Roy-Royan, o r i f
l a n d h o l d e r s o f t h e f i r s t r a n k , t o t h e S oubahdar
h i m s e l f , w i t h l e t t e r s t o a l l t h e p r i n c i p a l men o f t h e
C ourt, s o l i c i t i n g t h e i r p ro tectio n *
To an h e i r o r h e i r e s s who p a i d a l a r g e r e v e n u e t o t h e
s t a t e , t h e S o u bahd ar r e t u r n e d answer o f c o n d o l e n c e ,
accom panied w i t h an h o n o r a r y d r e s s t o t h e f o r m e r ,
and w i t h a p r e s e n t o f sh a w ls t o t h e l a t t e r . . , .
A fte r perform ing th e f u n e r a l r i t e s of th e d eceased , th e
h e i r , i f o f ag e , was p r e s e n t e d t o t h e S o u b ah d ar by t h e
Dewan and t h e Roy-Royan, and a f t e r r e c e i v i n g t h e b e h t l e
l e a f , and an h o n o r a r y d r e s s , was p e r m i t t e d t o assume
t h e management o f t h e a f f a i r s of h i s Z em ind ary .
Minor h e i r s o r h e i r e s s e s r e c e i v e d t h e h o n o r a r y d r e s s
and s h a w l s , a b o v e - m e n t io n e d , t h r o u g h a g e n t s deputed,
f o r t h a t p u r p o s e , t o t h e c o u r t o f t h e Nazim.
. Z em in dars o f a s e c o n d a r y r a n k were e n t i t l e d n o t o n l y
t o a p a i r o f s h a w l s , and a perwannah o f c o n d o l e n c e from
t h e S o u b a h d a r , and f o r t h o s e o f an i n f e r i o r c l a s s , an
answer from t h e Roy-Royan, accom panied w i t h t h e b e e t l e
l e a f was deemed s u f f i c i e n t . ” 2
Many o f t h e I n t e r m e d i a r y z a m in d a r s a l s o h e l d t h e o f f i c i a l
p o s i t i o n as q a n u n g o s, c h a k l ahd a r s , o r c h a u d h u r i s , and t h i s
f a c i l i t a t e d c lo s e r personal contact w ith th e £ o u rt.

1 . J . S h o r e 1s M i n u t e , A p r i l 2 , 1788, W .K .F irm in g e r ( e d . ) The

F i f t h Report I I , 7*+5 •
2. C .W .B.Rous, D i s s e r t a t i on c o n c e r n i n g t h e Land. P r o p e r t y . o f
B e n g a l , A p p . l I I , 232-23*+.
 38

The i n t e r m e d i a r y z a m in d a r s formed an i m p o r t a n t
1
e lem en t o f t h e i m p e r i a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . The g r e a t z a m i n d a r i s
developed i n t h e s e t t l e d a r e a s under th e c o n tr o l of th e
s u b a h d a r and t h e f a u . i d a r s as i t were t o f i l l up t h e gap o f t h e
a d m in istrativ e h ierarchy. As a r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e enormous
power and i n f l u e n c e o f t h e s e z a m i n d a r s , t h e S m p aro rs and
Nawabs c o n f e r r e d on them t h e t i t l e s o f ' R a j a * , ' M a h a r a j a 1 o r
' M a h a r a d h i r a J 1 , and R h i l a t s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r r a n k and s t a t u s .
The m a g n i f i c e n t c o u r t s , p a l a t i a l h o u s e s , f o r t s and l a r g e
b o d i e s o f armed r e t a i n e r s o f t h e s e b i g z a m i n d a r s widened t h e
g u l f from t h e i r p e t t y c o u n t e r p a r t s . T h e r e e x i s t e d a con ­
s t a n t c l a s h o f p o l i t i c a l and economic i n t e r e s t s b etw e en the
government and t h e m a j o r z a m i n d a r s .

The p e t t y z a m i n d a r s .

The p e t t y o r t h e p r i m a r y z a m i n d a r s formed t h e
overwhelming m a j o r i t y o f t h e z a m in d a r c l a s s and i n c l u d e d t h e ‘
p r o p r i e t o r s o f a t a r & f , t a n p a o r s im p ly one v i l l a g e , even t h e
p e a s a n t p r o p r i e t o r s c u l t i v a t i n g t h e i r own l a n d s . The f a r m in g
o f i m p e r i a l r e v e n u e s t o t h e i n t e r m e d i a r y a g e n t s which g a i n e d

1 . I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n System 181; S .H .H a s a n , 11Z am indars

u n d e r t h e Mughals*', H . S . f r y k e n b e r g ( e d . ) , Land C o n t r o l
and S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e 2b.

2. Y usuf A l i , A b w al-i-M ah abat J a n g , J ’. N . S a r k a r ( t r . ) ,

 1 ..-7 ' :
w i d e s p r e a d c u r r e n c y by t h e t i m e o f F a r r u k h S i y a r , t h e MughaL., •;
p o l i c y o f r e c l a i m i n g more w a s t e l a n d s t o augment t h e l a n d V7 7
revenue, and t h e c o n s i d e r a b l e g r a n t s o f madad-ma a s h l a n d s
f o r r e l i g i o u s and s c h o l a s t i c b o u n t i e s ^ spawned numerous p e t t y
zam indaris. The d i v i d i n g t e n d e n c i e s o f t h e m o d e r a te
z a m i n d a r i s c o n t r i b u t e d t o - s w e l l t h e number o f t h i s c a t e g o r y 1 -
of zam indars. The p e t t y z a m in d a r s .who may be te rm e d as t h e ;
r e a l ' f a r m e r s 1 o f r e v e n u e s , had t h e i r o r i g i n as s i m p l y ;
c o l l e c t o r s o f governm ent d u e s ' d u r i n g one o r tw o, o r more
g e n e r a t i o n s and who had t h u s e s t a b l i s h e d a p r e s c r i p t i v e
if - .\ . ■' .
rig h t* . T h e i r r i g h t s and p o s i t i o n depended t o a g r e a t
e x t e n t on t h e f u l f i l m e n t o f t h e i r re v e n u e c o n t r a c t s . . T h e
t e n u r e of t h e s e zam indars w c b y custom h e r e d i t a r y . But
t h e y d i d not., d e r i v e t h e i r z a m i n d a r i r i g h t s from t h e i m p e r i a l ’. ?

1 . Gholam H u s a i n Khan 1 s a n s w e r, J . H . H a r i n g t o n , Ext r a c t f rom

H a rin g to n 1s A n a ly s is Il7 , N . A . S i d d i q l , L and R ev 'an ue
A d m in istratio n 2 -^.

2 . R eza Khan* s Hote q u o t e d i n N .K . S i n h a , The Economic JSis/b.ogy c

. . . . . I I , 7“ 8; S .N .H a s a n , "Z am indars u n d e r t h e M ughals",
R . E . F r y k e n b e r g ( e d . ) , Land Co n t r o l and Soc i a l S t r u c t u r e . . . . . 2 ? ^
3* J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , , , ^ . K . F i r m i n g e r .
( a d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , 203; S .N . H a s a n , " Zam indars 7
u n d e r t h e M u g h als", R .E . F r y k e n b e r g ( e d . ) . Land C o n t r o l v
and S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e . . . . . 2 7 - 2 8 . s T -7

b . -W.W.Hunter, Bengal.Ms.Recoras I, 31. ' :7.

sanads.
1 The sc o p e o f t h e p e t t y z a m i n d a r s f o r p a r t i c i p a t i o n
i n g e n e r a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n was l i m i t e d , so was t h e i r h o l d
on t h e s o c i e t y . T h e s e z a m i n d a r s were u s u a l l y u n d e r t h e
sphere of i n f lu e n c e of th e p r i n c i p a l zam indars.
The i n f e r i o r z a m in d a r s of r e c e n t o r i g i n were
2
l i t t l e d i f f e r e n t fro m t h e t a l u k d a r s , . more s p e c i f i c a l l y
t h e hu z u r i t a l u k d a r s . I t may, h o w ev e r, be s a f e l y p resu m ed,
t h a t , some o f t h e s e z a m i n d a r s were o r i g i n a l l y t a l u k d a r s , b u t
g r a d u a lly e le v a te d them selves t o t h e p o s i t i o n o f zam indars.
When t h e B a i R ayan, and Qanungo Lakshm inarayam s t a t e d t h a t
t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n s and p r i v i l e g e s o f t h e t a l u k d a r s were o f
h
t h e same n a t u r e a s t h o s e o f t h e z a m i n d a r s - t h e y p r o b a b l y
meant t h e p e t t y z a m i n d a r s .
As h a s b e e n o b s e r v e d numerous z a m i n d a r i s
e x i s t e d i n d i f f e r e n t p a r t s of th e c o u n try under v ary in g
c i r c u m s t a n c e s t o s e r v e m u l t i f a r i o u s p u r p o s e s , i t was q u i t e

1 . R o yroyan*s a n s w e r, J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t fro m H a r i n g t o n 1s
A nalysis 1^-9: S .H .H a s a n , "Z a m in d ars u n d e r t h e
M u g h a ls ", R . E . F r y k e n b e r g ( e d . ) , Land Co n t r o l and S o c i a l
S tru ctu re 27.
2. R o y r o y a n 1 s a n s w e r, J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t fro m H a r i n gton* s
Anal y s i s . . . . . 1 5 7 ; I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n S y s te m . . . . . 1 7 1 - 1 7 2
N . A . S i d d i q i , Land Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n . . . . . 2 5 - 2 8 .
3 . I n B en g al t a l u k d a r s were o f two t y p e s - h u z u r i and m u zku ri
(o r s h ik a m i), t h e form er paying t h e i r rev en u es d i r e c t l y t o
t h e governm ent and t h e l a t t e r t h r o u g h t h e z a m i n d a r i .

k* B .R .C . May 1 2 , 1790, RJO/IO.

 k l

n a t u r a l t h a t t h e r e e x i s t e d some d e g r e e o f d i f f e r e n c e s i n
t e n u r i a l r i g h t s and i n t e r e s t s . However, d e s p i t e some
d i s t i n c t i v e f e a t u r e s w i t h i n t h e za m in d a r c l a s s i t s e l f ,
z a m i n d a r s i n B e n g a l had alw ays o c c u p ie d a s u p e r i o r p o s i t i o n
in th e agrarian re la tio n s h ip s , A c o n f i r m a t i o n o f t h i s view
1
comes from t h e Amini Commissions
l,A z a m i n d a r , w h a t e v e r r i g h t s h i s T e n u r e o r h i s
o f f i c e may co n v e y , i s t h e s u p e r i o r o f a d i s t r i c t 5
o f w hich ( u n l e s s h i s a u t h o r i t y i s s u s p e n d e d )
h e c o l l e c t s t h e r e n t f o r which he p a y s a Revenue
t o t h e Government, He i s t h e f i r s t i n p o i n t
o f r a n k amongst t h e s e v e r a l l a n d h o l d e r s . u

S i z e and f o r m a t i o n o f t h e z a m i n d a r i u n i t s ,

A z a m in d a ri could com prise a p a r t of a p a rg a n a h ,

embrace one whole p a r g a n a h o r e x t e n d o v e r a number o f them.
For i n s t a n c e , t h e H a j s h a h i z a m i n d a r i i n 1 7 W c o m p r is e d as
many a s l6*t p a r g a n a h s . O f f e r i n g s h a r p c o n t r a s t s one
R am k issen was t h e z a m in d a r o f p a r g a n a h N u r u l l a h p u r o n l y .
W h ile z a m in d a r S h a k e r Khan was i n p o s s e s s i o n o f t a o o a F a i z a b a d .

1 . B*M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 6 , 2.
2 . J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l & C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , 307.
3 . T . K e l s a l t o R . B e c h e r , J u l y 3 0 , 1770, LflC^B. I , 78.
I b i d . . 80.
 1+2

The f a r m i n g o f a s i n g l e v i l l a g e , common i n o t h e r p a r t s o f
1
I n d i a , was r a r e l y p r a c t i s e d i n B e n g a l , The p a u c i t y o f
d a t a p r e c l u d e s t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f an e l a b o r a t e q u a n t i t a t i v e
in f o r m a tio n of th e z a m in d a ris d u rin g th e p e r io d under
review . On t h e b a s i s o f t h e a v a i l a b l e e v i d e n c e we c a n
p resum e t h a t e s t a t e s o f s m a l l d i m e n s i o n s h ap p e n ed t o be a
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of th e f r o n t i e r D i s t r i c t s w ith th e n o ta b le
e x c e p t i o n o f Birbhum, and most o f t h e e a s t e r n D i s t r i c t s
of B engal, 2
The e x t e n t o f z a m i n d a r i s t h o u g h v a r i e d , had a
c l o s e r e l a t i o n w i t h t h e c i r c l e c a l l e d p a r g a n a h form ed o f a
number o f v i l l a g e s . A zam indari s i g n i f y i n g a u n i t of revenue
c o l l e c t i o n m ig h t have o r i g i n a l l y c o r r e s p o n d e d t o t h e s i z e o f
3 L.
a parganah. “The l i m i t s o f a p a r g a n a " , s a i d E l l i o t t ,
“h a r d l y e v e r c o i n c i d e w i t h p h y s i c a l o r g e o g r a p h i c a l b o u n d a r i e s
and t h e o n l y o t h e r c a u s e f o r t h e i r i r r e g u l a r t r a c i n g seems t o

1 . B .H . B a d e n - P o w e l l , “ O r i g i n o f t h e Z a m i n d a r i E s t a t e s i n
B e n g a l 11, I 8 9 6 , X I, kO.
2. P . C . C . D . , Oct. 1 0 , 1772, R 7 0 /1 5; B*M#Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 8 ,
2 7 - 5 }+; A . M . S e r a j u d d i n , The Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ox
C h i t t a g o n g : . 30*+$ N .K . S i n h a , The Economic H i s t o r y . . . . . 1 1 . 1 7 .
3 . A c c o rd in g t o H . B e v e r i d g e , “I f a l a n d h o l d e r owns a p a r g a n a ,
o r an a l i q u o t p o r t i o n t h e r e o f , he i s c a l l e d a z a m i n d a r ............
b u t i f h i s e s t a t e b e a r s no r e l a t i o n t o a p a r g a n a o r i t s
d i v i s i o n s , he i s m e r e l y a t a l u q d a r " . (Dhe D i s t r i c t o f
B a k a r g a n j., 5>6.)
1+. C . A . E l l i o t t , The C h r o n i c l e s o f Oonao, A l l a h b a d , 1 862, q u o t e d
i n I . H a b i b , “The Z am indars i n t h e A in “ , I , H . C » 1958, 322.
 **3.

"be p r o p r i e t a r y (he means z a m i n d a r i ) r i g h t " . Where t h e

h e r e d i t a r y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f an a n c i e n t H in d u s o v e r e i g n o r
a n i n t e r m e d i a r y r e v e n u e a g e n t was n o t a v a i l a b l e , i t i s
l i k e l y t h a t an ' a r t i f i c i a l a tm o s p h e re was c r e a t e d on a
m in ia tu re sc a le through th e i n s t i t u t i o n of th e s e m i- o f f ic ia l
c l a s s of th e Z a m in d a rs'. F o r a d m i n i s t r a t i v e and p o l i t i c a l
r e a s o n s , t h e d i v i s i o n o f t h e E m p ire i n t o d i f f e r e n t u n i t s
was c o n s o n a n t w i t h t h e r e a l i t i e s o f t h e t i m e . To q u o te
1
S tirlin g :
"At d i f f e r e n t p e r i o d s o f t h e Mogul and M a h r a t t a
governm ent Z e m i n d a r i s were o c c a s i o n a l l y c r e a t e d
i n i m i t a t i o n o f t h e H in du p r a c t i c e , e i t h e r by
s e p a r a t i n g o f f a number o f v i l l a g e s fro m a d j o i n i n g
P e r g u n n a h s , o r by a l l o t t i n g one o r more P e rg u n n a h s
o f t h e K h a l i sell l a n d , as f i x e d a s s i g n m e n t s , t o some
d i s t i n g u i s h e d C h i e f o r a b l e Revenue O f f i c e r , Musselman
o r H in d u , t o answer a p a r t i c u l a r p u r p o s e . T h ese
c r e a t i o n s were a p p a r e n t l y common i n B e n g a l , "
Even d u r i n g t h e f i r s t h a l f o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , new
p a r g a n a h s were c r e a t e d i n B e n g a l t o mark t h e f o r m a t i o n o f
some new z a m i n d a r i s . The c r e a t i o n o f p a r g a n a h s o f R a j n g a r ,
3
and K a n t a n a g a r , c a r v i n g o ut l a n d s fro m d i f f e r e n t e x i s t i n g
p a r g a n a h s l e n d s u p p o r t t o t h e view;

1. A .S t ir lin g , "An a c c o u n t , G e o g r a p h i c a l , . S t a t i s t i c a l &

H i s t o r i c a l o f O r i s s a P r o p e r o r C u t t a c k " , A. ft. , 1825* 239.
2 . V id e i n f r a , 77.
3 . F .B u c h a n a n , G e o g r a p h i c a l . S t a t i s t i c a l and H i s t o r i c a l
De s c r i p t i o n o f t h e D i s t r i c t o f P i n a . j p u r T 253*
 “When* t h e E a s t I n d i a Company assumed, t h e Dlwani
o f Bengal: i n 1 7 6 5 , t h e z a m i n d a r i c o n t i n u e d t o
h e a r i n v e r y many c a s e s t h e same r e l a t i o n t o t h e
p a r g a n a ; hut. t h e l a t t e r had been b r o k e n up i n t o . .
mIhor"~div I s i ons c a l l e d t a n n a s , k i s m a t s , and t g r a f s ,
w h i l s t t h e word z a m i n d a r i had b eg a n t o assume t h e
m eaning i t now u s u a l l y b e a r s , t h a t o f . t h e E n g l i s h
word “ e s t a t e ” , a l a n d e d p r o p e r t y o f m ore o r l e s s
c o n s i d e r a b l e e x t e n t . . . . . . ,f. 1
A g a in , i t may be n o t e d t h a t t h e c a s t e and c l a n
o r g a n i z a t i o n had a b e a r i n g 5on t h e o r i g i n o f p a r g a n a h a s
w e l l as. t h a t o f z a m i n d a r i . A p a r g a n a h m ig h t have b e e n
form ed t a k i n g i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h e p r e p o n d e r a n c e o f t h e
2
in d iv id u a l cla n population of a p a r tic u la r lo c a l i ty .
I h f a c t , , t h e o r i g i n of. l a n d - t e n u r e s u g g e s t s o . The
e a r l i e s t h i s t o r y of a g r i c u l t u r a l people i n In d ia n s o c ie ty
r e l a t e s t h a t a number o f p e o p l e w i t h some a f f i n i t y among
t h e m s e l v e s s e l e c t e d a t r a c t o f l a n d t o c u l t i v a t e and l i v e
on. The t r a c t i n c o u r s e o f t i m e g o t a name and formed
t h e t e r r i t o r i a l . u n i t c a l l e d v i l l a g e ( o r mauza o r d i h ) .
. . . 3
The “t e r m ‘ v i l l a g e * . , as we u s e i t 11, s a i d B a d e n - P o w e l l,

1 . J . N . G u pta, E . B . A . D . G . , B o g r a . l l h *
2. C . A . E l l i o t , The C h r o n i c l e s o f Oonao, A l l a h b a d ,
1862, q u o t e d , i n I . H a b ib , “The Z am in dars i n t h e
, A in ‘% i . H . C . , 1958, 322.

3 . B .H .B a d e n - P o w e l l, The L a n d - S y s t e m s I, 97*
“means a g ro u p o f l a n d h o l d i n g s ,, w i t h ( u s u a l l y ) a c e n t r a l
a g g r e g a t e of. r e s i d e n c e s , t h e i n h a b i t a n t s o f w h ic h hav e
c e r t a i n r e l a t i o n s , and some Kind o f u n i o n o r bond o f -
common g o v e r n m e n t . 1* The v iew a p p e a r s t o h o l d good f o r
whole o f I n d i a . I n t h e P u n j a b 'and t h e U n i t e d P r o v i n c e s
t h e v i l l a g e c o m m u n itie s were fou nd ed m o s t l y by a g r i c u l t u r a l
t r i b e s , c l a n s and c a s t e s who formed compact b r o t h e r h o o d
c a l l e d 1b h a i a c h a r a * S i n c e a p a r g a n a h was composed o f
a number o f v i l l a g e s i t i s p ro b a b le , t h a t t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n
of i t s bounds was i n f l u e n c e d by t h e i d e n t i c a l , p o p u l a t i o n .
Having a c c e p t e d t h e view t h a t t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f
p a r g a n a h s on t h e b a s i s o f c l a n 1o r t r i b e was common i n
N o r t h e r n I n d i a , B a d e n -P o w e ll p o n d e r e d \d a e th e r t h e same
f a c t o r was i n o p e r a t i o n i n B e n g a l . On t h e d i v i s i o n of
2
D i n a j p u r D i s t r i c t i n t o a number o f p a r g a n a h s , h e rem arked!
“I c a n n o t d i s c o v e r t h e o r i g i n o f t h i s ,
.ex cep t t h a t i t does not ( p o s i t i v e l y )
a p p e a r t h a t t h e y were t h e a r e a s o f
w hich d i f f e r e n t t r i b e s d r c l a n s had
once t a k e n p o s s e s s i o n * 1.

1 # B .H .B & do n-Po w ell,, A B h o rt Account o f t h e Land Revenue

and i t s Admi n l s t r a t i on i n B r T t i s h TndXa^ W - 8 5,
92-93.
2. B .H .B a d e n - P o w e l l, “ O r i g i n o f t h e Z a m in d a ri K s t a t e s i n
B e n g a l 11, Q . J . B . , I 8 9 6 , X I, 52.
Such e t h n o g r a p h i c a l a n a l y s i s o f t h e f o r m a t i o n o f t h e p a r g a n a h s
sounds r e a s o n a b l e i n I n d i a , where t h e s o c i e t y was s t r a t i f i e d i n t o
r e l i g i o u s , c l a n and c a s t e g r o u p i n g s . The p e o p l e o f d i f f e r e n t
groups u s u a l l y r e s id e d i n se g re g a te d q u a r t e r s i n th e r u r a l
a r e a s t h o u g h n o t r i g i d l y so i n towns and c i t i e s .
The f a c t t h a t t h e z a m i n d a r i s o f t e n b e l o n g e d e i t h e r t o
t h e most i n f l u e n t i a l m i n o r i t y o r t o t r i b e , c l a n o r c a s t e
1
which commanded m a j o r i t y i n a l o c a l i t y u n d e rlin e s the
i m p o r t a n c e o f c a s t e and c l a n o r g a n i z a t i o n s . The R a j a s o f
Birbhum b e l o n g e d t o t h e P a t h a n r a c e . They m a i n t a i n e d t h e i r
dominance by v i r t u e o f a m i l i t a r i s t Muslim p e a s a n t r y , who
formed a c l a s s s o c i a l l y i m p o r t a n t t h o u g h n u m e r i c a l l y i n s i g n i -
2
fica n t. D ata of l a t e r d a te s a lso support th e r o le of c a s te
o r c l a n o r g a n i z a t i o n on t h e f o r m a t i o n o f z a m i n d a r i s . In the
D i s t r i c t o f R a j s h a h i which c o n t a i n e d t h e l a r g e s t number o f
3
Brahmin z a m i n d a r s , t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n were B rahm in s.
I n B a k a r g a n j , t h e number o f t h e K a y a s t h a s was t h e l a r g e s t
e x c e p t i n g t h e N am a su dras. T h e r e most o f the. z a m in d a r s were
I4.
k a y a s t h a s i n c l u d i n g t h e p r i n c i p a l one - t h e R a j a o f C handradwip,

1. B . R .G r o v e r , " N a t u r e o f Land R i g h t s i n Mughal I n d i a 11,

I.K .S .H .R . j 1 9 6 3 , 1 , 1 1 .
2 . ¥ . ¥ . H u n t e r , The A n n a ls o f R u r a l B e n g a l , 8 8 .
3- B.D.O.. Ra.1shahl. - g u 56.
k. B . D . G . . B a k a r g a n j . 3^.
The n u m b e r o f t h e Brahmin p o p u l a t i o n comes n e x t , so i s t h e
number o f t h e z a m i n d a r s . I n Midnapur D i s t r i c t t h e Sadgops
c o n s t i t u t e d a c o n s i d e r a b l e s e c t i o n o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n , and t h i s
was p r o b a b l y t h e o n l y D i s t r i c t i n B e n g a l where some Sadgop
z a m i n d a r s c o u l d be t r a c e d . ' 1’ I n th e case of Bishnupur t h e
r a j a i n c l u d i n g t h e a r i s t o c r a c y and t h e p o p u l a t i o n were a l l
2 • '

H indus.
; Though g r e a t l i n e a g e z a m i n d a r i s - d o m i n a t e d t h e
s t r u c t u r e o f l a n d c o n t r o l system i n B e n g a l , c o - p e r c e n a r y
z a m i n d a r i s were n o t w a n t i n g . The Hindu and Muslim la w s o f
i n h e r i t a n c e o p e r a t i n g i n t h e c o u n t r y , a z a m i n d a r i was l i k e l y
t o b e . d i v i d e d among t h e d i f f e r e n t s h a r e h o l d e r s . The law o f
Lj,
p r i m o g e n i t u r e c o u l d n o t k e e p t h e z a m i n d a r i s a s a u n i t e d whole
e x c e p t i n g i n a few a r i s t o c r a t i c f a m i l i e s . In th e case of
i n f e r i o r zam indars th e s u c c e s s o rs shared u s u a l l y equal d i v i s i o n
6
o f t h e z a m i n d a r i s , and i f a g r e e d , t o o k u n e q u a l d i v i d e n d s .

1* -B .D .G .. M id n a p u r. 57.
2 . W.W .Hunter, The A n n a l s ............. 8 8 ,
3 . I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n S y s t e m.............. 155.

k. Qanungo and P a n d i t 1s N o te, B .R .C . F e b . 28 , 1 77 6, Rh9/6Q$

B .H .B a d e n - P p w e ll, The L and -S ystem s . . . . J , 1 0 1 .
5. G.V a n s i t t a r t t o C.C.R.M* Oct. 1 6 , 1770, P.C.C.R»M. , Dec.
: 31, 1770* I I , I k k .
6. Qanungo and P a n d i t * s N o te , B .R .C . Feb. 28, 1776, Rh9/60$
See a l s o B.R.G. S e p t . 1 2 , 1 7 7 ^ B h 9 / k 7.
 k8

In f a c t, t h e w i d e s p r e a d p r a c t i c e of polygamy b o t h
among t h e H in d u and Muslim z a m i n d a r s , and o f a d o p t i o n i n t h e
a b s e n c e o f any i s s u e s p e c i a l l y a male on e, c o m p l i c a t e d t h e
s u c c e s s i o n i s s u e and o f t e n l e d t o t h e s u b d i v i s i o n o f t h e
zam indari e s t a t e s . The d is h a rm o n y among t h e d i f f e r e n t w i v e s ,
s t e p - b r o t h e r s and s i s t e r s som etim es impeded t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n
o f za m in d aris as a s i n g l e u n i t . T h i s i s b o r n e o u t by many
i n s t a n c e s , a few o f w hich a r e c i t e d h e r e . The o r i g i n a t o r o f t h e
Mominshahi z a m i n d a r i S r i K r i s h n a C h au d h u ri m a r r i e d more t h a n
once. Soon a f t e r , h i s d e a t h t h e f a m i l y became e n t a n g l e d i n
1
i n t e r n a l feuds r e s u l t i n g i n th e d i v i s i o n of t h e zam indari.
A g ain , S a y i d Ahmed C h au d h u ri t h e second f o u n d e r o f t h e S i l b e r s a
2 '

z a m i n d a r i had no m ale i s s u e and o f h i s f o u r w iv e s t h e l a s t

two were c h i l d l e s s . H is d e a t h h e r a l d e d a p r o l o n g e d d i s p u t e
b e tw e e n Duni B i b i , t h e y o u n g e s t w i f e who f o r c i b l y s u c c e e d e d t o
t h e whole z a m i n d a r i , and t h e o t h e r w iv e s and c h i l d r e n . They
p e t i t i o n e d t o Hawab S h u j a u d d i n who g r a n t e d a sanad i n t h e name Of
3
H a z i u d d i n , a g r a n d s o n o f S ay id Ahmed, S i n c e Duni B i b i would
not g iv e i n , th e w rangle l i n g e r e d . U l t i m a t e l y d u r i n g Nawab
A l i v a r d i Khan*s t e n u r e , t h e S i l b e r s a z a m i n d a r i was d i v i d e d i n t o

1. B«P.G, Mvmensingh, 155-156-

2* The z a m i n d a r i was t r a n s f e r r e d t o S a y id Ahmed C h au d hu ri from
Duni Chand who became a d e f a u l t e r i n 1688.
3 . P .C .S en, B a g u r a r I t i h a s a I I , 253-25*+? E .B»A»D.G. Bogra.,1 1 2 .
two n i n e - anna and s e v e n - a n n a s h a r e s b e tw e e n S a y i d Aimed 1 s two
g r a n d s o n s R a z i u d d i n and Badiuzzaman a t a j o i n t r e n t a l of
1
R s.60,000. S i m i l a r l y , t h e Midnapur o r N a r a j o l z a m i n d a r i
rem ained as a whole o n l y f o r a s h o r t w h i l e a f t e r i t changed
h and s t o Aj i t S i n g h , F o l lo w in g h i s d e a t h t h e p r o p e r t y was
2
d i v i d e d b e tw e e n h i s two w iv e s .
D e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t t h e m o d e r a te and p e t t y
z a m i n d a r i s o f t e n f r a g m e n t e d a f t e r one or two g e n e r a t i o n s , t h e
c o - s h a r e r s .c o u ld arran g e th e c o l l e c t i o n of r e n t s j o i n t l y or
s e p a r a t e l y on t h e b a s i s o f an i n f o r m a l p a r t i t i o n .
B efo re concluding th e i n tr o d u c to r y d is c u s s io n
on t h e g e n e s i s and t h e s t r u c t u r a l p a t t e r n o f t h e z a m i n d a r i
in stitu tio n , and t h e f a c t o r s u n d e r l i n i n g t h e f o r m a t i o n o f t h e
z a m i n d a r i s a s d i s t i n c t re v e n u e u n i t s , t h e c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h e
z a m in d a r c l a s s i n t h e . s o c i o - e c o n o m ic c o n t e n t may be examined.
I n B e n g a l as i n E ngland t h e 11l a n d l o r d s o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h
■■ - 3
c e n t u r y d i d n o t c o n s t i t u t e a c l o s e d s o c i a l c l a s s ' 1. D iverse
p r o f e s s i o n a l and e t h n i c e l e m e n t s were u s h e r e d i n t o t h e z a m in d ar
class. From humble b e g i n n i n g s i n p e t t y c l e r i c a l , l e g a l o r
m i l i t a r y c a r e e r s many made t h e i r way w i t h i n a few y e a r s t o t h e
elev a te d p o s itio n o f th e ru lin g gentry. S in ce landow nership

1 . G . V a n s i t t a r t t o C.C.R.M. Oct. l 6 , 1770, P.C.C „R.M. Dec. 31,

1770, I I , l*+7? E.B.A.D.G* Boar a ,--112.
2. B . D . G , , M id n a p u r. 213.
3 . G.E. Min g a y , E n g l i s h Landed S o c i e t y I h i t h e E i g h t e e n t h
C e n t u r y , 26.
 50

i s t h e o n l y s i n g l e o c c u p a t i o n i n t h e c a s t e - r i d d e n H ind u
s o c i e t y o f I n d i a w h ich p e o p l e o f e v e r y v a r n a c o u l d a c c e p t
w ithout th e f e a r of being degraded, or t r e s p a s s i n g th e ~ ,
o c c u p a t i o n o f t h e upper, v a r m s ? z a m i n d a r s h i p o f f e r e d a
p r o s p e c t i v e o p e n in g t o a l l c l a s s e s o f p e o p l e . Though t h e r e
were p r e p o n d e r a n c e o f K a y a s t h a z a m i n d a r s i n B e n g a l , numerous
Brahmin and K sh a& riy a z a m i n d a r s were a l s o f o u n d , Z am in d ars
from t h e low c a s t e g ro u p s as t h e T i l i , S adgop, B agdi were
not a ls o w anting. A g a in , when t h e s o u r c e s o f h i g h c i v i l and
m i l i t a r y p r o f e s s i o n s became m eag re, t h e Muslims t o whom t h e '
p r o f e s s i o n s o f t h e pen and sword were t h e h o n o u r a b l e way o f
l i v i n g , l o o k e d up t o f a r m i n g a s t h e o n l y a l t e r n a t i v e p r o f e s s i o n
2
s u i t a b l e and n o t d e r o g a t o r y . In th e e a rly p a rt of th e East
I n d i a Company*s r u l e when t h e p o l i c y o f d i s b a n d i n g t h e n a t i v e
a r m i e s was f o l l o w e d , many Muslim c h i e f s who had g r a n t s o f
l a n d s l e f t t h e c a p i t a l t o s e t t l e down a s L a n d l o r d s w h i l e t h e i r
3
f o l l o w e r s and s o l d i e r s t o o k up t h e p r o f e s s i o n o f a g r i c u l t u r e .
M o reo v e r,
(lI n t r a d i t i o n a l I n d i a n s o c i e t y , w e a l t h and s t a t u s a t t a i n e d
o u t s i d e o f a g r i c u l t u r e were t r a n s m i t t e d i n t o l a n d e d s t a t u s ,
s i n c e o t h e r k i n d s o f a c t i v i t i e s , s u c h a s t r a d e and s e r v i c e , :
were n o t o f a s h i g h s o c i a l s t a t u s a s b e i n g a zamindar*1. 4
IT C o i l e e t i o n ~ oF"Sm ritis"^uolTed^Tn ^ t e and Rac
i n I n d i a . 89*
2 . F .R u b b e e , The O r i g i n of t h e Mussulmans o f B e n g a l , 107*
3 . ¥ .W . H u n t e r , I n d i a n M ussulm ans. 151. ^
k . B .S .C o h n , " S t r u c t u r a l Change i n I n d i a n R u r a l S o c i e t y * ', R.E.
F r y k e n b e r g ( e d . ) Land C o n t r o l & S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e . . . . , 1 1 2 ; See
a l s o R.Guha, A R u l e o f P r o p e r t y f o r B e n g a l . 58.
 51

To th e. p e o p l e of, B e n g a l , l o n g 1 accustom ed t.o a s y ste m o f l o c a l

g o v e rn m e n t, b a s e d upon p r e s t i g e and numbers o f f o l l o w e r s 1 ,.
' a c q u i s i t i o n o f landed, e s t a t e s w i t h i t s a t t e n d a n t power and
p r i v i l e g e was a h a l l m a r k o f r e s p e c t a b i l i t y . '
, . The economic s e c u r i t y a t t a c h e d t o t h e o c c u p a t i o n
o f t h e z a m in d ar m ig h t w e l l have been a p rim e mover o f t h i s
en terp rise. I n t h e a b s e n c e o f modern s a v i n g f a c i l i t i e s ,
. i n v e s t m e n t - i n . . l a n d was s a f e and s e c u r e . Nawab M urshid Q u l i
Khan b ought t h e z a m i n d a r i o f K u l h e r i a , p a r t o f p a r g a n a h
v-' ■ ' i 'V ' ' - ' ■ r■ - . - ■
Chunakhali from Muhammad M i n and r e g i s t e r e d - i t i n t h e name
if ' V'-'. - 2
of; h i s g r a n d s o n M i r z a A s a d u l l a h ( S a r f a r a z K h a n ) , A sadnagar
/. " uThe r e a s o n f o r J a f f e r Khan 1 s Q.Khan/ c o n d u c t h e r e i n
was, t h a t i n cas.e o f a d e c l i n e o f f o r t u n e , t h e r e
m ig ht be. l e f t f o r h i s p o s t e r i t y a p l a t e o f v i c t u a l s ,
a b a r e com petence t o s u s t a i n t h e v i t a l - s p i r i t ; and
t h a t a f t e r p a y in g t h e . r o y a l .reven ue, t h e . p r o f i t
' ' m ig ht dome t o th em , and t h e i r name r e m a i n , and be
p r e s e r v e d *in t h e .pages".of time.*' 3
' T h e - p r a c tic e gained p o p u la r ity i n th e subah. I n .1766,
h " ■ ■

Y a n s itta rt reported :
' W h e n a.man r i s e s h i m s e l f e i t h e r by t h e army o r
f i n a n c e s - he i s d e s i r o u s of g e t t i n g h i s n a t i v e
v i l l a g e and two -or t h r e e a b o u t i t ? t h a t he' may k ee p
h i s h o i yd ays I n pomp w i t h , h i s f a m i l y o r i f a
f o r e i g n e r h e c o v e t s an e s t a t e i n l a n d , t h a t he

1 . ,S i t u a t e d I n t h e D i s t r i c t o f M u rs h id a b a d . .
2 . F, Gladwin ( t r . V T.B . T 10 0-101.

3 . I b i d . , 1 0 1 1 B e e , a l s o C.W.B.Rous t o G.C.R.M, Dec. 2 2 ,1 7 7 0

V K.CUC.R.M. . Dec. 31, 1770, I I , 1 6 5 .
k. '.'.March from B a l l a s o r e t o Sommulpoore", G.V.P. D e p . b . 6 6 t 6.
 may* s e c u r e t o h i m s e l f a r e t r e a t o f t h e t i m e when
f o r t u n e may c e a s e t o s m i l e . He a c c o r d i n g l y e i t h e r
p u r c h a s e s from a Z am in d ar, o r g e t s a g r a n t from t h e
Nawab o f f i v e o r s i x v i l l a g e s a t a r e n t much below
t h e i r r e a l v a l u e . He d i e s and t h e e l d e s t son ..........
. . . . . i n h e r i t s from h i s f a t h e r . u
T h u s , t h e p o l i t i c a l and f i s c a l n e e d s o f t h e
M ughals, s t r e n g t h e n e d by t h e s o c i a l and c u l t u r a l p a t t e r n
o f t h e c o u n t r y f o s t e r e d t h e d e v e lo p m e n t o f t h e z a m i n d a r i
in stitu tio n . The a u t h o r i t y c l o s e l y woven i n t o t h e f a b r i c
o f t h e i n s t i t u t i o n and t h e r e s p e c t a b i l i t y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h
i t r e n d e r e d t h e z a m i n d a r i p r o f e s s i o n a c o v e t e d and e n v i a b l e
one.
 CHAPTER I I

STABILITY AND CHANGE IN THE _ZAMINDAR CLASS

D u rin g t h e f i r s t h a l f o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y
t h e su b ah o f B e n g a l w i t n e s s e d t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a r e g i o n a l
s e m i - i n d e p e n d e n c e , c r e a t e d a t f i r s t by Nawab M urshid Quli
K h a n , . w h i c h became more c o m p le te u n d e r h i s s u c c e s s o r s . The
epoch a l s o saw t h e c i v i l x\rar among M urshid Q uli Khan1 s
s u c c e s s o r s f o r t h e Nawabi, t h e r e c u r r i n g i n v a s i o n s o f t h e
M a r a t h a s and t h e i r r a p a c i t y , t h e b a t t l e o f P l a s s e y and t h e
a d v e n t o f t h e E n g l i s h E a s t I n d i a Company on t h e p o l i t i c a l
scene o f th e subah. The g r a n t o f t h e Biwani r i g h t t o t h e
E n g l i s h E a s t I n d i a Company ( 1 7 6 ? ) , t h e d e v a s t a t i n g fa m in e o f
I 7 6 9 -I. 7 7 0 , and t h e a s s u m p t i o n of t h e f u l l Diwani power by
t h e Company i n 1772 h e r a l d e d a new - e r a i n t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e
Indian sub-continent, I t i s t h e aim o f t h i s c h a p t e r t o
examine t h e f o r t u n e s o f t h e za m in d a r c l a s s i n t h e s e d i s t u r b i n g
p o l i t i c a l tu rm o ils of the period.
, The u n s e t t l e d s i t u a t i o n i n B e n g a l p r o v i d e d an
o p p o r t u n i t y f o r t h e n o b i l i t y , t h e army, t h e b u r e a u c r a c y and
f i n a n c i a l i n t e r e s t s t o i n c r e a s e t h e i r s e c t i o n a l p ow ers. The
z a m i n d a r s n a t u r a l l y j o i n e d i n t h e s c r a m b le f o r power d i r e c t i n g
t h e i r e n e rg y m a i n l y t o t h e i r t e r r i t o r i a l g a i n s . Before s e t t i n g
o u t t o d i s c u s s t h e ch a n g e s w i t h i n t h e z a m in d a r c l a s s some
b r i e f comments a r e n e c e s s a r y on t h e p e r i o d o f M urshid Q uli Khan,
An e l a b o r a t e a n a l y s i s o f t h i s h a s n o t b e e n a t t e m p t e d b e c a u s e
1
Karim h as a l r e a d y w r i t t e n a booh on t h e s u b j e c t . But M urshid
Q u li K h a n 's p e r i o d o f o f f i c e i s v i t a l f o r a s t u d y o f B engal
zam indars, sin ce i t saw t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a de f a c t o
i n d e p e n d e n t Nizamat r u l e i n t h e sub ah . From t h e a c c e s s i o n
o f F a r r u k h S i y a r t o t h e t h r o n e o f D e l h i i n 1713? t h e p r a c t i c e
o f sending o f f i c e r s (m a n s a b d a rs) from t h e c e n t r e t o f i l l
p r o v i n c i a l p o s t s was p r a c t i c a l l y s t o p p e d . I n d i v i d u a l adven­
tu re rs s t i l l arriv ed , s e e k i n g r e f u g e and employment i n B e n g a l ,
' . . 2
as R eza K h a n 's f a m i l y d i d . But t h e r o u t i n e c i r c u l a t i o n o f
Mughal o f f i c i a l s b e tw e e n D e l h i , Dacca and M urshidab ad came
to a h a lt. Muslim o f f i c e r s s t i l l o c c u p ie d most o f t h e s e n i o r
p o s t s i n B e n g a l , b u t t h e y were members of l o c a l g r o u p s , a t
3
f i r s t c e n t e r e d around Murshid Q u li Khan and h i s family,- and
t h e y no l o n g e r had t h e whole m i l i t a r y and c i v i l s u p p o r t o f t h e
Mughal m a n s a b d a rl s y s te m b e h i n d them. At t h e same t i m e i t
seems p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e r e g i o n a l m a n s a b d a rs had l o s t ground.,
a s p a r t o f t h e economy d r i v e s t a r t e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e em pire by
t h e i m p e r i a l v i z i r Nizam-ul~Mulk i n t h e 1 7 2 0 s . The E n g l i s h
k
C o u n c i l a t C a l c u t t a i n 1722 r e p o r t e d :

1 . A.Karim, M urshid Q u l i Khan and h i s t i m e s .

2. A.M,Khan, T h e .Tr a n s i t i o n i n B e n g a l , 1 2 , 17.
3 . A.Karim, Mu r s h i d Q u l i Kh^ n . . . . . . 6 9 - 7 0 .

B . P . C . , A p r i l 1 6 , 1722, R l / 5 .
 11 t h e v i z i e r has reduced th e allow ance of a l l th e
ornrahs a t c o u r t and t u r n e d o u t a g r e a t many, and t h a t
J a f f e r Cawne1s a l l o w a n c e s a r e re d u c e d fro m sev en
t h o u s a n d munsub t o f i v e t h o u s a n d , and t h e d u a n s i n
p r o p o r t i o n . 11
Karim h a s d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t t h e b a s i s o f M urshid Q u l i Khan* s
l o n g t e n u r e o f h i g h o f f i c e was h i s a b i l i t y t o s e c u r e f o r t h e
Bmperor a c o n s t a n t and an i n c r e a s e d f lo w o f r e v e n u e from B e n g a l .
1
C a lk in s h as argued t h a t t o s e c u r e t h a t i n c r e a s e M urshid Q uli
Khan made a d e a l w i t h one e lem en t i n t h e z a m in d a r c l a s s who
j o i n e d i n e x t r a c t i n g more from t h e r e m a i n i n g m in o r o r v i l l a g e
2
zam indars. Karim h a s n o te d t h a t Murshid Q u l i Khan made
s t r e n u o u s e f f o r t s t o a c h i e v e a more r e a l i s t i c v a l u a t i o n o f t h e
p r o v i n c e , t u r n i n g o u t d e f a u l t i n g z a m in d a r s o r re v e n u e f a r m e r s ,
p u t t i n g i n h i s am i l s t o i n v e s t i g a t e r e s o u r c e s , and t h a t when
he had a c h i e v e d h i s r e v i s i o n o f t h e s o - c a l l e d T o d a r Mai
. s e t t l e m e n t , he i n s i s t e d upon prompt and f u l l payment o f t h e
new demand. Under h i s Jam a-K am il-T um ari o f 1722, m o re o v e r, t h e
s m a l l z a m i n d a r s were p l a c e d u n d e r t h e s u p e r v i s i o n of a h a n d f u l
o f g r e a t e r z a m i n d a r s , n o m in a te d c h a k l a h d a r s . t h r o u g h whom
3
th ey paid t h e i r revenues. T h i s m easure was c o n f ir m e d by
S h u j a Khan, M urshid Q u l i Khan1s s u c c e s s o r i n t h e J a m a - T u m a ri-

1 . ' P . B . C a l k i n s uThe f o r m a t i o n o f a R e g i o n a l l y O r i e n t e d R u l i n g
Group i n B e n g a l , 1700-1 y^O11, J . S . A . a . 1970, 8 0 0 ,8 0 3 .
2. A.Karim, M urshid Q u li Khan. . . . . . . 8 9 - 9 1 .
3 . N .K . S i n h a , The Economic H i s t o r y ................... I I , 1 ^ T 18.
-Ta s h k h i s , o f 1 7 2 8 whi ch d i v i d e d much o f t h e sub ah i n t o f i f t e e n
g r e a t z a m in d a r is " , e x t e n d i n g o v e r b l h b a r n a n a h s - y i e l d i n g ;
s i x t y f i v e ,l a k h s i n y e a r l y r e v e n u e - a b o u t h a l f o f t h e t o t a l
revenue o f th e s u b a h .; The r e m a in i n g pa r g a nahs. were p a r c e l l e d
o u t among s m a l l e r zam ind ars* I t i s c l e a r t h a t ch a klahdars
o r m a jo r z a m i n d a r s were i n s t a l l e d as s t e w a r d s : o v e r t h e i r
j u n i o r s - , :as ‘ o f f i c i a l s and n o t owners - as i n s t r u m e n t s i n t h e ;
mpre e f f i c i e n t c o l l e c t i o n , o f r e v e n u e s . l.The o l d e r v iew t h a t
M ursh id Q u li/K h a n d i s p o s s e s s e d and *s u b v e r t ed t h e whole l a n d e d
p r o p r ie to r s h ip - of Bengal c a n n o t be s u s t a i n e d ; but t h a t th e
b a l a n c e betw e en ma n s a b d a r s and z a m i n d a r s , and b etw e an g r e a t '
zam in dars. and re v e n u e I n t e r m e d i a r i e s changed r i n g s t r u e .
V; ; C a l k i n s h a s t a k e n up t h i s p o i n t and s t a t e d t h a t " a
p a r t n e r s h i p betw een t h e Mughals and t h e more i m p o r t a n t members
o f i h e i n d i g e n o u s . l a n d e d r u l i n g group d e v e l o p e d *1 - a d d in g t h a t
t h e p a r t n e r s h i p was f i n a l l y c o m p le te d by t h e a d d i t i o n o f a .
c l a s s of g r e a t b a n k e rs , m oneylenders, m e rc h a n ts, t h e n e c e s s a ry
'■ f k
. f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n t s to. t h e g r e a t z a m i n d a r s . He s e e s t h e

1 . The names ,o f t h e z a m i n d a r i s a r e s Birbhum, B ish n u p u r,.

Burdwan,- D i h a j p u r M a d i a , H a j s h a h i , T i p p e r a , P a c h e t ,
1 Mahmud s h a h i (N.aldanga)*, Y u so u fp u r ( C h a n c h r a ) , Rokunpur,
, V ; L a s h k a r p u r , E d r a k p u r , F u t t e h s i h g h and C a l c u t t a .
2. J . G r a n t , - H i s t o r i c a l and C om parativ e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r
i ( e d . V The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . . . . XI , 1 9 ^ - 1 9 8 .
j . J . M . S a r k a r ( e d . ) , H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l I I T f+09.
f. P . B . C a l k i n s , . nThe F o r m a t i o n o f a R e g i o n a l l y O r i e n t e d R u l i n g
0 ro u p i n B e n g a l , -1700-17**QI*, 1970, 8 0 0 ,8 0 3 -80k._
power o f t h e s e new. c l a s s e s f i n a l l y d e m o n s t r a t e d i n t h e i r o v e r -
. 1
th ro w , o f S a r f a r a z Khan i n f a v o u r o f A l i v a r d i Khan i n 17^0.
I n f a c t , t h e p o l i t i c a l a f f a i r s o f t h e s u b a h by 1720s assumed
a c o m p l i c a t e d c o m p le x io n . The E n g l i s h and some E u ro p e a n
t r a d i n g com pan ies were v y i n g w i t h e a c h o t h e r t o e x a c t g r e a t e r .
c o n c e s s i o n s fro m t h e r u l i n g a u t h o r i t y . The E n g l i s h E a s t
I n d i a Company h a v i n g a s t r o n g f o o t - h o l d i n t h e c o u n t r y
e x t e n d e d t h e i r r e a l m o f i n t e r e s t i n t h e making o f t h e Nawabs .
fav o u rab le to t h e i r cause. I n J u l y 1727 t h e C a l c u t t a C o u n c i l
2
recorded:
11On 1 5 t h I n s t t . we r e c e i v e d a l e t t e r fro m Worp Edward
S t e p h e n s o n E sq C h i e f &c. C o u n c i l a t C o s s im b u z a r d a t e d
t h e 1 1 t h Do a c kn ow ledg in g t h e r e c e i p t o f o u r s i n answer
t o t h e a d v i s i n g o f t h e d e a t h o f J a f f e r Cawn. They
p ro m is e a due r e g a r d t o o u r d i r e c t i o n s t o make t h e
b e s t u s e t h e y can o f t h e change o f Government f o r o u r
HonM *6 M a s t e r s I n t s & p r e j u d i c e t h a t o f t h e O s t e n d e r s
what t h e y c a n , and t h a t t h e y a r e i n h o p e s o f p r o c u r i n g
from S a u f f r a g e Cawn a c o n f i r m a t i o n o f F u r r u c k s e e r s
Phirmaund / f a r m a n _7 as w e l l as some o t h e r f a v o u r s . 11
The p r i n c i p a l z a m i n d a r s and b a n k e r s , a l l o f whose i n t e r e s t s
were bound t o g e t h e r w i t h t h a t o f t h e Nawabs, w i e l d e d much
i n f l u e n c e i n s h a p i n g t h e p o l i t i c a l d e v e lo p m e n ts o f t h e s u b a h .
3
I t i s b o r n e o u t by t h e r e p o r t from t h e C a l c u t t a C o u n c i l !

1 . P .B .C alk in s, “The F o r m a t i o n o f a R e g i o n a l l y O r i e n t e d R u l i n g
Group i n B e n g a l , 1 7 0 0 -1 7 ^ 0 “ , 1 9 7 0 , J . S . A . S . t 8 0 5 -8 0 6 .
2 . B . P . C . , J u l y 1 7 , 1727,
3 . B .P .C ., August 1727,
 58

‘‘T h a t S o o j a h Cawn b e i n g a r r i v e d on t h i s s i d e B a l l a s o r e ,
- g r e a t numbers from Muxidevad a r e gone t o meet him.
T h at s e v e r a l o f t h e R a j a h s & Z em in d ars v a c q u e e l s
/ w a k i l s / have v i s i t e d and r e c e i v e d s e e rp a w s £ s a r - o - p a /
from him. T h a t on h i s a p p ro a c h t h e y w i l l send t h e i r
v a c q u e e l s t o pay t h e i r co m p lim e n ts, & i f t h e Nabob
' a p p r o v e s o f i t , t h e y w i l l pay t h e i r r e s p e c t s t o him
a l s o , and i f t h e y f i n d F u t t i c h u n d s a w h a s n o t t h e sway
w i t h him as he had w i t h J a f f e r Cawn, t h e y w i l l n o t
f a i l t o s o l l i c i t e him f o r t h e m i n t . 1'
At t h e d e a t h o f M urshid Q u li Khan, a r i v a l r y d e v e lo p e d betw een
2
t h e two c o n t e n d e r s f o r t h e s u b a h d a r i , B a r f a r a z Khan , t h e
i j i w a n ' o f t h e s ubah whom Murshid Q uli Khan n o m in ated a s h i s
successor and S h u j a Khan, The E n g l i s h t h o u g h t t h a t B a r f a r a z
.Khan c o u ld be won o v e r t o t h e i r c a u s e . The z a m i n d a r s , on t h e
o t h e r han d , p r o b a b l y a t t r a c t e d by t h e ‘ e q u i t y and h u m a n i t y 1
o f S h u j a Khan and w i t h t h e e x p e c t a t i o n o f some r e l i e f from
b
t h e . l o n g r i g i d r e g u l a t i o n s of t h e d e c e a s e d Nawab r a l l i e d
b e h i n d S h u j a Khan. The d i s p u t e o v e r s u b a h d a r i was s e t t l e d when
B a r f a r a z Khan s t e p p e d a s i d e from t h e c o n t e s t i n f a v o u r of h i s
fa th e r. D e s p i t e t h i s happy en d in g o f t h e e p i s o d e , a n o t h e r
s to rm was g a t h e r i n g . A l i v a r d i Khan, Nawab S h u j a K h a n 's
n a i b - s u b a h d a r o f B i h a r was scheming t o i n s t a l l h i m s e l f as t h e
Nawabfff. t h e su b ah . He and h i s b r o t h e r , H a j i Ahmed e n t e r e d
i n t o a c o n s p i r a c y w i t h Alamchand, t h e Sawan o f t h e s u b a h ,

.1, A c o m p le te d r e s s of ho n ou r,
2, Grandson o f Murshid Q uli Khan and son of S h u j a Khan,

3,; F, Gladwin ( t r . ) , T ^ B . , 122.

b, Ghulam H u s s a i n T a b a t a b a i , S e i r ° a l - M u t a k h k h e r i n . I i a j i
M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , I , 279*
 59

and J a g a t S e t h , t h e most i n f l u e n t i a l b a n t e r o f t h e s u b a h . 1
The p l o t u l t i m a t e l y b r o u g h t f o r t h t h e m i l i t a r y v i c t o r y o f
A l i v a r d i o v e r Nawab S a r f a r a z Khan* who s u c c e e d e d t o t h e v i c e ­
r o y a l t y a f t e r t h e d e a t h o f h i s f a t h e r i n 1 7 3 9 * The z a m i n d a r s
2
s u p p l i e d t r o o p s t o t h e Nawab, as d i d some t o h i s r i v a l
3
A l i v a r d i Khan. The i m p e r i a l a u t h o r i t y s t i l l r e e l i n g u n d e r
t h e m ig h ty s t r o k e o f N a d i r Shah, had p e r h a p s l i t t l e t o do
i n th e a f f a i r s i n Bengal.
lll h e n Mohammed Shah r e c e i v e d i n t e l l i g e n c e o f t h e d e a t h
o f S i r f a r a z Khan, and t h e u s u r p a t i o n o f A l y v i r d y Khan,
he a p p e a r e d much a f f e c t e d a t t h e r e l a t i o n ; but
a f t e r w a r d s a c t e d i n a manner v e r y unbecoming t h e
d i g n i t y and d u t y o f an em peror; f o r , in s te a d of
p la n is h in g t h e t r a i t o r , he had t h e m eanness t o
p a r t i c i p a t e of h i s p lu n d er; and i n r e t u r n c o n f e r r e d
upon him t h e n i z a m u t o f t h e t h r e e s o o b a h s . " k
T h a t a new d i v i s i o n o f power, r e s u l t i n g i n a new
b a l a n c e and p e r h a p s y i e l d i n g a d v a n t a g e s t o a l l t h r e e p a r t i e s
em erged, i s c l e a r . W hether i t i s r i g h t t o u s e t h e word
p a r t n e r s h i p , m eaning a d e l i b e r a t e ag re e m e n t t o c o - o p e r a t e ,
t o d e s c r i b e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw e en t h e Nawab, from M urshid
Q u li t o Mir Qasim, and t h e l a r g e r z a m i n d a r s , i s n o t so e v i d e n t
D u rin g t h e c r i s i s i n t h e Nawabi, t h e z a m i n d a r s l o s t no t i m e
i n b r i n g i n g ab o u t c h a n g e s i n r e l a t i o n s h i p f a v o u r a b l e t o

1. H a ji M ustafa ( t r . ) , S e i r I , 3 2 6 ; F .G l a d w i n ( t r . ) , T .B . ,1 ^ 0
2. F .G l a d w i n ( t r . ) , T.B . T l 6 l .
3* I b i d . , .166.
k* S a lim A l l a h , T . B . T F .G la d w in ( t r . ) , 1 7 ? .
 60

them. Many o f t h e z a m i n d a r s who had ‘ shewn t o k e n o f s u b m i s s i o n

and, a tta c h m e n t* t o w a r d s Nawab S h u j a Khan were no l e s s r e a d y
t o s w i t c h t h e i r a l l e g i a n c e o v e r t o A l i v a r d i Khan - t h e u s u r p e r ,
i n d i s r e g a r d t o t h e i n t e r e s t o f Nawab B a r f a r a z Khan. A g ain ,
th o u g h t h e z a m i n d a r s r e m a in e d f a i t h f u l t o Nawab A l i v a r d i Khan
t h r o u g h o u t t h e p e r i o d o f t h e M a ra th a i n v a s i o n , ^ " v e r y soon
a f t e r t h e y c h a n g ed t h e i r l o y a l t y . D u rin g t h e u n s e t t l e d y e a r s
o f 1 7 ? 6 - 1 7 6 5 s z a m i n d a r s f i r s t s i d e d w i t h t h e E n g l i s h and Mir
J a f a r t o b r i n g a b o u t t h e d o w n f a l l o f Nawab S i r a j u d - D a u l a h ,
2
A l i v a r d i Khan* s s u c c e s s o r , w i t h whom t h e y d i d n o t g e t on w e l l .
A f t e r w a r d s t h e z a m i n d a r s i n o r d e r t o r e t a i n t h e i r autonomy
and f i s c a l a d v a n t a g e s i n f u l l t u r n e d a g a i n s t b o t h t h e E n g l i s h
3
and t h e Nawab. I n t h i s c o n t e x t Ghulam H u s s a i n T a b a t a b a i * s
comment on t h e n a t u r e o f t h e z a m i n d a r s i s q u i t e a p t ;
** t h e y a r e a s e t o f men f a i t h l e s s t o a h i g h
d e g re e , s h o r t - s i g h t e d , im p a tie n t of eontrouL ,
e v e r r e a d y , on t h e l e a s t a p p e a r a n c e o f r e v o l u t i o n ,
t o t u r n t h e i r b a c k s on t h e i r m a s t e r s , and t o f o r g e t
t h e most i m p o r t a n t f a v o u r s r e c e i v e d a t t h e i r h a n d s ,
l o s i n g no o p p o r t u n i t y t o e x e c u t e a l l t h e m i s c h i e f
w hich o c c a s i o n p r e s e n t s , and on t h a t a c c o u n t , as
w e l l on a c c o u n t o f t h e i r s t r a n g e and i n c o n s i s t e n t
character **

1 . V ide i n f r a , :1S9* - ~
2. V ide i n f r a , 1 7 6 -1 7 8 *
Mir J a f a r * s p l e d g e n o t t o e x a c t more fro m t h e z a m i n d a r s
t h a n what had b e e n f i x e d by M urshid Q u li Khan must h av e
c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e zamindars* l e a n i n g t o w a r d s him (S .C .C .
May 17, 1 7 57 , R / A , I ) .
3* H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , S e i r I I , 393-39^*5 See a l s o J .S h o r e * s
M in u te , A p r i l 2 , 1788, p a r a 8, W .K .F irm in g e r ( e d . ) , The
F ifth R e p o rt I I , 7h*^*
 Tim growth of t h e g r e a t e r zam in d a ris i s t o he
1 -
examined i n t h i s context* The a r t i c l e s by Cohn on th e
b a la n c e o f power i n t h e B aaaras r e g io n i n t h e e ig h te e n th
o
c e n tu r y , and Mishra* s t h e s i s on th e Ben-aras Baj , would
su g g est t h a t t h e growth of major z a m i n d a r i s was a c h i e v e d
w ith no r e f e r e n c e t o t h e p o l i c i e s o f th e Nawabs o f Gudh and i n no
sense w ith t h e i r encouragement. The abuse o f pha k la M a r l
powers by th e b ig g e r z a m i n d a r s may w ell have bean e q u a lly a t
th e c o s t o f and a g a in s t th e w i l l of t h e Nax^abs of Bengal#-
I t may a ls o be en q uired w hether th e growth o f th e
new c l a s s o f major zam indars stemmed s o le l y from economic
c irc u m s ta n c e s and th e s p e c i a l i t i e s of th e revenue system o f
Bengal# I t seems p ro b ab le t h a t t h e p e c u l i a r m i l i t a r y s i t u a t i o n :
a l s o p lay ed a p a r t i n d e term in in g th e power and p r i v i l e g e s of
t h e zamindars# Because o f th e somewhat d i s t i n c t i v e p h y sio ­
graphy and th e p o l i t i c a l c o n d itio n o f t h e sub ah y th e Mughal s
had t o le a n h e a v ily on th e m i l i t a r y a s s i s t a n c e o f th e l o c a l ;
3
c h ie fs .' The growth o f l a r g e r z a m i n d a r i s , w i t h g r e a t e r
f o r c e s was p erh ap s I n p a r t a resp o n se t o th e m i l i t a r y as much
as f i n a n c i a l need s of th e faw abs.

1 * B.B .O ohp,'‘P o l i t i c a l Systems ixi E i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y I n d i a *

The B aharas Region*1, J.» A* 0«S. ?1.q6 2 , 3 1 ^ - 3 1 5$ “S t r u c t u r a l
Change i n In d ia n R u r a l S o c i e t y - 1 5 9 6 -1 8 8 5 % B #B *Prykenberg,
(e<3.)» 85.
2 . K.P.Mishra, The .Admi r a l s t r a t i o n ..and Economy o f th e . Banaras
S e a isa (1738-1795)•
3. Vide ija£ra> 'tSSsjrfcer-IV•
 M o reov er, i n c o n s i d e r i n g t h e v a l i d i t y o f
C a lk in $ \ argument i t i s n e c e s s a r y t o ask w h e t h e r t h e growth
o f some z a m i n d a r i s and d e c l i n e o f o t h e r s was a s new as he
suggests. Of t h e g r . e a t e r z a m i n d a r i s i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y
B en g al,, o n l y t h r e e - R a j s h a h i , M u k ta g a tc h a and Momenshahi
are th e c r e a t i o n o f Murshid Quli Khan. Karim l i s t s a number
o f t h e g r e a t z a m i n d a r i s whose r i s e beg a n w e l l b e f o r e Murshid
1
^ u l i l s te n u re of su b ah d a ria Prom m o d e ra te t e r r i t o r i a l
p o s s e s s i o n s l a r g e e s t a t e s were b u i l t up by m a r r i a g e , p i e c e m e a l
p u r c h a s e and i n h e r i t a n c e . M a c h i n a t i o n , b r i b e r y , and even
f o r c e were r e s o r t e d t o whenever t h e y were found e x p e d i e n t . The
l e s s e r zam indars o f t e n f e l t th e bru n t of t h e i r a g g r e s s iv e
attitu d e . The r i s e and d e c l i n e o f z a m i n d a r i s m ig h t have
b ee n a c c e l e r a t e d by t h e wanning o f t h e i m p e r i a l power, and t o
some e x te n t by th e revenue r e g u la tio n s of Murshid Quli Khan,
but t h e p r o c e s s was n o t a new one.
The t r a n s f e r o f l a n d e d i n t e r e s t was a l r e a d y i n
m o t io n from t h e f i r s t Mughal c o n q u e s t o f B e n g a l . The Mughal
r u l e r s a c c e p t e d t h e n o m in al s u b m i s s i o n o f t h e sem i-autonom ous
f r o n t i e r R ajas of B ishnupur, Chandrakona, P a c h e t, Birbhum
and Busting, and t h e numerous fJ u n g le -m a h a l* c h i e f s o f Midnapur,
2
on b e i n g a s s u r e d o f payment o f t r i b u t e o r p e s h k a s h . The

1 . 1 . Karim, Mu r s h i d Q uli Khan............... 92.

, 2 . J . G r a n t . H i s t o r i c a l & C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r
( e d . ) , The- F i f t h R e p o r t . * I I , 181+ , 1 9 6 , 198; J .G ra h am
t o F e r g u s s o n , March 12 , 1 7 6 7 , B^D.R. Midnapur I , 115;
E . B a b e r t o H a s t i n g s , F e b . o , 1773, B .D .R .M idnapur I V , 1 0 6 -1 0 7 .
r e m a i n i n g c h i e f s , m o s t l y o f t h e i n t e r i o r were e i t h e r r e d u c e d
t o subm ission or re p la c e d . At t h e end o f t h e cam paign s a g a i n s t
t h e ‘B a r a b h u i y a s 1 as w e l l a s t h e r e b e l l i o u s Afghan c h i e f s , t h e
Mughal g e n e r a l s made new r e v e n u e c o n t r a c t s w i t h t h e d e p e n d a b le
s o l d i e r s , a d v e n t u r e r s and n a t i v e r e v e n u e a g e n t s who had come
t o t h e i r a s s is ta n c e .'* ’ Lands t a k e n from t h e t e r r i t o r i e s o f
th e f a l l e n c h i e f s were d i s t r i b u t e d among them. T his accounts
2 3 *+
f o r t h e r i s e o f t h e z a m i n d a r i s o f P u t i y a , C h a n c h r a , N a ld a n g a
5
B ikram pur , and many o t h e r s i n t h e s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y . The
c h a k l a h s F a t h p u r , K a z i r h a t , ICankina ceded t o t h e Mughals by
6
t h e R a j a o f Kuch B i h a r i n 1711 formed t h e n u c l e i of t h e
z a m i n d a r i s o f F a t h p u r , Bamandanga, P an g a, M anthana, G h a r i a l -
7 8
d a n g a , ( K a z i r h a t , M ahipur, T u s v a n d a r , T e p a , D im la and
B aikunthapur^. Most of t h e a s s i g n e e s o f t h e s e e s t a t e s were

1 . T . R a y c h a u d h u r i , B e n g a l u n d e r Akbar and J a h a n g i r % 20, 23*

2. B.D.G. . R a . i s h a h i . 177; N . K . B h a t t a s a h , “B e n g a l C hiefs* stru g g l
f o r In d e p e n d e n c e i n t h e r e i g n o f Akbar & J a h a n g i r 1*,
B . P . P . . 1928, 3 6 .
3 . Vide i n f r a

J . W e s t l a n d , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e , 5 5 ; S.C.
M i t r a , J e s s o r e - K h u l n a r I t i h a s a , I I , t-f62-lt'63.
5 . Y .G u p t a , Bi k r a m n u r e r I t i h a s a . 129*
6 . J.N .S afk ar ( e d . ) . H i s t o r y o f B en g al I I , 377.
7. A l l b e l o n g e d t o flh a k la h F a t h p u r and a f t e r w a r d s formed p a r t s
o f Rang^ur D i s t r i c t .
8 . P r e v i o u s l y b e l o n g e d t o C h a k la h K a z i r h a t and l a t e r on were
i n c l u d e d i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f R angpur.
9 . In Ja lp a ig u ri D is tr ic t.
t h e r e l a t i o n s , r e v e n u e a g e n t s or army o f f i c e r s o f t h e Kuch B i h a r
1
R aja, S u b se q u e n t t o t h e c o n q u e s t o f C h i t t a g o n g from t h e A ra -
k a n e s e i n 1 6 6 6 , l a n d s were a g a i n d i s t r i b u t e d among t h e o f f i c i a l s
o f t h e f o r m e r r u l e r s , ' t h e Mughals and a l s o t h e m i l i t a r y f o l l o w -
2
e r s who went t o C h i t t a g o n g i n t h e t r a i n o f t h e Mughal army*
T h e r e a f t e r t h e g rad u al p ro c e ss o f th e re c la m a tio n o f w aste la n d s
3
i n t h e d i s t r i c t l e d t o t h e c r e a t i o n o f numerous p e t t y e s t a t e s .
The l a t e s e v e n t e e n t h and e a r l y e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r i e s
p r o v i d e d r e m a r k a b l e o p e n i n g s f o r t h e z a m i n d a r s h i p i n B e n g a l.
The a n x i e t y o f Emperor Aurangzeb t o c o n s o l i d a t e h i s p o s i t i o n
i n t h e re m o te p r o v i n c e o f B engal l e d t o t h e c o n f e r m e n t o f
k
z a m i n d a r i r i g h t s on many p a r t i e s . Bo d i d t h e p o l i c y of M urshid
Q u li Khan t o s e c u r e an i n c r e a s i n g and p u n c t i l i o u s f l o w o f
5
r e v e n u e s t o t h e c e n t r e . The z a m i n d a r i s o f S e o r a p h u l i , Burdwan,
6 7 8 9
S i l b e r s a , R okunpur, R a j s h a h i , M u k ta g a tc h a and Mominshahi

1* J . N . S a r k a r ( e d . ) , Hi s t o r y o f B e n g a l I I , 377? A.A. A.Khan

C h a u d h u r i , A H i s t o r y o f Kuch B i h a r I , 2 6 9-371•
2. H . J . S . C o t t o n , Memorandum on t h e Revenue H i s t o r y o f C h i t t a g o n g ^
3-*+; A . M . B e r a j u d d in , The Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g .
30 9 -3 11 .
3 . H .J.S .C o tto n ,
Memorandum . . . . . 7 9 - 8 0 $ A . M . S e r a j u d d i n , The
Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g , I 9 6 - I 9 8 , 2 0 0-201.
k. C.W.B.Rous, D i s s e r t a t i o n 39.
5. I n H u g l i D i s t r i c t .
6 . I n B o g ra D i s t r i c t .
7. I n M urshidabad D i s t r i c t .
8 . I n Mymensingh D i s t r i c t .
9 . I n Mymensingh D i s t r i c t (Mominshahi was t h e f o r m e r name o f
p a r g a n a h Mymensingh).
b e l o n g t o t h e g e n r e t h a t came i n t o b e i n g and grew as a r e s u l t
o f t h e p o l i c i e s d i s c u s s e d ab ov e. I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t o note
t h a t t h e c r e a t i o n o f z a m i n d a r i s d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d was mainly-
c e n t r e d around t h e H indus who manned t h e r e v e n u e d e p a r tm e n t
as qanun&os T c h a u d h u r i s . diw ans and n a i b s .
Thus t h e l o n g p r o c e s s o f c o n q u e s t , a s s i m i l a t i o n
and s u b s e q u e n t need f o r a s t a b l e and l o y a l f i n a n c i a l group
l e d t o t h e emergence o f t h e z a m i n d a r s as an i n d i s p e n s a b l e
e le m e n t o f government m a c h in e r y i n B e n g a l. The p o l i c y o f
making t h e p r i n c i p a l z a m i n d a r s Im m e d i a t e l y r e s p o n s i b l e t o t h e
k h a l s a f o r t h e i m p e r i a l s h a r e of t h e r e v e n u e s , added t o t h e i r
power and p o s i t i o n . The f r o n t i e r s o f t h e i r i n f l u e n c e e x te n d e d
beyond t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s . Government employments o f f e r e d t o
t h e p r o m i s i n g z a m i n d a r s wide scope* f o r making t h e i r marks
i n t h e c o u r t , and a b u s in g t h e i r o f f i c i a l p o s i t i o n s t o f u r t h e r
t h e i r own c a u s e . Thus t h e p r o c e s s o f 'c h a n g e from r e v e n u e -
m an agers t o l a n d l o r d 1 was c o m p le te by t h e m id d le o f t h e
eig h te en th cen tu ry .^
The economic d r a i n from t h e s u bah t o meet t h e
i n c r e a s i n g i m p e r i a l demand was w orsened by t h e M a r a t h a r a i d s .
As no a s s i s t a n c e was f o r t h c o m i n g from t h e d e c a y i n g i m p e r i a l
g o v e r n m e n t t h e Nawab f a c i n g a s e r i o u s menace l e a n e d more and

1. B .H ;B a d e n -P o w e ll, The L a n d - S v s te r a s . . . . Ju 18 V 1 8 6 .
more on t h e z a m i n d a r s 1 f i n a n c i a l h e l p , and more so on t h e i r
military a s s i s t a n c e . , At a c e r t a i n s t a g e o f t h e M ara th a i n v a s i o n

A l i v a r d i Khan u s e d t h e i n f l u e n c e o f t h e R a j a o f Burdwan f o r
2
a s e t t l e m e n t w i t h t h e M a ra th a l e a d e r B a s k a r P a n d i t . In the
a l t e r e d p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n o f t h e c o u n t r y c o n s i d e r a b l e zam in­
d a r s had ample o p p o r t u n i t y t o i n f l u e n c e t h e p o l i t i c a l a f f a i r s
o f t h e su bah . T h e i r s u p p o r t f o r t h e Nawabs h i n g e d m a i n l y on
t h e g r a n t o f a b r o a d m easure o f autonomy t o them and n o n ­
i n t e r v e n t i o n i n t h e i r t e r r i t o r i a l aggrandizem ent. The l e s s
p o w e r f u l z a m i n d a r s w ere, ho w ev er, removed f o r d e f a u l t i n
payment and t h e i r z a m i n d a r i s g i v e n t o f a v o u r i t e s o f t h e Nawabs
3
or of th e f a u jd a r s . T h e r e a r e i n s t a n c e s where t h e h e r e d i t a r y
r i g h t s o f l a w f u l h e i r s were s a c r i f i c e d t o d i s p e n s e f a v o u r t o
p o l i t i c a l a l l i e s . 1*
K ee p in g i n view t h e h i s t o r i c a l f o r c e s a t work i t
may n o t be o u t o f p l a c e t o s u r v e y b r i e f l y t h e r i s e o f a
number o f z a m i n d a r i s .
The N a d i a z a m i n d a r i c l a i m i n g o r i g i n i n t h e e l e v e n t h
c e n t u r y d e v e lo p e d i n t o one o f t h e prim e e s t a t e s i n B e n g a l i n

1. R . B e c h e r 1 s M i n u t e , D e c . 3, 1770, P.C.C .R>M. Dec. 3 , 1770,

I I , 7; C . S t e w a r t , H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l ,^91 , J .N .S a r k a r
( e d , ) , Hi s t o r y o f B en gal I I ,
2. H a ji M ustafa ( t r . ) , S e i r I , 3 8 2 .
3 . B .R .C . A p r i l 6 , 1773, R ^9 /3 9 ; J.Grant, An E n q u i r y i n t o t h e
N M ure_ofLZ^ 8 9 -9 0 ; BJJPJ,G.,Midnapur, 225.
k , G . V a n s i t t a r t t o C.C.R.M* 0 c t . l 6 , 1770, P . C . C >R.M.D ec. 31 ,
1 770, I I , 1M+; R o y r o y a n 's an s w e r, J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t
from H a r i n g t o n 1s A n a l y s i s . . . . . 1 5 8 .
the e ig h te e n th cen tu ry . I t s o r ig in a to r B hattanarayan, th e
c h i e f o f t h e f i v e Brahm ins who had come t o B e n g a l a t t h e
i n v i t a t i o n o f King A d i s u r , c r e a t e d an e s t a t e out of l a n d s he
r e c e i v e d as g r a n t s and p u r c h a s e d h i m s e l f . " 1' B i s w a n a t h , one
o f h i s d e s c e n d a n t s was t h e f i r s t t o he acknowledged by t h e
Muslim r u l e r s as t h e r a .i a on c o n d i t i o n o f payment of an
2
annual t r i b u t e . K a s i n a t h , one o f t h e l i n e a g e o f B is w a n a th
was p ut t o d e a t h and h i s p a t r i m o n y c o n f i s c a t e d by HJmperor
’Akbar f o r an a c t o f v i o l e n c e by him. K a s i n a t h 1s posthumous
son Ram fo u nd ed a new e s t a t e w i t h t h e p r o p e r t y he i n h e r i t e d
3
from h i s f o s t e r f a t h e r . The f a m i l y came t o pro m in ence d u r i n g
t h e t i m e o f D u r g a d a s , son o f Ram. The t h e n g o v e r n o r o f t h e
subah i n a p p r e c i a t i o n o f 'Durgadas*. s m e r i t a p p o i n t e d him .a
m u h a r r i r o f t h e yanungo d a f t a r a t H u g l i . However, D u rg a d a s
Bh avail and a Majumdar soon gave up t h e p o s t and r e t u r n e d t o h i s
5
e s ta te at P alk ab ari, For D urgadas1 m i l i t a r y a s s i s t a n c e to
t h e Mughal g e n e r a l Man S ingh a g a i n s t R a j a P r a t a p a d i t y a o f
J e s s o r e , Fm paror J a h a n g i r r e s t o r e d t o him t h e c o n f i s c a t e d

1 . “The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B en g al-T h e N a d i a R a j fl,

C J R . , 1872, LV, 8 6 - 8 7 .
2. I b i d .5 L .G h o se, The Modern H i s t o r y o f I n d i a n C h i e f s .
R a j a h s . Z e m in d a rs ............... I I , 359*
3 . uf h e T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l-T h e N a d ia R a j 1*,
CJR. ,1872,LV, 8 7 -8 8 .
k . J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p arativ e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g er
( e d . ) , The F i f t h Renort ...............I I , 196,359*
5. B . R . C . A p r i l 7, 1786, R 50/60; The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f
B e n g a l-T h e N a d ia R a j 11, C .R . 1872, L ¥ , 8 8 .
t e r r i t o r y of h i s a n c e s to r K asin ath , The Emperor a l s o evinced
1
h i s g r a t i f i c a t i o n hy c o n f e r r i n g on him t h e t i t l e of M a h a ra ja * .
T h e r e a f t e r t h e s t o r y o f t h e N ad ia z a m i n d a r i i s t h a t o f a
g r a d u a l e x p a n s i o n hy o c c a s i o n a l r e c e i p t o f g i f t s from t h e
r u l i n g a u t h o r i t y , by p u r c h a s e , gu t c h a u n y ( e x e r c i s e of o f f i c i a l
i n f l u e n c e ) and som etimes by t h e u s e o f f o r c e . The good
r e l a t i o n s m a i n t a i n e d by t h e s u c c e s s i v e r a j a s w i t h t h e E m perors
went a l o n g way t o a c h i e v e t h e i r t e r r i t o r i a l e x p a n s i o n . For
h i s a c t s of p u b l i c u t i l i t y R a j a R udra Raya r e c e i v e d from t h e
3
Emperor t h e p a r g a n a hs o f K a r i and J u r i . The most r e m a r k a b l e
e x t e n s i o n o f t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h e N a d i a z a m i n d a r i t o o k p l a c e
d u r i n g t h e t i m e o f R a j a Raghuram. Between t h e y e a r s 1722-1729
n i n e p a r g a n a h s were added t o t h e N a d i a z a m i n d a r i . K rishna-
c h a n d r a , son o f Raghunandan e n l a r g e d t h e e s t a t e by t h e p u r c h a s e
5
o f some p a r g a n a h s . Bounded on t h e n o r t h by M u rsh id ab a d ,
t h e Bay of B e n g a l on t h e s o u t h , D h u lp u r a on t h e e a s t and by
t h e r i v e r B h a g i r a t h i on t h e w e s t , t h e N a d ia z a m i n d a r i a t t h e
t i m e of M a h a ra ja K r i s h n a c h a n d r a (1 72 8-1 78 2) i n c l u d e d 8 *+ par*-

1 . K.Raya, K s h i t i s a v a m s a v a l i c h a r i t a , 7 9 - 8 0 , "The T e r r i t o r i a l
A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l-T h e N a d ia R a j " , C . R . 1 8 7 2 ?LV,89«
2. B .R .C . A p r i l 7, 1786, R50/66;^ K.Raya, K s h i t i s av am_sar a l i -
c h a r i t a , g; "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B en g al-T h e
N a d i a R a j " , G^R., 1872, LV, 9 1 - 9 2 , 9 ^ - 9 5 . ’
3 . "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l-T h e N a d i a R a j 11 , C.R» ?
1872, LVv 92; L .G h ose, The Modern H i s t o r y o f I n d i a n C h i e f s ,
Ra.iahls, Z e m i n d a r s ............... I I , 3 6 0 "."
k , B .R .C ? A p r i l 7, 1786, R 50/66.
5. I M d .
g a n a h s e x t e n d i n g ov er 3,1|?1 s q . m i l e s . I t i s e v i d e n t from
t h e h i s t o r y o f t h i s l o n g p r o c e s s o f g ro w th t h a t t h e p a t t e r n
p o s t u l a t e d hy C a l k i n s may n e e d m o d i f i c a t i o n *
The D i n a j p u r z a m i n d a r i , a n o t h e r apex e s t a t e ,
o r ig in a te d , according to t r a d i t i o n i n th e e a r ly sev enteenth
century. I t s t a r t e d w i t h one K a s i , a K a y a s t h a p o s s e s s i n g s i x
2
parganahs. K a s i 1s s u c c e s s o r B r i m a n t a D a t t a a c q u i r e d c o n s i d e r ­
a b l e l a n d s a b u s i n g h i s p o s i t i o n as t h e n a i b - d a n u n g o . H is
e l e v a t e d p o s i t i o n a s t h e z a m in d ar o f s a r k a r P i n j a r a was
r e c o g n i z e d by Emperor Shah J a h a n . Before h i s d eath S rim anta
D a t t a d i v i d e d h i s e s t a t e b etw een h i s son and d a u g h t e r . The
son d i e d c h i l d l e s s ; Sukdev, t h e g r a n d s o n by B r i m a n t a 1s
daughter in h e r ite d th e e n t i r e p ro p e rty . k The e s t a t e was
s u b s e q u e n t l y e n l a r g e d by t h e p a t r i m o n y o f Sukdev, whose g r a n d ­
f a t h e r D e v a k in a n d a n Ghosh was t h e diwan o f t h e B a r d h a n k u t h i
5
R a j a and h o l d e r o f a s e v e n - anna s h a r e o f t h e I d r a k p u r e s t a t e ,
W i t h i n a few y e a r s t h e D i n a j p u r e s t a t e g r a s p e d f i f t y - f i v e out

1 , B h a r a t a d h a n d r a Raya, Bh a r a t a c h a n d r e r Gr a n t h a v a l i * 7;
J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a ly s is ,* W .K .F irm in g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h Rejgiort, , . „ . I I , 2ky<,
2, E . V . W e s t m a c o t t , fTThe T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B en g al-T h e
D i n a j p u r R a j ff, C .R .1 8 7 2 . LV,205; B.H.Baden-rPowell, u 0 r i g i n
o f t h e z a m i n d a r i E s t a t e s i n B e n g a l 11, Q . J . E . 1 8 9 6 , ^ 0 .
3 , F . B u c h a n a n , G e o g r a p h i c a l . S t a t i s t i c a l and H i s t o r i c a l D e s c r i - .
p t i o n o f t h e D i s t r i c t o f D i n a j p u r , 25^.
iJlg ltM l* li u . iw % l.W|l ll»IIIM I W WIM WI . IWJ . M4IWW * ■HuH-l *■! ,1f tM .lhl J nil

I*. pj.-V.VIestmacott, llThe T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B en g al-T h e

D i n a j p u r R a j 11, C J h , 1872, LV, 211.
5* I b i d . , 2 1 1 -2 1 2 ; ' P . C . S e n , B a g u r a r I t i h a s a I I , 123*
 70

o f th e t o t a l of n i n e t y - e i g h t parganahs belonging t o th e
D i s t r i c t of D inajpur. Some o f t h e s e were p u r c h a s e d from t h e
d e fa u ltin g neighbours, a few were a c q u i r e d by q u e s t i o n a b l e means
and even by v i o l e n c e . R a j a P r a n n a t h , d u r i n g h i s l o n g (1 6 8 2 -
1 7 2 3 ) tenure o f z a m i n d a r i 'a n n e x e d 'b y ‘ f o r c e o r f r a u d 1 a
l a r g e number o f n e i g h b o u r i n g s m a l l z a m i n d a r i s t o t h e D i n a j p u r
2 . '
estate. About t h e y e a r 17^5 R a j a Ramnath o f D i n a j p u r and
R a j a Ramkanta o f R a j s h a h i became i n v o l v e d i n a f i g h t o v e r t h e
p o s s e s s i o n o f K h a t t a parR anah b e l o n g i n g t o one E l a d a t Khan.
C o n s e q u e n t l y R a j a Ramnath g o t p o s s e s s i o n o f t h i r t e e n p a r t s
.of t h e d 1 s n u t ed v ar ganah w h ereas h i s r i v a l had t o c o n t e n t
3
h im s e lf w ith only th r e e p a r ts . f o l l o w i n g R a j a Ramnath1s
d e a t h ( c i r c a I 7 6 OJ, h i s e l d e s t son R o i d y a n a t h s u c c e e d e d t o
t h e z a m i n d a r i b u t c o u l d n o t h o ld i t f o r l o n g . H is j e a l o u s
h a l f - b r o t h e r C a n t a n a t h was i n t r i g u i n g t o remove him. When
B o i d y a n a t h was c o n f i n e d i n t h e f o r t o f Mungher f o r h i s i n a b i l i t y
A
t o meet t h e i n c r e a s i n g demand by Nawab Mir Qasim, Cant,anath 7
5
managed, t o p e r s u a d e t h e Nawab t o c o n f e r t h e z a m i n d a r i on him.

1 . F .B u c h a n a n , G e o g r a p h i c a l , St a t i s t i c a l & H i s t o r i c a l D e s c r i p ­
t i o n o f t h e D i s t r i c t o f Di n a l p u r T F l ^ - - 2 t3 7 : B .H .B ad en -
R o w e ll, ‘‘O r i g i n o f t h e Z a m in d a ri E s t a t e s i n B e n g a l '1, Q . J . E . ,
I 8 9 6 , 5 k-56 .
2 . E .Y . W e s t m a c o t t , “The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y of B e n g a l-T h e ■
D i n a j p u r / R a j !i, JOR*, 1872, LV, 2 1 3 .
3 . H . C o t t r e l l t o R .B echer, J a n . 1 7 , 1 7 7 1 , F . C .C .R .M. F e b . k , 1771, '
- 1 1 1 ,1 0 3 ; C.W.B.Rous t o S . M i d d l e t o n , F e b . l k , i 7 7 1 ?PlPX^R^M. n
, F e b . 1 8 , 1 7 7 1 , IV, k.
k . B*R„C. A p r i l 7 , 1786, R 50/66; See a l s o R .B e c h e r t o S.C.
A u g. 2 6 , 1 7 6 9 , S . C . c . R / A , 9*
5. B .R .C . A p r i l 7 , 1786,: R 5 0 /6 6 . ;7
 1
A l e t t e r fro m V a n s i t t a r t r e a d :
" ............... B e d i n a n t t h e p r e s e n t R a j a h h a v i n g b ee n d ep o se d
g by Meer Gossim was r e e s t a b l i s h e d by Mir J a f a r i n
' o p p o s i t i o n t o C a n t o o n a u t - who had b e e n a p p o i n t e d
by Meer Gossim and s i d e d w i t h him i n t h e c o u r s e o f
t h e w a r . . . . . . 11
T h i s p i e c e o f i n f o r m a t i o n s u g g e s t s t h a t Nawab Mir Qasim n e e d e d
lo y a l supporters fo r th e co n so lid a tio n of h is p o s itio n in
■fcks su b ah and h e n c e h i s i n t e r e s t i n C a n t a n a t h . The f l o u r i s h i n g
D i n a j p u r z a m i n d a r i c o n s i s t e d o f 121 p a r g a n a h s i n 17&5*
The C h a n c h r a ( o r Y u s o u f p u r ) e s t a t e t r a c e d i t s
o r i g i n t o one B h a v e s w a ra Roy, a K a y a s t h a , who came t o B eng al
i n t h e wake o f t h e Mughal cam p aig n t o w a r d s t h e end o f t h e s i x t ­
eenth c e n tu ry . B havesw ar was re w a rd e d f o r h i s m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e s
w i t h t h e a s s i g n m e n t o f t h e p a r g a n a h s o f S a y e d p u r , Amidpur, Muda-
g a c h a and M a l l i k p u r w h ich form ed p a r t s o f t h e t e r r i t o r y of
Raj a. P r a t a p a d i t y a o f J e s s o r e . J B haveswar R a y 1 s s o n Mahtap
who a s s i s t e d t h e Mughal t r o o p s u n d e r Man S i n g h was c o n f i r m e d
k
a s t h e z a m in d a r and s u c c e e d e d t o h i s p a t r i m o n y . I t was from
h i s s u c c e s s o r K a n d a rp a Ray* s t i m e i n t h e f i r s t h a l f o f t h e
s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y t h a t t h e new a c q u i s i t i o n o f l a n d s s t a r t e d

1 . G . V a n s i t t a r t t o C »C ,R .M ., O c t . 1 6 , 1770? P .C .C .R .M . Dec. 31?

1770,1 1 , I k k .
2. J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a r a t i v e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F i r m i n g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . . . I I . 332.
3 . J.W estlan d , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e . 5 7 5 L .G h o s e ,
The Mod e r n Hi s t o r y of I n d i a n C h i e f s . Ra.iahs^ Remind a r s .II
31^ "
k . J . W e s t l a n d , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f l e s s o r s , 57 5 B^D.G.
le sso re , 1^3 .
on a l a r g e s c a l e * He e x t e n d e d t h e z a m i n d a r i s o u t h - w e s t w a r d
by g a i n i n g p o s s e s s i o n o f f i v e p a r g a n a h s . ^ H is s u c c e s s o r
Manohar Ray ( l 6 1+9-1705) t h e n a c q u i r e d many more n e i g h b o u r i n g
parganahs. He a p p a r e n t l y o b t a i n e d p o s s e s s i o n from t h e
subahdar t h e a u t h o r i t y f o r c o l l e c t i n g and p a y i n g t h e r e v e n u e s
of a l l th e surrounding sm aller zam in d aris, w ell b efo re th e
J ama-K ami1 -T urnari o f 1722*
i w i t i iw h ti 1— *iT«TinriTm mnw m n , ~ iK ^i n M n i m n uni *
By a s t r o k e o f f o r t u n e a s W e s tl a n d
V

p u ts i t , or p erh ap s under Murshid Quli Khan1s s t r i c t e r c o l l e c t i o n

as Karim a rg u e s , many of th e s e e s t a t e s began t o d e f a u l t i n
revenue a t t h i s tim e . I n accordance w ith th e revenue p r a c t i c e ,
Manohar Roy, by paying t h e a r r e a r s due on them, and engaging
f o r th e f u t u r e revenue coat r a n t s , o b t a i n e d p o s s e s s i o n o f many
o f th o s e p a rg a n a h s. Thus b e tw e e n t h e y e a r s 1 6 8 2 -1 7 0 3 he
2
a c q u i r e d some t e n p a r g a n a h s . D uring h i s s u c c e s s o r K ris h n a
Roy ( 1 7 0 5 - 1 7 2 9 )5 two more p a r g a n a h s were a c q u i r e d from
d e f a u l t i n g z a m i n d a r s , a n o t h e r was p u r c h a s e d from t h e N a d i a
z a m i n d a r , w h i l e some s m a l l e r p a r g a n a h s were annexed by q u e s t i o n ­
a b l e m eans^. F o l l o w i n g h i s d e a t h t h e e s t a t e was d i v i d e d
betw een h i s s u c c e s s o r s , Suk Dev and Syam S u n d a r a . In the
t w e l v e - a n n a s h a r e Suk D e v ' s l i n e was c o n t i n u e d by h i s son
N ilkanta. But t h e f o u r - an n a s h a r e became u n t e n a n t e d sometime
i n b e tw e e n 1 7 5 6 - 1 7 5 8 , b e c a u s e o f t h e d e a t h s o f Syam Sundar and

1 . J . W e s t l a n d , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e 585
B ,D » G .Je sso re , IR3 ,
2. J . W e s t l a n d , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e * 585 B.C.
M i t r a , J e s s o r e - K h u l n a r 1 1 i b a s a ^ T 7 ^ 8 l 7 ^ 8 3 ?WST”
3 . J . W e s t l a n d . A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e , 595 B.C.
M itra, J e s s o F e - K t e ^ ,
 73

h i s i n f a n t son. T h i s s h a r e was t r a n s f e r r e d , on r e q u e s t , t o
one M i r z a S a l a h - u d ~ D i n whom t h e Company had d i s p o s s e s s e d o f
1
h i s lands n e a r C a lc u tta . S ince th e M ajor p o r t i o n of t h e
f o u r - a n n a s h a r e o f t h e C h a n c h ra z a m i n d a r i was w i t h i n B ay edp ur
p a r g a n a fo, i t came t o be known as t h e B ay ed p u r e s t a t e . W h ile
t h e t w e lv e - anna sh a re of t h e Chanchra z a m in d a ri, a ls o c a l l e d
t h e Y u s o u f p u r e s t a t e f o r t h e i n c l u s i o n o f t h e Y u s o u fp u r
p arganah w ith in i t , was i n h e r i t e d by S r i k a n t a i n 1 7 6 1*.
The r i s e and p r o s p e r i t y o f t h e R okunpur z a m i n d a r i
exem plify t h e abuse o f o f f i c i a l p o s i t i o n . The e s t a t e had i t s
n u c l e u s i n t h e p u r c h a s e o f some l a n d s i n t h e home D i s t r i c t o f
Burdwan i n t h e e a r l y s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y by B an g ab in o d , t h e
3
h
c h i e f qanungo o f t h e s u b a h . F o l l o w i n g Em peror A u r a n g z e b ' s
p o l i c y o f a p p o i n t i n g two c h i e f qanungos i n B e n g a l , two nephews
o f B an g ab in o d w ere a p p o i n t e d t o t h e p o s t s a f t e r h i s d e a t h .
The f i r s t m e n t i o n o f t h e Rokunpur z a m i n d a r i s f o u n d i n t h e
r e v e n u e s e t t l e m e n t o f S h u j a n d d i n , i n t h e name o f Qanungo S h i v n a

1 . Royroyan* s a n s w e r , J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t from H a r i n g t o n i s
A n aly sis. ....1 5 8 .
The E n g l i s h C o u n c i l t u r n e d down Nawab Mir J a f a r * s r e q u e s t t o
allo w M irza S a la h -u d -D in t o c o n tin u e i n h i s zam ind ari i n a s ­
much as i t was t h e most v i t a l p a r t o f t h e ceded l a n d s s o u t h
o f C a l c u t t a ( S . C . C . J a n u a r y *+, 17 58 , R/A, 2 ) .
2 . J . W e s t l a n d A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e . 6 O5
B .D .G .. J e s s o r e r
3 . B r o t h e r o f Bhagwan, A K a y a s t h a , who was a p p o i n t e d t h e
f i r s t c h i e f qanungo o f B e n g a l .
k m K .P .B a n d o p a d h y a y a , B a n a l a r I t i h a s a . 10 2 .
5. Ib id . j 102-103.
 rayan.,. s o m o f Qanungo D a r p a n a r a y o n . The r e a s o n f o r a s s i g n i n g j
z a m i n d a r i . r i g h t o f such an e x t e n s i v e a r e a t o Qanungo S h i v n a r a y a n .
is d i f f i c u l t to asc ertain . I n t h e o p i n i o n o f G ran t the act ,
'■was.,
R . . . . . . e i t h e r a s . m a t t e r o f s p e c i a l f a v o u r , o r more
,.p ro b ab ly as a fa v o u r f o r t h e l e s s e r p o r t i o n a s sig n e d
t o h im * o f t h e ru s s o o m , o r u s u a l c o m m is s io n o f 2 ^
perxcent, on t h e r e v e n u e , when t h i s emolument o f
o f f i c e came t o be d iv id e d , u n e q u a l l y b e tw e e n t h e two
b r a n c h e s o f t h e same f a m i l y , f o r t h e p o l i t i c a l
' p u r p o s e o f c r e a t i n g r i v a l s h i p , and by t h a t m eans,
l e s s e n i n g t h e power of, e i t h e r t o a b u s e t h e h i g h e s t
c o n f i d e n t i a l t r u s t u n d e r g o v e r n m e n t . 11
The v e r y f a c t t h a t t h e Rokunpur z a m i n d a r i l a y
s c a t t e r e d o v e r d i f f e r e n t and f a r o f f d i s t r i c t s w i t h o u t a
common b o r d e r t e s t i f y t h a t t h e aa n u n g o s m a n a g e d - t o p i c k up
1 what t h e y t h o u g h t most l i k e l y t o p r o v e a d v a n t a g e o u s from t h e
- 2
d i f f e r e n t d i s t r i c t s 1. The z a m i n d a r i when p a s s e d t o L ak sh m i-
n a r a y a n , s u c c e s s o r o f S h i v n a r a y a n , c o m p r i s e d an a r e a o f 600 s q . ,4

m ile s , d is p e rs e d i n e ig h t c h a k la h s .^ The Rokunpur e s t a t e

a c q u i r e d fro m S e l b e r s a z a m i n d a r i a l o n e l a n d s w o rth r e n t a l o f
R s.8000. .A ccording t o P ra v & s c h a n d ra S e n , in e a rly eighteenth/^

1 . J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a r a tiv e A n a l y s i s , W . K . F i r m i n g e r x ^
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , 197* x4
2. R .B e c h e r t o S .C .M a rc h 1 , 1770, S . C .C . March 2 9 , 1770, R/A, 4
10, • - ' -;'v4
3 . J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a r a t i v e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F i r m i n g e r f
( e d . ) , The F i f t h Re p o r t . . . . . *. I I , 3 8 5 - 3 8 6 . .J
k. P ;C .C .K . . J u l y 1 1 ,..1 7 7 2 , I - I I l ' - ( i n o n e ) , 1+8. ■;§
5. P .C .S e r u
/ / B a g u r a r I t i h a s a I I , .1 1 ^,
w»•m-h
u.w-1hwamauBcinswtfi.wmi■
w »i n w w a / 4 '
c e n t u r y , Qanungo D a r p a n a r a y a n fa rm ed o n e - a n n a p o r t i o n of S elb erssQ
z a m i n d a r i i n f a v o u r o f h i s son S h i v n a r a y a n , and named i t t h e
S h iv p u r p a r g a n a h a f t e r him. R eferring to th e f o r c ib le
o c c u p a t i o n o f p a r t s o f t h e z a m i n d a r i o f I l a v e l i T and eh by t h e
Rokunpur z a m i n d a r s , Harwood, t h e S u p e r v i s o r o f R ajm ah al ;
commenteds uAs t h e r i c h e r Z em ind ars and T a l o o k d a r s t o o o f t e n \
ta k e advantage of t h e l e s s c o n s i d e r a b l e , and i n c r e a s e t h e i r own ,
p o s s e s s i o n by an undue e x e r t i o n o f t h e i r p o w e r , 11. One
o f t h e r i c h e s t z a m i n d a r i s i n B e n g a l , t h e Rokunpur e s t a t e
2
c o m p ris e d s i x t y - n i n e whole o r b r o k e n p a r g a n a h s i n 1 7 6 9 .
The c h a u d h u r i z a m i n d a r i o f Momenshahi p a r g a n ah ,■
owes i t s r i s e m a i n l y t o t h e f a v o u r shown by M u rsh id Q u li Khan. 4
The f a m i l y t r a c e d b a c k i t s d e s c e n t from S h u s e n , one o f t h e f i v e .
3 -4
B r a h m i n s , who came t o B e n g a l d u r i n g t h e t e n t h c e n t u r y . The
e r u d i t i o n o f some members o f t h e f a m i l y drew t h e a t t e n t i o n o f
t h e E m p ero rs as w e l l a s t h a t o f t h e s u b a h d a r s . Some o f them
k
were r e c r u i t e d t o t h e i m p e r i a l s e r v i c e fro m t i m e t o t i m e .
T h i s opened a v i s t a o f o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r t h e g e n e r a l p r o s p e r i t y 4

1 . VI.Harwood t o C.C.R*M„ J a n . 2 1 , 1771? P .C .C .R .M . J a n , 2k^

1771? H I ? 90.
2 . R . B e c h e r t o H . V e r e l s t , Nov. 26 , 1 7 6 9 , S .C .C . Dec. 7, 1769?
R/A, 9 .
3 . B.D.G. .M ymensingh, 155? S .K .R ay C h a u d h u r i , Maymansingher
V a r e n d r a B r a hmin Ze m i n d a r , 1 , 2 .
S.K.-Ray C h a u d h u r i . Maymansingher V a r e n d r a Brahmin Zamindar
I, 6-8 .
 76

of th e family* The f i r s t s u b s ta n tia l t e r r i t o r i a l a c q u is itio n

by th e fam ily took place during th e time of J a i Narayan
T a la p a tra , the qanungo, in the f i r s t decade of the eighteenth
century* As a reward fo r some im portant s e rv ic e s , Murshid
Quli Khan granted t o him th e zamindari of iia ra f Karai and tappa
i
Hindi’1"* The Nawab also promoted S rik ris h n a T a la p a tra , th e
2
accomplished son of J a i Narayan to th e post of the qanungo*
S rik ris h n a rendered valuable se rv ic e s to th e Nawab in subduing
some defying zamindars in parganah Mominshahi.
■ S w u * >S ;<U0U.i««Xii 111 .
For such an
act he was rewarded w ith th e o f fic e s of chaudhuri and zamindar
of parganah Mominshahi. 3 Chand Ray, son of S rik ris h n a , was
th e c h ie f of th e Rhalsa department and exercised great
in flu en c e at th e Court of Nawab A livardi Khan. At h is i n t e r -
k
m ediation th e extensive J a fa rsh a h i parganah was added to the
zamindari of S rik ris h n a . Reclaiming v ast t r a c t of waste lands
which abound in Mymensingh D i s t r i c t , a llu r in g with generous
o f fe r s peasants from Western Bengal t o s e t t l e , S rik rish n a b u i l t >/
6
up an extensive e s t a t e , s te a d ily in crea sin g in i t s reso u rces.

D is tr i c ts
F . Gladwin ( t r . ) . T . B .^O: J .N .S a rk a r (e d . ) . H istory of Bengal,
I I , hlk.
2. S.K.Roy Chaudhuri, Maymansingher Varendra Brahmin Zamindar
I , 16-18.
3. I k i d . , 18-19; J.N .S ark ar ( e d .) .H isto ry of Bengal I I . k l k - k l %
1t. S itu a te d in th e D i s t r i c t of Mymensingh.
5. J.N .S ark ar ( e d .) TH istory of Bengal 11,^15;,^^11.31. Mymens i ngh 155
6 . S .K .R oy C h a u d h u r i , M aymansingher V a r e n d r a Brahm in
 iThe R a j n a g a r z a m i n d a r i o f M a h a r a j a R a j b a l l a b h
o r ig in a t i n g in th e 1 7 2 0 s a ffo rd s another t y p i c a l i l l u s t r a t i o n
o f " t h e f o r m a t i o n o f a z a m i n d a r i by a gov ernm en t o f f i c i a l . A

V a id y a by c a s t e , R a j b a l l a b h was t h e son o f K r i s h n a j i v a n a , a ?
m u h a r r i r ' o f t h e nawara. ma h a l arid l a t e r on t h e ma.iumdar ( t r e a s u r e r )
. 'i,
T h i s o f f i c i a l p o s i t i o n e n a b l e d K r i s h n a c h a n d r a Majumdar: t o p u t h i s
' ■■ 2 i
f a m i l y i n a s t a b l e f o o t i n g and a c q u i r e a f o r t u n e . R ajb allab h
s t a r t e d h i s c a r e e r a s a mu h a r r i r o f t h e qanun g o d e p a r t m e n t i n ;
1717 .• From t h a t p e t t y o f f i c i a l p o s i t i o n he r o s e t o . t h e rl
p o s t o f d e p u t y o f t h e Nawab o f D ac ca ( 1 7 5 6 - 1 7 5 7 ) , t h e di w a n ,
and s u b s e q u e n t l y t h e S u b a h d a r o f Munger. H i s son K r i s h n a d a s *
*+ .

was a p p o i n t e d a m i n i s t e r o f Nawab Mir J a f a r * T heir e le v a tio n

t o t h e c o v e te d p o s t s u n d o u b ted ly a c c o u n ts f o r th e expansion
and f l o u r i s h i n g s t a t e o f t h e Raj nag a r z a m i n d a r i fro m i t s m odest :
o rig in . W ith t h e s p o r a d i c a c q u i s i t i o n s o f l a n d s from t h e
D i s t r i c t s o f D a c c a , F a r i d p u r , Bakargan^j and T i p p e r a , R a j b a l l a b h ^ !
5 ’
form ed t h e new p a r g a n a h o f Raj nag ar* . I n t h e J a m a - T u m a rl-

« ™ '— 1

1. A.M.Khari, The T r a n s i t i o n i n B e n g a l , 21fn$ J . W i s e , Notes on . ;|

t h e Rac e s . C a s t e s and T r a d e s o f E a s t e r n B e n g a l , 3 1 7 -3 1 8 .
mam imm n"n»i mi'n mFiT«Miinwp>m*inma i*gm* '■ h hm hh ■■nmmiiiii'w iiiiw th —ih nrmwwi im w im i hum mwgi'n ifn i iim n ni 11 n iih h it ih ir mm rimmiii n w w n nm ni iic i nmm n ■b hi mi m i n nfi * mf r inrrm n f ^ ^

2. Y .G u p t a , B i k r a m p u r e r I t i h a s a , 137*
3 ^ F. G ladw in ( t r . ) ? T . B . 150$ Y. G u p ta, Bi k r ampur e r 11 i has a , 11 9./ 1
k* H . B e v e r i d g e , The Di s t r i c t o f Baka r g a n j . 96-975 J.N .S ark a r :I
( e d . ) ? H i s t o r y o f B en gal I I , 571$ B.D* G .B akarganj., 20* :V
5. F,D. A s c o l i , F i n a l R e p o r t on t h e S u rv e y & G e t t l a m e n t l' :' 1
‘ Opera t i o n s i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f D acca, 55*
in i i i i i i m i i i i h HI *1 fnpii m h u h n m *nim»iir ■friiTrnn-inn u n i m i n n n i mw m>»ni mum ■>imniiir inin TTiiiiin r ini n r i —Tmnu r i m rff / * -r ;
 78 f

Tashtehls o f 1 72 8, th e Rajnagar parganah was entered w ith a

1
jama .of Hs. 8 6 .* 2 9 8 .
taciMffiam wewig^wiK •
I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g to note t h a t th e
p r o p r i e t o r * s name h a s b e e n g i v e n a s L ak s h m in a r ay a n , 2 a f t e r t h e
name o f h i s h o u s e h o l d god*
3 The r e a s o n f o r t h i s i s n o t f a r
-

t o seek. Occupying g o vernm ent p o s t s , R a j b a l l a b h c r e a t e d t h e ;, |

e s t a t e i n t h e name o f god Lakshminarayan w i t h a v iew t o a v o i d - ' . ’ *

ing c o m p lic a tio n s . H is e n v ia b le p o s i t i o n a t D acca as t h e d ep u ty

o f t h e Nawab, and t h a t o f t h e p e s h k a r o f t h e n a w a r a e n a b l e d
him t o r e a p a r i c h h a r v e s t o f t h e u n l i m i t e d r e s o u r c e s of :j

t h e c o u n t r y w hich l a y a t h i s command. I n 1753 Buzurgumedpur

e s t a t e was t a k e n o v e r by R a j b a l l a b h a f t e r t h e d e a t h o f i t s
z a m i n d a r Aga B a q u e r . The g r a d u a l e x t e n s i o n o f t h e z a m i n d a r i .
a ro u n d Buzurgum edpur was e f f e c t e d by t h e r e c l a m a t i o n o f w a s t e
5
la n d s i n th e Sundarbans. The R a j n a g a r R a j a s a l s o t o o k
t o arms i n t h e i r t e r r i t o r i a l a g g r a n d i z e m e n t • The r i v a l r y
b e t w e e n R a j a R a j b a l l a b h and Im ad u d d in Munshi o f R a s u l p u r .
6 ■
parganah over th e p o s s e s s io n of K a rtik p u r culm inated in a ,s
7 v
sanguinary b a t t l e w i t h a l a r g e l o s s o f l i v e s on b o t h s i d e s . The %

1. J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l & C o m p a r a t i v e A nalysis, W.K.Firminger

( e d . ) , The F i f t h Report I I T 352.
2. I b i d . ' ; ■
;
3* S .A .B . y , 222; A.N.Ray, F a r i d p u r e r I t i h a s a I I , 29. ^
k* B*D. G . , B a k a r g a n i , 2 0 ; H.Beveridge, The D i s t r i c t o f B a k a r -
g a n j, 9 6 .
5* H.Beveridge, The D i s t r i c t of B a k a r g a n j , 95*
6 , In the D is tr ic t of F aridp ur. *:
7. A.N.Ray, F a r i d p u r I t i h a s a I I , **9-50.
 79

disputed p ar
g a n a h e v e n t u a l l y p a s s e d t o G o p a l k r i s h n a , son a n d . h
1 ' ' ;v
successor of R ajballabh. ' ^
The a n n a l s o f t h e g ro w th o f t h e s e g r e a t t e r r i t o r i a l , h i
z a m i n d a r i s i n t h e i n t e r i o r and s e t t l e d a r e a s o f B engal? were ,
much i n l i n e w i t h t h e t r a d i t i o n a l p a t t e r n o f g r a d u a l 1-

a c c u m u l a t i o n o f l a n d s i n t h e h and s o f some i n f l u e n t i a l f a m i l i e s |
o c c u p y in g k e y p o s t s m a i n l y i n t h e r e v e n u e d e p a r t m e n t . The
h i s t o r y o f t h e r i s e o f t h e Birbhum, and Burdwan z a m i n d a r i s "hi
on t h e o t h e r hand? e x e m p l i f y t h e e x p a n s i o n o f t h e P a t h a n and
R a j p u t z a m i n d a r i s i n t h e W e s te r n b o r d e r l a n d s o f B engal, m ainly i|
by v i r t u e o f m i l i t a r y e n t e r p r i s e . |
The Birbhum z a m i n d a r i t r a c e d i t s o rig in in the e a rly h
s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y t o t h e c a p t u r e o f power fro m t h e last 1 i
H in du B i r R a j a o f N agor. The P a t h a n f a m i l y o f Shams Khan had hi
: ‘ ' 2 I
e m i g r a t e d from K a s h g a rh d u r i n g t h e t i m e o f Emperor Akbar and . h-
' 3 " ii
e n t e r e d t h e s e r v i c e o f R a j a B i r S in g h . As t h e diwan o f t h e .Wf
r a j a , S h a m s Khan and h i s so ns w i e l d e d enormous i n f l u e n c e i n
a n « w (R lM W M / ■ '
h
t h e kingdom. S u b s e q u e n t l y J u n a i d Khan, son o f Shams Khan ~-W
k i l l e d . R a j a B i r S-ingh, o v e r t h r e w t h e f a m i l y o f h i s m a s t e r and h
i
appropriated th e t e r r i t o r y . R e a l i z i n g t h e a d v a n t a g e o f having;;;;

1 . W.Douglas t o B . R . , A p r i l 6 , 179°? B JR.P. A p r i l 29?1790? ■I

R ?l/2^. h |
2* ’ J f G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W . K . F i r m i n g e r h i
'V f e d . ) Th e F i f t h Rep o r t . . . . . . I I , 196; .B.D.G. Birbhum, 1 0 - 1 1 .
3 , ' B^M.Add. MSB.. 6 J 8 6 , 139; W.W.Hunter, The A n n a l s V 3G. h
l+. B.MhAdd. MSS. 6 5 8 6 , 139; W.W.Hunter y t he A n n a l s I
a l o y a l z a m in d a r i n . a r e g i o n o f s t r a t e g i c i m p o r t a n c e , M urshid
Q u li Khan c o n f i r m e d R a j a As ad ul.l ah Khan, a l i n e a g e o f Shams
Khan, t o t h e z a m i n d a r i o f Birbhum on c o n d i t i o n o f p a y in g
1
bo t h e Nawab. A c t i n g as w arden o f t h e m arc h es R a j a
A s a d u l l a h and h i s s u c c e s s o r s e x te n d e d t h e i r j u r i s d i c t i o n l i k e
2
tru e m ilita r is ts . As l a t e ..as t h e y e a r 1760, Birbhum R a j a s
were found c a r r y i n g on d e p r e d a t i o n s i n some p a r g a n a h s o f t h e
n e i g h b o u r i n g Burdwan z a m i n d a r i . 3

The g e n e s i s o f t h e Burdwan e s t a t e , t h e r i c h e s t
z a m i n d a r i i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y B e n g a l c e n t r e s round
Sangam Ray, a Kapur K s h a t r i y a from t h e P u n j a b who had s e t t l e d
down i n B a i k u n t h a p u r , i n t h e o u t s k i r t s o f Burdwan i n e a r l y
seventeenth ce n tu ry . Sang am Ray e s t a b l i s h e d a f l o u r i s h i n g
5
b u s i n e s s w hich a l s o i n c l u d e d money l e n d i n g . But i t was n o t
u n t i l t h e t i m e o f h i s g r a n d s o n Abu Ray t h a t t h e f a m i l y came t o
prom inence, As a re w a rd f o r r e n d e r i n g t i m e l y a s s i s t a n c e t o t h e
f a u j d a r o f Burdwan, Abu Ray was g i v e n t h e p o s t s o f c h a u d h u r i
and K o tw a i o f Gowanee, a town i n Burdwan and p a r g a n ah B a z a r

1. F .G ladw in ( t r . ) , tj-6 ; J ' . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l & C o m p a ra tiv e

A n a l y s i s , W.K. F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t ............I I . 1 9 6 .
2 . P.C.C.R^M. F e b . 5, 1771, I I I , 1 2 ^ - 1 2 5 .
itiiw in n trsm ata^t Fre-CJif^a *r / I * f § *""* ✓ "

3 . R a j a T i l a k e h a n d t o Burdwan C o u n c i l , S e p t . 1 7 6 0 , J . L ong,
S e l e c t i o n s ............ 5 0 3 .
l+. B.D .G .B urdwan. 2 6 ; D . K .M u k h e r j i . "The .Annals o f Burdwan
IW 'H ^IMMI HMHIFMW I.* IIWWTWimWw j / W f

Rad1' , C . R . . 1 9 1 0 , 1 1 9 - 1 2 0 .
5- B.D.G. .Bu rd w a n , 2 6 -2 7 ; D .K .M u k h e r j i , "The.>Aimals o f
Burdwan Ra.111 ~ A r . . 1910, 1 1 9 -1 2 0 .
 . 1 ' ■ •
I b r a h i m p u r and B ekanee B a z a r .Babu Ray who s u c c e e d e d h i s 2;;.
f a t h e r a s . t h e c h a u d h u r i ? l a i d t h e r e a l f o u n d a t i o n . o f th e . Burdwan
zam indari. He l e a s e d p a r g a n a h Burdwan and t h r e e o t h e r m a h a ls
. ' 2 -
on t h e d is m is s i o n o f t h e i r form er zam indar. The t e r r i t o r y
was f u r t h e r e x t e n d e d w i t h t h e a c q u i s i t i o n s o f new e s t a t e s
by K r i s h n a Ram, t h e g r a n d s o n o f . B a b u Ray. I n 1 6 9 ^ , Em peror
A u r a n g z i b c o n f i r m e d K r i s h n a r a m as t h e . z a m i n d a r and c h a u d h u r i
o f Burdwan. About t h i s t i m e Subha S i n g h , z a m in d a r o f G h itw a^ ,
B a r d a accom panied by t h e R a j a o f B i s h n u p u r and t h e t a l u k d a r
o f C h a n d ra k o n a , and a s s i s t e d by t h e Afghan c h i e f Rahim Khan
t o o k up arms a g a i n s t t h e r i s i n g power o f t h e z a m i n d a r s o f
Burdwan. The r e v o l t o f Subha S i n g h t h o u g h q u e l l e d w i t h th e .
■ . . . ' k ' ::

h e lp : o f t h e t h e n s u b & h d a r. c o s t t h e l i f e o f K r i s h n a Ram Ray.

H i s s o n J a g a t Ram Ray was r e s t o r e d t o h i s p a t r i m o n y and a
p a r t o f t h e e s t a t e o f Bubha S i n g h .was a s s i g n e d t o him. . Wheh
J a g a t Ram d i e d i n 1108 A.H. ( 1 6 9 6 - 1 6 9 7 ) 5, t h e z a m i n d a r i had
grown c o n s i d e r a b l y i n s i z e . D u rin g t h e t i m e o f h i s a d v e n t u r o u s
; ' th e r . ■*
son K i r t t i C h a n d r a / n e i g h b o u r i n g p a r g a n a h s o f C h i t w a - B a r d a , V >:: 7

1 , B.R.G* Ap.ril 7, 1786, R 5 0 / 6 6 5 uThe T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y

o f B e n g a l - The Burdwan Raj!1, CJ3. 1872, LIV, 173*
2, A p r i l 7? 17 8 6, RJO/ 6 6 .
3- uT h e - T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l - The Burdwan. R a j %
' C.R« 1872? LIVV 173; D . K . M u k h e r j e e , "The .Annals o f
; Burdwan R a j 11, C,R.~ 1910, 122.
b. F . G l a d w i n ( t r . ) 9 T . B « , 5 -2 2; D . K . M u k h e r j e e , "The A n nals o f
' ‘ Burdwan: Ran" . c ! r " ~1Q10. 1 2 2 -1 2 1 .
5. B .R .C . A p r i l 7j 1786, R 5 0 / 6 6 , “The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y
o f B e n g a l e The Burdwan R a j " , C.R. 1 87 2, LIV, 17*+.
 82

B h n r s u t , M an o h a rs h a h i were a n n e x e d . t o t h e a n c e s t r a l z a m i n d a r i .
X
A ccording t o t h e D iv a n 's r e p o r t , Nawab A z i m - a l - S h a n and
h i s s u c c e s s o r M urshid Q uli Khan d i s p o s s e s s e d t h e z e m i n d a r s o f
M a n o h a r s h a h i , B h u r s u t , and C h i t w a - B a r d a f o r t h e i r i r r e g u l a r i t y
i n payment and r e b e l l i o u s n a t u r e and t r a n s f e r r e d t h e i r zam in­
d a r i s t o R a j a K i r t t i c h a n d r a Ray o f Burdwan. T h is p ie c e of
i n f o r m a t i o n , h o w ev e r, i s n o t c o r r o b o r a t e d by o t h e r s . "K irth i
2
C h a n d ra R a i was11, rem arked Ghose ,
11a p p a r e n t l ya s o r t o f R udolph o f H ap sb u rg h i n t h e f a m i l y .
F i g h t i n g w i t h t h e R a j a s o f C h a n d ra k o n a and B a r d a ,
n e a r G h a t a l , h e d e f e a t e d them c o m p l e t e l y and d i s p o s s e s s e d
them o f t h e i r e s t a t e s , he s e i z e d and a p p r o p r i a t e d t h e
s e v e r a l zam in d aris of t h e R aja o f B a l g h a r a .. . . . . . i n the
H ughli D i s t r i c t , a n d ,.w i t h a s i m i l a r o b je c t p ro b a b ly ,
waged war a g a i n s t t h e R a j a o f B i s h n u p u r ............. “ 3
D u r i n g R a j a K i r t t i c h a n d r a 1 s t i m e , t h e Burdwan z a m i n d a r i g ra s p e d
th e m ajor p a r t of t h e B a n s b e ria e s t a t e . When R a j a Govindadev

1 . B .R .C . A p r i l , 7, 17 8 6, RJO/ 6 6 .
2. L . G ho se, The Modern H i s t o r y o f I n d i a n C h i e f s * R a.iah s,
Z em indars II, 6.
3 . The view f i n d s s u p p o r t i n Nawab Mir Qasim when he wrotes
MThe z e m i n d a r _ o f Chut war Bur d a and C hunder Coomer
/ C h a n d r a k o n a / h a s b e e n i n t h a t s t a t i o n f o r many
. y e a r s , b u t i s now d e p r i v e d o f h i s c o u n t r y by t h e
.Burdwan R a j a h , -who t a k e s t o h i m s e l f a l l t h e a d v a n ­
t a g e s t h a t a r i s e from i t and w i l l n o t r e t u r n i t t o
him , and t h e r e f o r e i t i s my i n t e n t i o n t o send f o r
t h e o l d z e m in d a r and g i v e him a s u r p a n , make him
happy and r e i n s t a t i n g him i n t h e z e m i n d a r y , T his
w i l l be one means o f d i s t r e s s i n g t h e Burdwan R a j a h n
;• J . Long, . S e l e c t i o n s . . . . . 508K See a l s o nThe T e r r i t o r i a l
A r i s t o c r a c y o f " B e n g a l - The Burdwan R a j 11. ChR. 1872,
L i V , 17*+*
o f B a n s b e r i a d i e d c h i l d l e s s Manik Chand, t h e d i w a n o f
Burdwan p e t i t i o n e d t h e Nawab t o t r a n s f e r t h e h e i r l e s s
zam indari t o h i s m aster co n c ealin g th e f a c t t h a t th e w ife
1
o f t h e d e c e a s e d r a j a was p r e g n a n t . Nawab A l i v a r d i c o u l d not"
d i s o b l i g e a p o w e r f u l a l l y i n t h e f a c e o f t h e immense p r e s s u r e
2
fro m t h e M a r a t h a s . A ccordingly R aja K i r t t i c h a n d r a * s f o r c e s
occupied t h e m ajor p a r t of t h e z a m in d ari i n t h e t e e t h o f
3
armed r e s i s t a n c e by t h e R ani o f B a n s b e r i a . The Burdwan
z a m i n d a r i a l s o saw i t s e x p a n s i o n d u r i n g t h e t i m e o f G h i t r a s e n
k
Ray, son a n d . s u c c e s s o r o f - R a j a K i r t t i c h a n d r a .
The g ro w th o f t h e Burdwan z a m i n d a r i from 1657
u n t i l t h e r e s t o r a t i o n o f J a g a t Ram Ray by M u rsh id Q u li Khan,
an ted ated th e p o lic y of c re a tin g ch ak lah d ars, or in C alk in g
phrase th e p o lic y of p a rtn e rs h ip . The f o r c i b l e e n l a r g e m e n t
o f t h e e s t a t e trade r K i r t t i c h a n d r a and G h i t r a s e n Ray, h o w e v e r,
seems t o h a v e o c c u r e d w i t h some r e f e r e n c e s t o t h e p o l i c y o f
t h e Nawabs. The M a r a t h a i n v a s i o n h e i g h t e n e d t h e s t r a t e g i c
i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e z a m i n d a r i e n h a n c i n g i n d i r e c t l y t h e power and,
i n f l u e n c e o f t h e R a j a s o f Burdwan. By g r a n t i n g t h e t i t l e s
o f *Raja* on G h i t r a s e n Ray i n 17*+*+ and 1R a j a d h i r a j B a h a d u r 1

1 . B.G.Dey, The B ans b e r i a R a j , 3 2 - 3 3 .

2 . B .R .C . A p r i l 6 , 1 7 7 3 , &*+l/39.
3* B .C .D ey , The B a n s b e r i a R a j , 33-3^5 W . K . F i r m i n g e r , 11A Note
on B a n s h b e r T a ? T 1 2 3 r 7 " r 9 0 8 , 76.
R a j a N r i s i n h a d e r , t h e posthum ous s o n o f R a j a G o v in d a d e r was
r e s t o r e d t o h i s a n c e s t r a l zam in d ari d u rin g t h e tim e of
H astings.
k . B .R .G . A p r i l 7, 1 7 8 6 , R 50/66; "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f
B e n g a l - The Burdwan Raj'*, C ^ R ., 1 87 2, LIV, 17*+*
 8*+

on X i l a k c h a n d r a Ray i n 1765? t h e Mughal E m perors r e c o g n i z e d

and l e g i t i m a t e d an a c q u i s i t i o n o f l a n d and power demanded by
t h e exigency of th e p e rio d .
Thus t h e o r i g i n and d e v e lo p m e n t o f t h e z a m i n d a r i
t e n u r e i n B e n g a l i s t o be t r a c e d b ac k t o t h e a g e - o l d r e v e n u e
p r a c t i c e o f t h e . c o u n t r y and t h e s t r u c t u r e o f t h e Mughal f i s c a l
1
system.. I n t h i s p e r s p e c t i v e B a d e n - P o w e l l 1 s re m a rk t h a t r,t h e
t e n u r e o f t h e 1E a m i n d a r 1 o f B e n g a l r e p r e s e n t s a l a t e - i f n o t
t h e l a t e s t - d e v e lo p m e n t i n l a n d . - i n t e r e s t , and was t h e
l o c a l i z e d outcome o f a d y i n g and c o r r u p t s y s t e m o f s t a t e
management 11 does n o t s t a n d s c r u t i n y .
The c h a n g e s i n t h e p o l i t i c o - e c o n o m i c a f f a i r s
o f t h e s u b a h d u r i n g t h e m i d - e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y h a d , h o w ev e r,
r e p u r c u s s i o n s on t h e l a n d e d a r i s t o c r a c y . In f a c t , the p a tte rn
o f l a n d h o l d i n g r e s t e d on t h e e x t e n t o f t h e a u t h o r i t y
e x e r c i s e d by t h e g o v e r n m e n t. The z a m i n d a r s r e q u i r e d n a t a l l
t i m e s t h e s t r o n g g r a s p of a c u r b i n g h a n d N. But t h e p e r i o d
f o l l o w i n g A u r a n g z e b 1s d e a t h f o r e s h a d o w e d t h e g r a d u a l d e c l i n e
of th e c e n t r a l c o n tr o l p a r t i c u l a r l y over a d i s t a n t province
2
such as B engal. M o reo v e r, s i n c e t h e d e a t h o f A l i v a r d i Khan,
t h e g overnm ent o f t h e s u b a h o f B e n g a l became, w i t h t h e
e x c e p t i o n o f Mir Qasim* s t e n u r e o f o f f i c e , l e s s e f f e c t i v e i n

1 . B . H . B a d e n - P o w e l l , The Land S yste m s . . . . 1 * 3 *

2. H a ji M ustafa ( t r . ) , B e ir I , 2 6 9 .
3 . H. ¥ a n s i 1 1 a r t , A N a r r a t i v e of th e T r a n s a c t i o n s i n
I I I , 38 I - 3 8 2 .
ex ertin g i t s a u t h o r i t y on t h e z a m i n d a r s . T aking advantage o f
th e u n s e tt l e d p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n througho ut th e le n g th
and b r e a d t h of t h e s u b a h ? t h e z a m i n d a r s t r i e d t o a s s e r t t h e i r
1
p o sitio n . The p o w e r f u l z a m i n d a r s even went so f a r as t o
2
i g n o r e Nawab Mir Qasim* s demand f o r a d d i t i o n a l c o n t r i b u t i o n s .
The grow ing p o l a r i z a t i o n o f p o l i t i c a l and economic i n t e r e s t s
c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e l a t i o n b etw e en t h e p o w e r f u l z a m i n d a r s
and t h e g o v e r n m e n t.
The t r i u m p h o f t h e E n g l i s h a t P l a s s e y i n 1757 n o t
o n l y s h a t t e r e d t h e p o l i t i c a l supremacy o f t h e Nawab b u t a l s o
h e r a l d e d an e r a o f chang e i n t h e economic s y s t e m o f t h e
country. The new Nawab Mir J a f a r f a i l e d t o pay t h e pro m ised sum
t o t h e Company t o make good t h e l o s s s u s t a i n e d by i t a t t h e
3
t i m e o f t h e s i e g e o f C a l c u t t a by t h e l a t e Nawab. . He was
o b l i g e d t o c e d e i n e a r l y 1758, t h e d i s t r i c t s o f N a d i a . Burdwan,
H u g l i , H i j l i and some z a m i n d a r i s o f D ac ca by way o f redeem ing
Lf,
t h e d e b t s o f t h e Company. Such 11u n u s u a l phenomenon o f t h e

1. I n 1768 N aib Diwan* S i t a b Hay r e p o r t e d fro m B i h a r :

"The z a m i n d a r s o f t h e p r o v i n c e hav e l o n g b e e n c h a r a c ­
t e r i s e d by a ™ s e d i t i o u s and u n g o v e r n a b l e s p i r i t ,
c o n t i n u a l l y b r e a k i n g f o r t h i n t o i n s u r r e c t i o n s , and
n e v e r p r o c e e d i n g from any r e a l g r i e v a n c e . B e s i d e s ,
who i s a b l e t o c a l c u l a t e so w e l l a s t o mark o u t
what zam in d a r g w i l l r e v o l t and become u n r u l y o r
w h e t h e r t h e y w i l l r e v o l t i n t h e m i d d l e o r t h e end
o f t h e y e a r ? " (C. P . C . I I , 9 2 2 ).
2 . H a ji M ustafa ( t r . ) , S e i r , I I , 39^-395.
3 . S . C . C . , May 17 and 1 9 , 1 7 5 7 , R/A, I ; N .K .S inha ( e d . ) ,
The H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l , 29.
1 . S . C . C . , Dee. 8 , 1757 and J a n , 2 1 , 1758, R/A, I , I I ; A.M.Khan,
The T r a n s i t i on I n Be n g a l , 23.
assignm ent of t h e revenue of e x te n s iv e t e r r i t o r i e s t o th e
E n g l i s h was an i n d i c a t i o n o f t h e d e e p e n i n g economic c r i s i s
1
of th e s t a t e . " : But t h e move had. d e e p e r i m p l i c a t i o n s . It
p r e p a r e d t h e way t o p a s s t o t h e Company t h e d i r e c t a d m i n i s ­
t r a t i v e c o n tr o l of th e co u n try . I n 1760, Nawab Mir J a f a r : ’
a t t h e b e h e s t o f t h e Company r e l u c t a n t l y c o n s e n t e d t o a p p o i n t
2
Omichund a s d iw an o f t h e R a j a o f Burdwan.
UMllll 1# I
T his ac t in f r in g e d W

t h e c u s t o m a r y autonomy o f t h e za m in d a r i n h i s i n t e r n a l
ad m in istratio n . ;
"The t r a d i t i o n a l image o f t h e Nawab*s governm ent
was s e r i o u s l y i n j u r e d by t h i s m e a s u r e , f o r n o t
o n l y was M i r J a f a r p r e v e n t e d fro m e x e r c i s i n g h i s
le g it im a te a u th o r ity in th e assigned d i s t r i c t s ,
b u t . a l s o t h e E n g l i s h , p a r t i c u l a r l y a t D acca, u s e d
t h e i r power t o e x t e n d t h e i r t r a d e p r i v i l e g e s a t
t h e c o s t o f t h e Nawab*s own r e v e n u e s . " 3
The i n a b i l i t y o f Nawab Mir J a f a r * s b a n k r u p t g ov ernm ent t o f u l f i l
a l l f i n a n c i a l demands o f t h e Company p r e c i p i t a t e d an agreem ent
w i t h . M i r Qasim, t h e n e x t p r o s p e c t i v e candidate t o t h e v i c e ­
regal th ro n e. The E n g l i s h p l e d g e d t o cham pion t h e c a u s e of
Mir Qasim i f he would c e d e t o them t h e d i s t r i c t s o f Burdwan, *
C h i t t a g o n g and M idnapur ( y i e l d i n g a b o u t |r o f t h e t o t a l
revenues of B engal). The a s s i g n m e n t o f t h e t h r e e d i s t r i c t s

1 . N .IL S inha ( e d . ) , The H i s t o r y o f Bengal-, 2 6 .

2. E a s t i n g s t o C l i v e , J a n . 1 9 , 1760, B.M. Add. MSS. 2 9 0 9 6 , -
201; See a l s o t h e p e t i t i o n from t h e . R ani o f Burdwan, t
B .R .C . Dec.27,- 177^, R**9 / > 8 .
3 . A.M.Khan, The T r a n s i t i o n i n B e n g a l , 2 3 - 2 *+.
 87

on j a g i r d a r i t e n u r e t o t h e Company i n 1 7 6 0 by Nawab Mir Qasim - ).!

was a d e p a r t u r e from t h e n o rm a l r e v e n u e p r a c t i c e o f t h e s u b a h . ;
F i n a l l y , by t h e g r a n t o f t h e Diwani o f B e n g a l , B i h a r and
O r i s s a t o t h e Company by Emperor Shah 11am on August 1 2 , 1765?
the Company was empowered t o manage t h e r e v e n u e s o f t h e sub ah
2 'A
i n r e t u r n f o r an a n n u a l t r i b u t e o f R s •26,00 00 0 * Thus t h e
p e r i o d o f p a r t n e r s h i p b e tw e e n t h e Mughals and t h e z a m i n d a r s v
ended y i e l d i n g p l a c e t o a new r e l a t i o n s h i p . The Company
c o n t r o l l e d th e revenue a f f a i r s o f t h e c o u n t r y and t h e Nawab
r e m a in e d as a f i g u r e - h e a d . ■. *:*
I n t h e p r e v i o u s s e t - u p t h e z a m i n d a r s on t h e s t r e n g t h ■
o f t h e i m p e r i a l f a r m a ^ e n jo y e d t h e i r z a m i n d a r i r i g h t s p a y i n g i
f i x e d sums a s s e s s e d on t h e i r e s t a t e s . The s u b a h d a r , t h e
d iw a n - i - su b ah and o t h e r i m p e r i a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s who s u p e r v i s e d ;
t h e a f f a i r s o f t h e g overnm ent were n o t c o n t r a c t o r s of t h e sg
im p erial revenues. Though t h e p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n o f t h e
s u b a h chang ed t o a c e r t a i n d e g r e e d u r i n g Nawab M urshid Q u li
Khan, t h e z a m i n d a r s s t i l l re m a in e d t h e c o n b r a c t o r s o f t h e ^
p u b l i c r e v e n u e e n j o y i n g t h e “ i n t e r m e d i a t e p r o f i t s b etw een t h e
3
Ryot and t h e G o v e r n m e n t .ll B ut w i t h t h e c e s s i o n o f Burdwan,
C h i t t a g o n g and M idnapur and t h e t r a n s f e r o f t h e Diwani t o t h e -

wmT r ~li 11m i 'ii ■i in / m i i n« 11 11i i~~u r j !!■"■ 11 hu m. n >n i iihhm.ii m m i . j t ir w n , n »i>.'» 1*111urtw ip . " nr" " 1n- i 11................. i i' n ," ,ifi>iiw n iiT i mrniininnifi t n r - !- - ~r ----- ------[----- I n " m" i T " 1 * * » ......... ^ .

1 . B . P .G . Nov. 1 0, 1760, # 1 / 3 2 , 6¥+-61*5; A . M . S e r a j u d d i n ,

The Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g , 1 8 - 1 9 .
—-» j . muHi n il 11 _ i [l~il mi i im m u pi ■ m in i . ■ m ji.i pi » n id v w w -,fh 11 11-. ■mm i n m m in 1 n ,n •n t —irr~T m r 11 " rri 1— rrTrjiwun nr<f n ir ■ 1 nr 1■ ■* 1*1 f *

2. H a ji M ustafa ( . t r . ) , S e i r I I I , 9 ; C .U .A itc h is o n , A C o lle c -

t i o n o f T r e a t i e s , Eng agem ents and S anads I I , 2 1+1.
3 . P . F r a n c i s 1. M in u te q u o t e d i n R.Guha, A R u le o f P r o p e r t y
fo rB e n g al, 110- 111, \
Company, w h ic h - h a d e n t e r e d i n t o a c o n t r a c t t o d e f e n d t h e
s ubah and pay a. f i x e d sum, z a m i n d a r s who s t o o d h i t h e r t o a t
t h e i n t e r f a c e . b e t w e e n t h e g o vernm ent and t h e r a i y a t s , were
b e in g , r e p l a c e d by t h e Company i t s e l f . The. s t a t u s o f t h e f o r m e r ,
i n t e r m e d i a r y r e v e n u e a g e n t s was made t o .re ced e c o n s c i o u s l y o r
u n co n scio u sly t o t h a t o f .t h e under^farm ers - enjoying t h e i r
p o s i t i o n a t t h e p l e a s u r e o f t h e Company. Thenceforw ard th e
Company was t o pay a f i x e d sum and e n j o y a l l b e n e f i t s
a r i s i n g f r o m . t h e domain g r a n t e d . t o them by t h e . i m p e r i a l fa rm a n .
C o n s o l i d a t i n g i t s newly a c q u i r e d power and p o s i t i o n ,
t h e Company e x e r t e d an e f f e c t i v e p r e s s u r e on t h e z a m in d a r c l a s s ,
u n f o r e s e e n d u r i n g t h e day s o f t h e d e c a y i n g Mughal governm ent
o r t h e f e e b l e g o v ern m e n t o f t h e . Nawab s . The t r a d i t i o n a l
p a t t e r n o f t h e z a m i n d a r i s y s t e m was b e i n g a l t e r e d . Emphasis
had moved away fro m t h e n o t i o n o f t h e h e r e d i t a r y r u l e r s t o
. • * ■ r
mere r e v e n u e f a r m e r s . To quote, Khan , “The a c t i o n s o f t h e
Company1s s e r v a n t s , p u t t h e p r o f i t s - and more i m p o r t a n t s t i l l -
t power and i n f l u e n c e o f t h e z e m i n d a r s i n j e o p a r d y 11. The f r e ­
q u e n t i m p o s i t i o n o f a m i l s o r s_azaw a ls ( l a n d s t e w a r d s ) i n t h e
■ 2:' \ -7 ■ ■
z a m i n d a r i s , and t h e l e a s i n g o f z a m i n d a r i l a n d s t o t h e h i g h e s t

1 . A.M.Khan, Th e T r a n s i t i o n i n B e n g a l , 2 7 6 .
- 2. R .Becher, t o a . C i May 2*+, 1 7 6 9 , L .C .B . I , X I - X I 1 5 G .G .D u c a re l
t o R . B e c h e r , B.C .C. Oct. 1 2 , 1759, R/A, 9 .
 89

1 2
bidders o r k e e p i n g them Mias w ith l i t t l e reg ard t o the
3
.c u sto m a ry r i g h t s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s p r e c i p i t a t e d b e f o r e lo n g a
c r i s i s i n th e zam indari tenure* To make m a t t e r s w o r s e , a
d e v a s t a t i n g fa m i n e v i s i t e d t h e c o u n t r y u n d o u b t e d l y c a u s i n g
s t r a i n on t h e economy o f t h e z a m i n d a r s i n t h e b a d l y h i t ares
3
I n . 1 7 7 0 , B e c h e r . o u t l i n e d t h e change i n t h e p o s i t i o n o f t h e
zam indars:
11 Be i t rem em ber 1 d a l s o t h e s i t u a t i o n t h e s e
Z e m in d a rs &ca f o u n d t h e m s e l v e s i n when u n d e r t h e
Government o f t h e S o ub ahso , who t h o 1 a r b i t r a r y
and d e s p o t i c t o t h e h i g h e s t d e g r e e , l e f t t h e
z e m i n d a r t o l i v e i n a s t a t e o f power, p a r a d e &
i n d e p e n d e n c e i n t h e i r z e m i n d a r r i e s , (demanding
fro m them e x c e p t on em ergen t o c c a s i o n s ) o n l y t h e
p u n c t u a l payment o f t h e M a lg u z z a ry s e t t l e d a n n u a l l y
t o be p a i d t o t h e Governm ent, i n d e e d t h e p o l i c y
t h e n p u r s u e d , seems t o h a v e been t o a l l o w t h e
z e m i n d a r s t o grow r i c h , & t h e S ou b ah s knew t h e y
c o u l d when n e c e s s a r y on e x t r a o r d i n a r y o c c a s i o n s
draw t h e i r r e s o u r c e s from them,, w h ich t h e y e x p e r ­
i e n c e d , t h e t r u t h o f , by o b l i g i n g t h e z e m i n d a r s
t o pay l a r g e sums when t h e C o u n t r y was i n v a d e d by
f o r e i g n e n e m i e s , o r when t h e Soubahs c h o s e t o
e x e r c i s e t h e d e s p o t i c power which seldom happened*
■As c e r t a i n i t , i s t h a t s i n c e t h e E n g l i s h h a v e b e e n
i n p o s s e s s i o n o f t h e Dewannee, t h e z e m i n d a r s have
b e e n r e d u c e d t o a much i n f e r i o r s i t u a t i o n t o t h a t
t h e y e n j o y e d u n d e r t h e S o u b ah s, & t h a t i n g e n e r a l t h e y

1-; H . V e r e l s t , A View o f t h e R i s e and P r o g r e s s o f t h e P r e s e n t

S t a t e o f t h e E n g l i s h Govt, i n B e n g a l * 7 0 5 C«P»C» I I ,1^757™
R * l i l m o t to R . B e c h e r , O c t * 2 2 ,1 7 7 0 , P«,C*C,R«,M. * O c t . 2 9 ? 1 7 7 0 , '
1 ,1 3 2 5 S .M id d le to n to C .C .K ., J u l y 14,1772, , Ju ly
1 6 , I - I I I ( i n o n e ) , 49*
2. W.Harwood t o C-.C.R-.M. 0 c t * 2 8 , 1 7 7 0 , ? . C » C .R ,M. , Nov. 6 ,
1 7 7 0 , I , 170.
3* P e t i t i o n fro m t h e p r i n c i p a l z a m i n d a r s , B.R.C* F eb * 1 5 , 1 7 8 6 ,
R 5 0 /6 4 .
4* S . C . C . A p r i l 2 8 , 1 7 7 0 , R/A,L0; C.W.B.Rous t o C.C.R.M. J u n e 4 ,
1 7 7 1 , P.C*C*R*M* J u n e 10,1771? V,253* :
5. R . B e c h e r ' s M i n u t e , Dec. 3 , 1 7 7 0 ?P .C .C .R .M . D e c . 3 , 1 7 7 0 , 1 1 , 7 .
6. He meant th e suhahdars.
 90

a r e now p o o r , when i t i s c o n s i d e r e d what num erous

f a m i l i e s and d e p e n d a n t s t h e y hav e t o p r o v i d e f o r 5
t h u s a l r e a d y r e d u c e d i s i t s u r p r i z i n g t h e y s h o u ld
be v e r y much a la r m e d when t h e y s e e s u c h s t r i c t
s c r u t i n y making i n t o t h e i r r e m a i n i n g a d v a n t a g e s ,
p r i v i l e d g e s , & i m m u n i t i e s , & a r e u n c e r t a i n what
we s h a l l a l l o w them t o r e t a i n , . . . . . . 11
B eing u n a b l e , t o r e s p o n d q u i c k l y t o t h e r i g i d revenue p o l i c y ,
a number o f z a m i n d a r s f o r f e i t e d t h e i r z a m i n d a r i s .
I n f a c t , t h e e a r l y B r i t i s h a u t h o r i t i e s were p osed
w i t h t h e p ro b le m " o f b r e a k i n g down a whole s t r u c t u r e of
1
l i v i n g a u t h o r i t y v e s te d i n th e zam indar." However, t h e
many e x p e r i m e n t s i n t h e r e v e n u e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n c u l m i n a t e d i n
1793 i n t h e h i s t o r i c i n t r o d u c t i o n o f t h e p erm a n e n t s e t t l e m e n t
w i t h t h e z a m i n d a r s , making them t h e a c t u a l p r o p r i e t o r s
e n j o y i n g a b s o l u t e o w n e r s h ip i n l a n d a s l o n g a s t h e y d i d
not d e fa u lt.

1 . R. Guha, AJBl&yL r tx_fo.r_.Benga l , 52.

 THE 2AMXHDARB AMD THE REVENUE MANAGEMENT,

Among t h e h o s t o f d u t i e s p e r f o r m e d by z a m i n d a r s ,
f o r e m o s t was t h e c o l l e c t i o n and p u n c t u a l r e m i t t a n c e o f t h e
r e v e n u e and i n most c a s e s i t i s t h i s p i v o t a l r o l e t h a t
d e f i n e d t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e government* The s a n a d s
c o n f e r r in g zam indari r i g h t s c a t e g o r i c a l l y e n jo in e d th e
1
fun ctio n * The san a d g r a n t e d t o R a j a Ramkanta. o f R a j s h a h i
z a m i n d a r i i n 1 7 3 5 * 3 6 r e a d t h a t uh e pay i n t o t h e r o y a l
t r e a s u r y t h e p e i s h c u s h , e t c . , and t h e b a l a n c e s , a c c o r d i n g
'2 -
t o K istbundy; and d i s c h a r g e y e a r by y e a r a t t h e s t a t e d
t i m e s and p e r i o d s , t h e due r e n t s , a f t e r r e c e i v i n g c r e d i t f o r
3 k 5
muz coo r a t , n a n k a r , e t c . a g r e e a b l e t o u s a g e s . 11 A n cillary
t o t h e p r i n c i p a l d u t y o f r e v e n u e c o l l e c t i o n , i t was l a i d down,

1 . From J . S h o r e 1 s M i n u t e , A p r i l 1788 q u o t e d i n W .K .F i r m i n g e r
( a d . ) , The F i f t h / R e p o r t . . . . . I , z l v i - x l v i i .
2 * K istbandi - c o n tra c t s t a t i n g p o rtio n s of th e annual a s s e s s ­
ment / " d a t e s when due and l i k e t e r m s o f t h e a g r e e m e n t .
3 . Mu z k u r a t
- i t e m s o f d e d u c t i o n s a l l o w e d t o c o v e r t h e zem in ­
dar* $ e x p e n s e s o f m anaging and c o l l e c t i n g t h e r e v e n u e s , ,
f e e s and p e r s o n a l a l l o w a n c e o f t h e z a m i n d a r , and some p e t t y
assignm ents f o r r e l i g i o u s or c h a r i t a b l e p u rposes.
. ^ . S u b s i s t e n c e allow ance g ra n te d t o t h e zam indar.
5. See a l s o t h e z a m i n d a r i s a n a d g r a n t e d t o t h e E a s t I n d i a Comp
any i n 17 57 , H . V e r e l s t , A View o f t h e R i s e and P r o g r e s s . . . .
 92

t h e z a m i n d a r s s h o u l d a l s o ^ c o n c i l i a t e and e n c o u r a g e t h e r y o t s ,
and p ro m o te t h e advancem ent o f c u l t i v a t i o n , t h e im provem ent
o f t h e c o u n t r y , : and t h e i n c r e a s e o f i t s p r o d u c e 11. These
r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s w ere a s s i g n e d t o t h e za m in d ars- i n o r d e r t o .
e n s u r e a r e g u l a r and i n c r e a s i n g income fro m a p r o s p e r o u s and
contented p e a sa n try .

The i m p e r i a l r e v e n u e was l a r g e l y made up o f

r e n t s from a r a b l e l a n d , u n c u l t i v a t e d l a n d s c o n t a i n i n g woods, -
g r o v e s , m a r s h e s and p o n d s . The t a x e s on t h e m e r c h a n d i s e ,
and t h e c o m m o d itie s o f t h e a r t i s a n s , and t h e r e c e i p t s from
f i n e s and f o r f e i t u r e s c o n t r i b u t e d a l s o s u b s t a n t i a l l y t o t h e
revenue. The z a m i n d a r s were t o c o l l e c t r e n t s and t a x e s -,
fro m t h e s e s o u r c e s w h ic h may w e l l be c l a s s i f i e d i n t o t h r e e
’ ■ ‘ V. '. ■ ’ - 2
b r o a d c a t e g o r i e s , n a m e ly , m a l, s a i r and b a z i - j a m a .
Under t h e head mal comes l a n d r e v e n u e . It
i n c l u d e d t h e d u t y on s a l t m a n u f a c t u r e , income fro m o r c h a r d s ,
and a few o t h e r m i n o r s o u r c e s o f r e v e n u e . In fa c t, land
r e v e n u e c o n s t i t u t e d s u c h a m a jo r p o r t i o n o f t h e mal t h a t t h e
3
t e r m came t o s i g n i f y a l m o s t e x c l u s i v e l y r e n t s fro m l a n d .

ii— ih h ii m i mi ii> i i i m n aiii ii i ii m i ii i n iif ii iiim ii fHiiNi i i i i n m n i i n irti i ......... n mi n n n iiiri ii nm i iinmi~ 11 i ii 1*1111 ‘ i i i - i <ii irrni r)mwr»ii|wrfrrrfwii~rrrnni,MrtrwTT~'~ii ~rirT m nffT^im T m mriTiTTfrinHTfJ ‘‘J—ir r M ^ * 1 i i i n T T f f T r T n T T * ^ * ~ ' ^ ‘~ ‘**M

1* Banad t o R a j a R am kanta, from J . S h o r e * s M in u te A p r i l 1788,

q u o t e d i n W .K .F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , Th e F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . X . x l v i l
2 . R.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 6 , l a .
3. I b id ; ’ H.H. W i l s o n , A G l o s s a r y o f J u d i c i a l and Revenue
T erm s, 322.
I n most p a r t s o f Mughal I n d i a , l a n d r e v e n u e was a s s e s s e d a s
a c e r t a i n sh are of th e produce, u s u a lly % or \ of th e '
1
g ro ss produce.
The s t i p u l a t e d jam a o f t h e z a m i n d a r s was d e c i d e d
upon n o t by a p r o p e r m easurem ent o f l a n d n o r by an a s s e s s m e n t
o f t h e p r o d u c e t h e r e o f , b u t by a s o r t o f summary a s s e s s m e n t
2
known a s n a s a q . The z a m i n d a r s i n B e n g a l w h e t h e r p e s h k a s h i
or m al-w ajibi , p a i d a f i x e d sum,3 w h ic h , h o w e v e r, was s u b j e c t
t o a r b i t r a r y i n c r e a s e by t h e s o v e r e i g n . The o r i g i n a l
r e v e n u e s e t t l e m e n t fra m e d on t h e b a s i s o f T o d a r Mal* s J ama-
L*
tum ari-Iiam il was r e v i s e d i n t h e s u b s e q u e n t p e r i o d t a k i n g
i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h e p r o m o t i o n o f a g r i c u l t u r e and t h e
e x te n sio n of th e zam indaris. Though M u rsh id Q u l i i s s a i d t o
5
h a v e h i s r e n t - r o l l p r e p a r e d a f t e r t h e m easurem ent o f l a n d ,
i t i s d o u b t f u l w h e t h e r a l l p a r t s o f B e n g a l were c o v e r e d . ^

1. W.H. M orel and, The A g r a r i a n S y s t e m . . . . . 1 3 1?? I . H a b ib , The

A g r a r i a n S y s te m . . . . . 1 9 0 -1 9 5 . ""
2. H . S . J a r r e t t ( t r . ) , J i n I I , 122; I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n
S y s te m ...........2 1 8 .
3 * H .S .Ja rre tt ( t r . ) , Ain I I , 1*+1; C hahar G u l s h a n , J . H . S a r k a r
( t r . ) , The I n d i a o f A u r a n g z e b , l i v ; A.K arim , Murshi d Q u li
Khan ........... 8 0 - 8 1 .
k. B.M.Add.MSS. 6 5 8 6 , 5 3 a; B.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 6 , l a , *fb.
5. F .G l a d w i n ( t r . ) , T . B. , k k .
6. A .K arim , M u rs h id Q u l i Khan......... 8 3 .
Since i t a p p e a r e d i m p o s s i b l e t o make d e t a i l e d a s s e s s m e n t o f
l a n d o r i t s p r o d u c e , i t became c u s t o m a r y t o f i x a lump-sum
amount f o r t h e w hole z a m i n d a r i on t h e b a s i s o f a ro u g h
estim ate of y ie ld s . 1
The r e v e n u e demand on t h e i n a l - w a j i b i z a m i n d a r s
was f i x e d on t h e c u l t i v a b l e l a n d s . The z a m i n d a r s were
o b l i g e d t o r e c l a i m t h e w a s t e l a n d s and f o r e s t s and were
2
empowered t o d i s p o s e o f th em . The Mughal r u l e r s by way
o f e n c o u ra g e m e n t exempted such l a n d fro m r e v e n u e payment
till i t r e a c h e d a c e r t a i n s t a g e o f development, ^ f h©
z a m i n d a r s , p e r h a p s u n w i l l i n g t o s h a r e w i t h t h e governm ent t h e
augmented income fro m t h e i r e s t a t e s , were n o t k e e n i n l a r g e -
s c a le re c la m a tio n o f la n d s la y in g w aste. The w a s t e s ,
h o w e v e r, were e x t e n s i v e l y u s e d a s c h a r i t y and r e l i g i o u s
endowments. In th e absence o f a v ig o ro u s a d m in is tr a tio n
w a s t e l a n d s when b r o u g h t u n d e r t h e p l o u g h were c o n c e a l e d a s
to a s p o s s i b l e fro m t h e n o t i c e o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t. The

1- P . C . C . R . M., May 2 3 , 1771, V, 187? H a s t i n g s 1 M i n u t e , B . R . C . ,

Nov. 1 2 , 17 7 6, Hh9/65; B . H. B a d e n - P o w e l l , O r i g i n o f
Z a m i n d a r i E s t a t e s I n B e n g a l '1, Q . J . E . , I 8 9 6 , X I, 59.
2 . Deed o f t h e p u r c h a s e o f t h e C a l c u t t a z a m i n d a r i , B.M.Add.
MBS. 2 ^ , 0 3 9 , No. 3 9 ; See a l s o F .G l a d w i n ( t r . ) , T . B . ?6 9 t
3 . B e z a K h a n 's N o te q u o te d i n N . K . S i n h a , The Economic
H isto ry I I , 7-8;
The h o l d e r o f t h e p u r c h a s e d w a s t e l a n d i n C o n k j o l e p a i d
o n l y two a n n a s p e r b i g h a ( P . C .C .R .M. ? Dec, 1 7 , 1 7 7 0 , 1 1 , 9 1 ) *
k . A . H i g g i n s o n t o C . C . R . M . , Oct. 8 , and Nov. 2 k , 1770,
P . C . C . R . M . . I , I I , 98, 1 5 - 1 6 .
r e c l a i m e d l a n d o f t e n p a s s e d by the name o f Khamar, t h e
1
p r o d u c e o f w h ic h was s h a r e d by t h e t i l l e r s and t h e z a m i n d a r s .
The Khamar l a n d form ed a p erm a n e n t s o u r c e o f p r i v a t e income
t o th e zam indars. The D i n a j p u r z a m i n d a r i d e r i v e d fro m i t s
2
Khamar l a n d s an e s t i m a t e d income o f R s . 3 0 , 0 0 0 . A c c o r d in g
t o V a n s i t t a r t , t h e D i n a j p u r R a j a 1 s p r o f i t s fro m t h i s s o u r c e
3
“ a r e s m a l l e r t h a n what most o f t h e Z e m in d a rs e n j o y . " Hence
i t may be d i s c e r n e d t h a t t h e r e a l v a l u e o f t h e b i g z a m i n d a r i s
k
was u s u a l l y much h i g h e r t h a n t h a t o f t h e i r r e n t a l s .
The s u b a h d a r s were aware o f t h i s f a c t and p r o b a b l y
t h i s a c t u a t e d th em t o l e v y o c c a s i o n a l abwabs o r c e s s e s on
th e zam indars. One o f s u c h abw abs, n a z r a n a m u k a r r a r i was*
i n t h e words o f G r a n t , " f i x e d p e c u n i a r y ac k n o w le d g e m e n ts p a i d
by t h e z e m i n d a r s a s farm e r s - g ene r a l o f t h e k i n g * s r e v e n u e
v i r t u a l l y f o r i m p r o p e r r e m i s s i o n s , i n d u l g e n c e s , f a v o u r and
p ro tec tio n ; f o rb e a ra n c e of hustabood i n v e s t i g a t i o n s or
p r i v i l e g e o f b e i n g f r e e d from t h e im m e d ia te s u p e r i n t e n d a n c e
o f aum ils; b u t o s t e n s i b l y and f o r m a l l y , t o d e f r a y t h e c h a r g e

1 . R o y r o y a n 1s a n s w e r , J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t fro m H a r i n g t o n 1 s
A n aly sis 155; J . S h o r e ' s M in u te , S e p t . 1 8 , 1 7 8 9 , W . K . F i r -
m in g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t 1 1 , *+79*
2. G . V a n s i t t a r t t o C.C.R.M . O c t . 1 6 , 1 7 7 0 , P.C.C.PLM. Dec. 31,
1 770, I I , 1M+.
3* I b i d .
B.M.Add.MSS.6586, 22b; P e t i t i o n o f R a j a As a d - a l -Z aman,
F .C .C .R .M . D e c . 1 2 , 1771* V I I I , 3 **; R a n i J a n a k i 1 s P e t i t i o n ,
B .R .C . Aug. 3 , 1 7 7 3 , B l* 9 A l.
 96

o f n u z z e r s s e n t t o c o u r t a t t h e ey e e d e i n o r two p r i n c i p a l
y e a r l y Mussulman f e s t i v a l s , and o t h e r g r e a t c e r e m o n i a l d a y s . . . .
A l l t h e s u b a h d a r s from M ursh id Q u li t o Mir Qasim imposed
p
abwabs i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e r e v e n u e s f i x e d i n 1722. The p o l i c y
o f l e v y i n g s u b a h d a r i abwabs was a b r e a k w i t h t h e t r a d i t i o n .
I n i t i a l l y i t was i n t r o d u c e d t o s e c u r e a m o d e r a t e en h a n c e m e n t,
b u t i n s u b s e q u e n t y e a r s i t was c a r r i e d t o o f a r . By t h e t i m e
o f M ir Qasim i n some z a m i n d a r i s t h e amount o f t h e s u b a h d a r i
abwabs f a r e x c e e d e d t h a t o f t h e o r i g i n a l r e v e n u e a s s e s s m e n t .
For. ex a m p le , t h e R a j n a g a r z a m i n d a r i w i t h an a s a l .iama of
3
R s . 3 2 , 9 0 0 p a i d R s . 51? 7 6 l a s abwab. A g a in , owing t o t h e
i m p o s i t i o n o f t h e s u b a h d a r i abwabs on t h e Ghandradw ip
z a m i n d a r i , t h e o r i g i n a l r e n t a l o f R s . 19,37*+ ™a s r a i s e d t o
k
R s. 65 ,973* The e x p e n s e o f w ars a g a i n s t t h e Mar a t h a s ,
t h e h e a v y d e b t s o f t h e Nawab t o t h e Company and t h e c o s t s
o f Nawab Mir Qasim* s c o n f l i c t w i t h t h e E n g l i s h - a l l c o n t r i ­
b u t e d t o t h e g r a d u a l i n c r e a s e o f r e v e n u e demands sine©
A l i v a r d i Khan. D u r i n g t h e Nawabi o f Mir Qasim t h e r e v e n u e

1 . J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F i r m i n g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . I I T 209.
2 . I b i d . , 2 0 8 -2 3 9 ; A.Karim , M l s ^ i O u l i _ S h ^ . 85.
3 . P .C .C .D ., O ct. 8 , 1 77 2 , R 7 0 /1 5 , 31^.
Ib id .
from t h e t o t a l abwab a l m o s t e q u a l l e d t h e t o t a l a s s e s s m e n t
1
o f t h e K h a l s a and j a g i r l a n d s o f h i s t i m e . Mir Qasim* s
p o l i c y o f r a i s i n g t h e income o f t h e gov ern m en t by f r e q u e n t
p o s t i n g o f a m i I s and s a z a w a l s l e f t t h e z a m i n d a r s w i t h l i t t l e
p r o f i t and t h e r e b y d e p r i v e d them o f some o f t h e i r c u s t o m a r y
2 ' *
p riv ileg es. B e c a u s e o f t h e e x o r b i t a n t demand f o r r e v e n u e s ,
t h e z a m i n d a r s , t h e u n d e f S f a r m e r s and t h e r a i y a t s r e s o r t e d
t o f r a u d and c o n c e a l m e n t • The number o f z a m i n d a r s d e f a u l t i n g
3
o r i n c u r r i n g b a l a n c e grew more t h a n e v e r . Mir Qasim* s
demand was nowhere met i n f u l l . F o r i n s t a n c e , t h e Dina;)pur
z a m i n d a r i was a s s e s s e d i n Mir Qasim*s s e t t l e m e n t a t R s . 1 8 ,0 0 0 0 0
k
i n ro u n d f i g u r e . In s p ite of ra c k -re n tin g th e r a i y a t $, th e
5
c o l l e c t i o n d id n o t exceed 7 o r 8 l a k h s . A g a i n , i n R an gp u r
t h e a m il e n g a g e d f o r an amount o f Rs. 11,29,32*+ c o u l d r e a l i z e
R s . 6 , 6 8 , 6 9 2 a t t h e end o f t h e c o n t r a c t .
6 M o re o v e r, t h e
e x to r tio n of th e am ils le d t o th e r e b e l l i o n of r a i y a t s i n

1 . See A p p en d ix A.
2 . J . S h o r e * s M in u te J u n e 1 8 , 1 7 8 9 , p a r a s 33-37 ,4* 5,6 6, W,K.Firm ­
i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R ep o rt I I , 9 ,1 2 ,1 7 .
3 . Rez.a Khan *s Not e , May 2 5 , 1 77 5, C . P . C . IV, 1 6 6 2 .
4*. J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h Reuo r t ..............I I , 24*9.
5. R .B e c h e r t o | . C . Aug. 2 6 , 1 7 6 9 , S .C . C . S e p t. 25, 1 7 6 9 , R /A ,9
6. J .Shore* s M in u te J u n e 1 8 , 1 7 8 9 , p a r a 6 2 , W . K . F i r m i n g e r ( e d . )
The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . I I , 16. *
 1 2
R an gp u r and d e s e r t i o n by o t h e r s i n D i n a j p u r . Thus i t i s
e v i d e n t t h a t t h e r e v e n u e demand on t h e z a m i n d a r s was
o c c a s io n a lly ra is e d e i t h e r to get a share of th e superfluous
incom e o f t h e z a m i n d a r s o r t o meet em erg en ces s u c h a s t h e
payment o f c h a u t h t o t h e M a r a t h a s , t h e b u i l d i n g o f a
Lj.
c a p i t a l and l i k e .

The s a i r , t h e n e x t i m p o r t a n t s o u r c e o f r e v e n u e
m a i n l y c o n s i s t e d o f t o l l s and e x c i s e c o l l e c t e d on r i v e r
t r a f f i c and m a r k e t s , and o f f e e s p a i d by t h e v a r i o u s s e r v i c e
classes. I t i s s i m p ly i m p o s s i b l e t o a s c e r t a i n t h e e x a c t
number o f t h e s a i r t a x e s l e v i e d i n B e n g a l., I n t h e second
y e a r o f Aurangzeb* s r e i g n as many as 80 i m p o s t s were
5
d e c l a r e d a b o l i s h e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e E m p ire . The l o n g l i s t s
o f s a i r c o l l e c t i o n s i n N adia^ and H u g l i ^ i l l u s t r a t e t h e wide
range of i t s sources. The r a h d a r i o r i n l a n d d u t y c o l l e c t e d
on t h e h i g h w a y s , f r o n t i e r s and f e r r i e s , and g a n d e r y , a ground

1 . J . S h o r e ' s M i n u t e , J u n e 1 8 , 1 78 9 , p a r a , 6 2 ,W . K . F i r m i n g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . . I I . 16.
2 . R . B e c h e r t o B.C. Aug. 2 6 , 1 7 6 9 , B . C . C . S e p t . 2 ? , 1 7 6 9 , R / A , 9 . /
3 . J.G ra n t, H is to ric a l and C o m p a r a tiv e A n a l y s i s , W . K . F i r m i n g e r .
( e d . ) , The P i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . I I T 2 1 8 -2 2 0 . / ;
*+• I t i i d . , 2 2 1 .
5. K h a f i Khan, M untakhabi?ul-Lubab, I I , H . M . E l l i o t & J.D ow son .
( t r . ) , The H i s t o r y o f I n d i a . V I I , 2M>-2^7.
6 . F . R e d f e a r n t o B .R .M a rch 8 , 1 7 9 1 , B . R . J . P . J a n , 3 0 , 1 7 9 3 , B127 /8 8
7 . , B.M.Add.MBS.2 9 , 0 8 8 , 133.
o r h o u s e t a x p a i d by t h e t r a d e s m e n , s h o p k e e p e r s and r e t a i l
m e r c h a n t s c o n t r i b u t e d most t o t h e s a i r c o l l e c t i o n s * The
r a h d a r i and p a n d e r y t o l l s commonly d e n o m i n a t e d g h a t o r c h a u k i
I ■ ■ m u ' mu Ill

and h a t d u t i e s w ere im po sed on a l l a r t i c l e s o f l i f e a t t h e i r

t r a n s i t t h r o u g h t h e z a m i n d a r i s , and f o r t h e e njoy m ent o f
l
t h e i r s a l e f a c i l i t i e s a t t h e m a rk e t p l a c e s *
A p a r t fro m t h e governm ent c u s to m p o s t s , h a t s ,
b a z a r s and g a n j e s , t h e z a m i n d a r s m a i n t a i n e d o r e r e c t e d some
p r i v a t e o nes o f t e n d e l i b e r a t e l y t o augment t h e income o f t h e
2
zam indaris* The r i v a l z a m i n d a r s , so m e tim e s s e t t i n g up
p a r a l l e l m a r k e t i n g p l a c e s n e a r by a t t e m p t e d t o d i v e r t t h e
m e r c h a n t s and c u s t o m e r s t o t h e i r own. The s t a f f a p p o i n t e d
le v i e d ta x e s a t t h e m arketing p la c e s , supervised th e a f f a i r s
o f t h e m a r k e t s , and a l s o c h e c k e d w e i g h t s and m e a s u r e s and t h e
if.
q u a lity of a r t i c l e s sold.
The z a m i n d a r s had t o pay r e v e n u e t o t h e governm ent
f o r t h e p r i v i l e g e o f h o l d i n g g h a t s and h a t s i n t h e i r z a m i n d a r i s

1* P .C . C . K * Aug, 3 , 1 7 7 2 , I - I I I ( i n o n e ) , 935 C .C .C . t o B.R*

May 20 , 1 782, B .R .C . May 3 1 , 1 7 82 , RJOAO; A .M .& e r a j u d d in ,
The Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g , 2*+9-
2 . P.C.C*R„M* J u l y 1 8 , 1 77 1, V I , 7-
3* H . C o t t r e l l t o C.C.R.M. J a n , 17, 1 77 1, F .C .C .R .M . Feb* >+,
1 7 7 1 , I I I , IO 35 G . V . P . , Bep. ^* 6 9 , 1 2 1 .
k* Shamser G h a z i r P u n t h i * D .C .S e n , Vanga S a h i t y a P a r i c h a y a
I I , 1853; K . S i n h a , Ra.ima la * 1 2 5 ? T ^ ! o I ^ i i r T 8 T tB r f
W i l l i a m C o u n c i l , Dec. i f , " 1 / 5 2 , J . Z . H o l w e l l & F r i e n d s ,
I n d i a T r a c t s , 15*+*
b u t were ex em pted fro m t h e r e v e n u e f o r t h e l a n d s on w hich
1 ''
t h e cu sto m p o s t s and m a r k e t s were e r e c t e d . The z a m i n d a r s
s o m etim e s i n s t e a d o f m anaging t h e c h a u k i e s t h e m s e l v e s ,
; I'S
farm ed them o u t t o c h a u k i d a r s o r g h a t w a l s .
The s u p e r v i s o r y power o f t h e z a m i n d a r s o v e r
J :r

f a i r s , y a t r a s and p i l g r i m s a t t h e s h r i n e s was a p r o f i t a b l e
2 "
s o u r c e o f income t o them. To c i t e an e x a m p le . Many ^
d e v o t e e s f l o c k e d fro m t h e d i f f e r e n t p a r t s o f t h e c o u n t r y
t o t h e a n c i e n t t e m p l e a t D eo gh ar s i t u a t e d w i t h i n t h e bounds
o * -V
o f t h e Bxrbhum R a j a , t o w o r s h i p and o f f e r g i f t s . Of t h e s e
g i f t s th e zam indar took t h e e l e p h a n ts , cam els, h o r s e s ,
' ^ ."=‘r ^

p a l a n q u i n s , g o l d mohurs and p e a r l s . Out o f t h e l e s s v a l u a b l e

a r t i c l e s s u c h a s s i l v e r . , c l o t h s , b e a d s e t c . , ^ went t o t h e
- y't
p r i n c i p a l Brahmin f o r d e f r a y i n g t h e c h a r g e s o f r e l i g i o u s w
p
e x p e n s e s o f t h e t e m p l e , and § b e l o n g e d t o t h e z a m i n d a r .
■:

D u r i n g t h e e a r l y y e a r s o f t h e Company a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , t h e R a j a
’rt
o f Birbhum c o n t i n u e d t o e n j o y t h e p r o f i t s fro m t h e t e m p l e on
'V I ,l

payment o f an amount o f R s .2 0 6 2 a l o n g w i t h t h e f i x e d jama o f

& ■ >
t h e p a r g a n a h o f D eo gh a r and S e r h a u t .

1 . H . C o t t r e l l t o B.R. J a n . 1 7 , 1 7 7 1 , P .C .C .R .M . ' F e b A . 1 7 7 1 , 1 1 1 .
IO 35 S . B i r d t o B.R. Aug. 3 0 ,1 7 9 2 , B .R.M .P. ,N o v .2 1 ,1 7 9 2 ,R 8 9 /3 9 * ,
2 . K h a f i Khan, f i u n t a k h a b n u l - L u b a b I I , H . M * E l l i o t & J.Dowson ( t r . ) ,
The H i s t o r y o f I n d i a , V I I , 2^6} J . A . V a s , B .D . G . R a n g p u r ^ .
3 . E x t r a c t o f t h e P r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e C o u n c i l a t Burdwan, B .R .C .
Oct. 3 , 177 ^ 3 R ^ 9 A 7 . A
k* I b i d .
5. I b i d . A
 Because of t h e p a u c ity o f in f o r m a tio n i t i s
d i f f i c u l t t o a s c e r ta i n th e r a te of s a i r duties* The custom
d u t i e s on m e r c h a n d i s e "was l e v i e d a t t h e r a t e o f 2 $ $ on t h e
^ 1
Muslims and % on t h e n o n -M u slim s. In a d d itio n to general
2
r a t e s , t h e r e e x i s t e d some l o c a l t o l l s and c e s s e s . The
z a m i n d a r s and o t h e r s c o n c e r n e d , g r o s s l y a b u s i n g t h e i r p o w e rs ,
3
en h an ced many o l d t a x e s and l e v i e d new o n e s . C onsequently
t h e r a t e s of s a i r c o l l e c t i o n s v a r ie d w idely i n t h e d i f f e r e n t
zam indaris.
I t a p p e a r s fro m t h e c o n t e m p o r a r y r e c o r d s t h a t
t h e Mughal r u l e r s were a l i v e t o t h e p ro b le m o f i l l e g a l
im p o sitio n s of t o l l s . I m p e r i a l e d i c t s were i s s u e d from t i m e
5
to tim e t o p r o h i b i t th e i l l e g a l c e s s e s . An e d i c t o f
A urangzeb f o r b a d e a l l t h e s e c e s s e s a t a c o n s i d e r a b l e l o s s
6
t o t h e g ov ern m e n t t r e a s u r y * But t h e ban embodied i n t h e
e d i c t s o f t h e E m p e ro rs was o f t e n i g n o r e d e s p e c i a l l y by t h e
zam indars o f t h e d i s t a n t p ro v in c e s . In Bengal th e c o l l e c t i o n

1 . A .G a llo w a y , O b s e r v a t i o n s on t h e Law and C o n s t i t u t i o n and

P r e s e n t Government o f I n d i a , 118, R . B e c h e r t o S . C . A u g . 26,
1 7 6 9 , S . C . C . , S e p t . 2 5 , 1 7 6 9 , R / A , 9*
2 . W .H .M oreland, From Akbar t o A u ra n g z e b , 2 8 3 .
3* I b i d . 5 F o u r t h R e p o r t from t h e Committee o f S e c r e c y , 1773?
R e p o r t s . House o f Commons IV , 9 6 .
k. E x t r a c t from B .R .C . A p r i l 2,177*+ and Summary c o n c e r n i n g
G ovt. Custom. .. . .1 7 8 1 - 1 7 8 * * , I I . M . S . , 2 1 6 , 5 0 - 5 2 , 8 2 .
5* Wo He M o r e l a n d , From Akbar t o A u ra n g z e b , 28*+.
6 . S a q i Mustad Khan, M a s i r - i - A l a m g i r i » J . I ' L S a r k a r ( t r . ) , 165
K h a f i Khan, M u n t a k h a b t e u l - L u b a b , I I , I I * M . E l l i o t & J.D o w so n,
The H i s t o r y o f I n d i a V I I , 2*+7*
 o f t h e i l l e g a l i z e d t o l l s . c o n t i n u e d u n a b a t e d and t h e amount o f
. 1
some even enhanced* By t h e m i d d l e o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y
t h e m a t t e r became so w o rse t h a t “b e tw e e n t h e t i m e o f l e a v i n g
t h e f a c t o r y o r p o r t and r e a c h i n g t h e i r d e s t i n a t i o n , goods and
; 2
m e r c h a n d i s e pay d o u b l e t h e i r c o s t p r i c e i n t o l l 14. The
Nawabs o f B e n g a l t r i e d t o c u r b t h e s e e v i l s * T o l l s on some
3
i t e m s were p r o h i b i t e d and t h e z a m i n d a r s were i m m e d i a t e l y
ij.
a l l o w e d an e q u i v a l e n t d e d u c t i o n from t h e i r a n n u a l revenue*

•i
The b a z i - j a m a , a n o t h e r s o u r c e o f r e v e n u e consti**.
d im [■ww^wwwawiiii'i'wri.iiffni nn mn rnrrr __4

5
t u t e d o f some a r t i c l e s o f ' c a s u a l and e c c e n t r i c n a t u r e 1.
T h e i r u n c e r t a i n c h a r a c t e r r e n d e r e d them i n d e t e r m i n a b l e .
F i n e s , f o r f e i t u r e s and m a r r i a g e f e e s were t h e p r i n c i p a l v
s o u r c e s o f t h e bazi~ .iatna. The f i n e s im po sed a t t h e b a z i -
jam a c o u r t s : form ed a c o n s i d e r a b l e p a r t o f t h i s s o u r c e of
6
revenue. The t a x on m a r r i a g e f e e s p a i d t o t h e B rahm in s
' • 7
and Maulavies w ere te r m e d a s h a l d a r i o r m aro c h a w h ich a l s o
MnMnaCBESnKBsamraMtsDOkta n m w H V U E M M R ffin s m v .»

1 . K h a f i Khan, MuntakhabMul-Lubab I I , H . M . E l l i o t & J.Dowson

( t r * ) , The H i s t o r y o f I n d i a V I I , 2hQ$ W .H .M oreland,
From Akbar t o Aur a n g z e b , 2 £ h - 2 8 5.
2 . K h a f i Khan, M untakhab^wl-Lubab I I , H . M . E l l i o t & J.D ow son
( t r . ) , The H i s t o r y o f I n d i a V I I , 2 k 8 $ Bee a l s o C.0:*f?.p.
May l>t, 1 7 7 2 , R b 7 / $ + .
3. F . G l a d w i n ( t r . ) , T . B . . 8 1 ! B . P . G . D e c . 2 0 , ^ 7 6 0 , R I / 3 2 .
B .P.C . D e c .'2 0 , 1 7 6 0 , R I / 3 2 . ..
5. B.M.Add, MSS.2.9 , 086, l a . ,
6 . Vide i n f r a j 265. 5
7. C . B e n t l e y t o Q.C. Aug. 1 0 , 1 7 7 2 , B . D . R . , C h i t t a g o n g I , P a r t
1 1 , 1 3 8 ; C.W.B.Rous t o H a s t i n g s , A u g .1 0 , 1 7 7 2 , L . C . B . S . R . ^ 7 .
i n c l u d e d t h e i m p o s t s l e v i e d on t h e s u b j e c t s on t h e o c c a s i o n
o f t h e z a m i n d a r s 1 own m a r r i a g e o r some members o f t h e i r
1 .

fam ily. . An i n t e r e s t i n g s o u r c e o f t h e b a z i - o a m a was t h e

2
s e i z u r e of t h e p ro p e rty of th e s u b j e c ts dying h e i r l e s s .
T a x e s f o r s e l l i n g s p i r i t u o u s l i q u o r s , g r a z i n g c a t t l e on
p l a i n s o r commons, c u t t i n g woods o r s t r a w a l s o came 'under
t h i s head.

At t h e b e g i n n i n g o f e a c h f i n a n c i a l y e a r two band~o
b a s t o r s e t t l e m e n t s , one b e tw e e n t h e g ov ern m e n t and t h e
z a m i n d a r s - c a l l e d t h e s a d a r-band»»Q~bast, and t h e o t h e r
g ■* . • - 'i — — iiiin iM i— iiiiii. i i 111 iu.iiu i Wiii . — ■■iiH in w iifc.iM U 'W uwmi r i w w m. i ■i. uhW ilI i1! /

b e tw e e n t h e z a m i n d a r s
and t h e r a i y a t s known a s t h e m u f a s s a l - '
•3 * ~ ’
■b and-»o-bast were made . The s a d a r - b a n d - o - b a s t was c o n c l u d e d
a t t h e punya cerem ony h e l d a t t h e K h a l s a a t M u rsh id ab a d . On .
t h a t o c c a s i o n t h e r e v e n u e a c c o u n t s o f t h e p a s t y e a r were
s e t t l e d and new a g r e e m e n t s b e tw e e n t h e g o v ern m e n t and t h e

1. D inajpur R aja1s p e t i t i o n , P . C . C . R . M. S e p t. 2 3 , 1771? VII

(A)., 79; C . Stewart to B .R . Jan. 2*+, 1773, B .R .C . F e b . 9 ,
1773, 1*9/38, 1161.
2 . D a s t u r - a l - A m a l - i - A l a m g i r i , 23b; F a t h i y a - i ~ I b r i y a , 1 31b,
q u o t e d i n I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n S y s te m , . . . . 2 k 6 t
J . S h a k e s p e a r t o C.C.R.M. D e c . ? , 1 77 0, P .C .C .R .M . Dec. 1 0 ,
1770, I I , 3 8 .
3 . F r a n c i s M S a . E u r . E . 2 8 , 170; B.K.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 6 , i+b.
k . I n most p a r t s o f B e n g a l , t h e punya was h e l d i n A p r i l
corresponding to Baisak, the TTrsTJ month o f t h e B e n g a l year
5. Y u s u f A l i , A h w a l- i - M a h a b a t -Ja n g , J . I . S a r k a r , B e n g a l Haw a b a ,
1 5 V, A .K arim , M u rsh id Q u ll Khan 90.
 ic*f

1
z a m i n d a r s w ere r e a c h e d a t . The z a m i n d a r s t h e n p r o c e e d e d t o
make m u f a s s a l - b a n d ~ o - b a s t w i t h t h e t a i u k d a r s . k u t k i n a d a r s .
and w i t h t h e r a i y a t s where r e n t s were c o l l e c t e d d i r e c t l y
2
fro m them* T h i s was done a t t h e l e s s e r p u n y a s h e l d i n
11a l l t h e D i s t r i c t s , by a p r o g r e s s i o n from t h e v i l l a g e s and
s u b d i v i s i o n s t o t h e p r i n c i p a l c u t c h e r r i e s 11. The r e n t s f o r
t h e c u l t i v a t e d l a n d s were r e a l i z e d i n k i s t s o r i n s t a l m e n t s
a t t h e t i m e o f h a r v e s t , f o r t h e i n h a b i t e d l a n d s and s a i r
s o u r c e s r e n t s were c o l l e c t e d e v e r y month.
VJhile t h e r e v e n u e demand on t h e z a m i n d a r s was
f i x e d by t h e r e n t - r o l l , i t was open t o t h e z a m i n d a r s t o
assess th e r e n t ' of th e in d iv id u a l p easan ts. The m eagre
in fo rm atio n a v a ila b le renders i t d i f f i c u l t to s ta te p re c is e ly
t h e r a t e o f r e n t c o l l e c t e d fro m t h e p e a s a n t s . So g r e a t were
th e d i f f e r e n c e s i n r a t e s t h a t i t v a rie d not only in d i f f e r e n t
p a r ts of th e country but a lso v a rie d w ith in th e s a r k a r s .
o a r g a n a h s and eve n w i t h i n a v i l l a g e . The d i f f e r e n t i a l i n t h e
p r o d u c tiv ity of la n d , th e la b o u r charge r e l a t i n g t o a p a r ­
t i c u l a r c r o p , t h e i r r i g a t i o n f a c i l i t i e s and t h e l o c a l s o c i a l

1 . The p u n y a was a l s o an o c c a s i o n f o r b e s t o w i n g h o n o u r s and

K h i l a t s o n z a m i n d a r s and p a y i n g n a z r a n a t o t h e Nawab and
d i g n i t a r i e s a t t h e C o u rt by t h e za m ind ars*
2 . B.M.Add.MSiS. 2 9 , 0 8 6 , k h .
3 * C*W.B*Rous t o R . B e c h e r , J u n e 2 2 , 1 7 7 0 , L . C . B . 8 . R . 2 k .
J+. A u r a n g z e b 1 s f a r m a n s . J . N . S a r k a r ( t r . ) , “The Revenue
R e g u l a t i o n s o f A u ra n g z e b 11, J*A* 8 . B * 1 9 0 6 , 1 1 , 2 2 8 5 R eza
Khan 1 s N o t e , F e b . 1775, F r a n c i s M8 S . F u r . E . 2 8 , 3>+7.
 105

and a g r a r i a n c u s to m s c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h i s d i v e r s i t y . The ^
2
a s a l o r o r i g i n a l r e n t appears t o have been f ix e d a t ^ o r ^
on t h e a s s e s s m e n t o f t h e a c t u a l p r o d u c e o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l >.
3
peasan ts. S i n c e A urangzeb t h e i m p e r i a l f a r m a n s en u m erated
a r a t e o f r e d u c e d demand w h ich was n o t t o e x c e e d beyond h a l f o f <ff
th e produce. The a d d i t i o n a l l e v i e s w h ich c o u l d c a u s e
h a r d s h i p t o t h e p e a s a n t s and r u i n a t i o n o f a g r i c u l t u r e were
5 . - 4
forbidden. The i m p e r i a l o r d e r a l s o e m p h asize d t h e i
a s s i s t a n c e i n t h e fo rm o f u t e n s i l s , s e e d s , t o o l s and t a q a v i
6
( o r l o a n ) w hich w ere t o be g i v e n t o t h e n e e d y r a i y a t s .
I n p r a c t i c e , h o w eve r, i n t h e i n t e r v e n i n g p e r i o d
b e t w e e n t h e s e t t l e m e n t s o f T o d a r Mai and M u rs h id Q u l i Kha$,
abwabs and m a t h a u t s were imposed b o t h p u b l i c l y and p r i v a t e l y
a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l s , and t h e r e b y t h e r e n t s o f t h e p e a s a n t s
7
enhanced. The s t a n d a r d r a t e o f s e t t l e m e n t com puted by Karim

1 . N. A . S i d d i q i , hand Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n k^k69

2 . Gholam H o s a i n Khan 1 s a n s w e r , J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t from
H a r l n g to n * s A n a l y s i s 1 2 0 -1 2 7 ; J . S h o r e * s M i n u t e , J u n e 1 8 ,
1789? p a r a s 1*45* 3 8 8 , W . K . F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h
Repor t I I , 3k,8k.
3 . R i s a l a - i - Z i r a t , 12b q u o te d i n I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n S y s te m . .
. . . 1 7 8 ; R e z a K h a n ' s N o t e , F e b . 1775* F r a n c i s M S S .E u r .E . 2 8 , 3 *4 6 .
*4. A u ra n g z e b * s f a r m a n s . J . N . S a r k a r ( t r . ) , “The Revenue R e g u l a - "
t i o n s o f A uran g zeb ".J.A .S »B . ,1 9 0 6 ,1 1 ,2 2 8 ,2 3 3 ; N .A .S id d iq i,
Land Revenue Adm in i s t r a t i o n . . . . .*4 0 .
W B W B H tuu.iii.ihUj 11m u
\ ’v: 4-

5. S an a d s t o R a j a R am kanta, and t h e E a s t I n d i a Company, q u o t e d i n , ;;

W .K . F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) yThe F i f t h R e p o r t ............ I , x l v i i ; H . V e r e l s t
A View o f t h e R i s e and P r o g r e s s . . . . .1*47.
6 . A u ra n g zeb * s f a r m a n , J . N . S a r k a r ( t r . ) , "The Revenue R e g u l a t i o n s
o f A u r a n g z e b " , J . A. S. B. 1 9 0 6 , I I ,22*4-225: Royroyan* s a n s w e r,
J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t from H a r in g to n * s A n a l y s i s 16*4.
7. J . S h o r e ' s M i n u t e , J u n e 1 8 , 1 7 8 9 , p a r a s 39 2 , 528, W . K . F i r m i n g e r i
( e d . ) , The F i f t h . R e p o r t I I , 85> 113.
as £ d u r i n g M u rsh id Q u l i *s t e n u r e was augm ented i n t h e
subsequent p e rio d . The r a t e o f / l Q / ~ a n n a s p e r h i g h a o r k a n i
d u r i n g M ursh id Q u l i a p p e a r s t o hav e b e e n r a i s e d t o R s . 2 / ~ i f
2
n o t h i g h e r d u r i n g t h e y e a r s 1755-1761* The d a t a from t h e
e a r ly B r i t i s h p e rio d a ls o suggest t h a t th e re n t of a bigha
o f l a n d was n o t l e s s t h a n R s . 2 / - e x c l u s i v e o f abwabs and
3
m a t h a u t s w hich were s e p a r a t e l y c h a r g e d by name.
The n a t u r e o f t h e ag reem en t r e a c h e d b e tw e e n t h e
r a i y a t s and t h b z a m i n d a r s were o f two t y p e s ~ c u s t o m a r y and
co n tractu al. So f a r a s t h e f i r s t was c o n c e r n e d , t h e r e n t
was ' r e g u l a t e d by t h e known r a t e s c a l l e d N i r k ' . The n i r k
was a r a t e p e r b i g h a f i x e d t a k i n g i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h e
p r o d u c e , t y p e o f a r t i c l e and cu stom and p r a c t i c e s o f a
Lj.
p articu lar lo c a lity . The r a i y a t s , t i l l i n g l a n d f o r g e n e r ­
a t i o n s i n t h e i r own v i l l a g e , b e t t e r known a s k h u d k a s h t r a i y a t s
p a i d t h e i r r e n t s f i x e d by n i r k . They were c u s t o m a r i l y n e i t h e r

1 . A.K arim , M u rshid Q u l i Khan. . . . * 8 5 - 8 8 .

2 . B.M.Add.MSB.1950k, k k ,
The m a n u s c r i p t c o n t a i n s two p a t t a s g r a n t e d t o one
k h u d k a s h t and one p a i k a s h t r a i v a t s i n 1162 B , S . (1 7 5 5 -1 7 5 6 )
a n t l l o 7 B .S . ( 1 7 6 0 - 1 7 6 1 ) r e s p e c t i v e l y s t a t i n g r e n t s
p a y a b l e by them a t t h e r a t e o f R s . 2 / - b o t h f o r c u l t i v a b l e
and i n h a b i t e d l a n d . I n t h e seco nd p a t t a t h e r e was f u r t h e r ­
more t h e s t i p u l a t i o n f o r payment o f l o c a l abwabs .
3 . H astings' M i n u t e , B .R .C . Nov. 1 2 , 17 7 6, Rk9/65$ J . S h o r e ' s
M i n u t e , J u n e 1 7 , 1 7 8 9 , p a r a . 393, Wai. F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) ,
The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . I I . 8 5, (See a p p e n d i x B ) .
k . R o y ro y a n * s a n s w e r , J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t fro m H a r i n g t o n 1s
A nalysis. ....1 5 5 : J . S h o r e ' s M inute, Ju n e 18, 1 7 8 9 ,p a r a s
3 9 1 - 3 9 2 , W .K .F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t IX ,8 k ~ 8 5
 107

g r a n t e d t h e p a t t a (d e ed o f l e a s e ) n o r t h e y t h e m s e l v e s were
k e e n t o g e t one* The H hudkasht r a i y a t s w ere r e l u c t a n t t o come
t o a f o r m a l a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e z a m i n d a r s b e c a u s e t h a t would
p l a c e them 1 a t t h e mercy o f t h e z e m i n d a r s , who m ig h t i n
f u t u r e g r a n t them / t h e l a n d s 7 t o whom t h e y p l e a s e d 1 I t was
t h e p a i k a s h t o r n o n - r e s i d e n t r a i y a t s w i t h whom a c o n t r a c t was
e x e c u te d * They r e c e i v e d p a t t a s from t h e z a m i n d a r s f o r a
s p e c i f i c sum f o r a g i v e n t r a c t o f l a n d w h e t h e r c u l t i v a t e d o r
2
not*
3
I n B e n g a l p r o p e r , u n l i k e B i h a r and O r i s s a crop-
s h a r i n g b e t w e e n t h e z a m in d a r and t h e r a i y a t s was n o t i n
common practice* **
nI n B e n g a l , i n s t e a d o f a d i v i s i o n o f t h e c r o p , o r o f
th e e stim a te d valu e of i t , in th e c u rre n t co in , th e
w hole amount p a y a b l e by t h e i n d i v i d u a l c u l t i v a t o r ,
was c o n s o l i d a t e d i n t o one sum c a U e d t h e a s s u l o r
o r i g i n a l r e n t . 11 5

And t h e r e n t was p a i d i n cash*

1 * S . B i r d t o B .R * , Ja n .l* + , 1 ? 8 8 , B . R . P . , May 6 , 1 7 8 8 , R 7 0 A 1 .
2* I b i d . , J . S h o r e 1 s M i n u t e , J u n e 18, 1789? p a r a 22*+, W.K*
F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , 5*+*
3 . I n B i h a r and O r i s s a t h e g e n e r a l cu s to m had b e e n t o d i v i d e
t h e c r o p e i t h e r d i r e c t l y b e tw e e n t h e g ov ernm ent and t h e
p e a s a n t s o r b e t w e e n t h e z a m i n d a r s and t h e p e a s a n t s .
( J . S h o r e ’ s M i n u t e , S e p t . 1 8 , 1 78 9, W . K .F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) ,
The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , ^ 7 9 .).
*+. H . S . J a r r e t t ( t r . ) , Ain I I , 122.
5. F i f t h R e p o r t fro m t h e S e l e c t C o m m i t t e e . . . . . W .K . F i r m i n g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I , 28.
 ■ ^ 108-.;; ■

The z a m i n d a r s i n t h e i r t u r n r e m i t t e d t h e s t i p u l a t e d v
1 ■ ' ’ .
revenue i n cash. S i n c e t h e r e was no g o v ern m e n t t r e a s u r y i n
t h e s u b o r d i n a t e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e c i r c l e s , t h e c o l l e c t i o n from
2 - " "i*
t h e n a r g a n a h s were s e n t t o t h e sadar c u t c h e r r y . A fter ;J
d e d u c tin g t h e custom ary allo w an c es, t h e zam indars used t o
d e s p a tc h th e revenue i n c a r t s t o th e t r e a s u r y a t th e c a p ita l ;;
o f t h e sub a h . T h en c e t h e i m p e r i a l s h a r e was co n v e y ed t o
• 3 ~'£
.D e lh i i n c a r t - l o a d s w i t h armed e s c o r t s . When t h e s u c c e s s i o n
d i s p u t e s f o l l o w i n g A u r a n g z e b 1s d e a t h undermined t h e s e c u r i t y , f
5 '■
t h i s t r a d i t i o n a l method o f d e s p a t c h was a b a n d o n e d . D u rin g
t h e l a t t e r p a r t o f Mawab M urshid Quli* s t e n u r e , t h e payment 1

o f r e v e n u e t h r o u g h s h r o f f s o r b a n k e r s was i n t r o d u c e d . The
z a m i n d a r s and ami I s n e g o t i a t e d t h e g r o s s r e v e n u e w i t h t h e ;■
b a n k e r s , who p a i d t h e amount i n s i c c a s t o t h e t r e a s u r y
6
c h a r g i n g a c e r t a i n r a t e o f exch ang e fro m t h e z a m i n d a r s . At

t h e b e g i n n i n g o f each f i n a n c i a l y e a r , t h e z a m i n d a r s and ami I s

1 . T h e r e w ere few e x c e p t i o n s . F o r i n s t a n c e , , t h e zam indars o f

R a n g a m a ti u s e d t o su p p ly e l e p h a n t s i n l i e u o f p a y i n g money.
2 . R .B echer t o J . R i d e r , D e c . 20 , 1 7 6 9 , 8 .C .C . J a n . 2 8 , 1 7 7 0 , R / A , 1 0 . g
3 . N .M an u c ei,S t o r i a Do Mogor, W. I r v i n e ( t r . ) , 1 1 ,1 1 7 ;
F . Gladwin ( t r , ) , L b T A .
*+. A .K arim , M u rsh id G u l i Khan. . . . M t - **7. ' -v;
5. J . H . L i t t l e , "The House o f J a g a i S e th " , B . P . P . . 1 9 2 0 , 121.
6 . Reza K han's p r o p o s a l, B .P .C . March 2 8 , 1769} HI/M+; J .G r o s e t o
R .B ec h e r, N ov.1 0 , 17 70, P.C.C.R.M . D ee. 6 , 1 7 7 0 , I I , 29; i
■S.Middleton t o B .R . O ct. 10," 1 77 k, B .R .C . O ct. 1 8 , 1 7 7 k . .1
R^9A7. ?
c l o s e d t h e p r e v i o u s year* s a c c o u n t s and c o n t r a c t e d f o r t h e
ensuing y e a r . Jagat S eth , th e c h i e f b an k e r o f: t h e c i t y sto o d
a s s e c u r i t y f o r any b a l a n c e o u t s t a n d i n g t o t h e a c c o u n t o f a
1 ■ ■;:1-
zam indar or a m iI.
The payment t h r o u g h t h e b a n k e r s e n s u r e d a s a f e
d e s p a t c h o f t h e p u b l i c rev en u es fed Murshidabad and m in im iz e d
th e r is k of d e fa u ltin g . The z a m i n d a r s had t o pay t h e i r d u e s
i n m o n th ly i n s t a l m e n t s w h e re a s t h e y c o u l d c o l l e c t r e n t s fro m ?
th e p e a sa n ts a t th e tim e of h a r v e s tin g . Under t h e b a n k i n g
system , th e s h r o f f s is s u e d d r a f t s i n fa v o u r o f i n d i v i d u a l
z a m i n d a r s f o r t h e payment o f t h e i r m o n t h ly k i s t s and r e a l i z e d
2
t h e money from them a t t h e t i m e , o f h a r v e s t . The p r a c t i c e
p r o v e d even more u s e f u l t o t h e z a m i n d a r s i n t h e s u b s e q u e n t
p e r i o d when t h e su b a h d .a ri abwabs m u l t i p l i e d and p u n c t u a l
c o m p l i a n c e o f t h e r e v e n u e demands o f t h e Company became
d ifficu lt.
I n t h e l o n g r u n , h ow eve r, t h e payment o f r e v e n u e s ,
by b i l l s p ro v e d d e t r i m e n t a l t o t h e zam indars as w e l l as t o t h e
g o v e r n m e n t. The .-zamindars, i n a r r e a r s t o t h e b a n k e r s t h r o u g h -
o u t t h e y e a r , had t o c o n c e d e - t o t h e i r u n f a v o u r a b l e term s.

1 . Y u s u f A l i , J h i w a l-i-M a h a b a t J a n g , 'J .N .S a rk a r ( t r . ) ,
Nawabs, lp ^ -155 ? W. B o l t s , C o n s i d e r a t i o n s . . » .1 5 6 - 1 5 8 .
2 . R . B e c h e r t o S .C . May 2 k , 17&9> -L .C .B . I , X I I ; E . G . G l a z i e r ,
A Repo r t on th e D i s t r i c t o f Rangpur, I , 1 7 .
3 . J . D u n c a n t o G.G. S e p t . 1 2 , 1 7 88 , B .R .C . O c t. 3 , 1 7 8 8 , R 5 1 / 2 ? i A
 iio

M o r e o v e r ? t h e s h r o f f s p r o f i t t e d from t h e u n s c i e n t i f i c
c h a ra c te r of th e s i l v e r currency. In th e absence of a
s t a n d a r d iz e d c o in th e y in v e n te d a nom inal c o i n c a l l e d th e
' c u r r e n t 1 rupee as th e s ta n d a rd rupee f o r v a l u a t i o n . Jagat
1
S e t h i n t r o d u c e d t h e c u sto m o f '* B atta, o r a g i o upon t h e r u p e e
c a l l e d S i c c a s , w h ic h i s a r e a l c o i n a g e o f s t a n d a r d s i l v e r
2 ' ;
a c c o r d i n g t o t h e e s t a b l i s h e d la w s o f t h e l a t e e m p i r e . 1*
The s i c c a r u p e e s r e c o i n e d t r i e n n i a l l y were n o t s u f f i c i e n t l y
av a ilab le. . The r a i y a t s had t o b e a r t h e b u r d e n o f an
a d d i t i o n a l b a t t a when t h e y p a i d t h e i r r e n t s i n worn o ut
k
rupees.
The E a s t I n d i a Company em erg in g as t h e supreme >
p o l i t i c a l power i n t h e s u b a h . r e p l a c e d t h e House o f J a g a t
S eth, as th e c r e d i t o r t o t h e Nawab, w h i l e t h e s e r v a n t s o f p
t h e Company and t h e i r V
gumash t a s b e g a n t o p l a y t h e r o l e o f s h r o f f
i>m i h m niW 'i; mu' m u ^ wjnviiii *ri—r t a w A V

t o t h e z a m i n d a r s . f a r m e r s and r a i y a t s . The r e m i t t a n c e o f ?

1. A d is c o u n t f o r c o in in g c u r re n c y .
2 . W, B o l t s , C o n siderations 1 57 . <
3 . E n j o y i n g t h e monopoly o f c o i n i n g money a t M u rs h id a b a d Mint
on b e h a l f o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t, t h e House o f J a g a t S e t h
m ig h t h a v e c r e a t e d a r t i f i c i a l s h o r t a g e o f c o i n s .
k m A.Dow, The H i s t o r y of H industan I , c x x x i v ; W. B o l t s ,
Cons i d e r a t i o n s ............ 1 5 7-158 #
l i mn *t H i n g nrim ■m n ■rmn* w t " ii i w i a t * m fimn» n»— .1ii i

5. S .C .C . O ct. 5, R / A , 6 ; C. P u r l i n g t o C.C .R.M . May 6 , 1772,

P .C .C .R .M . May 1 1 , 1 7 72 , X I, 2 5 - 2 6 ; A.M.Khan The T r a n s i t i o n ;
in B engal. 2 3 , 1 7 6 .
 Ill

t h e r e v e n u e t h r o u g h b i l l s o f t h e h o u s e o f J a g a t S e t h was
1
d i s c o u r a g e d and t h e c a s h payment was i n t r o d u c e d .
W i t h t h e r © i n t r o d u c t i o n o f c a s h payment a t a t i m e
2
when t h e c o i n s w ere s c a r c e and t h e demand f o r p u n c t i l i o u s
r e m i t t a n c e o f t h e r e v e n u e s was p r e s s i n g , t h e z a m i n d a r s had
t o r e l y more and more on t h e p r i v a t e m e r c h a n t s and t h e
s e r v a n t s o f t h e Company f o r l o a n . T h i s new c l a s s o f money­
l e n d e r s became so p o w e r f u l t h a t when a z a m i n d a r f a i l e d t o
pay d e b t s , t h e i r s e p o y s o r g u m a s h ta s s e i z e d t h e c o l l e c t i o n s
3
o f t h e e s t a t e and so m etim e s even t h e p e r s o n o f t h e d e b t o r .
The i n t e r f e r e n c e o f t h e s e c r e d i t o r s on r e a l o r f i c t i t i o u s
g r o u n d s compounded by t h e e v a s i v e n a t u r e o f some z a m i n d a r s ,
p r e c i p i t a t e d a c r i s i s i n t h e revenue c o l l e c t i o n . On R eza
If
Khan1s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n t h e S e l e c t Com mittee p r o h i b i t e d t h e
Company's men " f r o m l e n d i n g money t o t h e Z e m in d a rs o r o t h e r
s e r v a n t s o f t h e Government on t h e s e c u r i t y o f l a n d s by l e a s e
o f m o r t g a g e and a l s o from e x e r t i n g any d e g r e e o f i n f l u e n c e i n
th e appointm ent t o th e p u b lic o f f i c e s , or o th erw ise i n t e r -

1 , R e z a K h a n 's P r o p o s a l , B . P . C , , March 2 8 , 17&9? ‘

2 , Ib id .

3 , C .P .C . I , 1712.
k. R.Khan t o B.C. O ct. k 9 1 7&5> S .C .C . Oct. 5, 17&5, R /A , 6 .
 112

f e r in g d i r e c t l y or i n d i r e c t l y w ith th e b u sin ess of th e

1
Government on p a i n o f suspension *1. A ls o on t h e recommen­
d a t i o n o f R eza Khan t h e p r a c t i c e o f payment o f t h e r e v e n u e s
2
t h r o u g h t h e b ank was r e v i v e d . But t h e u n s t a b l e c o i n a g e and
e x o rb ita n t r a te s o f i n t e r e s t continued to b e d e v il th e
3
revenue c o l l e c t i o n .
To f a c i l i t a t e t h e c o l l e c t i o n and s u p e r i n t e n d e n c e
o f t h e zam indari a f f a i r s t h e e x t e n s i v e e s t a t e s were d i v i d e d
i n t u r n i n t o a number o f narganahs . t a r a f s o r d i h s .
■■Irnif '■w — >irw— i f
Each
eB*wmeip*wiae»etNieu=i«» i w j i Lw '— w w i

If
t a r a f c o m p r i s e d a number o f v i l l a g e s . in each of th e s e
5
d i v i s i o n s a c u t c h e r r y t r a n s a c t e d t h e zam in d ari b u s i n e s s .
Headed by a n a i b . a pa r g a n a h c u t c h e r r y was manned by a h o s t
o f em p lo y ees, t h e number d e p e n d i n g on t h e i m p o r t a n c e and s i z e
of th e parganah .^ The karam chari and t h e n a t w a r i were t h e
two z a m i n d a r i o f f i c i a l s who managed t h e r e v e n u e a f f a i r s o f a

1 . S .C .C . O ct. 5, 1765? R/A, 6 .

2 . J . G r o s e t o R . B e c h e r Nov. 1 0 , 1770, P .C .C .R .M . D e c . 6 ,
1 7 7 0 , I I , 295 S . M i d d l e t o n t o G.G. Oct. 1 0 , 1 7 7 ^ ,
B .R .G . O ct. 1 8 , 177*+, R ^ 9 A 7 .
3 . J . R e e d t o C.C.R.M . Dee. 1 7 , 1770, P .C .C .R .M . Dec. 20,
1 7 70 , I I , 1 0 6 - 1 0 7 ; G. P u r l i n g t o C.C.R.M* May 6 , 1770,
P .C .C .R .M . May 1 1 , 1 772, X I, 2 5 - 2 6 .
k. F r a n c i s M B S.E ur.E .28 , 1 7 I 5 B.M.Add. MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 6 .
5. B.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 6 , 3 .
6 . Bee a p p e n d i x , G.
 113

v illa g e* The k a r a r a c h a r i was i n c h a r g e o f t h e c o l l e c t i o n and

1
g e n e r a l management; th e uatw ari kept a d e t a i l e d reco rd of
2
l a n d and t h e r e c e i p t s o f t h e c o l l e c t i o n s * A nother zam ind ari
o f f i c e r o f i m p o r t a n c e was t h e h a l s a n a h who m e a s u r e d and
marked o u t t h e l a n d h e l d by e a c h r a i y a t , d i s t r i b u t e d l a n d t o
t h e new t e n a n t , and c o l l e c t e d c r o p s where r e n t was p a i d i n
kind* T h e s e o f f i c e r s a t t h e v i l l a g e l e v e l were a s s i s t e d
Lj*
by t h e m andal or headman* I n t h e d i f f e r e n t w ard s o f a
5
v i l l a g e t h e r e were one o r two mand a l s * At t h e b e g i n n i n g
o f t h e y e a r when t h e amin a s s e s s e d t h e d u e s fro m t h e v i l l a g e ,
t h e mandal u s e d t o a p p o r t i o n t h e r e n t s among t h e i n d i v i d u a l
6
peasants* A m a n d a l 1 s l,d u t y and s i t u a t i o n l e a d him t o a c t
as a m e d i a t o r b e t w e e n t h e r y o t s and t h e p e t t y c o l l e c t o r s o f
t h e re v en u e* t o a s s i s t them i n s e l l i n g t h e i r crop s* and i n
7
r a i s i n g money t o pay t h e i r r e n t s * 11
To i n s p e c t t h e a c t i v i t i e s o f t h e o a t w a r i . karaim-
c h a r i and t h e h a l s a h a * and t o r e c e i v e c o l l e c t i o n s a g u m ash ta
8
was s e n t f r o m t h e s a d a r o r c e n t r a l c u t c h e r r y* The s h i k d a r o r

1 * F r a n c i s MSS.Eur.T5.28, 171*
2* H a s t i n g s * M i n u t e , B .R .C . Nov. 1 2 , 1 7 76 , RH9/65.
3* B.M.Add.MSB, 2 9 , 0 8 6 , - 3 *
k* He was a l s o known as muqaddam o r mukhya.
• Royroyan* s a n s w e r , J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t fro m H a n n g t o n 1 s
A nalysi s 16 0 ; J . S h o r e * s M i n u t e , J u n e 1 8 , 1 7 8 9 , p a r a ” 2 ^ 2 ,
W .K . F i r m i n g e r ( e d * ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , 56.
6* W .H .M oreland, The A g r a r i a n S y s t e m 1^5.
7* B.M.Add.MBS* 2 9 , 0 8 6 , 3 *
8. Ib id .
 11**

i h t im a m d a r was a n o t h e r o f f i c e r s e n t from t h e s a d a r t o
t e m p o r a r i l y s u p e r i n t e n d t h e c o l l e c t i o n and management o f t h e
1
revenues i n th e v i l l a g e s , t a r a f s or a parganah. The
gum a s h t a was t o t r a n s m i t t h e i r a c c o u n t s and r e n t s t o t h e
" " 2
s h i k d a r . who r e m i t t e d t h e same t o t h e s a d a r c u t c h e r r y.
At t h e t o p o f t h e r e v e n u e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a
z a m i n d a r i was t h e s a d a r c u t c h e r r y o r p r i n c i p a l o f f i c e n e a r
t h e h e a d q u a r te r s of th e e s ta te * The p r i n c i p a l o f f i c e r o f
t h e s a d a r c u t c h e r r y was t h e diw an who was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e
— i w m u i ii iiiui i r.^Mrr-m - iw .<1i' m— it/ iiimwnniprtwuiiiu^ wmuj i *

su p e rin te n d e n c e o f th e e n t i r e zam indari a d m in istra tio n *

I *10 s a d a r c u t c h e r r y had a l s o munsh i s , am i n - d a f t a r * shumar-
d a f t a r , b a k h s h i - d a f t a r , w a k i l s * m i r d a h a s and d a f t a r - bunds t o
k
run i t # The b a k h s h i o c c u p ie d an i m p o r t a n t p o s i t i o n and
was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r making payments f o r t h e whole e s t a b l i s h ­
m en t, A n o th e r o f f i c e r o f c o n s e q u e n c e was t h e w a k i l who
r e p r e s e n t e d t h e z a m in d a r a t t h e c o u r t , a d a l a t s and o t h e r p l a c e s
of im portance. The b i g z a m i n d a r s o f t e n p o s t e d more t h a n
5
one w a k i l a t t h e c o u r t .

1 , B.M.Add.MSS.2 9 , 0 8 6 , 3a; B .P .C . J u n e 1 5, 17 6 1, H I / 3 3 ,
2, B*M. Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 6 , 3a.
3 , Ib id .; B.R#C# Oct, 9 , 1775, R**9/58.
**, C.C.R.M# t o H a s t i n g s , J u n e 2 3 , 1 771*, B .H .C . J u n e 2 8 , 177*+
R**9 /*+6 ; R o y r o y a n 1 s a n s w e r. J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t f r o m
H a r i n e t o n 1s A n a l y s i s , . , , . l o l .
5. J . F e r g u s s o n t o G . V a n s i t t a r t , J u l y *+, 1 7 6 7 , B.D .K . ,
I , 162; C . F . C # IV, 2038.
 The c a d r e o f o f f i c e r s d i s c u s s e d so f a r was
r e q u i r e d t o r u n t h e r e v e n u e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f a m o d e r a te o r ,
a M g zam indari. From C o l l e c t o r Armstrong*.s a c c o u n t o f t h e
N a d i a z a m i n d a r i ’*' one c a n g l e a n t h e m ain f a c t a b o u t t h e
e s t a b l i s h m e n t s r e q u i r e d f o r t h e p u b l i c .and. d o m e s t i c a f f a i r s
of a p r i n c i p a l zam indar. The management o f t h e z a m i n d a r i
a f f a i r s was a c h i e v e d t h r o u g h two s e t s o f s t a f f v i z , , t h e
h u z u r i o r o f f i c e r s and d o m e s t i c s o f t h e r a j b a r i
u r n ■ ii mil* Hmu. <a(^ ^ ^ T iic ra C T f i * [ ii M i n r i r F ' i
(p a la ce),
*

and m u fa s s a l o r t h e o f f i c e r s i n c h a r g e o f t h e c o l l e c t i o n
o f r e n t s and management o f o t h e r z a m i n d a r i a f f a i r s i n t h e
2
p a r g a n a h s and v i l l a g e s .
The h u z u r i o r s a d a r a d m i n i s t r a t i o n encompassed ,
n i n e m a jo r d e p a r t m e n t s ?
( i ) The m a lk h a n a where, a l l a f f a i r s r e l a t i n g t o r e v e n u e were
tran sacted , e x p e n s e s d i s b u r s e d and r e c o r d s k e p t ,
( i i ) The n i k a s i d a f t a r was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a d j u s t i n g and
checking th e a c c o u n ts.
( i i i ) The dewrv d a f t a r was t h e d e p a r t m e n t f o r t h e r e c e i p t o f
r e n t s o f t h e b i r t f l a n d s k e p t a p a r t t o meet t h e e x p e n s e s
o f t h e dewry o r f e m a l e members o f t h e f a m i l y .

1 . W .Arm strong t o B.R. A p r i l 2 9 , 1817, J u n e 27, 1817,

R57/11«
2 . See a l s o C . R u s s e l l t o I i . V e r e l s t , Aug, 1 , 1 7 6 7 , p a r a , 1 5 1,
R .P .C . S e p t . 2 8 , 1767;, R l A l .
 116

( i v ) The b eh a i l ah o r pay o f f i c e d i s b u r s e d t h e k h u r a k i ( d i e t
money) o f t h e s t a f f , who were e n t i t l e d t o t h a t a l l o w a n c e i n
a d d i t i o n t o t h e i r wages i n t h e form o f a s s i g n m e n t s o f l a n d ,
(v) The d a f t a r c a l l e d s o h a b u t d e a l t w i t h t h e s a l a r i e s o f t h e
h e a d B rah m in s who were a t t a c h e d i m m e d i a t e l y t o t h e r a . i a 1 s
p erson *
( v i ) The t o s h a k h a n a (w a r d r o b e ) was t h e d e p o s i t o r y f o r t h e
a p p a r e l s o f t h e r a j a and h i s f a m i l y .
( v i i ) The n i a m a t b a r k h a n a ( p u r v e y o r ' s o f f i c e ) su p p lied the
a r t i c l e s o f d a i l y c o n s u m p t i o n f o r t h e r a j a and h i s f a m i l y ,
and a l s o f o r t h e r e l i g i o u s c e r e m o n i e s p e r f o r m e d a t t h e
ra jb a ri.
( v i i i ) The s i l a k h a n a (a rm o u ry ) s e r v e d a s t h e d i s p o s i t o r y
~ r <ron,jiiiwin»nii|iil,"Ti^»tw fry w » iaia8aagffaee3sg ' w

f o r money and o t h e r v a l u a b l e s and t h e arm s.

( i x ) The d a f t a r mahahaundan s u p p l i e d t h e a r t i c l e s r e q u i r e d
f o r t h e f i x e d poo j an:'? and f e s t i v i t i e s .
The m u f a s s a l a f f a i r s were managed t h r o u g h two
s e t s o f s t a f f - on©, i n c h a r g e o f t h e p a r g a n a h s and p a s s e d
by t h e name o f m u k a r r a r i and t h e o t h e r , known a s m u f a s s a i l *
e n t r u s t e d w i t h t h e c o l l e c t i o n and s u p e r i n t e n d e n c e o f t h e
several v illa g e s .^
The p e t t y z a m i n d a r i s , h o w ev e r, n e i t h e r n e e d e d n o r
could a f f o r d such e l a b o r a t e o r g a n iz a t io n s . T h e s e c o u l d be
4

managed fro m t h e s a d a r by t h e z a m i n d a r s t h e m s e l v e s .

1 . W .Arm strong t o B.R. A p r i l 29? 1817? B .R .C . J u n e 27? 1817*

R 5 7 /H .
 117

The above d i s c u s s i o n a f f i r m s t h a t t h e m a n a g e r i a l
t a s k o f t h e b i g and m o d e r a t e z a m i n d a r i s was a c h i e v e d t h r o u g h
t r a d i t i o n a l z a m i n d a r i e s t a b l i s h m e n t h e a d e d by t h e diwan and
th e b ak hshi. The m a h a r a j a s o r r a j a s u s e d t o a t t e n d t h e
d u r b a r s , o r t h e sad a r c u t c h e r r i e s f o r some f i x e d h o u r s o f t h e
wwjB M i m u . M i f l i J U J i — i b — m iM w a i M ^ m m - m n i >i n m m !j I n 'i u r n m o w a v-iwrw iiif , » . | i r e n r a y t

day. They o c c a s i o n a l l y t o u r e d o v e r t h e d i f f e r e n t p a r t s o f
t h e i r zam in d aris. 1 g r e a t z a m in d a r1s r o u t i n e v i s i t w ith a
l a r g e e n t o u r a g e was a s s o c i a t e d w i t h pomp."L
The l o n g c h a i n o f a d m i n i s t r a t i v e a r ra n g e m e n ts o f a
z a m i n d a r i had i n h e r e n t d r a w b a c k s . The z a m i n d a r i ami a a t t h e
low er l e v e l s c o n c e a lin g th e c o r r e c t i n f o r m a tio n re g a rd in g lan d
2
and i n l e a g u e w i t h o t h e r s t a f f c o u l d d e f r a u d t h e z a m i n d a r .
3
I n 1788, C o l l e c t o r H a t c h r e p o r t e d fro m D i n a j p u r s
"The o r i g i n a l Jumma o r R e n t r o l l h a s d e c r e a s e d fro m
s e v e r a l c a u s e s , t h e c h i e f o f w h ic h i s t h e m anoeuvre
t h a t h a s b e e n i n p r a c t i c e f o r many y e a r s , by t h e
M u n d u lls P o ra ra a n ic k s and p r i n c i p a l i n h a b i t a n t s o f
t h e v i l l a g e s who u n d e r p l e a o f r e a l , o r f i c t i t i o u s
d e s e r t i o n s o f t h e r i a u t s , h av e g o t i n t o t h e i r
p o s s e s s i o n c o n s i d e r a b l e t r a c t s o f ground a t an u n d e r
r a t e d a s s e s s m e n t upon Moocta P o t t a , and t h e o r i g i n a l
e s t a b l i s h e d n ’u r a t e o r n i r k , h a s become a l m o s t o b s o l e t e 11.

1 . E . G . G l a z i e r , F u r t h e r R o t e s on t h e Rangpur R e c o r d s I I .
A pp en d ix 22; C. J o s e p h ”, " N o te s on t h e R i g h t Bank o f t h e
H u g h l y " , C ^ R j 181*5, IV, ^89.
2. J . S h o r e ’ s M i n u t e , J u n e 1 8 , 1 78 9 , p a r a 2li-3,W . K .F i r m i n g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h Repo r t . . . . . I I .
' f $
$6.
................................................................................................. .. j *

3. G .H a tc h t o B . R . , J a n . 1 5 , 1 78 8, B . R . P . ,A p r i l 1 1 , 17 8 8 ,
R70A0.

I
 118

The n a i b s , gumasht&s b e i n g men o f ' n o s u b s t a n c e , r e p u t a t i o n

1
and h o n e s t y ' , p r o f i t e d fro m t h e i r u n d e r h a n d d e a l s w i t h t h e
ra iy a ts? A g a in , when a z a m in d a r on becoming d e f a u lte r
t h r o u g h t h e m a c h i n a t i o n o f t h e ami a s o l d p a r t s o f t h e
z a m i n d a r i t o pay t h e s t i p u l a t e d r e v e n u e , t h e i n f l u e n t i a l
ami a p u r c h a s e d t h e l a n d c h e a p l y a t t h e a u c t i o n e i t h e r o p e n l y
o r c l a n d e s t i n e l y i n t h e name o f h i s r e l a t i o n s . The power
w i e l d e d by an i n f l u e n t i a l ami a i s i l l u s t r a t e d i n a l e t t e r
2
o f T a j - i - K h u d a d a t , z a m in d a r o f S h a h b a z p u r:
" K i s h n Rim, t h e w r i t e r ' s n a i b , h a s , w i t h t h e most
f r a d u l e n t i n t e n t i o n s , b esto w e d l a r g e p a r c e l s o f
l a n d i n t h i s p a r g a n a h on h i s r e l a t i o n s and a d h e r e n t s ,
and d o e s n o t l i s t e n t o h i s i n h i b i t i o n s . B e s i d e s ,
h e h a s s o l d f o u r h o u s e s i n J a h a n g i r n a g a r and
p o s s e s s e d h i m s e l f o f t h e money. He h a s a l s o d r i v e n
t h e r y o t s fro m t h e i r homes, borrow ed l a r g e s m s on
b o n d s f o r g e d i n t h e w r i t e r ' s name and a c c e p t e d t h e
1u h d a h d a r x l o f t h e p a r g a n a h i d y l s p u r w h i c h i s
s i t u a t e d i n an o th er zam indari, w ith ou t h i s consent
o r k n o w le d g e . T h e s e a r e t h e w r i t e r * s r e a s o n s f o r
d i s p l a c i n g t h i s K i s h n Rim i n f a v o u r o f Ram S u n d a r .
B u t K i s h n Ram by a s s o c i a t i n g t h e m u t a s a d d i s w i t h
h im , o p p o s e s t h e a d m i s s i o n o f t h e o t h e r . A ccordingly
t h e Nawab Muhammad R i z a Khan h a s i s s u e d a p a r v a n a h
t o Maha S i n g h , and i t i s r e q u e s t e d t h a t t h e G ov erno r
w i l l a l s o d i r e c t Mr. S ykes t o send a p a r v a n a h . . . . . . .
f o r e s t a b l i s h i n g Ram S u n d a r i n h i s o f f i c e s , ...................
e x a c t i n g t h e amount due from K i s h n Ram, and f o r
p r o v i d i n g i n e v e r y o t h e r r e s p e c t f o r Ram S u n d a r* s
s a f e t y so a s t o p r e v e n t t h e w r i t e r ' s s u f f e r i n g any
l o s s e s o r b e i n g e x p o se d t o any in te r r u p tio n s i n h i s
management o f t h e p a r g a n a h Id y le p u r."
...... mhtniM
.M»ni *> ................
1. C.W.B.Rous t o R.Becher, June 22,1770, L.C.B.S.R. 2k.
2. A pril 1, 1768, C.P.C. I I , 895.
3 * Wadadari. from wadadar. an o f f ic e r re sp o n sib le f o r th e
c o l le c tio n of th e government dues from a zamindari.
 I n t h e e v e n t o f d e a t h ox* t h e m i n o r i t y o f t h e
z a m i n d a r , t h e d iw a n o r t h e gu m a s h t a s u s u a l l y t o o k a d v a n t a g e
of th e s itu a tio n . T h e r e a r e i n s t a n c e s where t h e ami a i n
c o l l u s i o n w i t h t h e w i f e o r o t h e r a m b i t i o u s members o f t h e
f a m i l y o f t h e d e c e a s e d z a m i n d a r em bezzled money, a l i e n a t e d
1
l a n d s and d r a g g e d t h e z a m i n d a r i i n t o r u i n .
■5

I n t h e f a c e o f su ch c h a n c e s o f e r o s i o n o f t h e
z a m i n d a r i pow er, t h e i n d i f f e r e n c e and i g n o r a n c e o f some
zam indars h a ste n e d t h e r u i n of t h e i r e s t a t e s . Some ’
zam indars l e f t th e i n t r i c a t e f i s c a l b u s in e s s of t h e i r za m in d aris
t o t h e d i w a n s . n a l b s and gumas h t a s o r some e n t e r p r i s i n g
2
r e l a t i o n s , them selves in d u lg in g i n p le a s u r e s . Many a
z a m i n d a r s i n t h e i r ad v a n ced age l o s t t o t a l l y i n t e r e s t i n
mundane a f f a i r s and became r e l i g i o u s r e c l u s e s . T his d is e n ­
c h a n tm e n t t o w o r l d l y a f f a i r s l e d many z a m i n d a r s t o d e f a u l t
and d e c l i n e .
The h ead o f an e x t e n s i v e z a m i n d a r i had t o d e l e g a t e
some o f h i s p ow ers a t t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e l e v e l s f o r t h e s p e e d y
ex ecu tio h of b u sin e ss. On t h e o t h e r h a n d , m o d e r a t e o r p e t t y

1 . R.Wilmot t o R . B e c h e r , O c t . 2 2 , 1 7 7 0 , P . C .C .R . M . « O c t . 2 9 , 1 7 7 0 ,
I,131-132«, 8 . C h a r t e r s t o B . R . O c t . 9, 1 7 7 3 , B .R .C . O c t . 1 9 ,
1 7 7 3 , R*+9Al.
2. H a ji M ustafa ( t r , ) , B e ir I I , 3 9 4 .
3 . A.B.M.Mahmood, The Land Revenue H i s t o r y o f t h e R a.ishahl
Z a m i n d a r i , 27? A . M u k h e r j i , N a ld a n g a and. Maiden g a Ra.i,
F am ily , 70-72.
 1
z a m i n d a r s c o u l d a t t e n d t o t h e i r own b u s i n e s s leavin g
little c h a n c e of i n t e r m e d i a t e p r o f i t s # H aving c l o s e r
r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e t e n a n t s , t h e s e z a m i n d a r s were e x p e c t e d
t o be l e s s e x t o r t i n g on them t h a n t h e b i g z a m i n d a r s and
2
t h e i r r a p a c io u s am ia#
To l e s s e n t h e b u r d e n o f t h e management o f e x t e n s i v e
and s c a t t e r e d h o l d i n g s and as an e x p e d i e n t m e a s u re f o r t h e
punctual r e a l i z a t i o n of r e n ts , th e g r e a t e r zam indars
c o n tr a c te d p a r ts of t h e i r zam indaris to i n f e r i o r farm ers c a lle d
3
ku tk in a d a rs or t a lu k d a rs * S u b i n f e u d a t i o n o f l a n d s by t h e
c r e a t i o n of u n d e r te n u re h o ld e r s though n o t w id ely p r a c t i s e d
was n o t a b s e n t i n B e n g a l o f p r e “-Permanent S e t t l e m e n t p e r i o d . In
some p a r t s o f B e n g a l , l a r g e r p o r t i o n o f z a m i n d a r i l a n d s
were l e a s e d t o t h e t a l u k d a r s . T his accounts f o r th e l a r g e r
amount o f t a l u k d a r i - j a m a t h a n t h e n i j - j a m a o f some z a m i n d a r s

1 . H a s t i n g s 1 M in u te , A p r i l 2 2 , 1775? W .K .F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) ,
The F i f t h R e p o r t I , c c x i x ; F .B u c h a n a n , A G eo g ra­
p h i c a l , S t a t i s t i c a l & H i s t o r i c a l D e s c r ip tio n of t h e
D i s t r i c t o f D in a . i p u r . 252#
— fr m m p i n w r r — ~ t w n m w m w H h H H i m i m n n i . i f t m u i > i . " m t i r n u f i m i iT. p tn * « > n n i m i r n n i l J

2. J . S h o r e ' s M i n u t e , J u n e 18, 1789, p a r a . 178, W .K .F irm in g e r

( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , k2.
3 . B.M. illcL MSS. 2 9 ,0 8 6 , 3a: G .H atch t o B .R . J a n . 1JJ,
1 7 8 8 , B . R . P . A p r i l 1 1 , 1788, R 7 0 A 0 .
 121

1
in the d i s t r i c t o f D acca,
I t a p p e a rs t h a t t h e zam indars abused t h e i r r i g h t
of underfarm ing t o th e su b ten u re h o ld e r s c a u sin g f i n a n c i a l
l o s s t o t h e g o v e r n m e n t. Many d e n o m i n a t e d p a r t s o f t h e i r v a s t
z a m i n d a r i s a s b a z i - t a l u k and l e a s e d them t o d e p e n d a n t s or
fa v o u rite s at underrates. M oreover, t h e r e n t s o f t h o s e
2
t a l u k s were e x c l u d e d from f u r t h e r a u g m e n t a t i o n . There are
i n s t a n c e s where t a l u k s , s e q u e s t e r e d f o r p r i v a t e en jo y m en t
o f t h e z a m i n d a r s , were r e n t e d a t r e d u c e d r a t e , w h i l e t h e
z a m in d a r t h r o u g h some p r i v a t e a r r a n g e m e n t s s h a r e d t h e
3
rem ainder of t h e u s u a l r e n t . In th e R ajsh ah i zam in d ari,
S u p e r v i s o r Rous r e c o r d e d a number o f s u c h t a l u k s , w hich were
s o u r c e s o f c o n s i d e r a b l e p r o f i t n o t o n l y t o R a n i Bhawani b u t
k
a l s o t o h e r d iw an , Dayaram. The amount o f l o s s i n c u r r e d
by t h e governm ent from such u n d e r r a t e d h o l d i n g s , was enormous.
iiw im f iT iw ni m i i ■ ■ H in r tn n m w i'iirii i iii— -f fliM i n 'M m w M H i i iiiii » n m » M i i M i n n iw n i n n u u m » > * w i n— m w r in < i i i M - i i f i i i ' M r i T ii|- ir r i i m i i m i n m n in i'n i T n iiiii. m r T — m a # ; ■ ■ ■ i L i l i a n ■■■Hi m u

l._
Z am indari t a l u k d a r 1s t o t a l number o f own
lama 1 .iama talu k s land
ir r —» i n «m ii — ii. wfcfciiiiim iiw iiim m i i i i f c l j i . i i n im — in wiiim n i m m n ii i — iim u » n i — i^iW > iiiiW 'n i iiiiW «iin > r M H w in iin r - f T iin iiT r i n i i - i w ~ i n f m l h i i m ■■ i i im i

Jalalp u r 1 1 ,0 0 0 76 , 0 0 1 8 7 ,0 0 1 2 ,1 2 8 .
_ C h andradw ip 1 7 , 0 0 0 72,725 89,725 ^00 '
h B ikram pur 2,010 25,6^2 27,652 268 v
________ K R ajnagar 92,555 2,01,118 2,93,673 ^00 t
Tapp a Mysurdee ^-,000 1^,00*+ 18,00^- ,5 6 1 ,/';i
Pareanah Essakabad 1,700 2,0 0 0 3,7 0 0 200 i
Tappa Hydrabad ________ 1,235 750 1,985 200 ■■■;
M .D ouglas t o C . S t e w a r t , May 2 5 , 1 7 9 0 , B . R . C . , J u n e 1 1 , 1 7 9 0 , R 5 2 / 1 3 ;
2 . P .C .C .R .M . . A p r i l 3 0 , 1771, V ,1 1 8 . ' -S
3 . G . R o b e r t s o n t o J . G r o s e , J u n e 1 9 , 1 7 7 0 , B.D.R.RansiPur I , 6 .
H. C.M .B.Rous t o C . C . R . M . , J u n e *+, 1771, P .C .C .R .M . J u n e 10, '
1771, v, 251+. 1;
A c c o r d i n g t o Rous* v a l u a t i o n t h o s e l a n d s were a s s e s s e d a t
X
h a lf of t h e i r r e a l re n ts .
The c r e a t i o n o f t a l u k s had e v i l e f f e c t s on t h e
a g r a r ia n society* The r a i y a t s l i v i n g w i t h i n t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n
o f t h e same z a m i n d a r w e r e . o f t e n d e n i e d o f u n i f o r m r i g h t s and
p riv ileg es.
nThe t e n a n t s o f a t a l o o k a r e p o s s e s s e d o f so many
i n d u l g e n c i e s , and t a x e d xvith s u c h e v i d e n t p a r t - ..
i a l i t y and t e n d e r n e s s i n p r o p o r t i o n t o t h e r e s t ,
t h a t t h e t a l o o k s g e n e r a l l y swarm w i t h i n h a b i t a n t s
where o t h e r p a r t s a r e d e s e r t e d 11. 2
The z a m i n d a r s a s w e l l a s t h e k u t k i n a d a r s or
t a l u k d a r s . h o w e v e r, b e n e f i t t e d i n more t h a n one way from
th e sub in feu d atio n ; The b i g z a m i n d a r s , g r a n t i n g l a n d s
on c o n d i t i o n o f c a s h pay m en ts o r m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e s , >
c r e a t e d . a group of l o y a l s u b o r d i n a t e s . The t a l u k d a r s
and t h e k u t k i n a d a r s on t h e o t h e r hand e n j o y e d c e r t a i n
p r i v i l e g e s denied t o o rd in a ry r a i y a t s of th e zam indari.
N e v e r t h e l e s s , when t h e r e l a t i o n b e tw e e n t h e tw o-becam e
s t r a i n e d , new c e s s e s were l e v i e d on t h e t a l u k d a r s o r a l l
p r i v i l e g e s revoked. Such i n c i d e n t s m u l t i p l i e d when t h e
demands on t h e z a m i n d a r s were a r b i t r a r i l y e n h a n c e d d u r i n g
■ 3
th e l a t t e r p erio d .

1. C.W.B.Rous t o C .C .R .M *, J u n e k7 1771, P X .C .R .M , . J u n e
10, 1771, V, 251*.
2. I n s t r u c t i o n s t o t h e S u p e r v i s o r s , S . C . C . , Aug. .16, X7&9,
r/a , 9. ;
1^, 1771, IV*, 99? T . P a t t l e t o B*R. D e e .g
3 . P .C .C .R * M ., March
% »/ BUM f c iu m f M iii'B w m n i im i ■ ■ n mm im S r * v * W* £L * f

1772, B.R.C. Feb. 5, 1773, I&9/38.

 123

The l o c a l im provem ent works v i t a l . t o a g r i c u l t u r e ,

d e v o l v e d on t h e z a m i n d a r s . To r e p a i r t h e r o a d s and embank­
m e n ts o r e r e c t a new one o r t o d i g c a n a l s and n a l a s t o
s a f e g u a r d t h e l a n d s . a n d c r o p s from i n u n d a t i o n o r d r a u g h t
r e m a in e d o b l i g a t o r y t o t h e z a m i n d a r s o f t h e p e r i o d . In the
r i v e r i n e p a r t s o f B.engal, t h e z a m i n d a r s had t o t a k e r e g u l a r
s t e p s t o p r o t e c t t h e i r c r o p f i e l d s from b e i n g o v e r f l o o d e d
1 „ '
d u r i n g t h e r a in y - . s e a s o n * A p art fro m t h e s e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s ,
t h e z a m i n d a r s had t o r e n d e r a s s i s t a n c e t o s i m i l a r k i n d o f
2
work s p o n s o r e d by t h e g o v e rn m e n t.
By way o f r e m u n e r a t i o n t h e z a m i n d a r s were 1 e a s e d
.in th e ir re n ts* . They u s e d t o g e t e i t h e r .an a n n u a l
a l l o w a n c e u n d e r t h e d e n o m i n a t i o n o f p o o l b a n d y or; pu s h t a b a n d y
o r an amount d e d u c t e d from t h e i r y e a r l y r e m i t t a n c e s * They
were a l l o w e d a b a te m e n t fro m t h e c u s to m a ry d u e s i n t h e
h
e v e n t o f i n u n d a t i o n or e n c ro ach m en t by t h e r i v e r s . For a
l o n g t i m e t h e R a j a o f Burdwan was a l l o w e d a d e d u c t i o n o f R s.60,0®-

1 * C.W.B.Rous t o R . B e c h e r , March **,1770, L .C .B .S -.R. 9.

2. H . V e r e l s t t o J .G r a h a m , N o v . 8 , 1766, B. D . R . . M i d n a p u r I I ,
2 8 - 2 9 , P.C.C.R«M„ * A p r i l 1 1 , 1 7 7 1 , V , % .
-3* R . B e c h e r t o B . C . , March 2 8 , 1 7 7 0 , B . C . C . , A p r i l 28, 1770,
R/A, 10 , 167.
k . J,G ro se t o R . B e c h e r , D e e . 3 0 , 1770, P.C^C^R.M, * J a n . 1 0 , ; ;
17 71 , H I , 31; B.R.C* May A , 1773," RW~39$ B .R .C . J u l y 8 ,
1 7 7 3 , R^ 9 A 0 * ;?
 124
1
f o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f embankments. The a n n u a l p o o lb a n d y
2
c h a r g e o f t h e N a d i a z a m i n d a r i a p p r o x i m a t e d t o R s . 1 0 , 000.
W i t h t h e grow ing w eakn ess o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t, t h e
zam indars began t o n e g l e c t t h i s im p o rta n t d u ty c o n c ern in g
3
ag ric u ltu re . Many m i s a p p r o p r i a t e d t h e a l l o w a n c e s made
f o r t h o s e d e v e l o p m e n t a l works and l e v i e d abwabs on t h e r a i v a t s
f o r c o n s t r u c t i o n o r r e p a i r w o rk s . I n Burdwan su c h c a p i t a t i o n
4
t a x went by t h e name o f ma t h a u t . I n s t a n c e s o f em p lo ying t h e
5
r a i y a t s f o r b e g a r o r u n p a i d l a b o u r a r e on r e c o r d . I n 1773
6
Wynne w r o t e fro m J e s s o r e :
“The Zem indar and F a rm e rs o f t h i s D i s t r i c t h a v i n g
an a l l o w a n c e o f 4000 R upees on a c c o u n t o f P o o l b u n d e e ,
or t h e k ee p in g i n r e p a i r t h e banks o f t h e r i v e r s
and n u l l a h s ...................... . . . . I may v e n t u r e t o a f f i r m t h e y
h av e n o t d i s b u r s e d 1500 Rupees on t h i s n e c e s s a r y , n a y
i n d i s p e n s a b l e b u s i n e s s , n o r hav e t h e y e x t e n d e d any
p a r t o f t h e a l l o w a n c e o f 4000 R upees on t h e s m a l l p a r t
t h e y h a v e d o n e ; f o r t h e y have e i t h e r p a i d t h e e x p e n s e ,
by an a s s e s s m e n t on t h e r e i a t s , or t h e y h a v e o b l i g e d
them t o f u r n i s h workmen and m a t e r i a l s a t t h e i r own
c h a r g e . 11

1 . K . A o L . H i l l , F i n a l R e p o r t on t h e S u rv ey and S e t t l e m e n t
O p e r a t i o n s i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f Burdwan 1 , 28.
2. B .R .G . May 2 4 , 1774, R 4 9 /4 6 .
3 . C.W.B*,Rgus t o C .C .R .M ., May 5 ,1 7 7 1 , P.C.C«R.M,_, May 1 1 ,
1 7 7 1 , V, 159.
4 . C . C . R . P . , May 1 2 , 17 8 3, R 6 8 /2 2 ; N . K . S i n h a , The Economi c
£&&£&££* * • * *11, l 4 f
5. C . C . R . P . , May 1 2 , 1 7 8 3 , R6 8 / 2 2 .

6 . W.Wynne t o B . R . , May 1 3 , 1 7 7 3 , B .R .C . May 2 5 , 1773, Rli'9/39*

 12?

The r i g h t s and p e r q u i s i t e s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s f o r A
t h e i r s e r v i c e s t o t h e s t a t e were n o t u n i f o r m i n a l l p a r t s o f
th e country. The z a m i n d a r s as t h e s t a t e f u n c t i o n a r i e s were ^
e n t i t l e d t o a c o m m iss io n , t h e r a t e i n B e n g a l B ein g a minimum -
of % o f t h e c o l l e c t i o n s , ^ * and u s u a l l y p a i d i n t a x - f r e e l a n d A
2
d e n o m in a te d as n a n k a r . They f u r t h e r m o r e e n j o y e d t h e r i g h t ;5t
t o a s h a r e o f t h e c o l l e c t i o n s fro m t h e z a m i n d a r i s h e l d on
3
h ered ita ry rig h t. T h i s s h a r e c a l l e d m a l i k a n a o r haqq o f j
t h e z a m i n d a r s was known i n B e n g a l b e t t e r a s rasum o r p e r q u i s i t e s . * ;
L>,
The p e r c e n t a g e o f t h e p r o c e e d s v a r i e d w i d e l y . The r a t e A
5
o f p e r q u i s i t e s o f t h e E n g l i s h z a m i n d a r s o f C a l c u t t a was 1CPJ>, |
From a r e s o l u t i o n o f t h e B oard o f Revenue i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h
th e p e r q u i s i t e s of Rani Ja n a k i: o f M y sad al, i t appears t h a t th e A
z a m i n d a r s d u r i n g t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y w e re e n j o y i n g rasum
6
a t t h e r a t e o f IQP/o o f t h e g r o s s c o l l e c t i o n .
I n most p a r t s o f N o r t h e r n I n d i a d u r i n g v i g o r o u s
d a y s o f t h e Mughal a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , t h e custom ary zam indaridues

1 . B*M.Ad<UMSS. 19,50*+, 1 00 a.
2 . I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n S y s te m ............ 173-17*+$ F o u r t h R e p o r t
from t h e Com m ittee o f S e c r e c y , R e p o r t s . House o f Commons ;
IV, 9 5 . v
3 . R o y r o y a n 1 s a n s w e r , J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t from H a r i n g t o n 1 s
An a l y s i s . . . . . 1 5 1 - 1 5 3 ) N. A . S i d d i q i , Land Revenue
Admini s t r a t i o n 33-35. V
*+, I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n S y ste m ............1 ^ 6 - 1 5 1 ; N . K . S i n h a , The
/ . i i — . ^ — i i i i i ■ iii w m i . l f r T* n Tim r i i n m m hhiiii — n m L in m— m h O h, w i n ! ^
1
Economic H i s t o r y . . . . . I I , 1*+.
5. M.Huq, The E a s t I n d i a Company*s Land P o l i c y & Commerce i n
B engal, 27. ■:$
6 . 3 .R .C ., Aug. 3 , 1773s R*+9Al.
 126

n a m e ly t h e n a n k a r and rasum were compounded t o ^4.0 of t h e

*» w B B f tn w a tv u iH W u m i r i » « < T M w n n n n i i, n u m . . •* * r

1
t o t a l c o l l e c t i o n and p a s s e d by t h e name o f m a l i k a n a - s h a r e .
But d u r i n g t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , t h e z a m i n d a r s t a k i n g
advantage of th e p o l i t i c a l tu r m o il of th e c o u n try began to
2
c l a i m 1 0 $ o f t h e i r c o l l e c t i o n s s i m p ly a s h a q q - i - z a m i n d a r i .
T h e r e i s no r e a s o n t h a t i t was o t h e r w i s e i n Bengal*
As t o t h e r e m u n e r a t i o n o f t h e z a m i n d a r i s t a f f ,
some o f them w ere p a i d i n c a s h and o t h e r s i n r e n t - f r e e l a n d ,
g e n e r a l l y known a s c h a k a r a h zamin . F o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e of
t h e s t a f f , t h e z a m i n d a r s u s e d t o g e t an a l l o w a n c e u n d e r t h e
g e n e r a l head o f c o l l e c t i o n c h a r g e , computed on a c e r t a i n
3
p e r c e n ta g e o f t h e g ro s s revenue of t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e e s t a t e s .
The r a t e s o f t h e s a d a r and m u f a s s a l c h a r g e s , as t h e c o l l e c t i o n
c h a r g e was commonly t e r m e d , v a r i e d from p l a c e t o p l a c e .

D u rin g t h e Mughal r u l e t h e p l u r a l i s t i c admin­

i s t r a t i o n was a s a l i e n t f e a t u r e o f t h e r e v e n u e management.

1. B .R .G rover, "N ature of D e h a t-i-T a a lu q a (z am in d ari V illa g e s ^

I.B .S .H .R , * 196? ™ I T 7 T S t } ~
I n B i h a r t o o , t h e m a l i k a n a was f i x e d a t 10$ and p a y a b l e
i n cash or la n d .
2. B .R .G rover, "N ature of D e h a t-i-T a a lu q a (z am in d a ri V i l l a g e s )
T . B . S o H .R. . l 9 6 5 7 " m ^ 2 S U 7 — “™
3 . C h i t t a g o n g C o u n c i l t o F o r t W i l l i a m C o u n c i l , Aug.1 0 , 1 7 7 2 ,
B .l h D . C h i t t a g o n g I , P a r t I I , 137? C .C .R . t o B . R . , J u l y
1 0 , 1 7 7 7 , B .R .C . Aug. 15, 1777, R 5 0 /2 .
k* B .R .C . J an. 8 , 1 7 7 3 , * * 9 /3 8 ? W. Wynne t o B . R . , May 1 3 , 1 7 7 3 , :
B .R .C . May 2 5 , 17 73 , R*+9/39j E . G . G l a z i e r , A R e p o r t on t h e
D i s t r i c t o f Rangpur I , 3 ^ , 9 8 - 9 7 (Bee a p p e n d i x D).
 127

The z a m i n d a r s a s t h e a g e n t s o f t h e s t a t e r e a l i z e d t h e r e n t s
and t a x e s fro m t h e s u b j e c t s , A h ie ra rc h y of revenue o f f i c e r s
from t h e d i w a n - i - s u b a h a t t h e c a p i t a l down t o t h e p a t w a r i
a t t h e v i l l a g e l e v e l , had t h e i r own s h a r e o f r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s y
1
i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n and d i s b u r s e m e n t o f r e v e n u e s . B esides,
t h e f a u j d a r s o r t h e m i l i t a r y g o v e r n o r s w ere o b l i g e d t o
e n s u r e t h e f u l l r e a l i z a t i o n and p u n c t u a l r e m i t t a n c e o f t h e \;.y
2
revenues,
qanungo d a f t a r a c t e d as a c h e c k on t h e a b u s e
o f power by t h e z a m i n d a r s . The d a f t a r k e p t d e t a i l e d r e c o r d s ^
o f v i l l a g e s , l a n d s , r e v e n u e a s s e s s m e n t , s a l e d e e d s and t h e ?
o -
v a r y i n g l o c a l cu s to m s and p r a c t i c e s . The q anu ng os i n
c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e z a m i n d a r i amins s e t t l e d t h e y e a r l y
assessm ent of th e r e s p e c tiv e zam indaris, The qanungo d a f t a r y
d e t e r r e d t o a l a r g e e x te n t th e concealm ent o r i l l e g a l
a l i i e n a t i o n o f t h e z a m i n d a r i l a n d and o v e r t a x a t i o n on t h e
5
ra iy a ts. A ttached t o th e s adar c u tc h e r r y of th e big
6 ■:
z a m i n d a r s t h e r e e x i s t e d one q anungo c u t c h e r r y . A g a in , f o r

1 . H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , S e i r . I I , '39*+? A.Dow? The H i s t o r y of

H industan I , x c i i ; P . S a r a n , The P r o v i n c i a l G o v ern m en t. . .28L-28^
2 . H .S .Ja rre tt ( t r . ) , A in 1 1 , ^ 2 ; B.M.Add.MSS.19,505? 7a; -Q;
P . S a r a n , The P r o v i n c i a l Governm ent 208.
3 . B .M .A dd.M S S.29,086 *+b-5a? W .L u s h i n g t o n t o C .C . R . M . ,
March 9 ,1 7 7 1 ? P . G . C . R . M . . J u l y 2 , V, 3 3 8 .
I , H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n S y s te m 2 8 9 -2 9 0 .
5. B.M.Add.MSS.29?086 5a? P e t i t i o n o f t h e Qanungos, B .R .C * ,
May 25? 1 7 7 k 9 R . k 9 / k 9 .
6 , J . W e s t l a n d , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e T 30.
t h e c o l l e c t i o n and s u p e r v i s i o n o f t h e r e v e n u e s t h e r e was t h e
1 • ,,
a m il o r a m l i - g u z a r . The c h i e f a m i l s a t t h e s a r k a r s were 'V

a s s i s t e d a t t h e p a r g a n a h and v i l l a g e l e v e l s by am i l s .
s h i k d a r s , ami m 35 b i t i k e h i s . m u n s i f s ? t h a n a d a r s . p a t war i s and
o t h e r s , and some s e m i - o f f i c i a l s , s u c h as c h a u d h u r i s and . ~U,,
,, .
‘ J ■"
2 . ’ ’ ' :

m andals. At t h e end o f t h e c o l l e c t i o n s , t h e a m i l s 1had, t o ■ ..a - j:

d e p o s i t t h e d e t a i l s of. c o l l e c t i o n s , a r r e a r s , a b a t e m e n t s and
e x p e n s e s o f t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e a r e a s t o t h e q an u n g o s who5 would
c h e c k them w i t h a c c o u n t s s u b m i t t e d by t h e z a m i n d a r s and y-_ .. v " '

o th ers. I n t h e m o d e r a te o r b i g z a m i n d a r i s , t h e a m i l s ;M
, A
were n o t u s u a l l y engaged* But i n t h e e v e n t o f d e f a u l t t h e y
i ,- ; v \
- s4 .

were d e p u t e d t o i n v e s t i g a t e and i f n e c e s s a r y t o t a k e up t h e
) _ j. . -

r e v e n u e management t e m p o r a r i l y * The, i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e -
a m i l s i n t h e z a m i n d a r i s was i n a s c e n d a n c y fro m t h e t i m e , o f
■ ■ - :. .^4
M u rshid Q u l i . I n t h e i r d r i v e t o determ ine, th e r e a l v a l u a t i o n '-V/;
h-M
o f t h e ‘‘z a m i n d a r i s , .augment, t h p income from them and sp ee d up
■ ■ F ' 4'- 5 * • ■* 1 ‘ : 6
r e m i t t a n c e s , M u rs h id Q u l i and Mir Qasim com m issio n ed t h e a m l l s v ^
. . .
~Tn~pTWM*i'i.nri~»g"1 wwfi "ni i »>m i • 111 ht t *ni i in r 'n mrr •—Tinwmn'iiT
niirPini«imniiinniniinnmiinrtfiiiiiiir ifniW
'>
T'nnnTiniWliiW
TinrTiirniiinfiiinni 1 m—■wMBmnm i i*mi*—mMmiwiiwiM— mm-*—im whmimmmm»—**»■«— mmmmmmmiium * ,

i ; H .S . J a r r e t t ( t r . ) , A in I I y *+6 . . . 4;
2. I B l d . 1+6-52? P . S a r a n , The P r o v i n c i a l Government ***** 7 6 -77* *" .1
3 . I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n S y s te m 290. ’ - v ■;
k. R e z a K h a n 's a c c o u n t , F e b . 1 7 7 5 , F r a n c i s MSS.Eur.E.28,3*+5* v f
5* F . G l a d w i n ( t r . ) . :,T . B . 5 6 ; A*Karim. M u rsh id Q u l i Khan. . . . 86-8*9 *;&
6. R . B e c h e r t o B.C. Aug. 2 6 , 1 7 6 9 , S . C . 0 . , , S e p t .- 2 % 1 7 6 9 , - "if
H/A, 95 J . S h o r e * s M in u te J u n e 18, 1,789, p a r a s 6.2,66, 1 4
* ''X &

. ¥ . K . F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , 16-17*
A n o t h e r o f f i c e r o f i m p o r t a n c e was t h e s a z a w a l . a p p o i n t e d t o
1
r e a l i z e r e v e n u e from t h e d e f a u l t i n g z a m i n d a r s o r r a i y a t s .
B e s i d e s , t h e r e were t h e w a k a i - n i g a r and s a w a n i h - n i g a r , a p p o i n t e d >1
t o g i v e i n t e l l i g e n c e t o t h e crown o f a l l t h e h a p p e n i n g s w i t h i n
2
th e ir ju risd ictio n s. T h e r e were a l s o m u h t a s i b s t o c h e ck
3 1 ■^
w e i g h t s and m e a s u r e s i n t h e h a t s and b a z a r s . I n 1771*
C o t t r e l l r e p o r t e d from D i n a j p u r t h a t t h e q a n u n g o s , wa k a i - n i g a r s ? gv
s a w a n i h - n i g a r s and m u h t a s i b s who s t i l l es te e m e d a s ' t h e s e r v a n t s :f
k
o f t h e Crown 1 , were ' p l a c e d as c h e c k s upon t h e Z e m i n d a r s ' .
In th e z e n ith of th e im p erial r u le , such s e t- u p
w i t h l o c a l ' s c r u t i n y and c h e c k s p e r h a p s p ro d u c e d t h e d e s i r e d
effect. " I n t h e I m p e r i a l o f f i c e r s o f t h e r e v e n u e , t h e po or had
5
f r i e n d s , and t h e z e m i n d a r s p i e s upon h i s c o n d u c t . " The
c a s e s o f d e f a u l t o r contum acy among t h e m a l - w a j i b i z a m i n d a r s
i f n o t among o t h e r s d e c l i n e d . The d i s o b e y i n g z a m i n d a r s
were u s u a l l y c o n f i n e d , s u b j e c t e d t o c o r p o r a l p u n i s h m e n t , or

1 . H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , S e i r I , 325? K .P .B a n d o p a d h y a y a ,
B anglar I t i h a s a , e42.
2 . W .L u s h i n g t o n t o C.C.R.M* March 9* 1771 F. C . C .R - M .. J u l y 2 ,
1771* V, 3 3 9 5 C.M.BlRous t o C .C .R .M ,, A p r i l 8 , 1771*
P .C .C .R .M . J u l y 2 , 1771* V* 3^0.
3. I b i d .
k, C o t t r e l l t o C .C .R .M ., F eb. 19* 1771* P .C.C.R-M . . J u l y 2 ,
1771* V, 3 3 7 r •
The o f f i c e s o f t h e w a k a i - n l g a r and s a w a n i h - n i g a r were
a b o l i s h e d i n J u l y 177T’TP757c7g7M> , J u l y “2 ^ 1 7 ? 1 , ^T’3^3--31+l+)
5. A.Dow, The H i s t o r y o f H i n d o s t a n I , x c i i .
 130

dism issed. The e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f t h e g overnm ent p r e s s u r e on

t h e z a m i n d a r s j e s p e c i a l l y on t h e m a jo r o n e s dep en ded l a r g e l y
on t h e w i l l i n g n e s s and v i g o u r o f t h e g overnm ent i t s e l f .
P robably th e rem oteness of th e o u tly in g p ro v in c e s b lu n te d
t h e i m p e r i a l c o n t r o l o v e r t h o s e t e r r i t o r i e s more so o v e r t h e
c o n s id e r a b le zam indars. On t h e o t h e r h a n d , d u r i n g t h e
s u c c e s s o r s o f Nawab A l i v a r d i Khan t h e p r o v i n c i a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n
lacked v i t a l i t y . N e i t h e r Mir J a f a r n o r h i s s o n M iran d i d
" b e s to w one s i n g l e t h o u g h t on t h e n e c e s s i t y o f s e t t l i n g t h e
c o u n t r y , r e g u l a t i n g t h e f i n a n c e s , q u i e t i n g th e clam ours of
1
t h e army, o r e a s i n g t h e husbandmen.*1 Mir Qasim1 s p r a i s e ­
w orthy v e n tu r e t o r e g u l a t e t h e f i n a n c e s , r e s t o r e vig o u r i n
j u d i c i a r y and r e d r e s s g r i e v a n c e s o f t h e 1p o o r , d e f e n c e l e s s
2
lan d h o ld ers* , was n e g a t e d by h i s o v e r - e m p h a s i s on t h e
en h a n ced r e m i t t a n c e from t h e z a m i n d a r s and o t h e r s .
The r e v e n u e l i t e r a t u r e o f t h e e a r l y B r i t i s h p e r i o d
r e c o r d e d t h e d e c l i n e o f t h e a u t h o r i t y and i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e
f a u j d a r s and qanungos i n t h e z a m i n d a r i s . W ith t h e g ro w th
of th e e x te n s iv e t e r r i t o r i a l zam in d aris i n th e i n t e r i o r of
t h e sub a h . t h e l i t t l e a u t h o r i t y f a u . i d a r s had i n re v e n u e
a f f a i r s re m a in e d o p e r a t i v e i n some f r o n t i e r D i s t r i c t s o n l y .

1 , H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , S e i r , I I , 271*
2* I b i d . ? ^ 3 2 - ^ 3 3 .
 131

1
To q u o t e t h e n a i b s u b a h ;
“The Z e m in d a rs i n t h e G i r c a r s o f C o ch b e h a r and
Ghueklaw o f Raj e m e h a l, and t h e D i s t r i c t o f
P u r n e a , where i t h a s l o n g been u s u a l f o r
P h o u s d a r s t o be s t a t i o n e d , c o n t r a r y t o t h e
p r a c t i c e o f t h e z e m i n d a r s o f B h e t t o r e a h , Nudea,
B i s h e n p o r e , Beerbhoom, and I s o u f p o r e , c a n n o t
o f them selves w ith o u t th e p erm issio n of th e
P h o u s d a r u n d e r t a k e any m e a s u r e . The w hole
t r a n s a c t i o n s and a f f a i r s o f t h e s e D i s t r i c t s
a r e t h e r e f o r e a d j u s t e d and s e t t l e d a t t h e
P h o u s d a r r y C u t c h e r r y w i t h t h e a d v i c e and
a p p r o b a t i o n o f t h e a g e n t s o f t h e G ano o n g o e s . 11
As t o t h e r o l e o f t h e qanungos i n t h e m a j o r z a m i n d a r i s ,
2
R e z a Khan r e c o r d e d ;
“ As R a j e s h a h y , B h e t t o r e a h , D i n a j e p o r e , Nuddeah,
- I s o o p p o r e , B e s h e n p o r e , and Bheerbhoom, w ere
e x t e n s i v e and i m p o r t a n t z e m i n d a r r i e s ? t h e p a p e r s
o f t h e Tucseem Xor o r i g i n a l R evenue) dep en ded
on t h e S uddur / s a d a r / ? and i t i s n o t u s u a l f o r
t h e c a n o n g o e g o m a s ta h s t o a t t e n d t h e z e m i n d a r s
and f u r n i s h them w i t h p a p e r s , t h e r e a r e however
some o f t h e i r m a h o r e r s / m u h a r r i r s 7 s t a t i o n e d i n _
t h e i r D i s t r i c t s t o c o i l a c T T K e ^ t u c s eemy / t a q s i m i /
and o t h e r a c c o u n t s 11. — .
The a r b i t r a r y demands o f t h e l a t e r Nawabs on t h e z a m i n d a r s
m i n im i z e d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e qanun g o - d a f t a r t o a g r e a t
exten t. Mir Qasim t o t a l l y d i s r e g a r d e d t h e q an u n g o s*
i n f o r m a t i o n and d e p e n d e d s o l e l y on t h e a m i l s .

1 . R eza Khan 1 s R e p o r t , J u l y 2 , 1771? B .R .C . J u l y 5, 177*+?

R ky/ky^ See a l s o W .L u s h in g to n t o C.C.R.M. March 9 , h
1771? J u l y 2 , 1772, V, 339.
2. R eza K han 1 s R e p o r t , J u l y 2 , 1771? B . R . C . , J u l y 5? 177^?
R k y/k y.
3 . T . K e l s a l l t o C . G . R .M ., F e b . 1 1 ,1 77 1? P.C .C .R .M ., J u l y 2,
1 77 1, V, 3 3 5 - 3 3 6 ; N . K . S i n h a , The Economic H i s t o r y II.l+2-tR .-
 132

W ith t h e g ro w in g w eakn ess o f t h e i m p e r i a l r u l e

and t h e p o l i t i c a l i n s t a b i l i t y i n t h e sub a h , c o r r u p t i o n
pervaded th e a d m in is tr a tio n . The z a m i n d a r s c o u l d e a s i l y
win o v e r t h e i m p e r i a l s t a f f f o r t h e f a r m i n g o f l a n d s a t
u n d e r r a t e s , c o n c e a l m e n t o f c u l t i v a b l e l a n d s , and g r a n t i n g of
1
l a n d s f o r h a t s , g a n j e s , and q u e s t i o n a b l e c h a r i t y . I t w ill
n o t be p r e p o s t e r o u s t o s u g g e s t t h a t many qanu ng o s , n a i b -
q anungos and c h a u d h u r i s i n t h e p r o c e s s o f t r a n s f o r m a t i o n i n t o
z a m i n d a r s abandoned t h e i r o r i g i n a l i n t e g r i t y and o f f i c i a l
2
re sp o n sib ility .
The g r a d u a l p r o c e s s o f t h e w i t h e r i n g o f t h e
g o v e r n m e n t s h o l d on t h e z a m i n d a r s , e s p e c i a l l y on t h e m a jo r
o n e s and t h e e l e v a t i o n o f some t o t h e p o s i t i o n o f c h a k l a h d a r s
p l a c e d t h e r a i y a t s more and more a t t h e m ercy o f t h e z a m in d a r
class. The t e r m s o f t h e p a t t a were n o t a lw a y s r e s p e c t e d by
3
t h e zam indars. The i m p o s i t i o n o f t h e s u b a h d a r i - a b w a b s on
t h e z a m i n d a r s opened t h e d o o r f o r t h e m u l t i p l i c a t i o n o f t h e
z a m i n d a r i c e s s e s on t h e r a i y a t s . The s u b a h f l a r i - a b w a b s from

1 . B.M.Add.MSS.2 9*086, JTb 5 C.W.B.Hous t o R . B e c h e r , J u n e 2 2 ,

1770, L .C .B .S .R . « 2 3 .
2. R. B..Ramsbotham, S t u d i e s i n t h e Land Revenue H i s t o r y o f
Benga l . 137? B . B . M i s r a , The C e n t r a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e
E a s t I n d i a Comp a n y . I 6 q .
3. G . G .D u c a r e l t o R . B e c h e r , B e e . 3 , 1770, D ec.1 3 ,
1 77 0, I I , 665 Royroyan* s a n s w e r , J . H . H a r i n g t o n , E x t r a c t
fro m H a r i n g t o n 1s A n a l y s i s . . . . . 1 5 6 .
 133

M u rs h id Q u li t o A l i v a r d i Khap., a c c o r d i n g t o t h e e s t i m a t e o f S h o r e ;
amounted " t o a b o u t 3 3 p e r c e n t , upon t h e tu m a r o r s t a n d a r d
a s s e s s m e n t i n 1 6 5 8 ; and t h o s e o f t h e z e m i n d a r s , upon t h e r y o t s ,
p r o b a b l y a t t h e same p e r i o d c o u l d n o t be l e s s t h a n 5 0 p e r
cent; f o r e x c l u s i v e o f what t h e y were o b l i g e d t o pay t o t h e
n a z i m s , a f u n d was r e q u i r e d f o r t h e i r s u b s i s t e n c e and emoluments
w hich t h e y o f c o u r s e e x a c t e d . " Some o f t h e c e s s e s a d v e r s e l y
a f f e c t e d th e prom otion of a g r i c u l t u r e . To c i t e an exam ple,
i n B irbhum , r a t h e r a d r y D i s t r i c t , t h e r a i y a t s h a d t o pay a
2
ta x f o r digging tank t o i r r i g a t e t h e i r la n d s. I f the
z a m i n d a r s h a d t o pay f o r th e c o n s tru c tio n of the p alac e of
t h e Nawabs o r f o r f e e d i n g t h e e l e p h a n t s o f t h e Nawabs and
d i w a n s . i t i s no wonder t h a t t h e r a i y a t s p a i d f o r t h e
c e l e b r a t i o n o f t h e m a r r i a g e o r b i r t h o f t h e members o f t h e
3 'v
z a m i n d a r 1 s f a m i l y o r f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f new b u i l d i n g s
k
and t h e p o o j a e x p e n s e s o f t h e ra,1ast. I n 1771 R a n i Bhawani
w rote s %
" F o r m e r l y I had a c o n s i d e r a b l e income fro m my c o u n t r y
a r i s i n g fro m mahgun, s e r a d k h e r c h a , s e t a , p o o j a &ea
c o l l e c t e d upon s e v e r a l o c c a s i o n s w i t h t h e c o n s e n t of
th e ry o tts ." £

1 . J . S h o r e 1 a M i n u t e , J u n e 1 8 , 1 7 8 9 * p a r a k l 7 W .K .F i r m i n g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , 11.
2 . B . R . P . , March 25*1790* R7 1 / 2 3 5 B.Chowdhury, "Some A s p e c t s
o f P e a s a n t -Ec onomy o f B e n g a l " , B . P . P . ?1 95 7, 139*
3 . S .C.C .M ay 9>1770, R / A , 1 0 ; J . S h a k e s p e a r t o C.C.R.M. D e c . 5*
1 77 0, P . C . C . R . M . . D e c . 1 0 , 1 7 7 0 , I I , 385 H . C o t t r e l l t o C . C . R . M . ,
March 8 , 1 7 7 1 , P .C .C .R .M . . March li+ ,1 7 7 1 , IV, 97.
J . S h a k e s p e a r t o C.C.R.M . Not/ . 2 2 , 1 7 7 0 , P . C . C . R . M . . N o v .28,
1 7 7 0 , 1 , 2 5 1 - 2 5 2 (See a p p e n d ix EJ.
5. n C ^ C ^ R J M ., D ec. 2 3 , 17 71 , V I I I , 78.
As t h e f i n a n c i a l e x a c t i o n s i n c r e a s e d , t h e more a d v e n t u r o u s
r a i y a t s T m o stly of t h e b o r d e r la n d s used t o escape t o th e
1
neighbouring c o u n tr ie s .
Though i t i s e v i d e n t t h a t t h e r a i y a t s d i d n o t
a lw a y s f a r e w e l l , t h e e x e r t i o n o f t h e z a m i n d a r s 1 a r b i t r a r y
i m p o s i t i o n s had a n a t u r a l l i m i t . T h e r e were more l a n d s t h a n
tille rs in those days. The p e a s a n t s who moved t o t h e
n e i g h b o u r i n g z a m i n d a r i s were welcomed o f t e n w i t h f a v o u r a b l e
2
term s. A p r o s p e r o u s z a m i n d a r i "meant more money and
c o m f o r t f o r him / t h e z a m i n d a r / ; i n a d d i t i o n i t
secured fo r
3
him t h e g o o d w i l l and l o y a l s e r v i c e s o f h i s t e n a n t s . " A
l e s s d u t i f u l o r an o p p r e s s i v e z a m i n d a r r a n t h e r i s k o f
lo sin g th ese.

When t h e B a s t I n d i a Company assum ed t h e D iw a n i,

t h e r e v e n u e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n B e n g a l was a f f l i c t e d w i t h many
abuses. The i n c o m p e t e n c e o f t h e Nawabs and i n s a t i a b l e g r e e d
o f t h e i r o f f i c e r s and z a m i n d a r s were m a i n l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r

1. G .G . D u c a r e l t o R . B e c h e r , S . C . C . O c t . 1 2 , 1769* R/A, 9;
8 . C . C . D e c . 9* 1769, R/A, 9*

2. H a s t i n g ^ M i n u t e , B . R . C . , Nov. 12, 1776* Rl+9 / 6 5; T.D .

C am p bell t o F.Law, N o v .20, 1777* H.M.S. 20 6 , 3 0 8 .
3 . N .A .S id d iq i, Land Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n 35*
 135

these e v ils . But t h e Company fo u n d t h e . e x e c u t i o n o f t h e D iw ani : 5

b u sin e ss w ith o u t d i r e c t p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n revenue c o l l e c t i o n
1
ex p ed ien t. R eza Khan and S h i t a b Roy a c t e d on b e h a l f o f
t h e Company a s t h e n a i b d iw an s o f B e n g a l and B i h a r
resp ectiv ely .
. • 4--
From t h e b e g i n n i n g t h e a t t e n t i o n o f t h e Company f
--i-v

was d i r e c t e d t o w a r d s t h e enhancement o f t h e r e v e n u e s .
To a c h i e v e t h i s g o a l t h e y s e t o u t f o r t h e c o r r e c t a s s e s s m e n t
of lan d s. In some cases ! t h e farm ing of
l a n d on p u r e l y t e m p o r a r y b a s i s t o t h e h i g h e s t b i d d e r s and t h e
p o s t i n g o f a m i l s and s a z a w a l s i n t h e z a m i n d a r is on a r e g u l a r
basis wore r e s o r t e d t o by t h e Company♦ Such
m e a s u r e s a f f e c t e d t h e e x i s t i n g p o s i t i o n o f t h e z a m i n d a r s who
a s h e r e d i t a r y r e v e n u e f a r m e r s had c o n t r o l l e d f o r lo n g t h e
economy o f t h e g r e a t e r p a r t o f r u r a l B e n g a l .
The ceded d i s t r i c t s o f Burdwan, M idnapur and
C hittag o n g p rovided th e f i r s t g ro u n d ,fo r experim ents i n t?
t h e Company* s r e v e n u e m e a s u r e s . I n Burdwan, Ra;ja TrailofoyaiChandra
,;.x i

t h o u g h a l l o w e d t o c o n t i n u e i n h i s o f f i c e was d i v e s t e d o f *
some o f h i s f o r m e r pow ers and p r i v i l e g e s . Sumner, d e s p a t c h e d ;3
by t h e Company t o r e c o v e r t h e a r r e a r s fro m t h e r a . i a e x t r a c t e d
2
from him t h e p r o m i s e o f t h e payment o f d e b t s . He r e p l a c e d
s m w w iw i w w o

1 . L e t t e r t o C o u r t , S e p t . 3 0, 1765? W k / 2 . 7 $ L e t t e r from
C o u r t , May 17* 1 7 6 6 , p a r a . 1*+, E / ^ / 6 l 8 .
2 . L e tte r t o C ourt, Nov. 1 2 , 1 7 6 1 p a r a . 72, W k / 2 5 *
 136

some o f t h e o l d un d e rffa rm e rs by new C a l c u t t a f a r m e r s , fixed

t h e y e a r l y r e v e n u e a t R s . 3 0 , 0 0 0 0 0 ) and s e t a p a r t an amount
2 V
f o r t h e e x p e n s e o f t h e Company t r o o p s . The r a . i a ? d i s p l e a s e d
a t t h e s e j o i n e d t h e c o n s p i r a c y o f t h e Birbhum R a j a a g a i n s t -
Mir Qasim and t h e Company. But i n t h e armed c l a s h t h a t '' 'i

f o l l o w e d , R a j a T r a i l o k y a C h a n d r a ' s t r o o p s were r o u t e d by
•3
t h e Company t r o o p s . The a p p o i n t m e n t o f J o h n s t o n e as t h e
R e s i d e n t o f Burdwan ( 1 7 6 2 ) , a u g u r e d a new p h a s e i n t h e r e v e n u e
- ■>

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e Burdwan z a m i n d a r i . The p u b l i c a u c t i o n -i
b
o f l a n d t o t h e h i g h e s t b i d d e r s was i n t r o d u c e d . The ra.i^.
was a l l o w e d t o h o l d t h e l a n d d i r e c t l y managed by him and
5
h is re la tio n s. B ut t h e r e s t o f t h e z a m i n d a r i was l e t o u t 'V:
t o o u t s i d e r s f o r a term of t h r e e y e a r s . The Company a l l o w e d t h e ;§;
r a.i a t o r e t a i n t h e n o m in a l a u t h o r i t y o v e r h i s z a m i n d a r i . ^ The .- -;
m e a s u r e , h o w e v e r, p r o v e d d i s a s t r o u s . The C o u r t o f D i r e c t o r s
and V e r e l s t , S u p e r v i s o r o f Burdwan d i s a p p r o v e d o f t h e Company* s - *
7
d i r e c t i n v o l v e m e n t i n t h e management o f t h e z a m i n d a r i . V e r e l s t :

1 . B . P . C . March 2 9 , 1 7 6 2 and A p r i l 1 5 , 1 7 6 2 , , E J / S 1*.

2 . L e t t e r t o C o u r t , N o v . 1 2 , 1761, p a r a . 72, E / b / 2 5 .
3 . L e t t e r t o C o u rt, Ja n . 1 6 , 1 7 6 1 , p a ra 103, W b / 2 5 .
If. B . P . . C . , A p r i l 1 5 , 1 7 6 2 , R I/3 ^5 H . V e r e l s t , A J Q e w ^ o f ^ t h e ^ a i s ^
£ M ~£ E 2 gC££g,........... 7 0 .
5. M.Huq, The B a s t I n d i a Company 1 s Lan d P o l i c y and Commerce / ;:
i n B e n g a l , 57® f -
6 . B .P .C . A p ril 15, 1762, % £ /$ * .
7. L e t t e r fro m C o u r t , May 1 7 , 1 7 6 6 , E / ^ / 6 l 8 ; H . V e r e l s t , A .View V
o f t h e R i s e and P r o g r e s s 70-71* Y
 137

aba n d o n ed t h e p r a c t i c e o f p u b l i c a u c t i o n and l e a s e d l a n d
p r e f e r a b l y t o t h e old fa rm e rs f o r a 3 - y e a r p e r io d . The
c o l l e c t i o n th o u g h m oderate a t t h e o u t s e t , began t o r i s e
1
stead ily . The income from t h e z a m i n d a r i was f u r t h e r
2
augmented by t h e r e d u c t i o n o f t h e c h a k a r a n and c h a r i t y l a n d s .
I n t h e d i s t r i c t of M idnapur, t h e t u r b u l e n t n a t u r e
o f t h e z a m i n d a r s made t h e p r o p e r a s s e s s m e n t o f t h e r e v e n u e s
d iffic u lt. In o rd er t o e v a lu a te th e zam indari re s o u r c e s ,
i t was p l a n n e d t o remove t h e z a m i n d a r s and l e t t h e l a n d s
i n p u b l i c a u c t i o n o r c o l l e c t r e v e n u e d i r e c t l y from t h e r a i y a t s
3 ~
as i n th e 2^-Parganahs, S i n c e u n d e r m i n g s y s te m o p e r a t i v e
i n Burdwan and o t h e r d i s t r i c t s was n o t p r e v a l e n t i n M id n ap u r,
t h e scheme c o u l d n o t be e f f e c t e d . The n u m e r o u s n e s s o f t h e
p e t t y z a m i n d a r s which c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e d i s t r i c t ,
p o se d
ij.
a n o t h e r p ro b le m t o t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e scheme. The
re m o v a l o f t h e z a m i n d a r s w o u ld , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e c u s to m o f
th e zam indari i n s t i t u t i o n , n e c e s s i t a t e th e g ra n tin g of m aint­
e n a n c e a l l o w a n c e t o them and t h i s c o u l d c o s t t h e Company a

1 . H . V e r e l s t , A View o f t h e B i s e and. P r o g r e s s . . . . . 7 1 - 7 2 .
2 . B.P.C* A p r i l 1 5 , 17 62 , RX/31*, 3 8 8 ; C . R u s s e l l t o I I . V e r e l s t ,
A u g . l , 1767? B . P . C . S e p t . 2 8 , 17 67, R l A l .
3 . ft.V a n sitta rt and C o u n c i l N ov . 6 , 1 7 6 *+ q u o t e d i n W .K .F i r m i n g e r ,
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . 1 , c x x v i .
^ * f jp —

!+. J .G r a h a m t o S .C . D ec. 2 k . 1 7 6 5 , S . C .C . Dec. 2 7 , 1 76 ?,

R/A, 6.
 138

1
c o n s i d e r a b l e amount o f money.. M o reo v e r, t h e C o u r t o f
D i r e c t o r s f a v o u r e d t h e f a r m i n g o f l a n d s t o 1s u b s t a n t i a l
2
men*. Bo t h e p l a n f o r t h e re m o v a l o f t h e z a m i n d a r s from
r e v e n u e management was s h e l v e d and t h e a t t e n t i o n o f t h e
Company was f o c u s s e d on t h e s u b d u a l o f t h e z a m i n d a r s and
t h e a u g m e n t a t i o n o f income fro m t h e d i s t r i c t . The a c c o u n t s
o f t h e z a m i n d a r s were b r o u g h t u n d e r r e g u l a r s c r u t i n y o f t h e
3
R e s i d e n t who made r o u t i n e c i r c u i t s . The r e n t - r o l l o f t h e
z a m i n d a r s was i n c r e a s e d by t h e r e s u m p t i o n o f t h e c h a k a r a n
k
and b a z i z a m i n . A t t e m p t s were made t o b r i n g t h e v a s t
q u a n t i t i e s of a r a b le w aste lan d under c u l t i v a t i o n . To
e n c o u r a g e t h e z a m i n d a r s t h e r a t e o f i n t e r e s t o f money
6
a d v a n c e d f o r p o o l b a n y e x p e n s e s was r e d u c e d fro m 2 kfo t o 12$.
I n C h i t t a g o n g t o o , i t was f o u n d convenient t o
r e t a i n the zam indars i n th e ir o f f i c e . I n 1 7 6 7 a new r e n t -
r o l l was p r e p a r e d on t h e b a s i s o f t h e s u r v e y of l a n d s i n 1764*.

1 . H . W a t t s , O c t . 1 7 6 5 , q u o t e d i n W . K . F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h :
R e p o r t . . . . . 1 , cxxvi.
2 . L e t t e r from C o u r t Dec. 21*, 1 7 6 ? , E J /V 6 1 8 .
3 . I I .V e r e ls t t o J.G raham , March 1 7 ,1 7 6 6 and A p r i l 10, 1 7 6 6 ,
B.D.R . v MidnaBur I I , W -^9, 52. •
k. B . D . R . . M idnapur I I , 85 M.Huq, The E a s t I n d i a Companv&s
Land P o l i cy and Comm erce i n Beng a l . 7**.
Iiw i p jm jj u t H ......f
W ,1-

J . L e t t e r from C o u r t , D e c . 2 ^ , 1 7 6 5 , W k f 6 1 8 5 I I . V e r e l s t t o
J . G r a h a m , A p r i l 2 3 , 1 7 6 6 , B » D .R .. M idnapur I I , 5 6 .
6 . C . R u s s e l l t o I I . V e r e l s t , A u g . l , 1767, B . P . C . , S e p t . 2 8 , ;•
1767, R IA 1 .
7. A . M . S e r a j u d d i n , The Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g , 72.
 139

The Company a p p o i n t e d t a h s i l d a r a t o c o l l e c t r e v e n u e d i r e c t l y ; t
from t h e z a m i n d a r s . Whenever a z a m in d a r was fo und b e h i n d w i t h
1
t h e p ay m e n t, a s az aw al was s e n t t o r e a l i z e t h e amount. The
r e c u r r e n c e of b a l a n c e w i t h o u t a j u s t i f i a b l e c a u s e l e d t o H
2
t h e confinem ent o f t h e zam indar. T h es e s t r i n g e n t m e a s u r e s
e ffe c te d the f u l l and p u n c t i l i o u s r e m i t t a n c e o f t h e r e v e n u e v-
3
w hich d o u b l e d w i t h i n a few y e a r s ,
So f a r a s t h e Diwani d i s t r i c t s were c o n c e r n e d , =
R eza Khan p r e p a r e d a new r e n t - r o l l based, on t h e c o n j e c t u r a l
v a lu a tio n of lan d . The r a t e o f t h e b a n d - o - b a s t was l e s s ■/:
t h a n t h a t o f Qasirn A l i and Mir J a f a r 1 s s e t t l e m e n t s . At t h e
b e g i n n i n g o f e a c h f i n a n c i a l y e a r , t h e z a m i n d a r s renewed t h e i r
’5 ■y
band-o-bas t on t h e b a s i s o f new v a l u a t i o n o f t h e i r z a m i n d a r i s . .
B iH R a M B m M w a M R m n m c q i

Though t h e e x i s t i n g s y s te m o f r e v e n u e c o l l e c t i o n was r e t a i n e d
in p rin cip le, some new s t e p s were i n t r o d u c e d . The a m i l s . &]

w a d a h d a rs and. s a z a w a l s were s e n t more f r e q u e n t l y t h a n b e f o r e

if itMjrtiti'u ji p m iiw u jf wi iiwi u m ib iw it* V

6 ./v
t o r e a l i z e t h e r e v e n u e p u n c t u a l l y and f u l l y . I n many

1 . A . M . S e r a j u d d i n , The Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g , 7 b - 7 tj*

2 . I b i d . ' , 78.
3. H . V e r e l s t , A View o f t h e R i s e and P r o g r e s s 7k f . n .

k* R e z a K h a n ' s R o t e , March 2 5 , 1775* C«P.C» IV ?l 6 6 2 ; Appendix ^

to the F i f t h R eport Nos. 5 - 7 , W .K .F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The
Fi f t h R e p o r t I I , 125-126.
5* C.C.R.M . t o C . C . R . , May 2 3 , 1 771, M ^ J k V, 137• ,|
6 . R . B e c h e r t o S .C . May 2*+, 17&9, b . C . B . I , x i - x i i ; P . C .C .K . ,
J u l y 2 8 , 17 72 , I - I I I ( i n o n e ) , 8 8 .
z a m i n d a r i s , a m i l s were a p p o i n t e d t o s u p e r i n t e n d t h e c o lle c ­
t i o n s j o i n t l y w i t h t h e z a m i n d a r s and t o s e e t h e l o c a l
c o l l e c t i o n s b r o u g h t i n f u l l t o t h e s a d a r c u t cherry and from
1
t h e i r despatched to th e k h a l s a , The a m i l s s e n t f o r s p e e d i n g
up t h e c o l l e c t i o n s o f t e n t o o k o v e r from t h e z a m i n d a r s t h e
e n t i r e c h a r g e o f t h e r e v e n u e management, t h u s s u b v e r t i n g
2
th e ir au th o rity , I n o rd e r t o ensure p u n c tu a l re m itta n c e ,
t h e Company when f a r m i n g o u t l a n d demanded e v e n fro m t h e
h e r e d i t a r y z a m i n d a r s s e c u r i t i e s t o be f u r n i s h e d by men o f
3
s u b s t ance.
To r e f o r m t h e r e v e n u e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n V e r e l s t !
g o v ern m e n t i n t r o d u c e d some c h a n g e s i n 1 7 6 7 . The h i g h r a t e s
o f a s s e s s m e n t were c u t and t h e f a u l t y l o n g s t a n d i n g p r a c t i c e
o f b r i n g i n g b a l a n c e s fro m y e a r t o y e a r i n t h e r e n t - r o l l was
abandoned. I t was d e c i d e d t o k e e p t h e b a l a n c e o f t h e p r e v i o u s
y e a r s a p a r t fro m t h e c u r r e n t year* s .1ama and t o c o n c l u d e a
s e p a r a t e agreement f o r t h e r e a l i z a t i o n o f th e a r r e a r s . The
m e a s u r e was e x p e c t e d t o s h i e l d t h e l a n d h o l d e r s from t h e

1, R e z a K h an1s S t a t e m e n t , P.C,C,R«M»f O ct, 29,1770? I? 139*

2 . C.P.C. I I . 1 7 2 , 1 8 6 ; R.Becher to S.C. Aug. 26, 1769, S.C.C.
Sept. 25, 1769, R/A, 9. A.B.M.Mahmood, The Land Revenue
H isto ry of th e Ra.ishahi Zamindari. 50.
3 .R.Becherto S .C ,, May 2h. 1769, L.C.B. I , xiv; C.W.B.Rous
to C.C.R.M. May 16, 1771, P.C.C.R.M. . May 20, 1771, V ,l 8 l .
 1
harassm ent fo r th e recovery of o u tstan d in g d e b ts. The
c o l l e c t i o n c h a r g e was r e d u c e d and t h e a l l o w a n c e t o t h e
z a m i n d a r s was 1 s e t t l e d i n s u c h a manner t o l e a v e them n o t t h e .
2
l e a s t p l e a f o r e x t o r t i o n o r o p p r e s s i o n 1• I t was s t r i c t l y
e n j o i n e d upon t h e z a m i n d a r s t o p rom ote a g r i c u l t u r e and
p ro te c t th e in te r e s t of th e r a i y a t s . W ith a v iew t o recover™
i n g t h e v a s t q u a n t i t i e s o f l a n d a l i e n a t e d by f o r c e o r f r a u d
o r t h r o u g h c a r e l e s s n e s s o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t, t h e r e s u m p t i o n
o f t h e r e n t - f r e e l a n d o f v a r i o u s d e n o m i n a t i o n s w a s o r d e r e d f o r*
Some o f t h e s e m e a s u r e s went a l o n g way t o i n f r i n g e upon t h e
economic a d v a n t a g e s o f t h e z a m in d a rs *
I n May 1 7 6 9 t h e t e n u r e o f r e v e n u e f a r m i n g was
r a i s e d from one t o t h r e e y e a r s . I t th e beginning of th e
t r i e n n i a l s e t t l e m e n t , t h e N a d i a z a m i n d a r i was l e a s e d t o some
C a l c u t t a m erchants su p erse d in g th e ag e -o ld h e r e d i t a r y r i g h t
4
o f t h e r a.i a who was i n h e a v y a r r e a r s . The z a m i n d a r i fa rm ed
a t K s , 9 , 5 8 , 0 0 0 w i t h an a n n u a l r i s e o f R s . 5 0 , 0 0 0 f o r each o f
t h e s u b s e q u e n t y e a r s , c o u l d n o t be h e l d f o r l o n g by t h e

1 . E . V e r e l s t and F . S y k e s t o B . C . , J u n e 2 8 , 1 7 6 7 , S . C . C . J u l y 6,
1 7 6 7 , R / A , 7; L e t t e r t o C o u r t , S e p t . 2 5 , 1 7 6 7 , p a r a . 1 6 , 1 / 4 / 2 8 .
2 . H . V e r e l s t and F . S y k e s t o S . C . , J u n e 2 8 , 1 7 6 7 , S . C . C . ,
J u l y 6 , 1 7 6 7 , R/A, 7*
3 . L e t t e r t o C ourt, S e p t. 2 5 , 1767, p a r a . 22, 1 / 4 / 2 8 .
4 . R . B e c h e r t o J . R i d e r , D e c . 20, 1 7 6 9 , S . C . C . , J a n . 2 8 ,. 1770
and R . B e c h e r t o S .C .M a rc h 3 0 , 1770, S . C . C . , A p r i l 28,
1 7 7 0 , R/A, 10.
 ih z

farm ers* I t 11was soon fo u n d t h a t t h e F a rm e r s r e q u i r e d

b e i n g i n v e s t e d w i t h powers t h a t would have d e p r i v e d t h e d ^ a j a
o f h i s j u s t r i g h t s and t h e y a c t e d o p p r e s s i v e l y i n t h e
D i s t r i c t s and d i d n o t pay t h e r e v e n u e s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r
agreem ent. The R a j a a t t h e same t i m e j e a l o u s o f t h e i r
a u t h o r i t y and e a r n e s t t o he a g a i n r e i n s t a t e d o f f e r e d t o
2
comply w i t h t h e t e r m s a g r e e d on by t h e f a r m e r s . " C onsequently
3
R a j a o f N a d ia was r e i n s t a t e d . The t r i e n n i a l s e t t l e m e n t
was a l s o i n t r o d u c e d i n o t h e r d i s t r i c t s s u ch a s R a j s h a h i ,
If
P u r n e a and Birbhum.
B ut t h e e x i s t i n g sy s te m o f r e v e n u e management
through th e n a tiv e perso n n el w ithout p ro p er checks a t th e l o c a l
l e v e l s by t h e Company o f f i c e r s , c o m p l i c a t e d t h e s t a t e o f
revenue a d m in is tr a tio n . To cope w i t h t h e s t u p e n d o u s t a s k
one R e s i d e n t a t t h e d u r b a r was n o t enough. H en ce, E n g l i s h
S u p e r v i s o r s were a p p o i n t e d i n t h e d i f f e r e n t d i s t r i c t s o f
5
Bengal. The S u p e r v i s o r s were r e q u i r e d t o r e p o r t on t h e
p r o d u c e and c a p a c i t y o f l a n d , t h e amount and mode o f t h e

1. R . B e c h e r t o J . R i d e r , D e c . 2 0 , 1 7 6 9 * S*C*C. J a n . 2 8 , 1770,
R/A, 10.
2 . R .B e c h e r t o S . C . , March 3 0 , 1770, S .C .C . A p r i l 28 , 1770,
R/A, 10.
3 . Ib id .
k . R . B e c h e r t o S .C . J u n e 2 , 1770, S.C.C* J u n e 9 , 1 7 7 0 , R/A, 10.
5. S . C . C * , Aug. 1 6 , 1 7 6 9 ? R/A, 9*
 1^3

c o l l e c t i o n o f r e v e n u e , and p r e p a r e a new r e n t - r o l l . The

S u p e r v i s o r s t h o u g h empowered t o e x e r c i s e a c o n t r o l l i n g
a u t h o r i t y o v e r t h e z a m i n d a r s were u r g e d n o t t o i n t e r f e r e
p
d i r e c t l y i n t h e a c t u a l work o f r e v e n u e c o l l e c t i o n * The
S u p e r v i s o r s were “t o g i v e t h e s t r i c t e s t a t t e n t i o n t o t h e
e a s e and c o m f o r t o f t h e i n h a b i t a n t s , t o p r e v e n t o p p r e s s i o n s
u n d e r ©/ery d e n o m i n a t i o n , t o g i v e du e e n c o u ra g e m e n t t o t h e
r y o t t and p r e v e n t any t h i n g more b e i n g e x a c t e d fro m r y o t t s
e i t h e r by Zem in dar o r T a l o o k d a r , Aumil o r any one employed
3
i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f t h e r e v e n u e s , t h a n what i s j u s t l y d u e 11.
The r e s e n t m e n t of t h e z a m i n d a r s o v e r t h e p o s t i n g
o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r s w i t h c o n t r o l l i n g a u t h o r i t y o v e r them ,
became m a n i f e s t i n no t i m e . Many o f Z am in d a rs r e f u s e d t o
c o n t r a c t f o r t h e revenue i n th e fo rth c o m in g s e t tle m e n t
k
( 1 7 7 0 - 1 7 7 1 ) u n l e s s f u l l a u t h o r i t y was r e s t o r e d t o them .
I n t h e i r c o u n t e r - p r o p o s a l t h e y c l a i m e d f o r “f u l l a u t h o r i t y i n
r e v e n u e m a t t e r s and i n a l l o t h e r m a t t e r s a p p e r t a i n i n g t h e r e t o . 11
m w a i r U f t - . anr-'i Ji-gg m cavrH lm y a a Wiin«|'»'iiJi .mu)T‘.i.i w wm M sa t m w tuuw uim iii 'miiihi* ihiiibjiuj iii r n r m M im m i it cscceEiv«a.%n«tv»iM^ awMMiiwjJuuM

1 . S . C . C . , Aug. 1 6 , 1 7 6 9 , R/A, 9 .
2 . S . C . C . , D ec. I ? , 1 7 6 9 , R/A, 9.
3 . R . B e c h e r t o S .C .M a r c h 3 0 , 1 7 7 0 , S .C .C ., A p r il 28,1770,
R / A , 1 0 , 196.
k. R .B e c h e r t o S .C . J u n e 2 , 1 7 7 0 , S . C . C . J u n e 9 , 1 77 0, R/A,
1 0 ; J . R e e d t o C .C . R . M . , Dec. 1 7 , 1 7 7 0 , P . C . C . R . M . . D e c . 2 0 ,
1 7 7 0 , I I , 106.
5 . C .P .C .III, 2 52 ; See a l s o .g r z i o f t h e z a m i n d a r o f E d r a k p u r ,
S.C~.C., J u n e 2 1 , 17 7 0, R/A, 10.
The z a m i n d a r s f u r t h e r m o r e demanded a w r i t t e n a s s u r a n c e from
t h e R e s i d e n t and t h e n a i b ^ d i w a n f o r n o n - i n t e r f e r e n c e i n t h e i r
1
a f f a i r s by t h e S u p e r v i s o r s o r o t h e r s o f t h e Company, R eza
Khan and B e e h e r s u p p o r t e d t h e c o n t e n t i o n o f t h e zamindaffs
t h a t th e in te r f e r e n c e of the S u p erv iso rs re ta rd e d the p ro g ress
2
of c o l l e c t i o n . A f t e r much d e l i b e r a t i o n t h e S e l e c t Committee
a g r e e d t o t a k e away from t h e S u p e r v i s o r s t h e c o n t r o l l i n g
a u t h o r i t y o v e r r e v e n u e management. As a r e s u l t i n t h e jj a n d -o *
3
b a s t f o r t h e y e a r 1 7 7 0 * 1 7 7 1 many d i s t r i c t s were farm ed o u t 1 on
c o n d i t i o n t h a t t h e Z e m i n d a r s , Amils &e. r e t a i n t h e i r u s u a l
a u t h o r i t y i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n s and t h a t t h e S u p e r v i s o r s be
^ 5
r e s t r a i n e d fro m i n t e r f e r i n g 1. The rem aining d i s t r i c t s were
6
*p u t u n d e r t h e management o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r s ' . But s h o r t l y
a f te r w a r d s th e C o u n cil a t F o rt W illiam r e v e r s e d th e d e c i s i o n
o f t h e S e l e c t C om m ittee on t h e argum ent t h a t j u s t i c e was s o
in sep arab ly linked w ith th e revenuea d m i n i s t r a t i o n t h a t mere
a u th o r ity over th e one would d e f e a t t h e v e r y p u r p o s e o f

1. C . P . C , I I I , 2 51 .
2. R . B e c h e r t o S . C . , J u n e 2 , 1770, S . C . C . , J u n e 9 , 1770,
R/A, 10.
3 . The d i s t r i c t s w ere: B a h a r b u n d , B i s h n u p u r , C h u n a k h a l i ,
G h u n d leh y , C o n k j o l e , R d r a k p u r , F u c k e r Kundy ( o r R a n g p u r ) ,
F u t t e h S i n g h , J a h a n g i r p u r , L a s h k a r p u r , Muhammad Shahy,
N a d i a , P a c h e t , Raj s h a h i , R okunpur, S e l b e r s a and Y usoufpur*
k. R . B e c h e r t o S.G. J u n e 1 8 , 1770, S .C .C . J u n e 2 1 , 1 7 7 0 , R / A , 10.
5. B irbhum , D a c c a , D i n a j p u r , J a l l a b m u t h a , Muhammad Am inpur,
M y sad al, P u r n e a Rawshanabad ( o r T i p p e r a ) , and S y l h e t .
6 . R .B echer t o S .C ,J u n e 18, 1 77 0, S . C . C . J u n e 2 1 , 1 770,
R/A, 1 0 .
 Ik

a p p o i n t i n g t h e S u p e r v i s o r s , and t h e r e f o r e t h e " c o n t r o l l i n g
1
power o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r s s h o u l d he r e s t o r e d t o # .
The z a m i n d a r s were r e l u c t a n t t o p a r t w i t h t h e
power e n j o y e d so long* They c o n t r i v e d t o impede t h e p r o g r e s s
o f new m e a s u r e s . U ndau nted by t h e i r f a i l u r e t o a n n u l t h e
c o n t r o l l i n g power o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r s , t h e z a m i n d a r s p u t a l l
p o s s i b l e o b s t a c l e s t o t h e s u r v e y and p r o p e r a s s e s s m e n t o f
t h e i r zam indaris* They n o t o n l y i g n o r e d t h e i n s t r u c t i o n t o
re n d er a l l kind of a s s is ta n c e to th e p a r ty of R en n ell, th e
2
Surveyor G eneral, b u t on t h e c o n t r a r y t o o k up arms a g a i n s t
him t o s t o p h i s work*
3
A g a in , t h e a m il and t h e diw an o f
Ll
Govingunge d i s m i s s e d t h e m a n d a l s , t o o k t h e i r p a p e r s and
1e i t h e r s e c r e t e d o r d e s t r o y e d 1 th em , i n o r d e r t o c o n c e a l t h e
r e a l v a l u e o f t h e z a m i n d a r i and f r u s t r a t e t h e a t t e m p t o f
the S u p e r v i s o r t o form a c o m p l e t e and c o r r e c t h a s t - o - b u d .
5

I n s p i t e o f a l l o p p o s i t i o n and p r o t e s t a t i o n s o f
t h e z a m i n d a r s and t h e f a r m e r s , t h e S u p e r v i s o r s went ahead w i t h

1* F o r t W i l l i a m C o u n c i l t o C.C.R.M* S e p t . 1 1 , 1 7 7 0 , P . C . C . R . M*
Sept* 2 7 , 1 7 7 0 , I , 3*
2* C . P . O . II* 95, 183*
3* J . R e n n e l l t o C . C . R . M . , Dec*9., 1 770, P . C . C . R . M* * Dec. 2 0 ,
17 70 , I I , 9 8 - 9 9 ; A .K .Jam eso n , 11James R e n n e ll* 1, B . P . P . .
192*+, XXVTI, k .
km S i t u a t e d i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f R an g pu r.

5. G .R o b e rt son t o J . G r o s e , J u n e 1 9 , 1 77 0 , L . C . B . I , 2 7 - 2 8 ;
W. L u s h i n g t o n t o C .C .R .M ., May 2 7 , 17 7 1, May 30 ,
1771, v, 232- 233.
 146

t h e i r programme. No i n d u l g e n c e was a l l o w e d t o i n c u r b a l a n c e by ,
1
t h e z a m i n d a r s and o t h e r s . To r e c o v e r b a l a n c e s prompt
i i

a c t i o n was t a k e n - e i t h e r a p a r t o f t h e z a m i n d a r i was s o l d
2
o r t h e a l l o w a n c e o f t h e z a m i n d a r was d e d u c t e d . The z a m i n d a r i *
a c c o u n t s w ere s u b j e c t e d t o s t r i c t e s t s c r u t i n y t o s t o p e m b e z z l e -
3
ment and o t h e r m a l p r a c t i c e s . By way o f b r i n g i n g p r e s EEiu r e
Ij,
on t h e z a m i n d a r s , k h i l a t s were w i t h h e l d fro m t h e ra.i a s
who 1h a v e t h i s y e a r f a l l e n c o n s i d e r a b l y i n a r r e a r s o f t h e i r
5
r e v e n u e 1. I n most c a s e s o f i r r e g u l a r i t i e s t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n .
o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r s r e s u l t e d i n an enhancem ent o f r e v e n u e s .
From H u g l i L u s h i n g t o n r e p o r t e d t h e i n c r e a s e o f p o s s i b l y 20 %
&
and i n some c a s e s even d o u b l e o r t r e b l e o f t h e e x i s t i n g amount.

1. R .B e c h e r t o S . C . , l u g . 2 6 , 1 7 6 9 , S . C . C . , S e p t . 2 5 , 1 7 6 9 ,
R /A ,9 5 May 2 0 , 1771, V, 1 8 1 - 1 8 2 .
2. R . B e c h e r t o J . R i d e r , Dec. 2 2 , 1 7 6 9 , S . C . C . , J a n . 2 8 , 1770,
R/A, 10; C.W.B.Rous t o C .C .R .M ., A p r i l 1 9 , 1 77 1 , P J g . C . R llM.,
A p r i l 30 , 1 771, V, I I 3 .
3 . C.W.B.Rous t o C . C .R . M . , A p r i l 19 , 1 7 7 1 , P . C . C . R . M . , A p r i l 3 0 ,
1 7 7 1 , V, 1 1 3 - 1 1 4 ; P .C .C .R .M . « May 3 0 , 1 7 71 , V, 229*
4 . The z a m i n d a r s o f Birbhum, G h a n c h ra , D i n a j p u r , L a s h k a r p u r ,
N a d i a , N a l d a n g a and R a j s h a h i .
5. P .C .C .R .M . , May 30 , 1 7 7 1 , V, 229*
6. W.L u s h i n g t o n t o C .C . R . M . , May 27, 1 7 7 1 , P . C . C . R . M . . May 3 0 ,
1 7 7 1 , V, 2 3 2 -2 3 3 ; See a l s o P .C .C .R .M . . J u l y 1 , 1771, V,
325- 326;
An a c c o u n t o f p r o g r e s s i v e i n c r e a s e o f r e n t - r o l l o f t h e
B irbhum z a m i n d a r i :
Revenue up t i l l 1757 .................................... R s. 3 , 7 5 , 000
Added l e v i e s s i n c e t h e n ........... « . . . Rs. 20,000 .
Revenue s e t t l e d f o r 1 7 6 9 -1 7 7 0 ............... R s .7 ,2 5,000
» 11 11 1 7 7 0-17 7 1 ..................... Rs. 7 , 6 8 , 4 0 0
“ 11 »« 1 7 71 -17 72 ..................... Rs. 8 , 1 1 , 8 79
l A r z i o f R a j a A s a d - a l-Z a m a n Khan, P . C . C . R . M . . D e c . 1 2 , 1 7 7 1 .
f i l l , 34; H . V e r e l s t and R . B e c h e r t o S . C . , J u n e 3 0 , 1 7 6 9 ,
L .C .B . I , x x i i .
 We t u r n now t o t h e c o n d i t i o n o f t h e r a i y a t s .
B e in g d e p r i v e d o f many o f t h e . i n t e r m e d i a t e c h a n n e l s o f
p r o f i t s , t h e im p o v erish ed zam indars began t o e x t o r t t h e r a iy a t;
1
To q u o t e Rouss
111 am f i r m l y o f o p i n i o n t h a t th e m u l t i p l i c a t i o n of
m a t h o t e s , w h ich h a s t a k e n p l a c e i n t h i s D i s t r i c t '
s i n c e t h e Companies a c c e s s i o n t o t h e Dewanny .
h a s b e e n a t t e n d e d w i t h t h e most p e r n i c i o u s c o n s e ­
q u e n c e s t o a g r i c u l t u r e and t h e c o u n t r y i n g e n e r a l :
and t h a t t h e c o n t i n u a n c e o f s u c h a s y s t e m must
i n e v i t a b l y hav e ended i n i t * s d e s t r u c t i o n . 11 2
D u r i n g t h e f a m in e o f 1 7 6 9 - 1 7 7 0 , some z a m i n d a r s f a i l e d t o
3 * • I
ad v a n c e t .a q a v i t o t h e d i s t r e s s e d r a i y a t s . The custom o f
n a . i a i r e c e i v e d a new l e a s e o f l i f e i n t h e wake' o f t h e
fam ine. I t became a common p r a c t i c e t o l e v y n a . i a i and o t h e r /
Lj.
c e s s e s t o make up t h e jama o f t h e z a m i n d a r s .
The c h r o n i c m a l p r a c t i c e s i n t h e r e v e n u e
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n and t h e d i s l o c a t i o n o f t h e e n t i r e economic l i f e
o f t h e r a i y a t s by t h e f a m i n e o f 1 7 6 9 -1 7 7 0 s p u r r e d t h e C o u rt
q f D i r e c t o r s t o i n t r o d u c e e l a b o r a t e and e f f e c t i v e c h a n g e s i n

1 . C.W.B.Rous t o C .C .R .M ., J u n e 4 , 1771, P . C . C . R . M .« J u n e 1 0 ,
17 71 , V, 255.
2 . I n March Rous r e p o r t e d from R a j s h a h i t h a t " t h e same l a n d ,
w h ich f o r m e r l y p a i d 3 an n a s t o t h e Government P Bega now,
a c t u a l l y p a y s no l e s s t h a n f i v e & a h a l f . " (C.W.B.Rous
t o R . B e c h e r , March 4 , 1 7 7 0 , L. C . B . S . R . . 8 ) .
3* J . R i d e r t o R . B e c h e r , A p r i l 1 8 , 17 70 , L .C . B . 1 , 1 1 0 ; A r z i
o f R a j a B o i d y a n a t h o f D i n a j p u r , P .C .C .R .M . , F eb . 4 , 1771,
I I I , 104.
4 . ¥ . Harwood t o B . C . , March 2 8 , 1770, S . C . C . , A p r i l 2 8 , 1 7 7 0 ,
R / A , 10; N . K . S i n h a , The Beanomic H i s t o r y . . . . . I I , 54-55*
0 4 0 to a wiJi i.mifiw*i I r » iu,i i . iiil teaffl«wnfff;naTrTTaiw^m w i j m W C T CTWMfa< 0 ** r r
 IkQ

t h e ad m in i s t r a t i on . T h e i r d e c i s i o n ' t o s t a n d f o r t h a s Duan,
by t h e age n cy o f t h e Company 1 s s e r v a n t s ' and assume ' t h e e n t i r e
1
c a r e and management o f t h e R e v e n u e s ' was p u t i n t o a c t i o n i n
A p r i l 4-772 u n d e r t h e G o v e r n o r s h i p o f H a s t i n g s .
To sum up , b o t h i n t h e ceded and Diwani d i s t r i c t s
the s t a n d a r d r a t e o f a s a l .1ama u n d e rw e n t s u b s t a n t i a l c h a n g e s ..
Though t h e g o a l o f t h e Company t o a s s e s s z a m i n d a r i r e s o u r c e s
t h o r o u g h l y c o u l d n o t be a c h i e v e d , a new r e n t - r o l l was formed
on t h e b a s i s o f a u c t i o n r a t e s r l o c a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n s and
resum ption of th e r e n t - f r e e la n d s . The c o l l e c t i o n c h a r g e s
were r e d u c e d by d i s m i s s i n g t h e su p e rflu o u s zam indaris t a f f .
The cases of re c u rrin g balance, a re g u la r f e a tu r e of th e p ast
2
few y e a r s r e m a r k a b l y d w i n d l e d . Even d u r i n g t h e y e a r o f t h e
d e v a s t a t i n g f a m i n e , t h e r e v e n u e s e t t l e m e n t was b a s e d on t h e
a
h a s t - o - b u d o f 1 7 6 6 -1 7 6 7 and t h e b a l a n c e i n c u r r e d i n 1770-1771
h
was i n s i g n i f i c a n t com pared t o t h e p r e - D i w a n i p e r i o d . By
t h e y e a r 1 7 7 1 , a number o f z a m i n d a r s were r e p l a c e d by men o f
' c r e d i t and s u b s t a n c e * who had o f f e r e d h i g h e r r a t e s and b e t t e r

1 . L e t t e r from C o u r t , Aug. 28 , 1 7 7 1 , p a r a . 2 1 , E / V 6 21.

2 . R . B e c h e r t o ShC.Aug. 2 6 , 1 7 6 9 , S .C .C . S e p t . 2 5 , 17&9, R/A,9#
3 . C.W.B.Rous t o C .C .R .M ., O c t. 1 0 , 1 7 7 1 , P.C..C. R . M . , Oct. 2 k ,
1 7 7 1 , V I I , 98.
k. R .B e c h e r t o S .C . Aug, 2 6 , 1 7 6 9 , S . C .C . S e p t . 2 ? , 1 7 6 9 , R/A,
9; C .e .jR . 0 . , A p r i l 1 0 , 17 72 , R 6 7 /5 4 CSee a p p e n d i x
 1^9

sec u rities, W h e rev er i t was c o n s i d e r e d e x p e d i e n t ) t h e

Company fa rm ed o u t p a r t s o f t h e z a m i n d a r i s t o t h e o u t s i d e r s *
I n 1771? t h e R a j s h a h i z a m i n d a r i was a d v e r t i s e d f o r a h i g h e r
2
o f f e r and r e l i a b l e s e c u r i t i e s . However, t h e z a m in d a r o f
R a jsh a h i i n o rd e r t o save h e r p r e s t i g e bought t h e l e a s e at
3
a higher ra te .
T h e s e exam ples a f f i r m t h a t t h e Company even b e f o r e
t h e i r a s s u m p t i o n o f t h e f u l l D iw ani r e s p o n s i b i l i t y b e g a n t o
i n t e r v e n e i n many a s p e c t s o f t h e z a m i n d a r i a d m i n i s t r a t i o n
w ith or w ith o u t t h e a p p ro v al of t h e C ourt o f D i r e c t o r s . The
p o s t i n g o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r s a f f e c t e d t h e autonom ous p o s i t i o n
o f t h e z a m in d a r s . The R e g u l a t i o n o f May 1*+, 17 7 2, s p e l l e d out
f u r th e r cu rtailm en t o f t h e f o r m e r r i g h t s and p r i v i l e g e s o f
th e zam indars. A p e r u s a l of th e c la u s e s of th e R e g u la tio n
r e v e a l t h e d i m e n s i o n o f t h e c h a n g e s and t h e e x t e n t o f t h e
g r i p o f t h e Company o v e r t h e Z a m i n d a r s . The t e n u r e o f
r e v e n u e f a r m i n g was f i x e d a t 5 y e a r s and t h e v a l u e o f t h e f a r m
Ij.
was l i m i t e d t o maximum o f one l a k h o f r u p e e s . A Committee o f

1. P .C .C .R .M . . J u l y 1 and 2, 1771, V, 325-326, 3»+5-3^6.

2. C.C.R.M. t o C.W .B.Rous, May 11, 1771, P . C .C .R.M. May 11,
1771, V, 160; C.W.B.Rcm's t o C .C .R .M ., May 2 ^ 1 7 7 1 ,
P . C . C . R . M . . May 30, 1771, V, 2 3 8 .
3 . A.B.M.Mahmood, The Land Revenue H i s t o r y of the
Z am indari, 82.
k. C . C . R . P . , May l i t , 1 7 7 2 , R6 7 / 5 k .
 150

C i r c u i t e n j o i n e d t o t o u r t h r o u g h t h e d i s t r i c t s and c o n c l u d e
b a n d - o - b a s t a t t h e sM ajg ^-cu tch erry o f e a c h d i s t r i c t * The
S u p e i* v is o rs , h e n c e f o r t h d e n o m i n a t e d as C o l l e c t o r s , i n c o l l a ­
b o r a t i o n w i t h t h e d i w a n , n o m in a te d by t h e B o ard 5o f Revenue
1
were a u t h o r i z e d t o c o n t r o l t h e r e v e n u e a f f a i r s * They w e r e ,
h o w e v e r, f o r b i d d e n t o send s e p o y s , p e o n s o r o t h e r s w i t h i n t h e
j u r i s d i c t i o n o f t h e f a r m e r s u n l e s s s u c h c i r c u m s t a n c e s as deemed
i n d i s p e n s a b l e and i n w h ic h t h e a u t h o r i t y o f t h e f a r m e r seemed
in ad eq u ate. The f a r m e r s were p r o h i b i t e d t o r e a l i z e more fro m Y
t h e r a i v a t s t h a n t h a t s p e c i f i e d a t t h e u a t t a. The i m p o s i t i o n
o f abwabs were d e c l a r e d i l l e g a l . A m u h a r r i r was p o s t e d i n
e v e r y f a r m t o k e e p an a c c o u n t o f t h e r e n t s r e c e i v e d by t h e
2-
f a r m e r and su b m it t h e same t o t h e s a d a r - c u t c h e r r y o f t h e d i s t r i c t
The i n s t a l m e n t s o f t h e r e v e n u e were f i x e d a t t h e t i m e o f
h a r v e s t so t h a t t h e f a r m e r s n e e d n o t t o b o rro w money from t h e
s h r o f f s t o r e m i t t h e i r .iama i n t i m e . A ll zam indari cha u k ie s
w ere a b o l i s h e d . 3 The C o l l e c t o r s were t o l d t o p r e p a r e an e x a c t
and e x p l i c i t R en t R o l l o f e a c h fa rm a r r a n g e d i n p a r g u n n a h s 1 and >
k e e p 1 a s e p a r a t e a c c o u n t t r a c i n g t h e jam a o f e a c h fa rm t o t h e
h i g h e s t v a l u e i t h a s e v e r s t o o d at* and e n u m e r a t e t h e c a u s e s
l.j. i
of i t s decrease.
1 . C . C . R . P . , May 1*+, 1 7 7 2 , R 6 ? / 5 b . ’ “ v
2. Ib id .
3 . A B oard o f Customs was c o n s t i t u t e d t o c o n t r o l t h e whole
a f f a i r s o f t h e c u s t o m s t h r o u g h 5 Custom h o u s e s e s t a b l i s h e d
a t C a l c u t t a , D a c c a , H u g l i , M u rsh id ab a d and P a t n a . The rowana;
o r p a s s p o r t i s s u e d by t h e C o l l e c t o r o f c u s to m s from any o f
t h e c u sto m h o u s e s would be deemed vaA id t h r o u g h o u t t h e
Province.
k . C . C . R . P . , May 1*+, 1 7 7 2 , R6 7 / 51*.
 CHAPTER IV /

THE.' ZAMINDARS1 MILITARY*POWER AND OBLIGATIONS . ’ -

The m i l i t a r y power e njoy ed by t h e z a m i n d a r s h a s . '

r e l e v a n c e t o t h e s i t u a t i o n i n t h e sub ah o f B e n g a l where i t
was e x e r c i s e d as an a d j u n c t o f t h e ‘r e v e n u e , p o l i c e and
j u d i c i a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e landed a r i s t o c r a c y .
D u rin g t h e Mughal r u l e t h e z a m i n d a r s i n g e n e r a l
and t h e p r i n c i p a l z a m i n d a r s i n p a r t i c u l a r were r e q u i r e d , t o
render m ilita ry serv ice to th e .s ta te * The f a u j d a r s or.
m i l i t a r y governors s ta tio n e d at th e f a u j d a r i ' c i r c l e s - w i t h
a l i m i t e d number o f t r o o p s u n d e r t h e i r command were i n t h e
■ .- 1
im m e d ia te c h a r g e o f t h e d e f e n c e o f t h e sub a h . And t h e
z a m i n d a r s were o b l i g e d t o f u r n i s h m i l i t a r y a s s i s t a n c e t o . :
t h e f a u . i d a r s i n t h e e v e n t o f s e r i o u s r e b e l l i o n s or e x t e r n a l
i n v a s i o n s■*’ 2
The r o l e o f t h e z a m in d a r s i n t h e m i l i t a r y a f f a i r s
c a n be w e l l u n d e r s t o o d i n t h e w i d e r c o n t e x t o f t h e Mughal ■ :
m i li t a r y organization* The Mughal r u l e r s d i d n o t m a i n t a i n

1* H . S . J a r r e t t ( t r . ) , Ain I I , ^ 0 * M . I • B orah ( t r * ) , B a h a r i s t an
I , 1 3 9 5 I-Iaji M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , S e i r I I I , 1 7 5 - 1 7 6 .
2 . S. H. H a s a n , ' “ Z am in d a rs u n d er t h e M ugh als?t, R .E .F ry k e x ib e ig
( ed. . ) , Land C o n t r o l and S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e * . . . . 2 1 5. J . S h o r e \ s
M i n u t e , A p r i l 2 , 17§8 & J u n e 1 8 , .1789} W .K .F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) ,
The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . I I . 8 1 , 7*+5$ N . A . H i d d i q i , Land
Revenue Admini s t r a t i o n . . . . » 3 5 .
a l a r g e s t a n d i n g army. I n s t e a d , th e bulk o f th e armed c o n t i n ­
g e n t s c o n s i s t e d o f i n d i r e c t r e c r u i t s - s o l d i e r s d r a f t e d from
th e s e r v i c e o f th e t e r r i t o r i a l c h i e f s or c l a n or c a s t e l e a d e r s . ^
The i m p e r i a l i s t i c p o l i c y o f th e Mughals was t o u t i l i z e s y s t e ­
m a t i c a l l y th e m i l i t a r y s t r e n g t h o f th e l o c a l p r i n c e l i n g s whom
they reduced t o th e p o s i t i o n o f zamindars but d id not d i v e s t
a l l o f t h e i r former power and i n f l u e n c e . The p o l i c y under­
l i n e d was t o e n t e r i n t o a d i r e c t r e l a t i o n s h i p w it h them as a
s t e p towards r e s o l v i n g the c o n t r a d i c t i o n o f t h e i n h e r e n t con­
f l i c t s between the i m p e r i a l a s p i r a t i o n and th e i n t e r e s t o f th e
2
lo ca l c h ie fs.
In p ersu an ce o f t h i s p o l i c y , th e zamindars were o f t e n
e n r o l l e d i n t o th e i m p e r i a l s e r v i c e as mansabdars.
They were remunerated i n g r a n ts o f j a g i r s p r o p o r t i o n a t e t o
th e s t a t u s o f t h e i r mansabs (o r r a n k s ) . They s i m u l t a n -
z
e o u s l y e n jo y e d th e e a r n in g s from t h e i r t e r r i t o r i a l p o s s e s s i o n s . "
For exam ple, th e Almgirnamah r e f e r s t o one Munwar, a zamindar
o f C h itta g o n g who was g i v e n the mansabdari o f 1 5 ,0 0 sawars
(h orsem en ). A number o f zamindars i n C h itta g o n g b e a r i n g

1. W. I r v i n e , The Army o f th e In dian M ogu ls, 3.

2. S. N. Hasan, "Zamindars under th e Mughals", R.E. Frykenberg
( e d . ) Land C on trol & S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e 1 7 , 21.
3. I b i d , 1 9 - 2 0 .
4. Munshi Muhammad Qazim? Alamgirnamah, 956; See a l s o M. Athar
A l i , The Mughal N o b i l i t y under Aurangzeb, 79.
the t i t l e of H a z a rf ( l i t e r a l l y thousand) s u g g e s ts t h a t th e y
t o o w ere e n r o l l e d as mansa b d a r s . ^ The c e l e b r a t e d p o e t "
B h a r a t a c h a n d r a a s c r i b e d t h e rant: of m ansab dar t o h i s p a t r o n , B
2 ' " ^ Bf-i':
M a h a r a j a K r i s h n a c h a n d r a of N a d i a , The R a j a s of Burdwan
a l s o h e l d mansab s . I n ,1172 A.H. (1 7 5 8 -1 7 5 9 A . D . ) , Emperor
Shah Alam h o n o u re d M a h a r a j a T r a i l o k y a C h a n d ra Ray w i t h t h e
3
command o f Pan.i h a . i a r i ( f i v e th o u s a n d ) c a v a l r y .
I n t h i s c o n t e x t i t i s w o r t h w h i l e ;t o examine t h e
w a t a n - j a g i r s y s te m - a n o t h e r d e v i c e t o c r e a t e a group o f
tjn ig a iy t'* rrotr<r,^nffw«rV ■wn ami an i t-ith V W <1»

h ‘ ,

loyal c h ie fs. A ccording to A thar A l i , t h e t e r r i t o r i a l

c h i e f s or zam indars r e c e i v e d , consequent t o t h e i r adm ission
in to th e im perial, se rv ic e , t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s ( w a t a n s ) back ,
as .1a g i r s . The emoluments o f t h e m ansabs a s s i g n e d t o
them were a d j u s t e d w i t h t h e j a m a o f t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s t e r m e d
as w atan- j a g i r s . The t e n o r o f. A th a r A l i on- wat-an-.i ag i r -
s y s t e m f i n d s i t s c o r r o b o r a t i o n i n t h e w o r^s .of Habib and
6
H asan . 11Of g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e was t h e Mughal a tte m p t,-"

1 . A . M . S e r a j u d d i h , The Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g , 318*

2. B h a r a t a c h a n d r a R aya, Bh a r a t ach and r e r Gr a n t h a v a l l ? 7«
3 . "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l-T h e Burdwan R a j " , it.:.
C.R. , 1872,. LIV, 17lJ*5 B.D.G., 'Burdwan, 31. J

k, M ,Athar A l i , The Mughal Nobi l i t y u n d e r j w im n ii ln iiw iW u iii m n i i l i w w i '■hhh i ni'iiminhi ihi w .i ■<i i m —wrram iiM^in'n>Ta*m~*rfii.>.*jn

' ; V :..
-.i''%
5. I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n System i . . . . l 8 3 *
* / iin «*i ^ . »m i.iirwiwiiiteiln^w*jw.wjjiewn.*iii^iiin«*»i»w*»njfir «w^ in^»w —i iWum m- i.; i ' ,,wwai|hnn. i , *• ;•

6 . S . N .H a s a n , " Z a m in d ars u n d e r t h e M u gh als", R . E . F r y k e n b e r g

( e d . ) , Land C o n t r o l & S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e , 21-22. .
i£
re m a rk e d Hasan'*’, ' ■
-
"to t r e a t the h e re d ita ry dominions of the auto-,
nompu’s c h i e f s a s watan ja g irs.. This meant t h a t
t h e o r e t i c a l l y the chiefs were supposed: to have
the s ta t u s of j a g i r d a r s , and thus were subject
to t h e ; im p e ria l’ revenue r e g u l a ti o n s , ^ut exer­
cised j a g i r d a r i r ig h ts in h e r e d ita r y succession :: ,
over t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s , which were consequently
immune from t r a n s f e r . " •
In the course of t h e i r study none of the above- .
m e n t i o n e d h i s t o r i a n s , h o w e v e r, h as c a s t l i g h t on t h e ,. ; V X
t e r r i t or i a l chie fs o f Bengal. The availab le sourc e s a t :
hand suggest the system was put in to p r a c t ic e in the subah
of Bengal too. The :B aharistan-i-G haybi, : w r itte n in the .
seventeenth century recorded t h a t ; a number of the defeated
1Barabhuiyas f w e r e e n r o l l e d in to the im perial serv ice and
were given t h e i r e s t a t e s as j a g i r s .. When the defeated
Raja P rata p ad ity a of Jesso re was brought before Subahdar
Islam Khan, he I t was s a id ,
"for the sake of drawing the a t t e n t i o n of other
Zamindars and also in. con sid eratio n of the high .
p o s itio n held by the afo resaid Raja among the
Zamindars of Bengal, bestowed honours upon him
beyond.-measure, and consoled and encouraged him.
On the f i r s t day he was,presented with a h orse,
a grand robe of honour arid-a bd jewel led sword- .
V b e l t , and thus he was converted i n to a lo yal
o f f i c e r . 11 3 ■' .

1. S. N... Has a n , " Zami n dar s und e r , t he Mugh a l s ” , R.E. Fry k enb erg
( e d . ) , Land Control & Social S t r u c t u r e . . . . . / 2 1 /
2. M.I. Borah ( t r . j ,■ i & I I . •••'•
3 . M.I. Borah ( t r . ) , Baharistan I , 27.
A g a i n 5 “I s l a m Khan a s s i g n e d as much o f t h e t e r r i t o r i e s o f
1
Ham C h a n d ra t o him as was n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e
of h is f l e e t ; t h e r e s t was g i v e n t o t h e K a r o r i s and
2
J a g i r d a r s . 11 In the l i k e manner t h e e s t a t e s o f C h a n d r a -
k o n a , B a r d a and J h a k r a i n t h e w e s t e r n p a r t s o f B e n g a l were
r e s t o r e d t o t h e i r form er zam indars as . j a g i r s . The c o n c l u ­
s i o n t h a t emerges from t h e s e e x a m p le s , w i t h u n m i s t a k a b l e
cla rity , i s t h a t many t e r r i t o r i a l c h i e f s i n B e n g a l who
s u r v i v e d t h e Mughal c o n q u e s t had a new l e a s e o f l i f e as
wa t a n - .1 ag i rd a r s .
The a d v a n t a g e of s h a r i n g t h e f i n a n c i a l b u r d e n
o f m i l i t a r y e s t a b l i s h m e n t s r e q u i r e d f o r an e x t e n s i v e Empire
m ig h t w e l l h a v e b ee n i n d u c i v e t o t h e d e l e g a t i o n o f some
m i l i t a r y r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s t o th e zam indars. The t r a d i t i o n a l
lo calized economy o f t h e c o u n t r y was c o n t r o l l e d and e x p l o i t e d
‘by t h e House o f Timur t o t h e i r own a d v a n t a g e . The f u s i o n
o f some e l e m e n t s o f .1a g i r d a r i s y s tem i n t h e z a m i n d a r i r i g h t s
and, o b l i g a t i o n s , p r o v i d e d t h e Mughals w i t h t h e o p p o r t u n i t y
o f making f u l l u s e o f t h e r u r a l economy.
I t i s in e v ita b le t h a t th e p e c u lia r geographical
and c l i m a t i c c o n d i t i o n s i n B e n g a l p l a y e d an i m p o r t a n t r o l e

1. The z a m in d a r o f B a k a r g a n j (vide j n f r a 162 f . n . 5 )•

2. -M.I (• '"‘- tv Z BaJaanlstany! r '- d ' 3 2 .< A

3* I b i d . , 139.
 156

i n t h e grow in g r e l i a n c e o f t h e Mughals on t h e m i l i t a r y
a s s i s t a n c e of th e zam indars. The c o u n t r y i s f l a t and
r i v e r i n e j t h e t o r r e n t i a l r a i n s making most p a r t o f t h e
t e r r a i n m arshy i n t h e monsoon. Interw eaving r i v e r s ,
c a n a l s and num erous t h i c k : f o r e s t s made m i l i t a r y t r a n s p o r t
and c o m m u n ic a tio n d i f f i c u l t . M o reov e r, t h e Mughals were
n o t p r o f i c i e n t i n n a v a l w a r f a r e w h ich was n eeded most t o
f i g h t a g a in s t t h e r e b e l l i o u s c h i e f s of th e r i v e r i n e c o u n try ,
2
and t h e Magh and F e r i n g i p i r a t e s who i n f e s t e d t h e s u b a h .
Once t h e Mughal f o r c e s had p e n e t r a t e d i n t o t h e s o u t h e r n and
e a s t e r n f r o n t i e r s o f B e n g a l , t h e y found t h e m s e l v e s i n a
c o u n t r y where t h e i r c a v a l r y and a r t i l l e r y were a lm o s t
u seless, except i n th e dry season. C onsequently th e a l i e n
Mughal c o n q u e r o r s had t o depend i n a l a r g e m e a s u r e on t h e
l o c a l f o r c e s o f i n f a n t r y and w a r - b o a t s (n a w a r a ) .
The B ahar i s t a n - i - G h a y b i d w e l l i n g on t h e w ars o f
t h e Mughals a g a i n s t Kuch B i h a r , Much H a j o , Assam and p a r t s of
B e n g a l i n t h e e a r l y s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y n a r r a t e s how t h e
3 ,
Mughal g e n e r a l s u t i l i z e d t h e z a m i n d a r s i n t h e i m p e r i a l w a r f a r e .

1 . J.N .S ark ar ( e d . ) , H i s t o r y o f Ben&al I I , 2^5, H . I n d e n , uThe

H in d u Chiefdom i n M iddle B e n g a l i L i t e r a t u r e , " B.C.Dimock
( e d , ) , B e n g a l H i s t o r y and L i t e r a t u r e , 20.
2. S . M a n r i q u e , T r a v e l s Luard and H o s t e n ( t r . ) , I I , 278;
J . N. S a r k a r ( e d . ) , H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l I I , 2 * 4 .
3 . M .I.B orah ( t r . ) , B a h a r i s t a n I , 1 01 , 1 0 5 , 1 0 7 , 1**1, 319*,
Bahar i s t a n I I ,
 157

A g a in , a t t h e t i m e o f t h e Mughal cam paign s a g a i n s t C h i t t a g o n g

th e zam indars re n d e re d c o n s id e r a b le h e lp . Munwar Khan, t h e
1 ~ ’ ■ ->■
z a m in d a r o f B a g a d i a who was i n c h a r g e o f a n a w a ra ( f l e e t ) , • **•
a s s i s te d th e im p e ria l fo rc e in t h e i r e x p e d itio n s ag ain st
2 3
Assam and C h i t t a g o n g . v? '
The n e e d f o r m i l i t a r y a s s i s t a n c e by t h e z a m i n d a r s
d i d n o t d i m i n i s h when t h e f i r s t p h a s e o f t h e Mughal c o n q u e s t v,
was o v e r . The s u b s e q u e n t t a s k o f c o n s o l i d a t i o n o f t h e Mughal ."j
a u t h o r i t y o v e r t h e new a c q u i s i t i o n s , and t h e d e f e n c e o f t h e -
fro n tiers, e s p e c i a l l y of th e s o u th e rn c o a s t s o f B engal, A
fro m t h e i n r o a d s o f t h e Maghs and F e r i n g i s , u n d o u b t e d l y ••
p r e s e n t e d overw helm ing p ro b le m s t o t h e M ughals. Hnnce t h e -A
i m p e r i a l a u t h o r i t y had t o d epend t i m e and a g a i n on t h e ;
zam indars1 lo y a l s e rv ic e s . Such n e c e s s i t y even l e d t o t h e
c r e a t i o n o f some b o r d e r z a m i n d a r i s . S e r a ju d d in has
r e c o r d e d t h e o r i g i n and d ev e lo p m e n t o f a number o f s u c h
z a m i n d a r i e s t a t e s a t t h e l a s t p h a s e of t h e Mughal conquest-
of C h ittagong. The a n c e s t o r s o f t h e t h r e e p ro m i n e n t
z a m i n d a r s o f C h i t t a g o n g , NIamat Khan, T e j S in g h and Mangat \
Ram H a z a r i e n r o l l e d as r e v e n u e f a r m e r s i n 177i+> were o f f i c e r s

1. I n t h e D i s t r i c t o f . D ac ca. ; 7;
2. S . N . B h a t t a c h a r y y a , Mugha l N o r t h E a s t e r n F r o n t i e r P o l i c y ,
3« J . N . S a r k a r , l,The C o n q u est o f ChatgapnrH: - 1 6 6 6 A .D .U \-
j ^a. b. b. 1907, n#s. i n , 1406^07. ■ 1 k:
 .1
o f t h e i m p e r i a l t r o o p s w h ich i n v a d e d C h i t t a g o n g i n 1 6 6 5 -1 6 6 6 .
W ith t h e w i t h d r a w a l o f t h e i m p e r i a l t r o o p s a t t h e end o f t h e
o p e r a t i o n s j t h o s e o f f i c e r s were g r a n t e d l a n d e d e s t a t e s w i t h
th e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of p r o te c tio n of th e so u th ern f r o n t i e r s
o f t h e n e w ly a c q u i r e d d i s t r i c t o f C h i t t a g o n g from t h e o n - .
s l a u g h t o f t h e A r a k a n e s e and o t h e r h i l l t r i b e s . The
z a m i n d a r i o f p a r g a n a h D a n d ra 3 had i t s o r i g i n i n t h e a s s i g n -
Lj,
merit o f l a n d f o r d e f e n d i n g t h e f r o n t i e r . A g a in , t h e
z a m i n d a r i o f p a r g a n a h J a g d i a had i t s n u c l e u s i n a g r a n t of
l a n d d u r i n g t h e , r e i g n o f Aurangzeb t o one B u r a Khan, f o r t h e
5 '
p ro te c tio n of th e border lan d s. I n s te a d of s t a t i o n i n g a
v a s t number o f s o l d i e r s t o d e f e n d t h e f r o n t i e r s , t h e Mughal
r u l e r s found i t e x p e d i e n t t o a l l o w some o f t h e i r l o y a l
commanders t o s e t t l e and e n j o y t h e i r f o r m e r j a g i r s; on
z a m i n d a r i t e n u r e and g u a rd t h e i m p e r i a l domain.
A s . t h e Mughal Umpire f r a g m e n t e d and t h e Mughal
a r m i e s c e a s e d t o be a v a i l a b l e f o r s e r v i c e i n B e n g a l , t h e
n e c e s s i t y f o r more c o - o p e r a t i o n from t h e z a m i n d a r s was f e l t . -

1 . A . M . S e r a j u d d i n , The Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g ong,

3 0 9 -3 1 1 . ~ ~ ~

2. I b i d . .
3 . S itu ated i n th e D i s t r i c t of N oakhali.
*+. J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r
( e d . ) , The J l f t h Jle_p,ort. I I , 353? .G ^^N ga^U ,
103.

5* J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r .

( e d . ) , The F i f t h Rep o r t I I , 353; B. A»D» G. , Noa k h a l i , 1 0 k .
 159

f o r t h e s u p p r e s s i o n of th e i n t e r n a l r e b e l l i o n , and’ more so ;
f o r th e defence of th e p r o v i n c i a l f r o n t i e r s a g a i n s t th e Maghs
of A ra k an , th e Koch and Ahom powers from t h e . n o r t h , and th e n , .. • ,
t h e Marathas from Up c o u n try or O rissa . During t h e campaign
a g a i n s t Raja S ita r a m Ray, zamindar of Mahmud abad, Murshid
Quli Khan sent o r d e rs t o a l l th e n e ig h b o u rin g zamindars t o
1 ' -
a s s i s t th e government t r o o p s . At th e c r i t i c a l hours of ' ' ;
■ ■ ' . ■ ■ ' 2
Mawab A l i v a r d i 1s f i g h t a g a i n s t Rustam Jang (Murshid Quli I I ) ,
t h e zamindar of Burdwan s e n t an a u x i l i a r y f o r c e under th e
command of h i s diwan t o a s s i s t t h e Nawab.^
■ ’ i
During th e . - ;i ^

’ 11 ■ ■ A

r e c u r r e n t Maratha r a i d s ,/ th e zamindars re n d e re d v a l u a b le S
. ,h .

s e r v i c e s t o t h e Nawab. They q u ic k ly responded t o th e demand . A'

k
f o r men, , money and even p e r s o n a l s e r v i c e s . R aja Ramkanta
of R a jsh a h i i s r e p o r t e d t o ' h a v e le d a s e c r e t expedition - ;:
a g a i n s t th e M arathas. The c a s u a l f i n a n c i a l a i d s given by ■ ,,k
Raja Ramkanta, and th e zamindars of D in a jp u r and Nadia, to
■ - 6
some e x t e n t r e l i e v e d t h e Nawab of h i s f i n a n c i a l burdens. , ^

1 . Abdus S a l am ( t r . ) , R iad» 2 6 6 . •.. .

2. S o n - i n - l a w . o f Nawab S h u j a u d d i n . ,, ’
. ' : v ~'A
3 . Yusouf A l i , A h w a l-i-M ah ab a t J a n g , J . N . S a r k a r ( t r . ) , /
B e n g a l Nawabs. 9 8 . ’ , ■
k* I b i d . , 1 ^3 ; B . P . C . , A p r i l 2 k 9 l ? k 2 9 A u g .1 6 , .
17k 3 ) W l / 1 6 5 B . P . C . , Nov. 1 5 , 1 7 ^ 5 , ^ 1 / 17. , A ::
5. B . P . C . May 3 , 1 7 k 2 , 15. • ' >'-j:
. . ffr
6 . C .S tew art, H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l . * . . . , ^91? J . N . S a r k a r ( e d . ) , : y f
Hi s t o r y, o f B engal I I , 1*^ 9 . ;, - v
 . A p a r t from r e n d e r i n g d i r e c t m i l i t a r y a s s i s t a n c e
t o t h e governm ent i n t h e c o u r s e o f any e x p e d i t i o n , a l l the
z a m i n d a r s were o b l i g e d t o p r o v i d e t h e governm ent t r o o p s w i t h
v i c t u a l s arid o t h e r d a i l y n e c e s s a r i e s . The z a m i n d a r s had t o
e n s u r e t h a t t h e t r o o p s were s u p p l i e d w i t h fo o d a r t i c l e s a t \
r e a s o n a b l e m a rk e t p r i c e s . B e s i d e s , t h e y were t o c u t o f f
” 2 * ■ “ ,
s u p p l i e s t o t h e e a e m i e s o f t h e g o vern m en t. /;
T h e s e f a c t s e s t a b l i s h t h a t t h e z a m i n d a r s 1 had a
s i g n i f i c a n t r o l e t o p la y i n t h e m i l i t a r y h i s t o r y of th e ■:
sub ah. f-v
- * T h e s e a s i d e , t h e p h y s i c a l sym bols .o f t h e . s e m i-
i n d e p e n d e n t p o l i t i c a l s t a t u s o f t h e prim e z a m i n d a r s were
r e f l e c t e d i n t h e armed f o r c e s t h e y p o s s e s s e d . The c l a i m
o f t h e r a . i a s t o t h e r u l e r s h i p of t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s demanded,
t h e f u s i o n o f some c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e f e u d a l l o r d s w i t h
th o s e of th e c o l l e c t o r s of t h e im p e r ia l re v e n u e s. In those
d a y s , t h e t a s k o f t h e r e n t c o l l e c t i o n and t h e s a f e d e s p a t c h
o f t h e r e v e n u e s , and k e e p i n g t h e r a i y a t s u n d e r c o m p l e t e
c o n t r o l n e c e s s i t a t e d t h e a s s i s t a n c e o f t h e armed r e t a i n e r s . .
The z a m i n d a r s had t o s u p p l y a ' f i x e d q u o t a of
t r o o p s and w a r - b o a t s i n c o n f o r m i t y w i t h t h e i r s t a t u s and

1 . B.P.C* May 3, 1 7 ^2 , IrwRX/1 ?? J . L o n g , S e l e c t i o n s . . . . .78

£ * £ £ • IV, 1 330, 1331.:
2. F . Gladwin ( t r . ) , T . B . ? I k . ,
the s tr a te g ic p o sitio n of t h e i r e s ta te s . A v a ila b le evidence
i s i n s u f f i c i e n t t o a l l o w an e x h a u s t i v e a s s e s s m e n t o f t h e
n u m e r i c a l s t r e n g t h o f t h e armed f o r c e s o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l
1
zam indars. A c c o rd in g t o t h e Ain , t h e z a m i n d a r s i n t h e s ubah
o f B e n g a l had t o m a i n t a i n l,2 3 333^ c a v a l r y , 8 0 1 , 1 5 0 i n f a n t r y ,
1 , 1 7 0 e l e p h a n t s , 4 , 2 6 0 g u n s , and 4 , 4 0 0 boats**. The Khul as a t u~
2
t~T aw arikh w r i t t e n i n 1 6 9 5 r e c o r d s : , t h a t t h e subah was
e x p e c t e d t o f u r n i s h 4 , 2 0 0 guns and 4 , 4 0 0 b o a t s a l o n g w i t h t h e
3
s t i p u l a t e d amount o f r e v e n u e . The o m i s s i o n o f t h e c a v a l r y
and i n f a n t r y c o n t i n g e n t s i n t h e K h ula s a t u ~ t - T a w a r i k h i s
p e r h a p s i n d i c a t i v e o f t h e changed p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n i n t h e
subah. S i n c e t h e p e r i o d o f c o n q u e s t was o v e r , t h e i m p e r i a l
need f o r t h e c o n s t a n t s u p p l y o f t r o o p s d i m i n i s h e d t o a
c e rta in extent, and h e n c e t h e o m i s s i o n . However, t h e z a m i n d a r s
c o n t i n u e d t o m a i n t a i n t h e c a v a l r y and i n f a n t r y a l o n g s i d e
t h e a r t i l l e r y and t h e f l o t i l l a t o s e r v e t h e i r own and t h a t
o f t h e Nawabs' in terest.
A c c o r d in g t o t h e J ama-tumar i - t a s h k h i s o f Nawab
A
S h u j a u d d i n , 8112 t r o o p s u n d e r t h e d e n o m i n a t i o n o f Amia-*i-ahsham

1 , H .S .Ja rre tt (tr.), II., 1 2 9 .

2. The p r o b a b l e d a t e i s b etw een 1 6 9 5 and 1 6 9 9 A.D.
3 , K hulasatu-t-T aw arikh, J . N . S a r k a r ( t r . ) , The I n d i a o f
Au r a n g z i b , h o .
4. HThe c o l l e c t i v e o f f i c e r s o f t h e i r r e g u l a r m i l i t i a u n d e r t h e
n a t i v e g o v e r n m e n t11. I n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y Mughal I n d i a
t h e t e r m ah s h am g a i n e d c u r r e n c y t o d e n o t e t h e m i l i t a r y
a s s i s t a n c e s u p p l i e d by t h e p e t t y z a m i n d a r s e i t h e r i n
p e r s o n o r i n t h e form o f s u p p l y of m i l i t i a . (II,II.'Wilson,
4. Gilos sar.y o f J u d i c i a l and Revenue Terms 1 35
F . S t e i n g a s s , A Compr e h e n s i v e P e r s i an B n g l i s h D i c t i o n a r y , 2 1 ) .
 162.
and a n a v a l e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f 768 armed b o a t s c a l l e d A m la-i-
nawara were m a in ta in ed f o r th e d e fe n c e o f t h e e a s t and so u th e r n
border lands o f B e n g a l . 1 The zamindars o f ' t h e low c o u n t r i e s
o f Dacca and f o r t s on th e s e a c o / s t ' , Islamabad ( C h i t t a g o n g ) ,
Rangamati and S y l h e t had t o c o n t r i b u t e t h e i r quota o f th e
p
tr o o p s i n c l u d i n g th e a r t i l l e r y and c a v a l r y . S i m i l a r l y , th e
zamindars e s p e c i a l l y o f th e southern and e a s t e r n p a r t s
o f th e subah, had t o supply armed b o a t s . ^ For e n j o y i n g
th e h i s s a z a t 4 lands o n l y , th e Raja o f Chandradwip 5was t o
su pp ly f o r t y - t w o c o s a s (a kind o f b o a t s ) each manned by t h i r t y -
two boatmen. The zamindars o f Chandradwip d e f i n i t e l y
s u p p l i e d some more b o a t s as a c o n s i d e r a b l e amount o f nawara
7 8
la n d s were e n jo y e d by them. The zamindars o f S a r a i l were
i

Q
r e q u i r e d t o p r o v id e f o r t y w a r-b o ats t o t h e f l e e t o f th e Nawab.

1. J . Grant, H i s t o r i c a l and Comparative A n a l y s i s , W.K. Firmingei

( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t ..........I I , 203.
2. Ib id .
3. I b i d ; S . A . B . I I , 262.
4. L i t e r a l l y means p e r s o n a l s h a r e .
5. Chandradwip or Bakla was one o f th e parganahs o f sa rk a r
B akla. I t l a t e r on formed th e major p a r t o f th e D i s t r i c t o f
B ak a rg an j. The zamindars o f Chandradwip d e r i v e d t h e i r o r i g i n
t o pre-Muslim p e r i o d and ranked as one o f th e 1B a r a b h u iy a s 1.
6. W. Douglas t o B . r . A p r i l 6 , 17 90 , B . R . P . , A p r i l 2 9 , 1790,
R71/24; Massie t o B. R. Nov. 5, 1798 quoted i n T. Raychaud-
h u r i , "Some o ld Documents i n B a r i s a l , E ast B en g al" , I . H . Q . ,
1 9 4 8 , XXIV, 261.
7. Vide i n f r a , 168 f . n . 4 .
8. Now i n c l u d e d i n th e D i s t r i c t o f C o m illa .
9. J . Grant, H i s t o r i c a l and Comparative A n a l y s i s , W.K. Firmingei
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I , 351; E. B. D. G. » T i p p e r a , 114.
 S ince t h e defence of t h e w e s te rn f r o n t i e r s of
Bengal devolved v ery much on th e zamindars of Birbhum,
Burdwan, Midnapur and P a c h e t , they had t o m a in ta i n c o n s id ­
e r a b l e armed f o r c e s i n c l u d i n g a l a r g e number o f c a v a l r y .
Mara Sinba Basu, t h e au thor o f t h e B engali epic Dharmamangala
who worked as t h e w akil of th e Raja of Birbhum, s t a t e d t h a t
t h e r a.ia always kep t a r e s e r v e of 2 ,0 0 0 c a v a l r y of s u p e r i o r
1
c a t e g o r y and 1,200 s h ie l d b e a rin g s o l d i e r s C-d h a l i s l . The
Rajas o f Birbhum.had a l a r g e number of a r t i l l e r y and ■i n f a n t r y
2 •

as w e ll. The f i g u r e s mentioned by Nara Sinha Basu may not

be an e x a g g e r a tio n as Raja Asad-al~Zaman of Birbhum brought
i n the field . 2 0 ,0 0 0 i n f a n t r y and about 5?000 horsemen at th e
tim e o f h i s f i g h t a g a i n s t Nawad Mir Qasim. 3 The R a ja of
Bishnupur m aintained h,576 armed r e t a i n e r s s t a t i o n e d under
t h e g h a tw a ls t o p r o t e c t th e h i l l y p a s s e s from o u t s i d e a g g r e -
k
ssion . i n a d d i t i o n t o a number of c a v a l r y , i n f a n t r y and
a r t i l l e r y , t h e R a ja of Burdwan had an e s ta b l is h m e n t of naqdi
t r o o p s t o guard t h e i r f o r t i f i e d p a l a c e s . T i l l t h e year 1766,
5
296 c a v a l r y and 11 91 i n f a n t r y were on d u ty . The zamindars

1. D.C.Sen, Bans: a Sah i t y a P a r i chav a 1, h 5 6 . ■

2. I b i d .
3. H a ji Mustafa ( t r . ) , B ie r I I , 395.
h. B„M.Add. MSS. 29,088, 16.

5. Sep. 2 8 , 1 767, R l A l , .757.

o f M idnapur b e i n g o f p r e d a t o r y c h a r a c t e r , m a i n t a i n e d a
c o n s i d e r a b l e number of c a v a l r y i n a d d i t i o n t o i n f a n t r y .
In I 76I , Jo h n sto n e reco rd ed th e m i l i t a r y s t r e n g t h of a
d e f i a n t z a m in d a r o f M idnapur t h u s , . /
“The enem y's h o r s e t h a t can .lt be l e s s t h a n 6000
and a b o u t 1000 o r 1 5 0 0 b u x e r r i 'e s p o s s e s s i n g t h e
w hole c o u n t r y round' and v i s i t i n g u s d a i l y . S ew but, -*
R a j a r a m , C o s a l s i n g , J u g u l and s e v e r a l o t h e r J e m i d a r s
t h e s e c h i e f s w i t h a l a r g e body o f h o r s e l y e w i t h i n
a c o s s , . . . . . "1
A g a in , i n 1 7 6 7 a l e t t e r from Manbhum r e a d t h a t "none o f
t h o s e Z e m in d a rs by o u r b e s t i n t e l l i g e n c e h a v e l e s s t h a n
2
2,000 people i n t h e i r pergunas whose t r a d e i s war." The
armed s t r e n g t h o f t h e 1J u n g l e - m a h a l* zam indars l a y i n t h e i r
t e n a n t s whom t h e y c h i e f l y employed i n t h e i r o u t r a g e s
3
a g a in st t h e i r neighbours.
E ls e w h e re -in th e subah, th e b ig zam indars kept
a number o f t r o o p s com m ensurate w i t h t h e i r s t a t u s and y '
re q u irem en t s. I n 1770, 'the D i n a j p u r z a m i n d a r i had i n i t s
k
r o l l 3 b 3 c a v a l r y , 1 0 1 5 b a r a u n d a z e s and p e o n s .
A p a rt from t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f r e g u l a r armed f o r c e

1. J . J o h n s t o n e t o B.C. Feb. 3 , 1761, S .C .C , Feb. 9 , 17&1,

R/A, 3 .
2. B . P . R . , M id n a p u r. I , 109.
3 . E .B a b e r t o B .R . F e b . 6 , 1773, B . D . R . . M i d n a p u r . IV , 107.
H . C o t t r e l l t o R . B e c h e r , Dec. 22, 17 70 , P.C.C-. R.M. Dec. 3 1 ,
1 7 7 0 , I I , m-2.
t h e z a m i n d a r s i n o r d e r t o meet an em ergency, would r e c r u i t
i r r e g u l a r c o n t i n g e n t s fro m t h e v i l l a g e r s or g un w ars. ^ MTllmi.MII !■[*11MPIII.P. i f I luiimnu
111
t h e a b l e - b o d i e d p e r s o n s were co m p elled t o t a h e up arms i f
1
summoned by t h e z a m i n d a r s . For i n s t a n c e , i n t h e encounter
b e tw e e n t h e p a r t y o f R e n n e l l and t h e d iw an o f t h e R a j a o f
B a h a r b u n d , who r e f u s e d t o s u p p l y men and p r o v i s i o n s t o
2
R e n n e l l 150 b a r q u n d a z e s and 300 v i l l a g e r s p a r t i c i p a t e d . The ;
s u p p o r t o f t h e v i l l a g e r s was o f immense v a l u e t o t h e z a m i n d a r s : -
i n any armed e n t e r p r i s e . A l e t t e r from F e r g u s s o n r e f l e c t s
t h e p o s i t i o n of t h e R a ja of G h a ts e e la i n t h i s p e r s p e c tiv e s
E,I had i n t e l l i g e n c e t h a t t h e f o r m e r Zemindar
had gone to, some d i s t a n c e and fou n d t h e c o u n t r y p e o p l e
d i s p o s e d t o r e m a in q u i e t u n d e r any Zem indar t h a t should
be a p p o i n t e d , I on t h a t a c c o u n t a v o id e d p r o c e e d i n g t o
any o t h e r p a r t o f t h e p u r g a n a i n a h o s t i l e m anner,
b e i n g w e l l a s s u r e d t h a t t h e Zemindar i s so f a r d e s e r t e d
by h i s s u b j e c t s as t h a t he c a n n o t p r e t e n d t o a c t i n
an o f f e n s i v e m a n n e r . 11 3
The l e s s e r z a m i n d a r s on t h e o t h e r hand m ig h t h a v e depended
k
m a i n l y on t h e i r r e g u l a r c o n t i n g e n t s o f i n f a n t r y m e n .

No o r g a n i z a t i o n c a n s u s t a i n w i t h o u t p r o p e r f i n a n ­
c i a l support. H ence, f o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f t h e t r o o p s and

1. J . L o n g 9 S e l e c t i o n . . . . . 50^9 507? W .H .M o relan d , I n d i a a t

f ■!». iw m in ii minim hum»inii| <11■u i n nun \ w * * p iM K tm m M M n m in is ita i - .

t h e D e a t h o f Atebar, 7 *+$ I . H a b i b , The A g r a r i a n . S y s t e m . . . . . 1 6 6 . ,

2 . J *R e n n e ll* s . l e t t e r quo ted i n A. K. J am eso n, "James R e n n e l l 11, . ' y
B . P . P . , 192*+, X X V II,5? Bee a l s o Madhava D v i j a , Chandi
M an g ier G i t a . 8 7 .
3 . J . F e r g u s s o n t o G . V a n s i t t a r t , March 28,1767* B.D.Ho M idnapur L,
127.
*+. J . R e n n e l l t o R . B e c h e r , Dec. 9, 1770, P .C .C .R .M . Dec. 2 0 ,
1770, I I , 9 8 ; P .C .C .R .M . O c t, 28 , 1771, V I, 112.
t h e upkeep o f t h e n a w a ra f u n d s were t o he made a v a i l a b l e
t o t h e r e s p e c t i v e ■z a m i n d a r s . The p r o c e d u r e f o l l o w e d by t h e
Mughal governm ent was t o g r a n t c o n d i t i o n a l j a g i r l a n d s a s w e ll. \
as o r d i n a r y r e n t f r e e c h a k a r a n ( s e r v i c e ) l a n d s f o r r e n d e r i n g
p e r s o n a l m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e s by t h e z a m i n d a r s , and s u p p l y i n g
t r o o p s or w a r - b o a t s t o t h e g o v e rn m e n t. I n t h e subah o f B en g al
c e r t a i n l a n d s were u s u a l l y earm arked as j a g i r s f o r m i l i t a r y
W 1 < « iiin ijlii.>1111illM'l UHIH1 V

service. I n t h e z a m i n d a r i s w i t h su ch i a g i r l a n d s , r e v e n u e s
were c o l l e c t e d u n d e r two h e a d s — K h a l s a and .iagi r . The K h a l s a
j ama was r e m i t t e d t o t h e t r e a s u r y w h i l e t h e .iagi r jama was
s p e n t f o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f t h e t r o o p s and t h e n a w a ra . By
t h e Jam a- t u m a r i - t a s h k h i s , two p a r g a n a h s w i t h a r e n t a l o f
Rs.*+9?750 were a s s i g n e d as j a g i r s t o t h e z a m i n d a r s o f Y
'] 2
T i p p e r a , Muchwah and T e l l i a g h u r r y . One h u n d r e d and t h i r t y -
e i g h t l a r g e and s m a l l e r p a r g ana h s v a l u e d a t R s . 3 , 5 9 ?l8Q were
kept a p a r t f o r t h e m aintenance o f t h e m i l i t a r y e s ta b lis h m e n t
3
c a l l e d A m i a - i - ah sham. Of t h e t o t a l e x p e n s e s o f t h e Am l a - i -
n a w a r a , Rs. 7) 78,95*+ was p r o c u r e d fro m t h e income o f 55 p a r g a n a h s

1 . S itu a te d t o t h e e a s t o f t h e r i v e r Meghna.
2. J . G r a n t H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W.K. F i r m i n g e r
( e d . ) , The . F i f t h Rep o r t . . . . . I I , 202? J ,B r o w n e t o d.G*. i n
C ouncil, J a n . 1 2 , 17757 B .R .C . J a n . 2 0 , 1776, 1 ^ 9 / 6 0 .
3 . J.G ra n t, H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a r a tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r
( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . 1 1 , 203.
 167

i n c l u d e d nc h i e f l y i n t h e C h u e k le h J e h a n g e e r n a g u r , and
com posing a g r e a t e r p a r t o f t h e r i c h e s t , most p r o d u c t i v e
la n d s of t h a t g re a t p r o v i n c e . . . . , y ie ld in g a t l e a s t f o u r -
1
f i f t h s o f t h e whole a s s i g n e d r e n t a l . . . . . 11
The i n f o r m a t i o n r e g a r d i n g t h e j a g i r l a n d s e n j o y e d
by t h e z a m i n d a r s show t h a t t h e R a j a s o f B irbhum , B i s h n u p u r ,
and t h e t e r r i t o r i e s a t t h e f o o t o f t h e h i l l s from R ajm ahal
t o th e J u n g le T e r r y p o sse sse d la n d s under th e denom ination of
g h atw all. The g h atw a l s e n j o y i n g s u c h l a n d s were p e t t y c h i e f s
e n r o l l e d i n t o t h e s e r v i c e of t h o s e z a m i n d a r s w i t h t h e s p e c i f i c
2 '

p u r p o s e o f g u a r d i n g t h e h i l l p a s s e s fro m e x t e r n a l a g g r e s s i o n .
3
I n s t e a d o f r e n d e r i n g p e r s o n a l s e r v i c e l i k e t h e p o l i c e gh a t w a l s ,
t h e y were a t l i b e r t y t o employ as many s o l d i e r s as t h e y
)j,
re q u ire d to discharge t h e i r d u tie s . They were r e m u n e r a t e d
from t h e c o n d i t i o n a l j a g i. r s e n j o y e d by t h e r e s p e c t i v e z a m i n d a r s
I n B i s h n u p u r 78 v i l l a g e s w o r t h r e n t a l o f R s . 9 , 0 0 0 , and 7 0 ,0 0 0
b i g h a s o f l a n d s were g r a n t e d by way o f r e m u n e r a t i o n t o t h e
5
ghatw als. The t o p - k h a n a l a n d s i n Burbhum, B i s h n u p u r , Dacca

1 . J , G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a r a tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r

( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . I I , 203.
2 . J.B ro w n e t o G.G. i n C o u n c i l , J a n . 1 2 , 1 7 7 6 , B .R .C . J a n . 20,1776,-
' R49/6Q; D . S c o t t t o B.R. A p r i l 1 6 , 1 8 1 4 , B . R . P . , A p r i l ’22,1814,-'
R77/335 W.W».Hunter, The A n n a l s . • . • . , 3 2 3 . :
3 . V id e i n f r a . 2 Off.
4. P . S c o t t t o B . R . A p r i l 16, 18 1 4, B . R . P . , A p r i l 2 2 , l 8 l 4 , R 7 7 / 3 3 5
F.W.R o b e r t s o n , Fi n a l R e p o r t on t h e S u rv e y and S e t t l e m e n t Oner
a t i o n s i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f BankuraT" ^ : B . H . B a d e n - P o w e l l, A
S h o r t Account o f t h e Land R ev en u e. . . . . , 11 9 .
5. B.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 8 , 16.
and Mymensingh s u g g e s t t h a t t h e z a m i n d a r s p o s s e s s e d t h i s t y p e
1
of se rv ic e lands f o r m aintaining a r t i l l e r y estab lish m en t.
The D i n a j p u r z a m i n d a r i w i t h an a r e a o f *+,119 s q . m i l e s had
1+1188 big:has o f c h a k a r a n l a n d s a p p r o p r i a t e d t o t h e h o rs e m e n ,
2
barqundazas,_and p e o n s . The Amini Commission r e c o r d e d f o r
t h e N a d i a z a m i n d a r i 205^7 b i g h a s o f l a n d s f o r h o rs e m e n , 57^
b i g h a s f o r 1p a i k s , 1+161+ f o r m r i d a h a s , and a n o t h e r 3 2 8 f o r
a rtific e rs, 8

For s u p p o r t i n g t h e f l e e t , boatmen and a r t i f i c e r s ,

k
t h e z a m i n d a r s would g e t . j a g i r s t e r m e d as .nawa r a, l a n d s . The
D i s t r i c t o f B a k a r g a n j bounded by t h e Bay o f B e n g a l and t r a v ­
e r s e d by numerous r i v e r s was v u l n e r a b l e t o p i r a c y o f t h e Maghs
and t h e F e r i n g i s . Hence some z a m i n d a r s o f t h a t r e g i o n apart
fro m p o s s e s s i n g c o n s i d e r a b l e amount o f n a w a ra l a n d s , e n jo y e d
a s p e c i a l ty p e of nawara .ja g irs c a ll e d h i s s a z a t . Such j a g i r s
were g r a n t e d t o t h e z a m i n d a r s f o r th e ir personal p a rtic ip a tio n
i n t h e c a m p a ig n s a g a i n s t th e p ir a te s ,

1 . D a c c a C o u n c i l t o F o r t W i l l i a m C o u n c i l , J a n . 16,177*+• E n c l o ­
s u r e , D .F .R . VI? A . H e s i l r i g e t o C . K e a t i n g , A u g .29*1789*
W. B»D. R. B urdw an, 1+0? S . A . B .IV . 261+; J .M .G h o s h , “H i s t o r i c a l
R e c o r d s i n t h e Mymensingh C o l l e c t o r a t e “ , B . P . P . 1 9 2 3 ,8 0 ,
2. H . C o t t r e l l t o R . B e c h e r , D e c . 22, 1770, P. C . C . R .M. Dec. 3 1 ,
1 77 0, I I , 11+2.
3 -*B.M. Add.MSB. 29*087* 9 3 .
1+. P .C .C .D . Oct. 8 , 1772, R70/15, W. Douglas t o B.R.
A p r i l 6 , 1790, B . R . P . , A p r i l 29, 1790, R71/21*.
5. M assie t o B.R. N o v . 5* 1798 q u o ted i n T . R a y c h a u d h u r i , “Some
o l d Documents i n B a r i s a l - E a s t B e n g a l 11, I . Q.H. 19^8, XXIV,
2 6 1 ? B. D. P. B akur g a n g , 20—21? 8 iA»B. V, 22^?.
 A c l o s e e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e n a t u r e o f t h e s e .1a g i r
l a n d s c o n f i r m s t h a t some za m in d a r i s were c r e a t e d and m a i n t a i n e d
s o l e l y t o s e r v e t h e m i l i t a r y need o f t h e M u g h a ls . A g ain , t h e
u n d e r - v a l u a t i o n o f t h e .jama o f some z a m in d a r i s c a n be
a t t r i b u t e d t o th e s t r a t e g i c im portance of th o s e e s ta te s * The ;
a s a l j ama o f 1 7 2 8 shows t h a t some z a m in d a r i s o f t h e n i a b a t o f :
D ac ca had r e m a r k a b l y l a r g e r amount o f j a g i r .iama t h a n t h e ;
khalsa. Again* some were e x c l u d e d from t h e K h a l s a .iama.
e n j o y i n g o n l y j a f f i r l a n d s - p r e s u m a b ly f o r d e f e n d i n g t h e
1
f r o n t i e r s o f t h e c o u n try * The s m a l l h i l l y j u n g l e e s t a t e
a t t h e f o o t o f t h e Ponduah m o u n t a i n s can be i d e n t i f i e d w i t h
s u c h z a m in d a r i s . The z a m in d a r o f t h e e s t a t e had t o s u p p l y some
2
a r t i f i c e r s and b a r q u n d a z e s only* The s t r a t e g i c i m p o r t a n c e
o f t h e Birbhum z a m i n d a r i w i t h an a r e a o f 3 5 858 s q . m i l e s
s t r e t c h i n g a l o n g t h e w e s t e r n f r o n t i e r o f B e n g a l was r e c o g n i z e d '
by t h e M ughals. About t w o - t h i r d s o f t h e e s t a t e was e x c lu d e d
fro m t h e r e v e n u e a s s e s s m e n t and a l l o t t e d nf o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e
o f some t h o u s a n d s o f b u r k e n d a u z e s , m a t c h l o c k man, o r n a t i v e
H indostany m i l i t i a , a p p o i n t e d t o g u ard t h e f r o n t i e r s t o w a r d s
t h e b a r b a r o u s u nsubdued r a j a s h i p o f S o u t h B i h a r , w hile
t h e r e m a i n i n g p o r t i o n o f t e r r i t o r y was a l o n e p r o d u c t i v e t o

1 . J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a ra tiv e A n a l y s i s , W .K .F irm in g e r

( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I . 352-35^5 H . B e v e r i d g e , The
D i s t r i c t o f B a k a r g a n i . 82.
iiinmn ii i mi iimm inn i ihuhpi mm mm■■mm u n <MH" ■mm m n m i m ■! i i* n'mW T ii h m m int /

2. R . L i n d s a y t o D acca C o u n c i l o f R evenue, N o v . 2 k 9 1 7 7 7 )
B.D.R. Sy l h e t , I , 22.
t h e s t a t e of y e a r l y revenue, r a te d i n t h e a u s i l jumirra. toomary,
k h a l s a and j a g e e r Rupees 3>77*6*+5; • • • • •■•The' consequent l o s s
of revenue, however, was l e s s f e l t , th a n th e p o l i t i c a l d i s ­
a d v a n ta g e of dismemberment of a t e r r i t o r y which commanded
a l l t h e le a d in g p a s s e s d i r e c t from b o rd e rin g f o r e i g n in depen -
\ . 1
dent c o u n t r i e s , . . . . . . n ; Afterw ards when t h e R aja of Birbhum
began t o show h i s t r e a c h e r o u s conduct during t h e Mar at ha
r a i d s , th e s p e c i a l p r i v i l e g e enjoyed by him f o r th e revenue
assessm ent was revoked and t h e jama was r a i s e d . F inally
Nawab Mir Qasim brought t h e whole zam indari under proper
2 '

revenue assessm ent.

' The t r o o p s m a in tain ed by th e zamindars were
sometimes remunerated i n cash.'
j
The R aja of D in ajp u r would
draw an annual ready money allowance of R s.2 0 ,0 0 0 f o r th e
m aintenance o f 77 s awars (horsemen) and k6k b a r gund az e s . 3
The naqdi t r o o p s of Burdwan were paid i n cash as t h e very
Lj.
name s u g g e s ts . The t r o o p s would get d i e t money w h ile on
d u ty . The zamindars* spending on' d i e t money were deducted

1. J . G rant, H i s t o r i c a l and Comparative A n a ly s is , W.IC.Firm­

i n g e r ( e d . ), The F i f t h ' R e p o r t . . . . . I I « 22h-22p.
2. B.M.Add.MSS. 6 5 8 6 , l^Qb4, J . G r a n t , H i s t o r i c a l and Comp­
a r a t i v e A n a ly s is , W.K.Firminger ( e d . ), The F i f t h R e p o r t..
0 <r> a . 1 1 , 22 5 **

3 . H .C o t t r e l l t o C.C.R.M. Dec. 2 2 , 1 7 7 0 , P.C.C.R.M. Dec. 31,

1 7 7 0 , I I , 11+3.

k. S e p t f 28, 1 7 6 7 9 R l A l , ‘ 757.
 171

1
from t h e re v e n u e o f t h e i r e s t a t e s .
' I t i s t o . be n o t e d t h a t t h e t r o o p s h o l d i n g r e n t -
f r e e . l a n d s i n l i e u o f wages were o f t e n s u b j e c t e d t o t h e 1
2
payment o f q u i t - r e n t s . Such q u i t - r e n t s w ere te rm e d as n a n c h a k
3“' ' -
i n som e,places* A l e t t e r from t h e R a j a o f B i s h n u p u r t o
t h e j u d g e o f B a n k u r a i n 18*+5 s t a t e d t h a t t h e r e were some
s e r v i c e l a n d s a p p r o p r i a t e d t o t h e wages o f t h e armed f o r c e s
o f t h e e s t a t e on w hich panchak s were im p osed. Senapati -
mahal. ( l a n d s h e l d by t h e commanding o f f i c e r o f t h e armed
. f o r c e s ) , bakhshi-m ahal (la n d s h e l d by t h e p a y m a s t e r o f t h e
a rm y), t o p - Kh an a-ma-h al. ( l a n d s h e l d by t h e g u n n e r s ) , c h a r i d a r i -
m ahal ( l a n d s h e l d by t h e m a c e b e a r e r s ) , and m a h a l - b e r a - m a h a l
( l a n d s e n jo y e d by t h e g u a r d s o f t h e B i s h n u p u r f o r t )
5
under, t h e p u rv ie w o f t h e p anc h ak- mah a l s o f B i s h n u p u r .

From t h e i n f o r m a t i o n a t hand i t i s g a t h e r e d t h a t
t h e army' o f t h e b i g z a m i n d a r s was o r g a n i z e d i n t o f o u r t r a d -
i t i p n a l s e c t i o n s , n am ely , t h e e l e p h a n t s , c a v a l r y , c h a r i o t s

;1 . S .G .C . Oct, 28, 1766, R/A, 7? G . V a n s i t t a r t t o C , R u s s e l l ,

. J u n e 21, 1767,. B .D .R . Midnapur I , 156.
2 . F . W . R o b e r t s o n , F i n a l R e p o r t on t h e Surv_jLY_a ^
Operations i n t h e D i s t r i c t of Bankura,
r
-rtn
^mn
iVU
f11«
T■
*— r 1" 1* "1 1■ ^.
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
... >• t m
i ..
..
..
..
..■1■ .
m w
KHM
f
H m
n.-
w n
k^t
i // p
i«
.
!■■
■■
m
B.D.G. Midnapurq Ih-.
'H
pk
.1*
fe
n'* 1 i
iii
o m
*.<
ium
m ii
4i n'P
H ..,i«
n,*
urnir
m ii»/ .
.

' 3 . P .C .C .D . Nov. 1 8, 1772, R 7 0 /1 5 , *+20: S .A .B , IV, 8 5, 25*+,

2 6 3 - 2 6 '+.

^+* S .A . B . I V , 2 6 '+*
5. I b i d .
 172

and i n f a n t r y - c o l l e c t i v e l y c a l l e d c h a t u r a n g a ( f o u r arms)*
I n t h e e v e n t o f a c a m p a ig n , t h e c a v a l r y marched a t t h e f o r e -
2
f r o n t f o l l o w e d by t h e e l e p h a n t s * I t i s , h o w ev e r, l i k e l y
3
t h a t t h e e l e p h a n t s som etim es marched ahead o f t h e t r o o p s .
A p art fro m c a r r y i n g t h e army c h i e f s and o f t e n t h e r a j a s ,
t h e t r a i n e d e l e p h a n t s were a c t i v e l y u sed i n w a r f a r e i n l a r g e
k
num bers. The w a r - c h a r i o t s drawn by h o r s e s , would a l s o
c a r r y g e n e r a l s and som etimes t h e r a j a h i m s e l f . The i n f a n t r y
which c o n s t i t u t e d t h e b u l k o f t h e army, i n c l u d e d i n i t s t r a i n
the p a ik s , barq undazes, a rc h e rs, w r e s tle r s , sh ield b earers,
( d h a l i s ) , clubm en and spearm en.
In a d d itio n to the four t r a d i t i o n a l d iv is io n s ,
t h e armed f o r c e s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s had i n t h e i r r o l l t h e
a r t i l l e r y - a l a t e r i n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e I n d i a n army. To
th is l i s t s h o u ld be added t h e f l e e t - an i m p o r t a n t m i l i t a r y
e s ta b lis h m e n t i n B engal. The z a m in d a r o f t h e r i v e r i n e p a r t s
o f B e n g a l n e e d e d a f l e e t o f war b o a t s t o d e f e n d t h e i r t e r r i ­
t o r i e s , t o p a t r o l t h e r i v e r s and convey t h e t r o o p s and war

1 . J . A . D u b o i s , H in d u Manner s . Customs an d C e re m o n ie s , I I , 670$

T .C .D a s G u p ta, A s p e c t s of Bengal i S o c i e t y
y
7&.
pngtaanfc*mm a n ^ n w i * w w i y B T . « w w i.iiii.i'ii wiiwi Twdiw ■ iM . it.ni m u 11w i i i . m w i.ium i■''V m / *

2. T .C .D a s G u p ta , A s p e c t s o f B e n g a l i S o c i e t y 76*
3. " C h a u d h u r i 1 s. L a r a i 1' , D .C .S e n (comp. & e d . ) , E a s t e r n
B e n g a l B a l l a d s , I I I , , p a r t I , 30**.
k. Ib id .
5. Mukunda Rama C h a k r a v a r t i , K a v ik a n k a n a C h a n d i , 9^? J*A.
D u b o i s , H indu M anners. Customs and C e r e m o n i e s . I I , 673*
 As a p a r t o f m i l i t a r y s t r a t e g y , f o r t s were b u i l t
by t h e z a m i n d a r s . The m i l i t a r y s t r e n g t h o f t h e m a jo r z a m in - .
dars- was d e m o n s t r a t e d by t h e i r s t r o n g h o l d s w i t h e n c i r c l i n g
d itch es, e a r t h e n r a m p a r t s , ca n n o n s o r d e n s e g ro w th o f j u n g l e s .
T h e i z a m i n d a r i 's i n t h e w e s t e r n p a r t s o f B e n g a l abounded i n
fo rts. The b e l l i c o s e n a t u r e o f t h e p e o p l e , t h e c o n s t a n t
s t a t e o f . w a r f a r e among t h e c h i e f s t h e m s e l v e s , and t h e expo­
s u re o f t h e r e g io n t o th e. r e c u r r i n g r a i d s o f t h e M arathas
u n d o u b t e d l y a c c o u n t f o r t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a l a r g e number o f
fo rts.th e re . I n t h e t w e n t y rna h a l s o f Midnapur a l o n e t h e r e
• .i
were f i f t e e n f o r t r e s s e s . The. Burdwan e s t a t e , one o f t h e
apex z a m i n d a r i s , had n o t l e s s t h a n e i g h t f o r t r e s s e s - most
of th ese b u i l t at s tr a te g ic p o in ts. Though t h e z a m i n d a r s
o f o t h e r ' p a r t s o f B e n g a l d i d n o t p o s s e s s as many f o r t s a s
d i d t h e i r w e s t e r n b r e t h r e n , t h e i r r e s i d e n c e s were alw ays
w e l l p r o t e c t e d by d i t c h e s and w a l l s . T h e r e c u r r e n t M aratha
r a i d s ' p r o m p t e d t h e a f f l u e n t z a m i n d a r s .to c o n s t r u c t a number o f

1 . ' R . M . C h a k r a v a r t i B a h a d u r , nN o te s on t h e G e o g r a p h y .o f O r i s s a
11, J . A» S . B. 1916, N.S-. X I I , ^ 7 - 5 5 ,
2 . B h a r a t a c h a n d r a R aya, B h a r a t a c h a n d r e r G r a n t h a v a l i » 191,
’"The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y ’:of,.B eng al - The.B urdw an R a j " ,
- G . R .1 8 j 1 75 ; B.D.G. Burdwan, 3 1 , 1 9 ! , 2 0 k .
3 . C.Vf.B.Ro.us t o R . B e c h e r , J a n . 6 ' . ' 1770. L . C . B . S . R . 3; R.
. > t.M a rtin , The H i s t o r y o f A n t i ( i u i t i e s ^ i ^ a £ r a ^ y _ ^ M
S t at 1 s t l e t s o f E a s t e r n I n d i a I I . 621+.;, E .V . W e s t m a c o t t ,
"The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l - T h e D i n a j p u r R a j " ,
G .R . 1 87 2. L V . -215.
w e l l - f o r t i f i e d " abodes. The f o r t i f i c a t i o n s made by R a j a
Rameswar Ray o f B a n s b e r i a t o p r o t e c t h i s f a m i l y and t h e
s u b j e c t s from t h e o n s l a u g h t o f t h e Mar a t h a s a r e w o r th
■ i
m entioning.
“The f o r t was g a r r i s i o n e d by a g o o d l y number
, o f s o l d i e r s , who were armed w i t h s w o rd s , s h i e l d s ,
p a i k s , m u s k e t s , bows and a r r o w s , and was mounted
w ith se v e ra l p iece s of a r t i l l e r y . The s i d e s o f
t h e moat w ere r a i s e d t o a g r e a t h e i g h t , and
b r a m b l e s and p r i c k l y s h r u b s w e r e ' p l a n t e d on them
so as t o impede t h e p r o g r e s s o f t h e t u r b u l e n t
r a i d e r s 1' . 2
The a v a i l a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n i s i n t u n e w i t h t h e
v ie w s o f H ab ib ^ t h a t
. “n o t o n l y y/as i t n o rm a l f o r z a m i n d a r s t o r a i s e
q i l 1 ac h a s , b u t t h e a u t h o r i t i e s t o o r e g a r d e d i t
as a p e r f e c t l y l e g i t i m a t e p ro c eed in g . The
c o u n t r y must have b ee n d o t t e d w i t h i n n u m e r a b l e such
fo rtresses. They became a b n o x i o u s i n t h e e y e s
o f t h e a u t h o r i t i e s o n l y when t h e zami n d a r s used them
not fo r m ain ta in in g t h e i r r i g h t s over th e "peasants,
but f o r defy in g th e a d m in is tr a tio n . n k

The z a m i n d a r s were empowered t o kee p armed .

e s t a b l i s h m e n t s and c o n s t r u c t f o r t s w i t h a v iew t o d e f e n d i n g
th eir te rrito rie s , p ro te c tin g the r a iy a ts , ag ric u ltu re , trad e

1 . W . K . F i r m i n g e r , “A Note on B a n s b e r i a 1' , B , P . P . I 9 0 8 , 75*

2 . S*C.Dey, The B an s b e r i a R a j , 22.
3 . I . H a b i b , The Agra r i a n S y s te m
/ . »xjiimilU.HLmiiM.M«■«
■■■
.HInamrmn■ iJmwttmmm ni ...........
165.
^

The e n o r m i t y o f t h e c a s t l e s - i n t h e c o u n t r y had a t t r a c t e d
t h e a t t e n t i o n o f t r a v e l l e r T h e v e n o t ( S .N . S e n ( e d . ) , I n d i a n
T r a v e ls , I I I , 9 6 ).
and commerce b u t c e r t a i n l y n o t t o d e f y t h e a u t h o r i t y o f
t h e g o v e r n m e n t, n o r t o a s s i s t t h e en em ies o f t h e s t a t e .
Though t h e z a m i n d a r s 1 a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a t i o n was s o u g h t i n
t h e m i l i t a r y a f f a i r s , t h e Mughal r u l e r s had. a lw a y s bee n
c a u t i o u s o f t h e z a m in d a ^ 1 p o t e n t i a l a b i l i t y t o wage war
a g a i n s t t h e i r own a u t h o r i t y . T h i s i s why t h e Mughals
m a i n t a i n e d a c o n s t a n t w atc h on t h e o v e r g r o w i n g power o f
1
t h e z a m i n d a r s and t r i e d t o keep them w e l l w i t h i n c o n t r o l .
Though d u t y - b o u n d ? t h e z a m i n d a r s d i d n o t alw ays
meet t h e demand f o r m i l i t a r y a s s i s t a n c e . Many changed
2
t h e i r l o y a l t i e s a s t h e t i d e o f war f l o w e d and ebb ed . The
c o n firm a tio n of th e p e r s i s t e n t l y u n r e l i a b l e c h a r a c t e r o f
t h e z a m i n d a r s comes fro m t h e a u t h o r s o f t h e Ma a s i r - u l - U m a r a f
l' , . , . . i t i s t h e way w i t h most o f t h e z a m i n d a r s o f
I n d i a , t o abandon t h e p a t h o f s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d n e s s ,
and t o w a tc h e v e r y s i d e and j o i n w h o ev er i s t h e
s t r o n g e r and i s b e i n g v i c t o r i o u s , . • . • Il
N evertheless, th e m ilita ry stre n g th of th e
z a m i n d a r s was h a r n e s s e d i n t o i m p e r i a l c a u s e a s l o n g as t h e
s u p e r v i s o r y c o n t r o l o v e r them re m a in e d o v erw h e lm in g . But
t h e e r o s i o n o f t h e Mughal a u t h o r i t y w i t h t h e r e s u l t a n t c h a o s

1. H a ji M ustafa ( t r „ ) , S eir m , 1 76 -17 7-

2 , .M*I*Borah ( t r . ) , B a h a r i s t a n I ? 105-107* 139? B a h a r i s t a n I I ,
6 6 5 * Y u su f A l i , A h w a l-i-M ah ab a t J a n g , J . N . B a r k e r ( t r . )

3 , Shah Nawaz Khan and Abdul Haqq, M a a s i r - u l - U m a r a , H .B e v e r ­

i d g e and B . P r a s a d ( t r , ) , I, 392®
 176

c o n s i d e r a b l y weakened t h e Nawab* s h o l d on t h e z a m i n d a r s .
F u rth erm o re t h e r e c u r r e n t M aratha r a i d s u n d e r lin e d th e
v u l n e r a b i l i t y o f t h e Nawab* s government t o e x t e r n a l a g g r e s s i o n .
I t dawned on t h e z a m i n d a r s t h a t t h e y were l e f t t o depend
v e r y much on t h e i r own. At one s t a g e o f t h e M a r a t h a t e r r o r ,
t h e z a m i n d a r s o f W e s t e r n B e n g a l became so s h a k e n t h a t t h e y
s e n t t h e i r wa k i l s w i t h money t o t h e a g e n t s o f t h e M a r a t h a s
" 1
t o a p p e a s e them . The s u b s e q u e n t c l a s h o f economic and
p o l i t i c a l i n t e r e s t s b e tw e e n t h e F a s t I n d i a Company and t h e
Nawabs compounded t h e r e l a t i o n s b etw e en t h e Nawab and t h e
zam indars. And i t i s no wonder t h a t some o f t h e c h i e f
z a m i n d a r s even p a r t i c i p a t e d i n i n t r i g u e s and t h e s t r u g g l e f o r
power p r e c i p i t a t i n g t h e b a t t l e o f P l a s s e y and t h e b e g i n n i n g o f
the B r i tis h ru le . The t i m e l y i n t e l l i g e n c e s u p p l i e d by t h e
2
z a m i n d a r s k e p t t h e E n g l i s h in fo rm e d o f t h e Nawab* s movements.
I n h i s b a r g a i n w i t h Nawab S i r a j u d Dawl ah, W a t t s was a d v i s e d
by some z a m i n d a r s t o meet t h e Nawab p e r s o h a l l y i n o r d e r t o
3
r e s o l v e t h e d i f f e r e n c e s b e tw e e n them.
The c o r r e s p o n d e n c e b etw e e n C l i v e and t h e z a m i n d a r s
o f Birbhum , Burdwan, D i n a j p u r and N a d i a made i m m e d i a t e l y b e f o r e
and a f t e r t h e P l a s s e y a r e c l e a r p r o o f s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s 1
limn mi ' ■■■■ ■
—ln l—i | y i . | - r ' i i I in iii im u mu ■mi.ii i i nn**iiiiiiMin w|iii*^i^ "i.>il'i»n«ii wm ii,* i ^>n ht* urnwg i

1 . F .G ladw in ( t r . ) , T^B. I 9 6 .
2. W.Too.ke* s A c c o u n t , Orme MSS, 0.V.19*
3 . Ib id ; B.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 2 0 9 , k .
 177

r e a d i n e s s t o t r a n s f e r t h e i r l o y a l t y - f r o m t h e Naw ab's g o v e r n ­
m e n t ' t o t h a t o f t h e E nglish* I n a l e t t e r presum ably
1
p re d a tin g , t h e P l a s s e y , R a ja T r a il o k y a Chandra w ro te 2
"By t h e r a p a c i o u s n e s s o f t h e g overnm ent n o t h i n g
i s . l e f t me. T h e s e t h r e e y e a r s I have no power l e f t
me i n my c o u n t r y , and my own s e r v a n t s r e f u s e d t o obey
me. But by t h e b l e s s i n g - o f God by y o u r coming t h e
c o u n t r y s h a l l f l o u r i s h , and a l l men have t h e i r h e a r t s
at ease. I h ope i n God y o u r power w i l l be a s g r e a t
a s I c o u l d w i s h i t , t h a t you may be good t o e v e r y one.
On t h i s d e p e n d s my own w e l f a r e . • Manickchund i s
become t h e G o vern or of. t h e c o u n t r y . Omichund i s
s e n t t o a c t f o r him h a r e . The power i s v e s t e d i n him.
• Them and t h e i r a n c e s t o r s h a v e b ee n s e r v a n t s t o me
and my a n c e s t o r s f o r many many y e a r s . I t has
p l e a s e d God t h a t I s h o u ld f a l l u n d e r t h e power o f
. such a m a n . ................................. ................................ ..
I f you p u n i s h him I may r e m a in s e c u r e i n my own p l a c e .
. I n e v e r s p a r e d any p a i n s f o r t h e Company's good, b u t
my " i n c l i n a t i o n t o s e r v e t h e m ' i s c h e c k e d by t h e want
o f p o w er".
; 2
About t h e same t i m e R a j a A sa d - a l-Z a m a n w r o t e t o C l i v e s
" I s h o u ld a c t s i n c e r e l y and h e a r t i l y w i t h
you . . . . . . . .God and h i s P r o p h e t know t h e s i n c e r i t y
w i t h w h ic h I have, s e v e r a l t i m e s w r o t e on t h i s
s u b j e c t t o t h e Governm ent. T h a t I m ig h t know y o u r
i n t e n t i o n s and t h a t i f you would s u p p l y me and
p r o t e c t me I would j o i n y o u . . . . . . . . . . . . By t h e
b l e s s i n g o f God 1 w i l l soon a r r i v e w i t h y ou w i t h
my army and, w i l l c e r t a i n l y j o i n y o u . 11
I n view o f s u c h e v i d e n c e t h e p o p u l a r i m p r e s s i o n
t h a t R a j a K r i s h n a c h a n d r a ; o f N a d ia p l a y e d an a c t i v e and
i m p o r t a n t r o l e i n t h e d o w n f a l l o f S i r a j u d Dawlah i s n o t a

1 . R e c . , J u n e 27? 1757? H.M.S, 193? 170-171*

2 . R e c . , J u n e 2 6 , 1757? H.M.S. 193? I 6 8 - I 6 9 .
mere s p e c u la tio n * ' According t o th e au thor of !lThe T e r r i t o r i a l
1
A r i s t o c r a c y of Bengal - The Nadia R a jM, th e d i s g r u n t l e d
R a ja s of Nadia, Burdwan, B ish n u p u r, D i n a j p u r , Birbhum and
Midnapur went to Murshidabad and appealed t o Maharaja
M ahendra, t h e diw a n - 1 r s u b ah ^ i D v 11 t o r e d r e s s t h e i r g r i e v a n c e s *
Having f a i l e d t o persuade t h e Nawab t o meet t h e i r demands
diwan? along w ith J a g a t Seth and o t h e r s hatched a p l o t to
overthrow t h e regime* . On t h e advice o f J a g a t S e th , Maharaja
K r is h n a c b a n d r a , 1a man of uncommon s a g a c i t y and powerful
i n f l u e n c e 1, was i n v i t e d t o co unsel them* I n accordance w ith
t h e d e c i s i o n reached a t th e m eeting, Maharaja K rishnachandra
met Drake a t C a l c u t t a and assu red him of t h e i r e n t h u s i a s t i c
2
support f o r t h e dethronement of t h e Nawab* Maharaja
K r is h n a c h a n d ra 1s l e t t e r 3 g r e e t i n g t h e E n g l is h on t h e i r
v i c t o r y over S i r a j u d Dawlah a l s o h i n t s at h i s involvement
i n th e conspiracy*
But th e i n t e r e s t of t h e zamindars was not i n
complete harmony w ith t h a t of t h e Company* Partnership
was concluded w ith t h e Nawab or t h e E n g l is h only when i t
s u ite d t h e zamindars* I n th e s a m e . l e t t e r i n which R aja

1* C ,R» */ 1872.
1 LVj/ 1 0 71 -1 1 0 .
2* See also* I m p e r ia l G a z e tt e e r of India* B en g ali!*
y r n n n u u m i iff i i i m . m y . I h i h h i ' h t h 1in n n r n f i T i n . l ^ r i j g r n i w » iiftt i n r r n w i w i r m w n r in i m iT in m nm — « n n u n i r n m t ~ i . n irrin r^ T i iir w i n in ^ n r ^ u j f
k2k% /

S.C* M itra , l e s s o r e-Khulnar I t i h a s a I I , k 02*

3. R e c ., March 7, 1758, H.M.S. 193, 309.
, As ad - a l amaxi p i ed g e d h i s ' al 1 e gi anc e t o t h e 'Engl i s h , he
'w r o t e s 1 . ■ '■■ ■ .

• VBut i t is, n e c e s s a r y I should t e l l you I ’ am

. a zemindar,- and should t h e Nawab s a t i s f y you, my
, f r i e n d s h i p w ith you might be - f a t a l . S atisfy ,
t h a t - y o u w i l l / i n t h a t ‘case ta k e c a r e of, my i n t e r e s t *
: W rite me about t h i s . 11 ; -
The- b a t t l d o f P la s s e y did n o t, b r in g about air immediate
'change i n t h e p o l i t i c a l and. economic s t r u c t u r e of th e
c o u n try . T i l l - t h e t r a n s f e r of th e Diwani r i g h t t o th e
: Company, t h e f a t e o f t h e zamindars remained bound w ith t h a t
o f the: Nawabs. inasmuch as t h e Company follow ed f o r - some
tim e aii avowed p o l i c y of n o n - i n t e r f e r e n c e * Actuated by
a, d e s i r e f o r expanding t h e i r i n f l u e n c e and p r o t e c t i n g
t h e i r t e r r i t o r i a l i n t e r e s t s i n t h i s f l u i d s i t u a t i o n of th e
c o u n tr y , th e zamindars of B ihar and West Bengal veered t o
Prince" AM Gauhar (Shah 11 am I I ) whose m i l i t a r y e x p l o i t s i n
Bengal and B ih a r were welcomed by them. R aja As ad-al-Zairian
. h i s kinsman iiamgar Khan, R aja of Narhat Sarnai and a h o s t o f
o th e r s e i t h e r l e n t t h e i r f u l l support or were w i l l i n g t o
come t o term s w ith t h e prince- * The d i s a f f e c t i o n of t h e
. zamindars at such an u n s e t t l e d s t a t e of t h e c o u n try caused
' d i s q u i e t t o t h e Nawab and t h e English* In 1760, Van s i t t a r t

■I* R e c . J u n e 26, 1757$ H.M.S* 193? 196.

2*/-S itu ated i n Bihar*
3 * - Gholam A l i Khan, Shah A lamnamah I , 115, i t 5 5 B* MLAdd.
MSS* 2 9 , 2 0 ? , ‘I , 87a-87b? H a ji Mustafa ( t r . ) , S e i r I I ,
v , 332. ‘ '
documented t h e c r i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n of t h e - c o u n t r y i n th e
follow in g, wbrdss -;
, 11 two armies were i n th e f i e l d and
w a itin g only t h e f a i r w eather to advance, t h e
\Shahzada tow ards P atna, and t h e Beerboom Rajah
tow ards Murshidabad th e c a p i t a l . - The R ajahs
of B is s e n p o o r, Ramgur, and t h e o th e r c o u n t r i e s
b o r d e r in g upon t h e mountains were ready t o
shake off, t h e i r dependence, & had a l r e a d y
a ffo rd e d c o n s i d e r a b l e s u p p l i e s t o th e Beerboom
R a ja h . * .»»** 1.
The Rajah of Birbhum d id not make any p r e t e n c e t o show h i s
i n f i d e l i t y t o t h e Nawab a g a i n s t whom he had grievances,,
The c ; c e s s i o n of t h e t h r e e d i s t r i c t s of Burdwan,
C h itta g o n g and Midnapur t o t h e East I n d i a Company i n 1760

added t o t h e d i s a f f e c t i o n of t h e zamindars a g a i n s t th e
Nawab - and ,th e Company. They looked upon i t as a c u r t a i l m e n t
. ■ 1 ' '■ ■ 3
of t h e i r former power and i n f l u e n c e . The zamindars of
t h o s e p l a c e s t r i e d d e s p e r a t e l y t o m a in ta in t h e i r p o s i t i o n
and t h i s o f t e n c a l l e d f o r t h armed c l a s h e s . The Midnapur
If ■- '
D i s t r i c t Records r e l a t e numerous i n c i d e n t s of armed r e s i s ­
ta n c e t h e Company encountered when i t t r i e d t o humble th e
<iiiULT < » i i m M i r < i w i n 'i HiMi. n H .(iii|ii‘ i i i i 4 : i i i _ u j f > v j j r f m r |- f i i ? n ir i , | > m i | - r n m n - i t n - T T T r r 1w r» ir W n n iu TT ir M in i - n 7i m n i * m * n i - < - f n iTr>r HT t i ^ i r n r ^ t n i T |T ~ r - r T n — nn f n i r r f r m i . g » : a v ^ r * j c w i r t w r G m f f r * . f - i n »

1 . B . E . C . , Nov. 1 7 6 0 , R I / 3 2 , 6 3 2 - 6 3 3 .
2... A s a d - a l-Z a m a n t o S. C., Sett ,1560, S . G . H i l l , An A b s t r a c t o f
' ■ t h e E a r l y R e c o r d s of t h e F o r e i g n Depar t m e n t 1 , 6 7 .
3V The zamindars might have a l s o been ap p rehen sive of l o s i n g
t h e i r z a m in d a ris s i n c e some zamindars i n t h e ceded d i s t r i c t
■of 2 k»Parganahs were d is p o s s e s s e d by t h e Company.
" h\ B.D-.R.: M idnapur ? I ~and I I . ■
 181

z a m in d a rs , The Burdwan z amind a r '1 s u n w illin g n e s s t o submit

t o th e f u l l c o n t r o l of th e Company found i t s e x p r e s s io n i n
h i s c o l l a b o r a t i o n w ith P rin c e A li Gauhar, t h e Marathas and
a l s o w ith th e f a q u i r s . I n November 1760, Nawab Mir
1
Qasim wrote?
. {,I h e a r from Burdwan t h a t th e zemindar i n t e n d s
t o f i g h t ? and t h a t he h as c o l l e c t e d t o g e t h e r 1 0 or
1 5 thousand peons and ro b b e rs and t a k e s them i n t o
pay and jo in e d t h e Beerbhoom Raja*1.
About t h e same time th e Burdwan Raja fought a g a i n s t th e
2
E n g l i s h i n c o n j u n c t i o n w ith t h e fa q u i r s . R a ja T r a i l o k y a
Chandra having e n te r e d i n t o a c o n s p ir a c y w ith R aja Asad-
al-Zaman t o c ru s h t h e power of t h e Nawab and t h e E n g lis h ,
3
l e n t a s s i s t a n c e t o th e Marathas. O ffe rin g a sharp c o n t r a s t
t o t h e s i t u a t i o n i n t h e e a r l y y e a r s of t h e Maratha d e p r e ­
d a t i o n when most of th e zamindars stood s o l i d l y behind th e
Nawab i n h i s f i g h t a g a i n s t th e n a t i o n a l menace, th e zamin­
d a r s now were i n league w ith t h e Maratha a d v e r s a r i e s w ith
t h e p r o s p e c t of g e t t i n g r i d of t h e Nawab and t h e E n g lis h .
I n 1761 J o h n sto n e r e p o r t e d t h a t many zamindars of Midnapur
had gone over t o th e s id e of t h e Marathas. A very few,

1. J . Long, S e l e c t i o n s . . . . . . . 507.
2. C a p t. A.White t o B . C . , Dec. 29,1760, S.C*C. , J a n . 5,
1 7 61 , R/A, 3.
3 . J.Long S e l e c t i o n s 507, 5 1 5 1 3 ®
5. J . J o h n s t o n e t o B .C ., Feb, 8 , 1761, S.C.C* F e b . 10, 1761,
R/A, 3®
 182

1
l i k e Raja P a r ik h k h it P a la of N arayangarh re m a in e d l o y a l
2
t o th e Nawab d u rin g t h i s tim e, hence, th e Company found,
i t ex p e d ie n t t o c r e a t e a l o y a l z amind a r ‘by r e s t o r i n g th e
d is m is s e d Raja of Pachet on c o n d i t i o n of paying th e Company
one la k h of r u p e e s f o r th e maintenance of t h e e x t r a tr o o p s
needed t o meet t h e emergent s i t u a t i o n , Mir Qasim, however,
d id n o t brook t h e a u d a c i ty of t h e Rajas of Birbhum, Burdwan
and Narhat Samai. They were a t ta c k e d and subdued i n 1 7 6 3 .^

S ince t h e b a t t l e of P la s s e y , th e defen ce of t h e
sub ah was g r a d u a l l y t r a n s f e r r e d t o th e Company. By t h e
a r t i c l e 5 of t h e t r e a t y concluded between Mir Qasim and th e
5
E ast I n d i a Company i n September 1760, th e revenue management
of th e d i s t r i c t s of Burdwan, C h ittag o n g and Midnapur was
handed over t o t h e Company f o r m a in ta in in g t r o o p s f o r t h e
defence of th e subah, • R n » r « m a i a n » 9B a R a ( « n |
A s e p a r a t e saraad i s s u e d t o give e f f e c t
m.. m i n .m w 'i

t o th e t r e a t y reads

1* S i t u a t e d i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f M idnapur.
2. H.V.Bayley, H i s t o r y of Midnapur« 15*
3. S.C.C* Oct, 8, 1 7 6 1 , J . L o n g , S e l e c t i o n s ................ 5 6 9 *
k* I i a j i M ustafa ( t r , ), S e i r I I , 395-396; A.M.Khan, The
T r a n s i t i on i n B e n g a l, m*7#
5. B.P.C. Nov. 1 0 , 1 7 6 0 , 'Syst* / $ 2 , 61+1+-61+5 .
6. B.P.C. Nov. 1 7 , 1760 R 1 / 3 2 , 6 8 6 ..
 18 3

The Z e m i d a r r e e o f t h e Raj ah T i l l u c c h u n d ,
i n t h e D i s t r i c t s o f t h e s u bah o f B e n g a l 5 be
i t known, t h a t w h e r e a s d i v e r s wicked p e o p l e
h av e t r a i t e r o u s l y s t r e t c h e d f o r t h t h e i r h a n d s
t o p l u n d e r t h e s u b j e c t s , and w a s t e t h e R o y al
D o m in io n s, f o r t h i s r e a s o n t h e s a i d p e r g a n a ,
&c*, i s g r a n t e d t o t h e E n g l i s h Company i n p a r t
d i s b u r s e m e n t o f t h e i r e x p e n c e s , & t h e m o n t h ly
m a i n t e n a n c e o f f i v e hun dred E u ro p e a n h o r s e , two
thousand B ur, f o o t , & e ig h t thousand Sepoys,
wh ich a r e t o be e n t e r t a i n e d f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n
s o f th e Royal D om in io n s,M
The ag re e m e n t o f S e p tem b er 3 0 ? 1 7 65 c o n c lu d e d
b e t w e e n Nawab Najmud D awl ah and t h e Company v e s t e d on t h e
E n g l i s h t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t h e p r o t e c t i o n of t h e su b a h .
The t r e a t y was f o l l o w e d by t h e r e d u c t i o n o f t h e Nawab’ s
troo ps to in sig n ific a n c e * The m o t iv e o f c o n s o l i d a t i o n
o f t h e Company's power i s r e f l e c t e d from G o v e rn o r S p e n c e r 1s
1
l e t t e r t o t h e C o u rts
"Tp p r e v e n t R e v o l u t i o n s o r c h a n g e s i n
f u t u r e , we t h o u g h t i t s a f e s t f o r y o u r a f f a i r s t o
l e t t h e D e f e n c e o f t h e P r o v i n c e s l a y on u s , and
us o n l y , o r i n f a c t t h a t t h e r e s h o u ld be no
M i l i t a r y F o r c e b u t yours* T h i s w i l l p u t i t out
o f t h e power o f any one e v e r i n f u t u r e t o d i s t u r b
y o u r a f f a i r s by commotions or o t h e r w i s e and a l s o
g i v e you a s u f f i c i e n t fu n d f o r such M i l i t a r y F o r c e . "
To im plem ent t h i s o b j e c t i v e , t h e ' u s e l e s s m i l i t a r y r a b b l e '
o f t h e Nawab as w e l l as t h e f o r c e s u n d e r t h e command o f t h e
2
f a u j d a r s and t h e r a j a s were d is b a n d e d *

1* L e t t e r t o C o u r t , March 1*4, 1765, p a r a 10 , E/4-/26.

2* L e t t e r t o C o u r t , Dec. 5? 1766, p a r a 18 E / J+/27; H . V e r e l s t
& F . S y k e s t o B . C . , J u n e 2 8 , 1 7 6 7 ? S.C*C.- J u l y 6 , 1767?
R/A, 7.
 I8*f

The a v a i l a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n u n e a r t h e d so f a r *
h o w e v e r, d o e s h o t s u g g e s t - t h a t a l l t h e t r o o p s o r t h e n a v a l
e s t a b l i s h m e n t s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s were d i s b a n d e d a t once.
The Company embarked on a*.programme o f r a i s i n g m i l i t a r y
•and p o l i c e f o r c e s e x c l u s i v e l y b e l o n g i n g t o i t . But t h e
p r o c e s s was c a r r i e d out i n p h a s e s . The b r u n t o f t h e
Company1s p o l i c y o f r e d u c i n g t h e t r o o p s was f i r s t f e l t by
t h e z a m i n d a r s o f t h e ceded d i s t r i c t s . The Burdwan z a m i n d a r ' s
m o n th ly e x p e n d i t u r e o f B s , 2 2 , 000 as t h e pay o f t h e n aq di
1
t r o o p s was c u t down t o R s . 1 5 , 0 0 0 . I n 1766 V e r e l s t
p ro p o s e d t o t h e C o u n c i l o f Revenue a t Burdwan t o d i s b a n d
2
th e naqdi tro o p s of th e r a j a e n tir e ly . He, h o w e v e r,
s u g g e s t e d .to s a n c t i o n a l l o w a n c e s t o t h e j amad a r s who were
e i t h e r d i s t a n t r e l a t i o n s o f t h e r a j a o r o l d s e r v a n t s of
t h e f a m i l y , and t o p r o v i d e t h e r a j a w i t h a number o f t h e
Company's s e p o y s f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f h i s p e r s o n and p a l a c e s * ~
The s u b s e q u e n t c o r r e s p o n d e n c e r e v e a l s t h a t t h e C o u n c i l
decided f o r f u r t h e r re d u c tio n of th e n a q d is i n s te a d of d i s ­
b a n d i n g them a l t o g e t h e r . The n a ^ d l t r o o p s n u m b erin g 839
k
w e r e * r e t a i n e d w i t h a m o n th ly c o s t o f R s . 8 , 6 6 0 , The m i l i t a r y

in jil« 1 j oumiiTin j i i nmrrn-wT-irr • n.r i nn - r n ni i - mr n mr ^ T r n ~n~" n —t r f n t r ~i ~— —r i ' I --------- — ~ i—»**• ' 1,4 vtrxfwtsrrw-nj

1 . S . C . C . , O ct. 28, 1 7 6 6 , ' R / A , ' 7 .

2, I b i d ,
' 3 , Ibid,
If. B*P.C. S e p t , 2 8 j 1 767, R l A l , 757 (See a p p e n d ix * © .
s t r e n g t h o f t h e z a m i n d a r s o f C h i t t a g o n g wass a l s o r e d u c e d ’
to a co n sid erab le' degree. Z am indar T aj S in g h w a s - i n
command o f *+.0 000 b arqundaz-es, which iri 1 7 6 l was c u t down t o
t p& ngm m pJt -mm / ■ . <, ,f . J

' 2 ' ' ’ -- - ...

112 men. I n 1772? C o l l e c t o r B e n t l e y d i s m i s s e d them
3 • ' •

alto g eth er.

The ceded d i s t r i c t o f M idn apu r, ho w eve r,
p o r t r a y s a d i f f e r e n t p i c t u r e i n t h i s r e g a r d . / B e c a u s e o f t i l e 1,
f a c t t h a t a l l t h e z a m i n d a r s o f Midnapur c o u l d n o t be b r o u g h t"
u n d e r c o m p l e t e c o n t r o l o f t h e Company d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d
u n d e r r e v i e w , t h e m i l i t a r y p o t e n t i a l o f t h e ,z a m i n d a r s c o u l d
n o t be crush ed ,. The m i l i t a n t n a t u r e o f t h e p e o p le , and t h e
r e c u r r i n g r a i d s o f t h e ‘C h u a r s 'a n d o t h e r h i l l t r i b e s made „
t h e t a s k o f s u b j u g a t i o n v e r y d i f f i c u l t . . A l e t t e r from
V a n s i t t a r t s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e l o c a l t h a n a d a r s and z a m i n d a r s
w ere e n t r u s t e d w i t h t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . o f p r o t e c t i o n o f
■if : ■ ‘ , ■ . • . /
some subdued a r e a s o f M idn apu r. The Company’ s t r o o p s
5 -
s t a t i o n e d t h e r e were r e d u c e d as a m ea s u re o f economy. A gain
6 ; -

i n 1770? P e l a r e e w r o t e t h a t t h e G h a t s e e l a z amind a r ’ was t o

1 . J . G r a n t H i s t o r i c a l and C o m p a r a t i v e A n a l y s i s ? W . K . F i r -
m in g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t I I ; * 2 3 8 V ■"
2. W/B. Sumner t o C . E . , Oct. 1*+, 1779? b^R^C. ? M ay ' 9 ? 1780,
’R5Q/2k* • ;
3 . Ib id . . ’
k. G , V a n s i t t a r t t o I t . N u n , March 31?/ 1770? B ^ ^ ^ _ M i d n a p u r , r ?
. I I , ' 182. - .
5. I b i do , /. ■ /
6’.' J / P e i a r e e t o L t . G o o d y a r , A p r i l 23,1770? B-.D.R.,, M idnapur,
iv ? 3 . . ' / . • • ■
supply paiks t o ' a s s i s t th e E n g lis h i n t h e i r o p e r a tio n s . Rani -
S irom ony o f Midnapur z a m i n d a r i ? and some o t h e r z a m i n d a r s
also- a s s i s t e d t h e E n g l i s h w i t h t r o o p s ^ some ev e n r e n d e r e d
personal s e rv ic e . 2 '
The r e d u c t i o n o f t h e z a m i n d a r i t r o o p s and t h e
f l o t i l l a i n o t h e r p a r t s o f t h e s ubah commenced i n t h e wake
o f t h e g r a n t of- t h e Diwani power t o t h e Company. The
' . ■ ’ * ■■5 / - 3
numb e r o f b a r a und az e a o f t h e z a m i n d a r s o f Purn ea? and t h e
k
R a j a o f N a d i a was c o n s i d e r a b l y c u r t a i l e d by t h e y e a r 1770.
I n December 1 7 7 0 , C o t t r e l l ? S u p e r v i s o r o f D i n a j p u r p r o p o s e d
th e re d u c tio n of th e D inajpur R a ja ’ s tro o p s t o le s s than a
h a l f w i t h ari a n n u a l c o s t o f R s. 1 .0 ? 0 0 0 ? and t h e r e n t a l o f
! <■- ’ : •
62?673 b i g h a s .of l a n d s i n l i e u o f c a s h s a l a r y . The ’t o p - -
k h a n a l a n d s o f t h e Birbhum z amind a r i were resumed i n t h e

year 1 7 8 9 ^ .. - , ; : .
The n a v a l e s t a b l i s h m e n t s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s w ere,
however? c o n s i d e r a b l y c u r t a i l e d . Between t h e y e a r s 17 6 7-17 72

1 . G . V a n s i t t a r t to- C . R u s s e l l , dune 21, 1767; und C . R u s s e l l to-

G . T ' a n s i t t a r t J u l y 3, 1767? B^D.R.-. M idnapur In 1 5 6 , 1 6 0 . '■//■
'2 -. J . F e r g u s s o h t o J .G ra h a m . March 1 7 .1 7 6 7 s B*D„R*. Midnapur.
i, 119. - ' , ,-
3. G . G . B u c a r e l t o C.C.R.M.,, Dec. 3, 1770, P . C . C . R . M . D e c . . 13,.""’
1 7 7 0 , 1 1 , 6 i+, 7 0 . , ,
P cVc.R.M. t o J . R i d e r , F eb . 11+., 1771, P .G .C .R .M ., I l l , 178.
5 . ' H . C o t t r e l l t o : C .& .R .M ., Dec. . 2 2 , 1 7 7 0 , . P.O.C.R.M.", Dec, 8 1 , -
' 1 7 7 0 , - I I , il+35 . -■ . — ---------- ,
The p r o p o s a l was c a r r i e d into., a c t i o n i s e v i d e n t from the,,/
c o r r e s p o n d e n c e o f C o t t r e l l on Feb. 8 ,1 7 7 2 .(P .C .C .R .M ,, IX? I 6 ’9j
'6 . J u H a s i l r i g e t o C .K e a tin g ? Aug.29? 1 7 8 9 ? W.B-,D.Ra *Bu rd wan? /
 187

t h e g r e a t e r p a r t o f t h e n a w a ra l a n d s w ere resum ed. The h a n d -

o - b a s t o f t h e D acca p r o v i n c e f o r t h e y e a r 1771 (1178 B„S*)
r e c o r d s t h e r e s u m p t i o n o f t h e n a w a ra e s t a b l i s h m e n t w o r t h
lb CTyja«tuHJt.H*JWW
WlT
HgV
WTt

1
Rs. 2 5 , 0 0 0 i n ro u n d f i g u r e s , . I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g to note th a t
t h e n aw a ra l a n d - h o l d i n g c o n t i n u e d f o r a l o n g t i m e i n t h e
C h andradw ip z a m i n d a r i . I n 1790? C o l l e c t o r D o u g la s recom­
mended “ an i n c r e a s e o f s i c c a R s . l 5 , 000, de l a i d on t h i s
2
m ahal , on t h e p l e a t h a t t h e ze m in d a r e n j o y s a n e t p r o f i t
. . " 3 '
e q u a l t o t h a t sum from t h e h i s s a j a t l a n d s 1*.
The r e d u c t i o n o f t h e t r o o p s and t h e w a r -b o a t s
l e d t o t h e . r e s u m p t i o n of. t h e p e r s o n a l i a g i r s and ch altar an
w , «!■ ( tfchwlijiwill ii iwumiu ftMii nMiiuiiistnwiwKmii *wiHM»ierw>»a»

l a n d s i n r e s p e c t i v e .z amind a r i s . T h i s , h o w ev e r, d i d n o t
n e c e s s a r i l y cause t h e sh rin k ag e of th e t e r r i t o r i e s of th e
zam indars. The z a m i n d a r s p o s s e s s i n g su ch l a n d s c o n t i n u e d
t o e n j o y them on payment o f a f i x e d r e v e n u e . But t h e a c t u a l
l o s s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s h a s t o be s e a r c h e d somewhere e l s e . The
r e d u c t io n or com plete d is b a n d in g o f t h e t r o o p s of t h e zam indars
s t r u c k a t t h e i r p aram ount c o n t r o l o v e r a s e c t i o n o f t h e

IV p .C .C .D ., O ct. 8 , 1 772, R70/15? 31^-3*+!.

2. C han drad w ip .
3* W.Douglas t o B , R „ ? A p r i l 6 , 1790, B.R*P„ A p r i l 29, 1790, .. I
.■R71/2J+5
I t was o n l y i n J u l y 1Q01 t h a t t h e h i s s a z a t l a n d s
tf W / *■wgiwriii|.1»mi»nr«iwn«ira>

p o s s e s s e d by R a j a D u rg a N a r a i n o f C h a n d ra d w ip , were
resumed (M a s s ie t o B.R. Nov. 5, 1789 q u o te d i n f.Ray™
■chaudhuri, “Some o ld Documents i n B a r i s a l , B a s t
Bengal**,, I . II,Q« 19^8, XXI?, 2 6 I 5 H . B e v e r i d g e , The
D i s t r i c t o f B a k a r g a n i , 8 8 - 8 9 )®
jDraian who were under t h e i r d i r e c t command i n t h e p a s t . The
p r i n c i p a l z a m i n d a r s were s u d d e n l y s a d d l e d w i t h a p ro b lem o f
uxiemployment o f a t l e a s t a s e c t i o n o f t h e i r armed r e t a i n e r s .
The s e c u r i t y o f t h e i r e s t a t e s was t h r e a t e n e d s i n c e a number of
1
them t o o k t o r o b b e r y and t h e f t . The f o l l o w i n g p a s s a g e from
2
th e S elr r e f l e c t s t h e o v e r a l l economic e f f e c t on t h e s o c i e t y
as a s e q u e l t o t h e d i s b a n d i n g o f t h e t r o o p s s
“ o * o ®oo On t h e o t h e r h a n d , o u t o f t h a t v a s t
m u l t i t u d e o f p e o p l e , c a l l e d m u s q u e t e e r s , whose
num bers were h e r e t o f o r e c o u n t e d by t e n t h o u s a n d s i n
t h e s e p r o v i n c e s , o n ly a s m a l l number o f them have
o b t a i n e d a l i v e l i h o o d by i n l i s t i n g a s T a l i n g a s i n
t h e E n g l i s h s e r v i c e 5 and y e t i t was t h e s e two
p r o v i n c e s t h a t f e d and p a i d r e g u l a r l y f o r t y or
f i f t y t h o u s a n d h o r s e , w hich were e i t h e r i n t h e
V i c e r o y ^ s e r v i c e im m ediately or m e d ia te ly , i n
t h a t o f h i s s o n s o r r e l a t i o n s and o f f i c e r s , o r I n
t h a t of t h e p r i n c i p a l zem indars of t h e p ro v in c e .
T h o u s a n d s and t h o u s a n d s o f m e r c h a n t s f o l l o w e d
t h a t numerous c a v a b r y , and a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r
r e s p e c t i v e means and c a l l i n g s , found a c e r t a i n
income i n t h e i r c o n n e c t i o n s w i t h them , and i n
t h e i r t u r n a f f o rd e d a l i v e l i h o o d t o m u l ti t u d e s of
others, how m a t t e r s go o t h e r w i s e . S ervice fo r
t r o o p e r s and c a v a l r y , t h e r e i s none a t a l l 5 and
o f t h e v a r i o u s b r a n c h e s o f t r a d e , h e r e t o f o r e open
t o a l l , none i s l e f t f r e e . 11

1„ H a s t i n g s 1 M i n u t e , A p r i l 19, 177^? R1+ 9 /5 li'®

2. H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r 0) , S e l r I I I , 203.
 CHAPTER V

THE ZAMINDARS1 POLICE FUNCTIONS

Under t h e Mughals t h e c r i m i n a l and p o l i c e admin­

i s t r a t i o n i n t h e s u b a h o f B en g al had b e e n p l a c e d i n c h a r g e
o f f a u j d a r s o r m i l i t a r y g o v e rn o rs ., s t a t i o n e d a t t h e h e a d -
1
q u a rte rs of fa u jd a ri d iv isio n s . He was p r o v i d e d w i t h b o t h
i n f a n t r y and c a v a l r y f o r c e s and c h a r g e d w i t h t h e t a s k o f
s u p p r e s s i n g r e b e l l i o n s and r e n d e r i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o t h e
2
revenue c o l l e c t i n g a g e n c ie s . Even i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h
c e n t u r y B e n g a l t h e s e i m p e r i a l o f f i c i a l s w ere p o w e r f u l f i g u r e s -
t h e S e i r d e s c r i b e s how t h e y “marched i n s t a t e , w i t h s t a n d a r d d i
played, and K e t t l e d r u m s b e a t i n g 11, t h e m s e l v e s commanding
h u n d r e d s o f t r o o p s , w h i l e “t h e M ansobdars o r M i l i t a r y d i g n i ­
t a r i e s w i t h t h e i r p a y m a s t e r s and t r o o p s , were a l l d e p e n d e n t
o n ' t h e F o d j d a r , who gave o r d e r s a bo ut a r r a y i n g and m a rc h in g
t h e i r c o r p s , c h a s t i s i n g m a l e f a c t o r s , or c o e rc in g t u r b u l e n t
3
people” . B o th t h e Ain and t h e Se i r s u g g e s t t h a t t h e

T]le f a u n d a r i c i r c l e s o f B e n g a l were: I s l a m a b a d ( C h i t t a ­
g o n g ) , S y l h e t , R a n g p u r, R a n g a m a ti, C a s t l e o f J a l a l g a r h
( i n P u r n e a ) , Akbanagar ( R a j m a h a l ) , R a j s h a h i , Burdwan,
M idnapur and H u g l i .
2 , H . S . J a r r e t t ( t r . ) , Ain I I , k O , k 2 t B.M.Add.MSS.1779,
2 1 7 a » 2 l 8 a ; H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , S e i r I I I , 1 7 6 , 178-179o
3 . H a ji M ustafa ( t r . ) , tSeir I I I , 176.
 190

f a u .id a r s above a l l were e x p e c t e d t o k e e p t h e z a m i n d a r s

1
in order.
I n t h e to w n s t h e f au.idar had u n d e r him k o t w a l s
2
o r town p r e f e c t s whose d u t i e s t h e Ain v i v i d l y p o r t r a y s ;
"T h ro u g h h i s w a t c h f u l n e s s and n i g h t p a t r o l l i n g
th e c i t i z e n s should enjoy th e repose of s e c u r i t y ,
and t h e e v i l - d i s p o s e d l i e i n t h e s l o u g h o f n o n - .
existence# He s h o u l d k e e p a r e g i s t e r o f h o u s e s ,
and f r e q u e n t e d r o a d s , and engage t h e c i t i z e n s i n
a p l e d g e o f r e c i p r o c a l a s s i s t a n c e , and b i n d them
t o a common p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f w aa l and w oe."
The k o t w a l had a l s o many o t h e r m u n i c i p a l d u t i e s , such as
o r g a n i z i n g m a r k e t s , p r e v e n t i n g m i s u s e o f di’u g s and l i k e . ^
The p i c t u r e t h e s e docum ents p r e s e n t i s t h a t o f
o f f i c i a l s b e i n g a p p o i n t e d from o u t s i d e t o m a i n t a i n law and
o r d e r i n t h e d i s t r i c t s by t h e i r own f o r c e . But i n p r a c t i c e
f a u . i d a r s and k o t w a l s , had t o a c t t h r o u g h l o c a l s o u r c e s
o f power and i n f l u e n c e as w e l l . In th e to w n s t h e k o t w a l used
t h e l e a d i n g men o f t h e m u h a l l a s i n o r g a n i z i n g m u tu a l r e so o n -
s i b i l i t y w h i l e he engaged men o f t h e sw ee p er community a s
L
h is sp ies. I n th e c o u n try s id e th e fau.idar sought to
p r e v e n t t h e z a m i n d a r s g e t t i n g t o o p o w e r f u l b u t a l s o made u s e

1 . I I . S . J a r r e t t ( t r . ) ^ A i n I I , ^2; H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , S e i r
I I I , 1 7 6 - 1 77* I h e a u t h o r o f t h e S e i r , fro m p e r s o n a l and
f a m i l y e x p e r i e n c e , c o u ld r e p o r t t h e a c t i v e s u r v i v a l o f
t h e f a u j d a r i i n s t i t u t i o n even u n d e r t h e Nawabs, as l a t e
as t h e d e a t h o f A l i v a r d i Khan i n 175&.
2 . H . S . J a r r e t t ( t r . ) , Ain I I ,
3* B.M.Add.MSS. 1779 2. 2kai M.H.Lokhandwala ( t r . ) , M i r a t ,
±kk-±k5.
k. H .S .Ja rre tt (tr.), Ain I I ,
o f t h e i r a u t h o r i t y i n ' t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f law and. o r d e r .
-■> , The i d e a o f making t h e z a m i n d a r s f i l l t h e r o l e ^
o f p o l i c e a d m i n i s t r a t o r s was n o t an i n n o v a t i o n of; t h e Mughal s .
B e f o r e t h e Mughal r u l e t h e v i l l a g e -headman- a s t h e ' c h i e f of t h e
v i l l a g e '■community u s e d t o o r g a n i z e t h e p o l i c e f o r c e w i t h i n
t h e p r e c i n c t o f h i s villa g e..;. T his r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of th e v i l l a |
headman g r a d u a l l y " p a s s e d t o t h e z a m i n d a r s . W ith e l e m e n t s
o f b o t h f i s c a l and p o l i t i c a l power at, t h e i r d i s p o s a l , t h e
z a m in d a rs e x e r c i s e d enormous l o c a l i n f l u e n c e . w h i c h made them
• '‘ - ■ 2
most s u i t a b l e g u a r d i a n s o f law and o r d e r i n t h e i r l o c a l i t y . \
The s a n a d s b e s t o w i n g z amind ay,i r i g h t s made s p e c i f i c m e n t i o n
- ‘ - ■• 3 ■ ■
o f t h e p o l i c e d u t i e s t o be d i s c h a r g e d . . The sanad g i v e n t o
R a j a R am kanta, za m in d .a r. o f • R a j s h a h i i n 1735 -1 7 36 s t a t e d t h a t
, • uhe o b s e r v e a vcommendable c o n d u c t t o w a r d s t h e
felass o f r y o t s and common p e o p l e a t l a r g e 5
and. e m p l o y h i ms e l f d i l i g e n t l y i n e x p e l l i n g
and p u n i s h i n g t h e r e f r a c t o r y ; and e x e r t h i s
u t m o s t e n d e a v o u r s t h a t no t r a c e o f t h i e v e s ,
r o b b e r s , arid d i s o r d e r l y p e r s o n s , may r e m a i n .
, w i t h i n h i s b o u n d a r i e s ; . . . . . . . . . . t h a t- he t a k e
s p e c i a l c a re , o f t h e h i g h - r o a d s , so t h a t
t r a v e l l e r s and p a s s e n g e r s may p a s s and
‘r e p a s s i n p e r f e c t c o n f i d e n c e ; , and,- i f a t ,
any t i m e -the p r o p e r t y o f any p e r s o n s h a l l
be s t o l e n o r p l u n d e r e d , t h a t he p r o d u c e t h e ;;
t h i e v e s and r o b b e r s t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e p r o p e r t y ;

1 . I . H a b i b . T he Agr a r i a n S y s te m ......... 1 3 2 - 1 3 ^ 1 B . B . M i s r a ,
The J u d i c l a l A d m ' i n i s t r a t i o n ......... 6 6 ; ”The T e r r i t o r i a l
A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l-T h e Burdwan R a j " , 1872, .
. .. L I ? , 177. ' : '
' 2 . I n Bombay t o w a r d s t h e end o f t h e s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y ,
a l l l a n d h o l d e r s e x c e p t i n g t h e B rahm ins a n d " B a n ia n s • :
were bound t o j o i n t h e m i l i t i a w h ich a l s o p e r f o r m e d
’ c i v i l p o l i c e d u t i e s ’ (S.M ^Edwardes, The Bombay C i t y
P o lic e . 2).
* a juAj«l!iiT g iir^ » lM « f i

3 o From J . S h o r e ’ s M in u te , A p r i l , ' 1788 q u o te d i n W .K .F irra in g er

( e d . ) The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . , . . 1 , X j v i i . - . * •
 192

a n d , d e l i v e r i n g t h e l a t t e r t o t h e owner, c o n s i g n t h e
fo r m e r t o p u n ish m en ts t h a t i n c a s e he do n o t .
p ro d u c e them , he h i m s e l f become r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e
p r o p e r t y 5 t h a t h e e x e r t h i s v i g i l a n c e t h a t no one be
g u i l t y of drunkenness or i r r e g u l a r i t i e s of .
b e h a v i o u r w i t h i n t h e b o u n d a r i e s o f h i s z e m in d a r y j . . *. „ .■"
1 ' • '
The sanad g r a n t e d t o t h e E n g l i s h E a s t I n d i a Company as
2 am in d a r o f C a l c u t t a i n 1757 a l s o e n j o i n e d s i m i l a r d u t i e s ?
“t h e y s u f f e r no r o b b e r s n o r h o u s e - b r e a k e r s t o r e m a in
w i t h i n t h e i r d i s t r i c t s , and t a k e s u c h c a r e o f t h e
K i n g ' s h i g h w a y s , t h a t t h e t r a v e l l e r s and p a s s e n g e r s
may p a s s and r e p a s s w i t h o u t t h e l e a s t m o l e s t a t i o n ?
t h a t (w hich Cod f o r b i d ) i f t h e e f f e c t s o f any p e r s o n
be p l u n d e r e d o r s t o l e n , t h e y d i s c o v e r and p ro d u c e
t h e p l u n d e r e r s and th ie v e s , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e goods,
and d e l i v e r t h e goods t o t h e o w n ers, and t h e c r i m i n a l s
t o condign punishm ent5 o r e l s e , t h a t th e y th e m selv es
be r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e s a i d g o o d s , t h a t t h e y t a k e
. s p e c i a l c a r e , t h a t no one be g u i l t y o f any c r i m e s o r
d r u n k e n n e s s w i t h i n t h e l i m i t s o f t h e i r Z e m in d a rry ;
« $ * e ** 2
0 o * & *■»

S p e a k in g o f t h e ' A l i v a r d i a n t r a d i t i o n s i n B e n g a l 1 , R eza Khan

r e c o r d e d t h a t t h e z a m i n d a r s " m a i n t a i n e d a p r o p e r p o l i c e and
were a c c o u n t a b l e f o r e v e r y b r a n c h o f i t " . ^ T h a t even t h e
s m a l l e r z a m i n d a r s had t o p e r f o r m p o l i c e d u t i e s i s c l e a r l y
e v i d e n t from t h i s remark*

1* Quoted i n H . V e r e l s t , A View o f t h e R i s e and P r o g r e s s . . . .1*47

2* Bee a l s o E .B . A.D..G.«B o g r a , 112-113*
3. R eza K h a n 's N o t e , F e b * , 1775? F r a n c i s MSS.Eur . E . 2 8 , 3*+5*
*+♦ The s anad g r a n t e d t o P r a n k i s s e n S i n g h , ffh a u d h u ri and
z a m in d a r o f Pa r g a n ah H o gh la i n c h a k l a h J e s s o r e (B.M.
H U M 1m W U W r T — i y m w i E r

A d d.MSS.I 9 5 0 5 , 1 0 a ) , and t h e parw ana i s s u e d by Reza

Khan t o t h e z a m i n d a r s and c h a u d h u r i e s o f Maid a ( ? »C ._C
March 7 ? 1771? I V , 6 l ) a r e exam ples c o r r o b o r a t i n g t h e f a c t .
 But i n e v a l u a t i n g t h e p o l i c e s y s t e m s i n t h e
r u r a l a r e a s d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d u n d e r r e v i e w , two f a c t o r s
must be b o r n e i n nitind. • F irst, a p o l i c e s y s te m i n t h e
modern sen se" o f t h e t e r m did, n o t f u l l y grow up i n r u r a l
Bengal. The , f o r c e f o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f law and o r d e r was
i n a d e q u a t e and i l l - e q u i p p e d . Some o f t h e r e v e n u e s t a f f o f
t h e z a m i n d a r s were s i m u l t a n e o u s l y e n t r u s t e d w i t h p o l i c e 1
du ties. F o r t h i s a m a lg a m a tio n o d f r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s i t i s
d i f f i c u l t t o d e l i n e a t e t h e f i s c a l and p o l i c e s t a f f o f t h e ;
zam indars. T h a b i g z a m i n d a r i s o f Burdwan, Birbhum, R a j s h a h i
N a d i a , D i n a j p u r and t h e l i k e , had o r g a n i z a t i o n s p r i m a r i l y
c o n c e rn e d w i t h t h e t a s k o f m a i n t a i n i n g la w and o r d e r , w h i l e
i n t h e s m a l l e r z a m i n d a r i s . some o t h e r d u t i e s - a l s o devolved- on
s u c h b o d i e s as a m a t t e r , o f economic, and a d m i n i s t r a t i v e : -
expediency.
S e c o n d l y , t h e s y s te m of e n f o r c i n g law and p r d e r -
l a c k e d u n i f o r m i t y a l l o v e r t h e co u n try * The p h y s i o g r a p h y :
o f t h e c o u n t r y , t h e u n s e t t l e d p o l i t i c a l c o n d i t i o n i n some
p a r t s o f B e n g a l , t h e m easu re o f i n d e p e n d e n c e e n j o y e d by .
some z a m i n d a r s , c o n t r i b u t e d t o w a r d s t h i s d i v e r s i t y . For
ex am p le, t h e / p r e d a t o r y c h i e f s o f t h e W e s t e r n f r o n t i e r s o f
B e n g a l d ep e n d ed v e r y much on t h e i r armed r e t a i n e r s f o r .
1 - - ‘
a g g r e s s i o n and d e f e n c e . T h e i r m i l i t a r y and p o l i c e

••• n u p T 'nnm g . i j f t n r T Tr* «~i iiw<IW'm u ii imm inim r i wiiwu i h i i i >!■ m um m u n m i i mu h w ih i i iim i n i m ■ i« » i i . i n > n * w n ■ g i r i n u r n n n n n m r r in rn r t iitf- r rr m r r itT T T m » r i ■■ iin 111 m m i " 1 1 ...... . .........

1 . D . J . M c N e i l , R e p o r t on t he V i l l a g e Watch o f t h e L o w e r .
P r o v i n c e s o f B e n g a l , £ 3 $ N.Majumdar, J u s t i c e and. P o l i c e
f u n c t i o n s t o a c e r t a i n e x t e n t merged i n t o one. The d i s t r i c t
o f Birbhum had t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of a f o r t . What was
r e q u i r e d f o r d e f e n c e and i n t e r n a l p e a c e w a s ' t o g uard t h e
d i f f e r e n t r i v e r gh a t s and h i l l p a s s e s a g a i n s t t h e I n t r u s i o n
" ' ' 1
o f r o b b e r s and bad e l e m e n t s , , * T h e r e t h e th a n a s or p o lic e
s t a t i o n s resem bled m i l i t a r y b a s e s and t h e th a n a d a rs w ith _
t h e i r s u b o r d i n a t e s p e r f o r m e d p o l i c e as w e l l a s r e v e n u e
2 ; ' ' -

d u ties. The d i s t r i c t o f Burdwan,, on t h e o t h e r h and , n o t

so much ex p o s e d t o t h e d a n g e r o f i n v a s i o n , had a d e f i n i t e
p o l i c y o r g a n i z a t i o n a s s u p p l e m e n t a r y t o t h e m i l i t a r y and
f i s c a l ad m in istratio n s. The f a u . i d a r s 1 p o l i c e j u r i s d i c t i o n
3
was v e r y n o m in a l and even n i l i n some a r e a s o f W e s te rn B e n g a l
I t a p p e a r s t h a t t h e f a u j d a r 1s a u t h o r i t y was h a r d l y e x te n d e d
t o t h e z a m i n d a r i o f Burdwan where t h e r a j a had re m a in e d
r e s p o n s i b l e d i r e c t l y t o t h e Nawab f o r b o t h r e v e n u e and
c r i m i n a l j u r i s d i c t i o n s s i n c e 1725 (1137 A . H . j , Only t h e
c a s e s o f r o b b e r i e s were r e f e r r e d t o t h e f a u j d a r o f Catwa f o r

1 . G . K e a t i n g t o C o r n w a l l s , O c t . 16, 1 7 8 9 , W«,B,DoR. ,
Bi r b h u m , 18.
2. ¥.W. H u n t e r , The A n n a l s . . . . . . . . . ,326^-327*
3 . B .R .C *, Feb. 28 , 1776,. R ^ 9 /6 0 .
k* Burdwan Diw an1s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , A p r i l 28 , 1775? B.R„C.
May 29? 1775? R *+9/53$ Raj a 1 s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , Feb, 9 ?
1 7 7 8 , B.R .C.., Ri*9/60$ See a l s o H a s t i n g s 1 M i n u t e , B„S.C.
Dec. 7? 1775? R / A , ' 3 2 ,
 195

f u r t h e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n , ‘ I n some p a r t s of t h e cou ntry l i k e

R a j s h a h i , Nadia, J e s s o r e , Murshidabad, Dacca and F a r i d p u r ,
where t h e a u t h o r i t y of t h e government was f i r m l y anchored,
p o l i c e o r g a n i z a t i o n s developed on a moderate s c a l e .
B e s id e s , i n t h e a c t u a l framework of th e system
t h e r e were d i v e r s i t i e s , though t r i v i a l i n some i n s t a n c e s .
I n some D i s t r i c t s th e g r e a t e r p a r t of t h e v i l l a g e p o l i c e
c o n s i s t e d of th e v i l l a g e watchmen w hile i n o t h e r s , t h e
e x i s t e n c e of such p e rs o n n e l i n t h e p o l i c e s e t - u p cannot be
2
traced. th oug h i n most D i s t r i c t s t h e p o l i c e s t a f f were
rem unerated i n g r a n t s of r e n t - f r e e la n d s , th e custom of
le v y in g t a x e s on t h e r a i y a t s f o r d e f r a y in g p o l i c e expenses
i'^ib I'lmiil I'liviiriirvgj

3
was a l s o p r e v a l e n t .
Mhen we t a k e i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h e a c t u a l
management o f a za m in d a ri, i t becomes c l e a r t h a t th e zamin­
d a r s had t o perform a h o s t of a d m i n i s t r a t i v e d u t i e s which
had an i n t i m a t e r e l a t i o n t o th e enforcement of law and
order. The zamindars had t o secure th e p u n c tu a l c o l l e c t i o n

1 . Burdwan D iw an ’ s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , A p r il 28, 1775? B .R .C .

May 2 9 , 1 775, I&9/535
With th e e s ta b lis h m e n t of th e Company1s r u l e , t h i s
power of th e f a u j d a r ceased t o e x i s t .
D.J.M cN eil, Re p o rt villi 6^4’, 1 1 6 ,
1 2 3 —1 2^4« F. B.D. G. era
3. J , H a r r i s t o C.C.R.M*, Aug, 5, 1771, P . C . C . R . M^, Aug, 12,
1771 VI? 7 9 . p . c . C , R , M„, March 2 3 , 1 772, X, 86, F„
R e fe a rn t o B.R. , Feb. 5, 1793, B . R . J . C . , A p r il 12 , 1793,
R 1 2 7 /8 8 .
 196

o f t h e s t a t e 1 s s h a re of t h e produce from t h e r a i v a t s , and i t s

s a f e d e s p a tc h t o t h e government t r e a s u r y . E q u a lly im p o rtan t
was t h e duty t o ensure th e s a f e conduct of t r a d e and commerce
w ith in th e hounds o f t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s . To ensure th e s a f e t y
of t h e l i v e s and p r o p e r t y of t h e people r e s i d i n g i n an e s t a t e
was an im plied o b l i g a t i o n of t h e zamindari t e n u r e . A zamin­
d a r i could s c a r c e l y t h r i v e w hile r e s t i n g on a base of i n s e c ­
u r i t y and d is c o n te n tm e n t. Hence th e zamindars shaped th e
p o l i c e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n accordance w ith t h e c o n d i t i o n s of
t h e i r own t e r r i t o r i e s and t h e i r p o s i t i o n s .
The grouping of p o l i c e e s t a b l i s h m e n t s i n th e
z a m in d a ris i n t o t h e f o llo w in g c a t e g o r i e s i s a rough guide t o
an u n d e rs ta n d in g of t h e i r f u n c ti o n s !
1 ) th e r e g u l a r p o l i c e f o r c e s which in c lu d ed t h a n a d a r ,
c h a u k id a r , ghatv/al, paik and barqundazs
■■m in i m ill .1 H I ii...»rnifimMsi"7iwmNi«iriVI / annu m la i.w im ..iI / lwmwrJlUIIUj.gMii» UtrtW—iy.Unnii.Ll'iinJl ill ■■un.n„n».ilrii*TLca> /

2) t h e s p i e s and dak s e r v a n t s e . g . , k a s i d , h a r k a r a h ,
h a l a l k h o r « t appi ? d ig w ar« d akooah. s h a h ra h i chaukidar
and rah b ar;
3) t h e reven ue-cu m -p olice s t a f f com prising v i l l a g e headman,
v i l l a g e watchman, g r am- s a r an.i ami - p a ik and aim an ad ar s
b) the, p e r s o n a l guards of th e z amind ar e . g . , p a i k ?
baroundaz, guard and peon.
Each of t h e s e c a t e g o r i e s would be examined i n t u r n , s t a r t i n g
w ith t h a t which formed, t h e p o l i c e f o r c e s p ro p e r.
The R e g u l a r P o l i c e
WlUUIrJUWSWAHKHffllMWPM gH W W M I ’riirrenrcgj.'.^ .trJir m *

The r e g u l a r p o l i c e f o r c e s i n t h e b i g z amind a r i s
were o r g a n i z e d and c o n t r o l l e d w i t h i n a s y s te m o f t h a n a s o r
p o l i c e s t a t i o n s w hich had t h e i r o r i g i n a s f o r t i f i e d m i l i t a r y !
1 . ■.
garriso n s. From t h e v e r y f u l l r e c o r d s o f Gu^fijrat, S a r a n
h a s shown t h a t i n t h e h eyd ay o f Mughal r u l e t h e c o u n t r y s i d e
2
was c o n t r o l l e d by an e l a b o r a t e s y stem o f s u c h t h a n a s .
T h u s , i n t h e H a v e l i p a r g a n a h o f Ahmedabad, c o m p r i s i n g 1 9 3 v i l l
a g e s , t h e r e were t w e l v e t h a n a s , a l l subordinate to th e
f a u f d a r of th e parg a n a h . The same b a s i c s t r u c t u r e o f
f a u . j d a r i d i s t r i c t s and s u b o r d i n a t e t h a n a s seems t o h ave e x i s ­
t e d a l s o i n Bengal.** I n M urshid Q u li K h a n 's t i m e , i n d e e d ,
t h e s y s te m seems t o have been s t r e n g t h e n e d by t h e c r e a t i o n
o f new t h a n a s - t h r e e f o r example on t h e Burdwan r o a d , ^
H h ere a number o f t h a n a s were s i t u a t e d i n a s i n g l e z amind a r i ,

1 , A z a d - a l - H u s a i n i , N a u b a h a r - i - M u r s h i d Q uli K h a n i , J . N . S a r k a r
( t r . ) , Ben g a l Nawab 3 . b t T . R a y c h a u d h u r i , B en g al u n d e r
Akhar and J a h a n g i r . 12; S .M .Edw ardes, The Bombay C i t y
11 ip— iiwrir'm wi>........................... ............. ........ ... ............. m u m n« / / / imii.mwwHniinimiriiiii,ni^iiw^»w>'>»ii,i»iM*ifmBi»».'immune, Jim i .M u j

P o l i c e , 1.
2 . P . S a r a n , The P r o v i n c i a l G overnm ent , 2 3 O- 2 3 I •
3* I b i d . , 2 3 1 ,
k, J . N . S a r k a r , "The C onquest o f G h atg a o n , 1 6 6 6 A ,D .n , J » A . S . B .
1907, N.S. I l l , *fl6.
5. F, Gladwin ( t r 8) T.JB. 108.
 19

t h e y seem o f t e n t o have bee n p l a c e d f o r a d m i n i s t r a t i v e

convenience w ith in th e j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h e zam indar. However
t h e z a m i n d a r , i n a l l c i r c u m s t a n c e s , was bound t o a s s i s t t h e
th an ad ars of th o se th an as ly in g w ith in h is estate* R eza Khan
s e t t h i s o u t i n c l e a r t e r m s when e x p l a i n i n g t h e Mughal systems
MI n fo rm e r t i m e s t h e Fau.ida.rs had no g r e a t
number o f men w i t h them b u t t h e r e was a s t a n d i n g
o r d e r t h a t t h e 1am a la s o f t h e z e m i n d a r s s h o u ld
accompany them when t h e y go o u t t o round up a
gang o f r o b b e r s and t h a t t h e y s h o u ld h e l p them i n
tr a c k in g out th e plundered a r t i c l e s * '1 1
The e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f t h e sy s te m dep en ded upon
th e s t r e n g t h of t h e centre* I t may be c o n j e c t u r e d t h a t i n
t h e g r e a t days o f Mughal r u l e t h e f a u . id a r r e t a i n e d supreme
a u t h o r i t y even o v e r t h o s e t h a n a s n o m i n a l l y p l a c e d u n d e r t h e
2
zam indars1 control* I n Nawabi B e n g a l , h o w e v e r, and more
esp ecially a fte r th e b a t t l e o f P l a s s e y , when c e n t r a , ! a u t h o r i t y
was e c lip s e d , thanas g ra d u ally f e l l in to f u l l s u b je c tio n to
t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e z a m i n d a r s . R eza Khan i n h i s same l e t t e r o f
3 ‘
December 11, 1776, r e c o r d e d , uNow t h e F a u .i d a r s r e c e i v e no
s u p p o r t w h a t s o e v e r from t h e z a m l n d a r s o r t h e t a ! l u q d a r s *. **11

A
*
1*^G*P*C* V, 1*22,
2. H a s t i n g s 1 M i n u t e , B*S.C*, D ec. 7? 1775? B/A, 32;
T . R a y c h a u d h u r i , Be n g a l u n d e r Akbar and J a h a n g i r * 1 ^ - 1 5 ;
B . B . M i s r a , The J u d i c i a l Admi n i s t r a t i onTTT. 7 T o 7.
3. C-P.C* V, 1*22.
 199

The number o f t h a n a s v a r i e d fro m e s t a t e t o

e s t a t e , t h o u g h e v e r y t h a n a alw ay s c o v e r e d a number o f
v illa g es. Thus i n 1 7 8 ^ 3 i n t h e Burdwan z a m i n d a r i 3 o v e r
f o u r t h o u s a n d s q u a r e m i l e s i n t o t a l a r e a , and c o n s i s t i n g
o f some t h i r t y t h r e e u a r g a n a h s t h e r e were a h u n d re d t h a n a s
' ‘ 1
grom one t o t w e l v e p e r p a r g a n a h . In th e r a th e r sm aller
2
Birbhum e s t a t e i n 1778 t h e r e were 3 2 3 t h a n a d a r s , manning
an unknown, t h o u g h p r o b a b l y l e s s e r number o f p o l i c e p o s t s .
On t h e o t h e r h a n d , i n t h e w i l d , l i t t l e c u l t i v a t e d W e s te r n
J u n g l e s o f M i d n a p u r , f i v e hu n d re d s q u a r e m i l e s i n e x t e n t
and d i v i d e d i n t o s e v e n t e e n p a r a a n a h s , t h e r e were o n l y two
th a n a s .^ The r e a s o n f o r s u c h an i n s i g n i f i c a n t number o f
p o l i c e s t a t i o n s was t h e f a c t t h a t t h i s was s t i l l a t r i b a l
a r e a p a y i n g o c c a s i o n a l t r i b u t e r a t h e r t h a n r e v e n u e s , and
v i r t u a l l y o u t s i d e t h e Nawab*s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . * * The
e v i d e n c e fro m Burdwan and Birbhum s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e norm al
B e n g a l t h a n a . l i k e t h a t o f Gujarat, was from o n l y f o u r t o t e n

1 . W.Pye t o B . R . , A p r i l 5? 1 78 ^, B .R.C. J u l y 8 , 178^,

R 5 0 /5 2 , ( s e e Appendix H ) .
2. B.M. Add. MSS. 29 ?0 8 8, 8 .
3 . E .B a b e r t o H a s t i n g s , Feb. 6 , 1773? ~B»D»R.? Midnapur <
. IV, 1 0 6 .
k. E . B a b e r t o H a s t i n g s , Feb. 6 , 1773? B.DoHa? Midnapur ?
IV, 1 0 6 - 1 0 7 .
 200

1
m i le s a c r o s s .
Bach t h a n a w ith a number of p a i k s or armed con­
s t a b l e s and barqundazes was under th e charge of a t h a n a d a r ?
who sometimes was a l s o a s s i s t e d by a n a i b , a bakhshi and a
m u h a r r i r . t o g e t h e r w ith peons or o r d e r l i e s . 2 The th a n a d a r
was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e f t or robbery and ap prehensio n of
crim inals. B esides guarding th e p u b lic re v e n u e s , th e
th a n a d a r ensured th e s a f e t y or m erchants, t r a v e l l e r s and
W I U l l M I I I III ill I V §

3 k
pilgrim s. "They a re i n s h o r t " , R u s s e ll observed, " th e
s afeguard of th e pro v in ce & w ith o u t them t h e r i o t t h as no
i d e a of s a f e t y o f h i s person or s e c u r i t y o | h i s p r o p e r t y . "

1 . D a c c a and C h i t t a g o n g D i s t r i c t s , w i t h t h e i r m u l t i t u d e s o f
s m a l l z a m in d a r is , c a n n e v e r have o p e r a t e d i n t h e way Burdwan
o r Birbhum, N a d i a o r R ajsh a h i d id . T h i s i s a p o i n t w e l l
b r o u g h t o u t by S h e e , t h e C o l l e c t o r o f D a c c a i n 178 5.
P r a i s i n g t h e s u c c e s s i n g e n e r a l o f t h e Mughal s y s tem o f
a t ta c h in g r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r th e p o l i c e t o landed p ro p e rty ,
he p o i n t e d o u t i t s u n p r a c t i c a b i l i t y i n D acca: "The number
o f z e m i n d a r s i n t h e D i v i s i o n o f D acca s u b j e c t t o t h e j u r i s ­
d i c t i o n of t h e C a p i t a l adaw luts f a l l s , I b e l i e v e , l i t t l e
s h o r t o f f o u r h u n d re d and t h e c o u n t r y d u r i n g s e v e r a l months
o f e a c h y e a r i s so t o t a l l y o v e r f l o w n t h a t a l l co m m u n icatio n
b e t w e e n t h e v i l l a g e s e x c e p t by w a t e r i s c u t o f f . . . . . .
D u rin g t h e s e m onths t h e r e f o r e t h e z e m i n d a r s o r L a n d h o l d e r s
a r e c h a n g ed i n t o Sumunderdars o r P r o p r i e t o r s o f s e a o r
w a t e r and d u t i e s t h a t Government may e x p e c t o f them i n
t h e i r form er c h a r a c t e r i n th e l a t t e r th e y cannot p o s s ib ly
f u l f i l l , (G .Shee t o B . R . , S e p t . 17, 1785? B . R . C . , S e p t . 3 0 ,
1785? R 50 / 6 1 ) .
2 . L e t t e r fro m C o l l e c t o r o f H u g l i q u o t e d i n S . A . B . I l l , 320*
3. B.M, Add.MSS*1779? 2 3 I 5 T *Raychaudhuri, B e n g a l u n d e r Akbar
a nd J a h a n g i r . 1 2 , 1 h.
*+. C . R u s s e l l t o H . V e r e l s t , Aug. 1 , 1 7 6 7 ? B.P.C. S e p t , 2 8 ,
1 7 6 7 ? B lA l,
 20]

I t i s d i f f i c u l t t o g a t h e r s y s t e m a t i c and f u l l
i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e t o t a l number o f t h e t h a n a d a r i s t a f f . ■meini,am f f in p w y w * - * a e je *

But some i d e a c a n be g a t h e r e d from a few e x a m p le s . In 1767

1
t h e r e were 3 * 6 9 3 men i n t h e t h a n a s o f Burdwan, some 2,51*+
2
in H ijli a t much t h e same t i m e . I 11 1770, i n Birbhum t h e r e
were 2,*+92 l o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f t h e t o w n s , and a n o t h e r
20**, a c c o u n t a b l e f o r r o b b e r i e s .
I n t h e same y e a r , t h e
*+
t h a n a s o f D i n a j p u r were manned by 6.7*+3 d a k s and p a i k s .
■f m U w J* V / * m w m i . i w i'i y f r y a . «w , j r

£ ■

I n M idnapur 2 , 0 6 2 p a i k s were r e p o r t e d i n 1793* S im ilar

num bers were d o u b t l e s s m a i n t a i n e d i n most d i s t r i c t s .
Like o th e r zam indari s t a f f , t h e t hanad a r i f o r c e s
w ere p a i d i n t h e m ain by a l l o t m e n t s o f c h a k a r a n o r s e r v i c e
l a n d s , t h o u g h t h e y m ig h t a l s o r e c e i v e d i e t money, a s t h e y
6
seem t o have done i n Burdwan. T h e s e l a n d s were a l l o t t e d

1. B .P .C ., S ep t. 28, 1 7 6 7 , R I A 1 , I n 1 790, t h e Burdwan

756-,
C o l l e c t o r gave t h e t o t a l number of p o l i c e o f f i c e r s as 3,079*
composed of 3 8 th a n a d a r s . 9 d e p u t i e s , *+70 peons, 28** p a ik s
appointed at t h e sa d a r ch auk ies w ith t h e t h a n ad ar s , ***fo~
ch a u k id a r s who .have charge of a c e r t a i n number of v i l l a g e s ,
758 peons and 107** jia ik s s t a t i o n e d w ith t h e c h a u k i d a r s
( L . Mercer t o B . R . , DecTS, 1790, B . R . J . C . March 18, 1791,
R 127/72).
2 . B.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 8 , 129.
3 . A.Higginson t o C.C.R.M., O c t. 1 0 ,1 7 7 0 , M .P .R ., Oct. 2 3 , 1 7 7 0 , 1 ,
*+. H . C o t t r e l l t o R .B ec h er,D ec . 2 2 , 1 7 7 0 , P.C.C.R.MJDec. 3 1,1 7 70 ,1 13
y f < f f * a n n a w » j w a < w ^ M « niM»<j 'il4iy i i . -ai m .1" ■ u m » n / / * S t

5. G.Dowdeswell t o B . R . , March 2 , 1 7 9 3 , B . R . J . C . , A p r i l 1 2 , 1793>

R 1 2 7 /8 8 .
6 . C . R u s s e l l t o H . V e r e l s t , Aug. 1 , 1 7 6 7, B . P . C . , S e p t . 28,
1 7 6 7 , R l A l , ' 728.
 202

f r e e o f r e n t and t h e z a m i n d a r s r e c e i v e d a c o r r e s p o n d i n g
d e d u c t i o n from t h e r e v e n u e demand. The f i g u r e s a v a i l a b l e
from t h e v a r i o u s z a m i n d a r i s show v e r y g r e a t d i s p a r i t i e s i n
t h e a r e a and v a l u e o f l a n d s a l l o t t e d t o t h e t h a n a d a r i s t a f f ,
which work o u t , i f f i g u r e s a r e c o r r e c t a t t h i r t y - s i x h i g h a s
i n Birbhum, t w e n t y - s i x I n Midnapur and l i t t l e more t h a n h a l f
a b i g h a p e r man i n H i j l i . I t i s scarcely p o ssib le , th e re fo re ,
t o a r r i v e a t any m e a n i n g f u l a v e r a g e f o r B e n g a l , w h i l e even
w i t h i n t h e s i n g l e z a m i n d a r i o f Midnapur t h e p a i k a n l a n d g r a n t s
v a r i e d from s i x t o f o r t y h i g h a s p e r man. Some i d e a o f t h e
v e r y c o n s i d e r a b l e o u t l a y upoh p o l i c e e s t a b l i s h m e n t s c a n be
g a t h e r e d , h o w ev e r, from s u c h s c a t t e r e d f i g u r e s a s have s u r v i v e d
I n t h e Burdwan z a m i n d a r i t h e a r e a o f c h a k a r a n
l a n d s f o r t h e t h a n a and c h a u k i e s t a b l i s h m e n t s was g i v e n i n 178*+
1
a s 1*6,4-88 b i g h a s , i n 1 7 9 0 as 4-3,4-72 b i g h a s , t h o u g h t by t h e
Collector to »ortK .touT^Trupe. . MglM, 2 -
i n 1793 &s 42, 506 b i g h a s w i t h a jama o f R s . 6 l , l 8 8 # In
M idnapur i n t h a t same y e a r 1793 t h e j a g i r l a n d s f o r p o l i c e
d u t i e s were r e c o r d e d a s #**866 b i g h a s - w i t h a jam a a t t h e
* M UM Haw HU'1* .......................................................................................................................... ....... I ..

p a r g a n a h r a t e am ou ntin g t o R s . 5 7 ^ 9 5 * Burbhum i n 1 77 °

1 . V id e s u p r a , 190* f . n . l .
2 . L . M e r c e r t o B . R . , Dec. 6, 1790, B . R . J . C . March 1 8 , 1791?
R 1 2 7 /7 2 .
3. A. Brook t o R.R. , F eb. 2 2 , 1793* B .R .J .C . March 1 , 1793?
R 1 2 7 /8 7 .
4 . G.Dowdeswell t o B . R , , March 2 , 1793? B . R . J . C . , A p r i l 12,
1 793, R127/88 (See Appendix A ).
t h e f i g u r e was 2 8 ,1 5 8 b i g h a s - w i t h a r e n t a l o f R s . 2 3 0 0 8 ,^ and
2
i n 1778 t h e t h a n a d a r i l a n d was r e c o r d e d a s 1 1 , 8 ^ 0 . b i g h a s .
I n H i j l i t h e f i g u r e was 1 , 6 2 3 b i g h a s - w hich seems s t r a n g e l y /
low, D u c a r e l , t h e a b l e S u p e r v i s o r o f P u r n e a i n 1770 g a v e no
a r e a o f c h a k a r a n l a n d s , b u t he e s t i m a t e d t h a t t h e c h a r g e s f o r "
p o l i c e “ a t o ur coming t o t h e Dewannee was n e a r 2 l a c k and a
Lj,
h a l f o f R upees . . . . !l He added t h a t t h e amount had s i n c e
5
t h e n b e e n c u t t o R s . ^ 0 , 0 0 0 t h e b a r e s t minimum. The 1793
f i g u r e s , p ro d u c ed i n r e s p o n s e t o an e n q u i r y fro m t h e G o verno r
. 6
G e n e r a l and C o u n c i l , o f p o l i c e c h a r g e s o f R s . l 7 > 000 i n N a d i a ,
7
o f R s . l 6 , 000 i n R a j s h a h i , and o f Rs. 1 , ^ 3 2 , t h e .iama o f t h e ,
8
c h a k a r a n l a n d s i n Tamluk o u g h t . d o u b t l e s s t o be t a k e n a s t h e
b a r e minimum t o w h ic h t h e Company had o v e r t h e y e a r s re d h c e d
them. I f t h e P u r n e a f i g u r e s may be t a k e n a s a g u i d e , t h o s e
f o r N a d i a , R a j s h a h i , and Tamluk ought t o be m u l t i p l i e d s i x f o l d
i n order to r e - c r e a te th e p r e - B r itis h s itu a tio n .

1 . A . H i g g i n s o n t o C . C .R .M . , Oct. 10, 17 70 , M.F.R. Oct. 2 3 , 1 7 7 0 , 1 ,

( s e e Appendix J ) .
2 . B.M.Add. MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 8 , 8.
3 . B.M.Add.MSS. 29088, 129. ! •
it. G..G.Ducarel t o C.C.R.M. D e c . 3 , 1 7 7 0 , P .C .C .R .M . . D e c . 1 1 . 1 7 7 0 . 7
I I , 70. -/
5- I b i d . '/ '/
6 . B . R . J . C . , Feb. 5, 1793, R 1 2 7 /8 8 .
7. I . H . H a r i n g t o n t o B . R . , A p r i l 1 9 , 1793> B . R . J . C . A p r i l 2 6 , a
1 79 3, R 1 27 /8 9; A n o th e r R s . 2 0 ,9 2 6 was s p e n t f o r r e v e n u e p o l i c e
,8. M.Dent t o B.R. March ^ , 1 7 9 3 , B . R . J . C . A p r i l 5 , 1 7 9 3 , R 1 2 7 / 7 7 . ' " /
 20k

The t h a n a was t h e l a r g e s t p o l i c e u n i t , and ■under J;

1
t h e s e came t h e s m a l l e r p o s t s known as c h a u k l e s o r ph a n e s .
T h e s e p o s t s were i n t h e c h a r g e o f t h e c h a u k i d a r s who commanded
a number o f p a i k s and p e o n s . F o r example i n Burdwan u n d e r t h e
j u r i s d i c t i o n o f t h e 1QQ t h a n a s t h e r e were k 2 2 c h a u k i e s , manned : ^
2
by If*+6 c h a u k i d a r s , 107*+ p a i k s and 758 p e o n s .
v
To be w a t c h f u l
M m m i i m m i u t i m i h — . i i n > • > n i m <iw m — » m / 4 i L<w nnm n *

o v e r t h e movement o f t h e bad e l e m e n t s , t o g u a rd t h e h ighw ays and

r i v e r w a y s , t o r e c e i v e r e p o r t s o f c r i m e s fro m t h e s u b o r d i n a t e s
and t r a n s m i t t h e same t o t h e nearby, t h a n a were t h e s c h e d u l e
, ,, v

t h e c h a u k i e s.e I t was a l s o t h e d u t y of t h e c h a u k i d a r s
< i
■

t o i n t e r r o g a t e and r e g i s t e r s t r a n g e r s e n t e r i n g t h e i r to w n s or f
v illa g e s. The c h a u k i e s u sed l i k e w i s e t o n o t i f y t h e p u b l i c
of th e recovery of l o s t p roperty. Speaking v ery h ig h ly of * :
t h e p o l i c e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e B i s h n u p u r e s t a t e , Hoi w e l l R
k
recorded! vi
nI f a n y t h i n g i s l o s t i n t h i s d i s t r i c t , f o r i n s t a n c e
a bag o f money o r o t h e r v a l u a b l e ; t h e p e r s o n who f i n d s .
i t , h an g s i t upon t h e n e x t t r e e , and g i v e s n o t i c e t o
t h e n e a r e s t Chowkey o r p l a c e o f g u a r d , t h e o f f i c e r o f
w hich o r d e r s im m e d ia te p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e same by b e a t
o f tomtom, o r d r u m . 11 , J

1 , II*M.S.775? ^ 2 - ^ 3 ; L .M e r c e r t o B.R. Dec. 6 , 1790? B .R .J.C .

March 1 8 , 1791? R 127/72; D . J . M c I e i l e , R e p o r t on t h e V i l l a g e
W a t c h ............ 9 .
»m w w n a » 1. 1W u m r ^
,:
2. B.R.C. J u l y 8, 178*+, R5<¥52; L .M e r c e r t o B .R . Dec. 6 , 1 7 9 0 ,
B . R . J . C . , March 18, 1791? R 1 2 7 /7 2 . • k
•3. Luard and H o s t e n (tr.JD, Tr a v e l s I I , 1 0 9 - 1 I 0 ; S.A.Khan;
( e d . ) , John M arsh all i n I n d i a * 66-68. From t h e c o r r e s p o n d ’
dene© o f R a j a Ramnath o f D i n a j p u r , and R a j a A sa d -a l-Z a m a n
o f Birbhum c o n c e r n i n g t h e movement o f t h e F r e n c h and t h e
s t e p s t a k e n by t h o s e r a j a s , i t t r a n s p i r e s t h a t s t r a n g e r s V ;
and u n a u t h o r i z e d p e r s o n s c o u l d n o t e a s i l y e n t e r t h e t e r r i ­
t o r i e s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s ( R a j a Ramnath t o C l i v e , D e c . 1 1 , 1 7 5 7 , t
and March 1 1 ,1 7 5 8 ; R a j a A sa d -a l-Z a m a n t o C l i v e , D e c .1 2 ,
1757 and Oct. 2 8 , 1757, H.M.S. 1 9 3 ) . . - .
k . J • Z. I I o l w e l l , I n t e r e s t i n g H i s t o r i c a l E v e n t s 1 , 199* V; ;
 205

c h a u k i e s 'som etim es were u s e d as r e s t h o u s e s and t h e /

c h a u k i d a r s were h e l d r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e l i v e s and p r o p e r t y
o f those h a ltin g th e r e . Thus when N aib Monahar Das p a s s i n g
a n i g h t a t R o g h u n a th p u r c h a u k l i n r f a e h e t l o s t t h e money he
had. p u t i n t h e c u s t o d y o f t h e c h a u k l d a r ? t h e . z a m in d a r acknow­
l e d g i n g u l t i m a t e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y a t o n c e , s e n t h i s guma s h t a
1
to in v e s tig a te in to th e m atter.
I n t h e w i l d e r b o r d e r c o u n t r y and t h e h i l l s , t h e
p o l i c e , c h a u k i es had more o f t h e n a t u r e o f m i l i t a r y f r o n t i e r
p o s t s and t h e 1commandants o f t h e p i c q u e t s 1 p o s t e d t h e r e i n -
2
were known a s g h a tw .a ls , g u a r d i a n s o f t h e g h a t s o r p a s s e s . \
E l s e w h e r e i n B e n g a l t h e te rm ^ h a t w a l .had, h o w ev e r, .a r a t h e r
d i f f e r e n t c o n n o t a t i o n , t h a t o f custom house g u a r d s and
o f f i c e r s s t a t i o n e d a t custo m c h a u k i e s and l a n d i n g g h a t s on t h e
3
h i l l p a s s e s and on t h e b an k s o f t h e r i v e r s . T h e i r t a s k was
t o r e n d e r p e r s o n a l s e r v i c e o f w atch and ward o f t h e g h a t s
c h e c k t h e goods p a s s i n g and r e p a s s i n g and r e a l i z e t h e c u s t o m a r y
) j.

to lls.

1. p . C . C . R . M . , March .1 6 , 1-271, IV, 112.

2. J.B ro w n e t o B.R. Aug. 20, 1775, B . R . C . , F e h . 20, 1 7 ? 6 , Rl+9/60;
D . S c o t t t o B.R. A p r i l 16,181!+, B . R . C . , A p r i l 2 2, 181^, R 7 7 /3 3 ;
B . H . B a d e n - P o w e l l , A S h o r t Ac c o u n t o f t h e - L a nd R evenue ...........H .9;
D . J . M c N e i l e , Repo r t on t h e V i l l a g e W a t c h . . 1 0 8 - 1 1 0 . ;
3 . D. J . M c N e ile , R e p o r t on t h e V i l l a g e M a t c h 110$ B.D. G . , ;
Burdwan, 157. * ~ . >
4 . W . B i l l e r s t o B.R. Dec. k 9 17^2,, B .D .R . , C h i t t a g o n g I , 5°5
J . H a r r i s t o C . C . R . M . , Nov. 1*+., 1771-7 P711T7c70L V I I , l 6 5 ;
P .C .C .R .M . , Dec. 17, 1771 V I I I , 52.
The S p i e s and t h e R u n n e rs

The z a m i n d a r i p o l i c e ' a l s o i n c l u d e d a s e c r e t s e r v i c e
e l e m e n t s , w h ich s u p p le m e n te d t h e r o u t i n e work o f o r d i n a r y
policem en. K a s i d s and h a r k a r a h s were o f t e n employed i n /
1
d i s g u i s e f o r d e t e c t i n g crim es o f a co m p licated n ature* They
may be r e g a r d e d a s t h e f o r e r u n n e r s o f t h e g o ven da s o f t h e
B r i t i s h p erio d . A n o th e r body of men who were o f t e n used as
2
s p i e s and i n f o r m e r s were t h e s w e e p e rs o r h a l a l k h o r s .
-J» •*» HWUWH MWii iriifiiim.piimi.Tr|iirntnjTft— *-■
The
r o l e of t h e s e c r e t ag e n ts i n t h e , d e t e c t i o n of s e r i o u s crim es ;
r e c e i v e s c o l o u r f u l c o n f i r m a t i o n fro m c o n t e m pmo r a r y B e n g a l i
3 k
l i t e r a t u r e . B h a r a ta c h a n d r a 1 s and Ramprasad* s g r a p h i c
a c c o u n ts of th e m easures adopted t o apprehend th e s e c r e t
l o v e r o f t h e d a u g h t e r o f t h e R a j a o f Burdwan, m i r r o r t h e
e f f e c t i v e espionage p r a c t i s e d in th o s e days. The r a l a t o o k
t h e k o tw a l t o t a s k f o r n e g l e c t i n g h i s d u t i e s and asked him t o
d e t e c t and a p p r e h e n d t h e s t r a n g e r who had enamoured t h e
p r i n c e s o f him. A c c o r d i n g l y a l l t h e p o l i c e s t a f f were

1. H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r , ) He i r I I I , 173? 175? H .Y u le ( e d . ) , The

D i a r y o f W i l l ia m H e d g e s . I I , I x i x ; C . P . O . I I , 12 B-C, 16 A, .
1 3 0 A.

2. N .M a n u c c i, S t o r i a . . . . , ¥ . I r v i n e ( t r . ) , 1 1 , *+21*, B.A.Khan
( e d . ) , J o h n Mars h a l 1 i n I n d i a «, 126.
3 . B h a r a t a c h a n d r a Raya, B h a r a t a c h a nd r e r Or a n t hav a l l . 9b-97°
k. Ramprasad S e n a , V i d ya-jSbn d a r a , 78-115*
 20 7

a l e r t e d and numerous h a r k a r a h s were d e s p a t c h e d i n e v e r y d i r e c t i o n ,

Seven h un dred f e m a l e s p i e s u n d e r t h e g u i d a n c e o f t h e i r ring-*
l e a d e r beg an t o e x p l o r e e v e r y h o use i n d i s g u i s e . The z e a l
o f t h e i r a c t i v i t y c o m p e l l e d many i n n o c e n t p e o p l e t o l e a v e
t h e i r place in c o n ste rn a tio n . Even t h e t r a v e l l e r s , p i l g r i m s
were th ro w n i n t o p r i s o n on t h e b a r e s t s u s p i c i o n . S pies d i s ­
g u i s e d as b o atm en , t a x - c o l l e c t o r s , m e n d i c a n t s and a s c e t i c s
c o l l e c t e d i n f o r m a t i o n from d i f f e r e n t q u a r t e r s . Jaynarayan,
a l s o w r i t i n g i n t h e m i d - e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , d e p i c t e d an
a lm o s t i d e n t i c a l p i c t u r e o f s p i e s b e i n g p r o f u s e l y u sed t o
t r a c e a n e c k l a c e s t o l e n from t h e p a l a c e o f t h e rad a .
No d o u b t su ch p o e t i c a l works e n s h r i n e e x a g g e r a t i o n s . /
But t r u t h i s c l o u d e d i n t h e d r a m a t i c s t o r i e s w h ich t h e p o e t s
weave around t h e f a c t s and e x p e r i e n c e o f l i f e . M oreover,
when a l l t h e c o n t e m p o r a r y works h a r p upon t h e same them e one - *■
2 -
c a n n o t d i s c a r d them a l t o g e t h e r as mere f a n c y . I t seems w,
s t i l l l e s s s a f e t o do so when t h e h i s t o r i a n o f Murshid Q u li
Khan, A z a d - a l - H u s a i n i d e s c r i b e d j u s t such m e a s u r e s b e i n g
3
s u c c e s s f u l l y a d o p t e d by t h e Nawab* s f o r c e s .

1 . J a y n a r a y a n S e n a , H a r i - l i l a . 8 1 -9 5 .
2 . P . O . S e n , Gl i m p s e s o f B en g al L i f e . 37*
3. Azad- a l - H u s a i n i , N a u b a h a r - i - M u r s h i d Q uli K h a n i , J . N .
S a r k a r ( t r . ) 5 B e n g a l Nawabs, 9*
 The zamindars were a ls o o b lig ed t o ensure t h e s a f e
conduct of th e dak (post)* Any i n t e r c e p t i o n of t h e l e t t e r s
and h indran ce i n t h e i r d e s p a tc h had t o be accounted f o r by
t h e zemindar i n whose t e r r i t o r y such i n c i d e n t s should o c c u r . 1
The k a s i d s and h a r k a r a h s used as s p i e s were of course most
f r e q u e n t l y employed on more humdrum t a s k s as ru n n e rs and
messengers of th e zam indars. They u s u a l l y covered twenty™
2
f i v e t o t h i r t y m ile s i n a day, though ca p a b le o f more t h a n
2
t h a t i f t h e need a ro se - De La Touche reco rd ed them as
t a k i n g f o u r days t o c a r r y mail from Rangpur t o t h e Nawab1 s cap -
i t a l a t Murshidabad. 3 The e x p ress r u n n e rs were c a l l e d
k
tap u ies . There were a l s o s p e c i a l arrangem ents f o r th e
i m p e r i a l m ail s e r v i c e . According t o th e M ir a t- i-Ahmadi
when an i m p e r i a l p o s t a l runner s e t out he had w ith him a
p e rm it- d u ly s e a le d and signed by t h e d a r o g h a - i- d a it- c h a u k i.
T h is r e q u i r e d zamindars and th a n a d a rs t o se c u re h i s s a f e t y
5
and t o f u r n i s h him w ith g u id e s. The system can be seen
o p e r a t i n g i n Bengal i n McNeils account of t h e digwars or

1. T.H.D.La Touche ( e d . ) , The J o u r n a l of Major J . R e n n e l l , *+13.

' r / i mu 1 tmm nn
innnw1 ip**ib*imwfmwWwWiiwm*;^m* nj»ii

2. F e r i s h t a s t a t e d t h a t th e footman used t o c o v e r . f i f t y kos

w i t h i n tw e n t y - f o u r hours and some s p e c i a l messengers would
run more th a n t h a t (M .K .F erish ta, H i s t o r y of th e Mahomedan -
Power i n I n d i a . J . B r i g g s ( t r . ) , I I , 281).
3. T .HID.La Touche ( e d . ) ?The J o u r n a l of Ma.ior J . H e n n e l l . 131. f
k . , H .IT.W ilson, A G l o s s a r y o f J u d i c i a l and Revenue Terms . 510.
5. M.F.Lokhandwala ( t r . ) , M i r a t . Supplement, 150-151? Bee a l s o
Ha^i Mustafa ( t r . ) , jgeir I I I , 173*
 1
road g uards, and i n t h e re c o rd s quoted by H unter of t h e
s h a h ra h i c h a u k i d a r s ? t h e p r o t e c t o r s of t h e King* s highways,
a group of i r r e g u l a r p o l i c e who guarded t h e m a ils on t h e i r
2
p assage th ro u g h t h e z a m in d a ris . That th e dakooahs acted
3
as ru n n e rs i s s e l f - e v i d e n t from t h e i r very name* They
might w e ll have performed some revenue and p o l i c e d u t i e s
as was found i n Chachar and some p a r t s of Bengal pro p er.
There was a n o th er s e t of messengers, t h e r a h b a r s who o f t e n
6
acted as g uides t o th e t r a d e r s and t r a v e l l e r s .

The Revenue P o l i c e
E q u a lly im p o r ta n t, th e men or o r g a n i z a t i o n
r e q u i r e d f o r th e c o l l e c t i o n of zam indari revenues was always
a v a i l a b l e as a p o l i c e f o r c e i n t h e z am in d ars 1 hands. It
might have been n o te d , d u ring t h e d i s c u s s i o n of t h e p o l i c e
and t h e i r ch akaran l a n d s , t h a t a p a r t from th e fa u .id a ri
p o l i c e t h e r e were a l s o mal or revenue p o l i c e - i n R ajsh a h i
some Rs. 16,000 was spent on th e former but Rs.«LQ;,9£© on th e

1. D. J.M cN eile, Report on t h e Vil la g e Watch. . . .135?

I l l , 7*+.
2. S.A.B* XIV, 207$ The r e c o r d s suggest t h a t th e sh a h ra h i
c h a u k id a r s might a l s o have served as guards t o o r d in a ry
trav e llers.
3 . D .J.M cN eile, Report on t h e V i l l a ge Watc h 9? 135*
Ib id . , 135.
5* W. B . D . R . . Burdwan, 1+0.
6. II.H.Wilson, A G lo ssa ry of J u d i c i a l and Revenue Terms. 1+32
C .R u s s e l l t o H . V e r e l s t , Aug. 1, 1767? B . P .C ., Sept. 28,
176 7 , R lA l.
 210.

1
la tte r. The p o l i c e and o th e r s w ith analogous f u n c t i o n s , who
w e r e . d i r e c t l y a s s o c i a t e d w ith revenue c o l l e c t i o n r a t h e r th a n
w ith p u b li c o r d e r were almost c e r t a i n l y th e most im p o rtan t
element i n t h e zam indari e s t a b l i s h m e n t s . A f te r a l l the'
zamindars owed t h e i r o f f i c i a l p o s i t i o n t o t h e f a c t t h a t th e y
were b e t t e r a b le t o compel revenue payments by t h e r a j y a t s
than, t h e c e n t r a l government. The very power which might v;
make t h e zamindar a danger t o th e s t a t e was a l s o the g u a ra n te e
t h a t he would be an e f f i c i e n t revenue c o l l e c t o r .
A s i m i l a r l y d iv id ed or eq u iv o cal p o s i t i o n was
enjoyed by th e v i l l a g e headman, mown i n Bengal as mandal
or mukhya. An in dig en o u s i n s t i t u t i o n , t h e v i l l a g e headman-
s h ip had commanded much r e s p e c t and a u t h o r i t y i n t h e v i l l a g e
community of pre-Mughal days.* Under th e Mughals, t h e mandal
became t o a l l i n t e n t s and purposes a zam indari o f f i c i a l ,
appointed and d is m is se d by th e zamindar, enjoy in g a reduced
2
power and i n f l u e n c e . However, th e mandal remained respo n-
3
s i b l e f o r t h e peace and o rd er of t h e v i l l a g e . The watchman
used t o b rin g crim es t o h i s n o t i c e . When t h e m a tte r was

1. Vide su p ra , 2 Q $ ,f.n .
2. I .H a b i b , The Ag r a r i a n S y ste m .. . . . 13**? B .B .M isra, The I n d ia n
Mi d d l e C l a s s e s, 308 5 “The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y of Bengal -
- The Burdwan R a j 11, 1872, L1V, 177 ;
3. J .Q r o s e t o C.C.R.M. Oct 3 1 , 1770, P.C.C.R.M. T Nov. 15, 1770,
I , I 9 i-1*-1 9 5 ; P. Bar an, The P r o v i n c i a l government . . . . 2h-3$ •'
I .H a b ib , The Agrar i a n Bystem . . . . . 1 3 2 .
/ IIW .flM ll.llH IWI. MB i ll Il|ll t .WPH —gtt
grave th e mandal d i r e c t e d t h e watchman t o r e p o r t i t t o t h e
n a i b of t h e zamindar.
The mandal was not s o l e l y a zam indari o f f i c i a l ,
he a l s o used t o r e p r e s e n t h i s v i l l a g e i n m a t t e r s of both
g e n e r a l and i n d i v i d u a l i n t e r e s t s . He was sometimes g ran te d
la n d s a t a f a v o u r a b le q u i t r e n t by th e zamindar. However,
h i s p o p u la r o r i g i n was r e f l e c t e d i n t h e u s u a l l y more s i g n i ­
f i c a n t c o n t r i b u t i o n s which he used t o r e c e i v e from th e
v i l l a g e community a t th e v a r i o u s r e l i g i o u s and domestic
2
f u n c t i o n s o f th e y e a r .
M o t h e r o f f i c i a l of r a t h e r s i m i l a r o r i g i n was
th e v i l l a g e watchman. From time immemorial and a l l over
I n d i a t h e v i l l a g e watchman had been found perform ing th e duty .
o f watch and ward w i t h i n t h e v i l l a g e b o u n d a r ie s . He was an
employee o f t h e v i l l a g e community, paid by i t and r e s p o n s i b l e
to i t . 3 The v i l l a g e watchman had to a s s i s t i n apprehending
t h i e v e s and i n f i n d i n g l o s t or s t o l e n .property.. He had t o
keep s u s p e c ts under s u r v e i l l a n c e and keep a b r e a s t of th e
movement and a c t i v i t i e s of t h e people of t h e v i l l a g e . He a l s o

1 . S . G . G l a z i e r , A He n o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f Rangpur 1 , 3^-35*
2. S .A .B . IV, 2 b l - 2 h 2 i B.D.-G., Birbhum, 3 9 - 4 0 .
3 . D. J . M c N e ile , R e p o r t on t h e Vi l l a g e , Watch . . . . . 5, J •M atthai,
I h e V i l l a g e Governme n t i n B r i t i sh I n d i a . 1 3 2 9 1435
J . C . C u r r ^ y , The I n d i a n Po l i c e ; , 19#
/ %/ j ni l 11II imp I Ill IB IP HI Bllll I I.II Illll .Ill I11I III I WniT nilUP Tim ■' Up J *
 212

a cted as a r e f e r e e i n boundary d i s p u t e s of t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e
1
v illag es. I n d i s c h a r g i n g a l l th e s e d u t i e s he was guided b y ,
t h e v i l l a g e headman.
Under th e Mughals, and even more under th e Nawabs,
t h e v i l l a g e watchmen assumed t h e c h a r a c t e r of s e r v a n t s of t h e
2
zamindars r a t h e r th a n of t h e v i l l a g e community. In .th e
p ro c e s s t h e i r o r i g i n a l d u ty of watch and ward over th e a r e a
under t h e i r charge tended g r a d u a l l y t o be degraded t o a
secondary f u n c t i o n . T h e i r p o l i c e c h a r a c t e r gave way t o t h a t
of f i s c a l f u n c t i o n a r y , more and more absorbed i n c o n t r o l l i n g .
th e r e f r a c t o r y r a i y a t s and i n s u p e r v i s i n g a g r i c u l t u r a l
o p eratio n s. 3

The v i l l a g e watchmen had d i f f e r e n t d e s i g n a t i o n s

b
i n t h e v a r i o u s .p a r t s of th e p r o v in c e . I n B ih a r and some
5
a r e a s o f Bengal p ro p e r th e y were c a l l e d u a u s b a n s . and i n
.6
Burdwan and Hugli t h e Amini Commission reco rd ed them a s - paifcs.
Elsewhere th e y a r e found under t h e t i t l e of a s h t a p a h a r i s or
a t h g a r i y a s , th e very name showing t h a t ' t h e i r duty was t o

1. P .S a r a n , The P r o v i n c i a l Government 2bb*

2 . J . M a t t h a i , The V i l l a g e Government I l f 35 B.B.M isra,

^be C e n t r a l A d m in i s t r a ti o n of t h e E a s t I n d i a Company ,
30^ - 3 0 5 .
3 o P. Bar a n , The P r o v i n c i a l Governme n t . . . . 2*+*+; B. B. Mi sr a ,
The J u d i c i a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n . . . .5 5 7 .
k* D .J.M cN eile, Report on th e V i l l a g e Watch 8.
5. P i n a j p u r F a c t o r y t o t h e C o l l e c t o r , D e c . 2 8 ,1 7 8 7 ? 8 . D . R . ,
D i n a j p u r I , 85? F . D . A s c o l i , Ea r l y Revenue H i s t o r y of
B e n g a l & t h e F i f t h R e p o r t . 1 8 5 -1 8 0 ♦
6 . B .M .A d d . MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 8 , 1 2 9 .
r e m a in on guard d u r i n g t h e e i g h t w a tc h ' - w h ich c o n s t i t u t e
1
tw enty-four hours. They were o f t e n engaged f o r g u a r d i n g
2
t h e c u t c h e r r i es o f t h e z a m i n d a r s , o r employed a s a t t e n d a n t s
3 *
t o t h e g u m a s h ta s and o t h e r c o l l e c t i n g s t a f f . The denom in­
a t i o n k o t w a l o r k o t w a l m e h a f iz were used i n Birbhum and
M ursh id ah ad D i s t r i c t s , o f t e n o f watchmen who. a c t e d a s
m e s s e n g e r s and summoners f o r t h e g u m a sh ta s and as e s c o r t s o f
h
t h e r e v e n u e s from t h e v i l l a g e s t o t h e z a m i n d a r 1s c u t c h e r r y .
The a p p e l l a t i o n c h a u k i d a r f o r t h e v i l l a g e watchman p r o b a b l y
p a s s e d i n t o t h e common v o c a b u l a r y a f t e r t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e
B r i t i s h r u l e i n B engal.

A n o th e r g ro up o f v i l l a g e o f f i c i a l s o f c o n s i d e r a b l e
5
i m p o r t a n c e were t h e g ra m -s a ra n .ia m i - p a i k s and p e o n s . T h e i r
m ain f u n c t i o n s were t o a s s i s t t h e z a m i n d a r s i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n
o f t h e i r r e v e n u e s and t o g uard t h e c r o p s on t h e f i e l d s . They

1 . D *J . M c N e ile , R e p o r t on t h e V i l l a g e M a t c h 8.

2 . T . H . E a r n e s t t o B.R. S e p t . 29* 1795s M . B . D . R , . B i r b h um. 113;

D . J . M c N e i l e , R e p o r t on t h e V i l l a g e Watch . . . . . 8 .
3 . S . A . B. IV, 3 6 8 .
k. L e t t e r o f t h e J o i n t M a g i s t r a t e o f M u r s h i d a b a d , Dec. 1865
q u o t e d i n D . J . M c N e i l e , R e p o rt on t h e V i l l a g e W a t c h 8;
R ai B i j a y . B i h a r i M u k h e rji B a h a d u r, F i n a l R e p o r t on t h e
S u r v e y and S e t t l e m e n t O p e r a t i o n s i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f
M u r s h i d a b a d . 155*
5. I n P e r s i a n saran.iami d e n o t e s means o f s u p p o r t . G-ram-
s a r a n j a m i was a k i n d o f g r a n t made t o any c i v i l s e r v a n t
t o e n a b l e him t o m a i n t a i n h i s d i g n i t y .
 2 lk

were a l s o r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e a p p r e h e n s i o n o f t h i e v e s and
r o b b e r s and t h e p r e s e r v a t i o n o f p e a c e and o r d e r i n t h e p u b l i c
1
p l a c e s l i k e bazars ? h a t s and f a i r - g r o u n d s . The u t i l i t y
<

o f t h e s e p eo ns and p a i k s h a s b ee n r e c o r d e d by R u s s e l l i n 1 7 6 7 s'
“T h i s c l a s s r e m a i n s e n t i r e as i t d i d . I could not ■
v e n t u r e on r e d u c i n g any p a r t w i t h o u t t h e whole c o u n t r y
b e i n g up i n arm s, & t h e f a r m e r s b e i n g f u r n i s h e d w i t h
p l e a s f o r d e f i c i e n c i e s i n t h e i r r e n t s o r b a c k w a rd n e s s i n
p a y i n g them . The l a r g e number o f s e r v a n t s i n t h i s c l a s s
evince i n a g r e a t degree t h e n e c e s s i t y of th e i n s t i t u ­
t i o n & i t i s t h e r e f o r e a lm o s t u n n e c e s s a r y t o e x p a t i a t e
on t h e n a t u r e o f t h e i r s e r v i c e s however t o g i v e you a
c l e a r i d e a o f i t I w i l l e n d e av o u r a t an e x p l a n a t i o n .
The s e r v a n t s t h e n a r e n o t h i n g e l s e b u t Q utw als & p y k es
d i s p e r s e d i n e v e r y v i l l a g e i n t h e P r o v i n c e o f w hich
t h e r e a r e above 8 , 5 0 0 - b e s i d e s d e t a c h e d p a r t s t h a t a r e
re c k o n e d i n f e r i o r o n e s . T h es e p e o p l e a r e n i g h t w a tc h e s
& a r e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a l l t h e f t s i n t h e v i l l a g e where
t h e y a r e s t a t i o n e d . They l o o k a f t e r t h e c r o p upon t h e
ground as w e l l as a f t e r i t i s c u t & l a i d up, u n t i l
d i v i d e d b e tw e e n t h e f a r m e r & r i o t t s t h e y i t i s t h a t
summon t h e r i o t t s t o pay t h e i r r e n t s t o t h e f a r m e r s
g o m a s t a h s , t h e y e n f o r c e t h e payment by t h e i r a u t h o r i t y
& t h e y e s c o r t t h e t r e a s u r e t o t h e Plead C u t c h e r r y . ' 1
The p eon s and p a i k s were p a i d i n two ways - by
t h e g r a n t o f s e r v i c e l a n d o r an a l l o w a n c e by t h e z a m i n d a r ,
3
and by a g r a t u i t y u n d e r t h e d e n o m i n a t i o n o f dwar m u s h a h a r a .
The a l l o w a n c e .was p a i d by t h e p e o p l e f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n
h
a f f o r d e d t o them by t h e gram -saran .i a m i - p a i k s . T h e r e were on

1 . IT.A,Brooke t o B . R .F e b . 22, 1793? March 1, 1793?

R 1 2 7 /8 7 ;
* r 1S.AoB. IV, 8*+.
/ WWW ■ w tf'l K W i n W W H f

2. C . R u s s e l l t o H . V e r e l s t , Aug. 1 , 1 7 6 7 , B .P .C . S e p t . 2 8 , 1 7 6 7 ,
R lA l.
3 . Door t a x , monthly or p e r i o d i c a l l y p a id .
It. W.A.Brooke t o B.R. Feb. 22, 1793, B . R . J . C . , March 1 , 1 7 9 3 ,
R 1 2 7 /8 7 .
 215

a v e r a g e l e s s t h a n - t h r e e p a i k s i n each v i l l a g e i n •Burdwan/;' " -

. e n j o y i n g 18-^ b i g h a s o f r e n t - f r e e l a n d s * The t o t a l amount
of la n d s a p p r o p r ia te d t o t h e s e pa i k s was e s t i m a t e d a t
1,5*+? 521 b i g h a s i n 1 767* i n 1770, i n Birbhum l+ 70 0 /u n d er
t h e d e n o m i n a t i o n o f gram k o t w a l i h e l d ^ 3 6 1 9 b i g h a s of
l a n d s w o r t h r e n t a l o f R s . 25338. I n 1775 t h e Rokunpur
' • 3
z a m i n d a r i had I n i t s e n r o lm e n t 1 7 7 1 g ra m -saran .iam i ~ p a i k s . ^

sim anadars - a c la ss of p o lic e p a ik s , . I

e n t r u s t e d w i t h t h e w atc h and: ward o f th e bou n d aries of th e
v illa g e s also deserve a tte n tio n . I s a ‘v i l l a g e s t a f f h i s ' ■
d u t y o r i g i n a l l y m ig h t h av e b e e n t o e s c o r t t h e t r a v e l l e r s -
from o n e - b o r d e r t o t h e o t h e r . , Under t h e z a m i n d a r i c o n t r o l , ,
t h e s i m a n a d a r s also - k e p t up t h e b o u n d a r i e s ( s im a lia s) o f >the.
5
v i l l a g e s and r e p o r t e d t h e c a s e s o f b o u n d a r y ■d i s p u t e s . The
Amini Commission r e c o r d e d some, 123 b i g h a s ’o f l a n d s were
e n j o y e d by t h e s i m a n a d a r s i n t h e R a j s h a h l z a m i n d a r i . ^

1. C . R u s s e l l t o B.R. Aug. 1, 1 7679 B.P.C,,. S e p t . 28, 1767? -

R lA l. ’1
2 . A . H i g g i n s o n t o C . C . R . M . , Oct. 10, 1770, M.F.fU-', Oct. 23, v-
1770,' I .
3 . B.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 ,0 8 7 ? 27*+.
i S i m h a v a n s a v a i l ' q u o t e d i n N.N.V asu, Vanger J a t i y a I t i h a s a
U t t a r a r a d h i y a K a y a s t h a Kanda, I . l 6 i D . J . M cN eile, R e p o r t
o n ~ T h ^ V i 11 a g e ~ a t e h 77778- 97 S .A .B . XIV. 207-
5- -S . A . B. I l l &-..IV, 7)i?.8 V, 3 6 8 ; P . S a r a n , The P rovincial ,
Go v e r n m e n t . . . . . 2 M*. . „
6 . B.M.Add. MBS. 2 9 ,08 7 ? 232. •-
The P e r s o n a l Gu a rd s < 1 ,1
I n a d d i t i o n t o a l l th e s e t h a n a d a r i p o l i c e and ■' _'v

fev enue-ctun-police s t a f f , a major zamindar had an. entourage of

barqundaz. p a ik . peon and guard t o watch- over h i s perso n and
p riv a te p roperty. Guards were, p l a c e d a t t h e p a l a c e s o f
1 . - ' - ■

the r a ja s . B esides, a l l t h e s t r a t e g i c p o i n t s , p a s s e s , and

v

t h e g a t e s o f t h e c a p i t a l towns o f t h e z a m i n d a r s which i n
•- ' • ' - :-
some c a s e s r e s e m b le d f o r t s , required co n stan t v ig ila n c e .'
P a i k s and b a r q u n d a z e s were t o a t t e n d t h e z a m in d a r and t h e
’la n . . iw ir w in t w a w T c w * « |n m >i«,'iiy iiir . i j j'ii .x A U i w t W i i a & s j a "
. n •• >r.

2
members -of h i s f a m i l y i n t h e i r s o c i a l v i s i t s , and p i l g r i m a g e s .
The R a j a o f N a d i a had a r e t i n u e o f p a i k s who, as c a n be ,
s p e c u l a t e d from t h e ' a c c o u n t o f t h e c h a k a r a n l a n d s t h e y
a;
** .
e n j o y e d , , were c o n s i d e r a b l e i n n u m b e r.^
W V J
The K h a,s~ b ard a rs, j 'lH n u i w w m i u ^ im i h » n a M .t m wLinnJiU 4

■i^ f a d a s ■and t h e armed g u a r d s c o s t t h e R a j a o f Birbhum an

,4

amount o f R s„4,80G. V ’ W;

I f - t h e p o l i c e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e Burdwan z a m i n d a r i
i s tak en as a r e p r e s e n ta tiv e of a l l th e big e s t a t e s , th e 1“;.
bakhsh i stood a t th e to p of t h e p o l i c e d e p a rtm e n t. ; The
P r o v i n c i a l C o u n c i l o f Revenue at, Burdwan i n 1775 r e c o r d e d t h e
■ i . i ...u n f ......

1. B. M* Add. MSS. 29^088, 16$ B .R .C . J u l y 8 , ‘ 178lf, R50/52$ - "

D .C .S e n , E a s t e r n B e n g a l B a l l a d s I I I , p a r t I , 239°
2. P arw an a i s s u e d by Nawab S h u j a u d d i n Khan (1730) s qu o ted i n . 4. d
«B=cag ■ * . r«.W ith a *J V ’ * w f »* ^

■R.D.Mukhopadhyaya, Burdwan R a j v a m s a c h a r i t a , 32~33*

3* B.M.Add. MBS. 2 9 j 0 8 7 5 9 3 - 9 l+*

k* J ,S u m n e r t o B.R. Jan." 9? 1772? B .R .C . J u n e 4 , 1773?
I& 9A 0*
 217

o l d a d m i n i s t r a t i v e p a t t e r n th u s*
" F o r m e r l y t h e z e m in d ar was h i m s e l f a n s w e r a b l e
f o r e v e r y r o b b e r y o r t h e f t com m itted w i t h i n t h e
verg e of h i s zem indarry. I m m e d i a t e l y u n d e r him
was a Buxey who from h i s engagem ents was o b l i g e d
t o p r o d u c e e i t h e r t h e goods or .the t h i e v e s w i t h i n
a. c e r t a i n t i m e , o r make good t h e l o s s t o t h e
s u f f e r e r upon i t s b e i n g p r o p e r l y p ro v e d & v a l u e d .
Under t h i s Buxey t h e r e were i n e v e r y D i s t r i c t
P h o u z d a r s , T a n n a d a r s , &c, c h a k e r a n s e r v a n t s who
were i n t h e l i k e manner am enable t o him & by t h i s
a l l t r a v e l l e r s were f u r n i s h e d w i t h s a f e c o n v a y s
t h r o u g h s u s p e c t e d p l a c e s , m e r c h a n t s w e re p r o t e c t e d
i n c a r r y i n g on t h e i r i n l a n d t r a d e , and t h e p e a c e
o f t h e c o u n t r y and t h e p r o p e r t y o f t h e i n h a b i t a n t s
were t h o r o u g h l y s e c u r e d . 11 1
The R a j a o f Burdwan u sed t o e n j o y an a n n u a l p e r q u i s i t e o f
2
R s . 5 ?000 u n d e r t h e head o f b a k h s h i - d a f t a r . In th e
Birbhum z a m i n d a r i a s i m i l a r o r g a n i z a t i o n was p l a c e d u n d e r
t h e s u p e r v i s i o n o f t a n e k o l a r s who managed t h e e n t i r e p o l i c e
3
s e t-u p of th e e s t a t e . N o rm a lly a l l c r i m e s co m m itted i n
t h e z a m i n d a r i s were f i r s t r e p o r t e d t o t h e a g e n t s o f t h e
Li.
r e s p e c t i v e zam indars. When t h e z a m in d a r p a i d no heed t o
th e com plaints, o r f a i l e d t o t a k e any a c t i o n , t h e a g g r i e v e d
p a r t y would go t o t h e t h a n a d a r o r f a u . i d a r , and even t o t h e
Nawab t o l o d g e c o m p l a i n t s .

1 . Burdwan C o u n c i l t o B . R . J u n e I 1*, 177?» J u l y 7?

1 77 5, R!+9/5!+.
2. T. B rooke t o B.R. Oct. 1 2 , 1788, B .R .C . Dec. 2 2 , 1788,
R 5 1 /2 9 .
3 . T .H .E a rn e st t o B .R .S ept. 2 9 , 1795, W .B .D .R .. B ird h u m . 1 1 3 .

!+. Orme M SS.0.V .12, 168.

 Under a s t r o n g government t h e z a m i n d a r i p o l i c e
a g e n c i e s and t h e f a u . i d a r s 1 t r o o p s worked t o g e t h e r t o
m a i n t a i n law and o r d e r . S t r i n g e n t m e a s u r e s were t a k e n by
t h e g o vernm ent t o e n f o r c e t h e r e g u l a t i o n s o f c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e .
I n t h e e v e n t o f r o b b e r y t h e y were r e q u i r e d t o r e t r i e v e . To
1
quote Salim A llahs
!,I n e v e r y p l a c e where a r o b b e r y was c o m m i t t e d ,
J a f f e r Khan o b l i g e d t h e f o u j d a r and z e m in d a r t o
f i n d o u t t h e t h i e f , and t o r e c o v e r t h e s t o l e n
g o od s. The g o o d s , o r t h e i r e q u i v a l e n t , were
g i v e n t o t h e p e r s o n who had b e e n r o b b e d ; and
t h e t h i e f was i m p a le d a l i v e . ' 1
T here i s a c o n s id e r a b le range of evidence c o r r o b o r a tin g th e
2
p i c t u r e drawn by S a l i m A l l a h , and t h e Burdwan C o u n c i l .
When Thomas Cooke, a member o f t h e Dacca F a c t o r y , was
p l u n d e r e d o f e f f e c t s and i n j u r e d by t h e b a n d i t s a few m i l e s
away from D a c c a , t h e za m in d ar w i t h i n 1?hose t e r r i t o r y t h e
c r im e was c o m m i tt e d , was c o m p e lle d by t h e Nawab t o make
3
good t h e l o s s . On a n o t h e r o c c a s i o n a z a m i n d a r i s found
c o m p e n s a ti n g t h e l o s s o f R s .1 0 0 0 i n c u r r e d by N iaz Beg, a
k
command a n t o f S e p o y s . Muhammad, A1 i , t h e z a m in d a r o f
M u r u l l a h p u r was even d i s m i s s e d on t h e g rou nd o f t h e m urder
o f an E u r o p e a n i n h i s z a m i n d a r i . I f t h e zam indars n e g le c te d

1 . T .B . P .G l a d w i n ( t r . ) , 107-108.

2 . Burdwan C o u n c i l t o B . R . , J u n e 1>+, 1775? B . R . C . , J u l y 7?

1 77 5, B - W 9 * .
3. B . P . C . Aug. 28 & Oct. 2 , 1727, R I / 6 .
!+. C . P . C . I I , 1065.
5. H . V e r e l s t & R . B e c h e r t o S . C . , J u n e 3 0 , 1 7 6 9 . L .C . B . I , x v i .
 219

1
t h e c o m p l a i n t s o f t h e v i c t i m s t h e Nawabs u se d t o t a k e a c t i o n .
But t h e d e c l i n e o f t h e Naw ab's a u t h o r i t y a f t e r t h e P l a s s e y
im paired th e e f f i c i e n c y of th e p o lic e a d m i n i s tr a t i o n in
s u b s e q u e n t yea„rs. The b a l a n c e of power b e tw e e n t h e f a u j d a r
and t h e z a m in d a r w h ic h m ig h t h a v e b e e n m a i n t a i n e d so l o n g ,
came t o n a u g h t w i t h t h e g r a d u a l d e c a y o f t h e f a u j d a r i
2
in stitu tio n . Having n o t t h e l e a s t a p p r e h e n s i o n o f i n t e r ­
f e r e n c e from t h e c e n t r e , t h e z a m i n d a r s b e g a n t o n e g l e c t t h e i r
police d u tie s. D u rin g t h e second h a l f o f t h e e i g h t e e n t h
c e n t u r y t h e w hole o f B en g al was i n f e s t e d w i t h
■3 L
p ro fe ssio n a l robbers, riv e r th u g s, s a n n y a s i e s and f a q u i r s .
The z a m i n d a r i p o l i c e f a i l e d t o p r o v i d e s a f e t y t o t h e t r a d e r s ,
t r a v e l l e r s and r u n n e r s ^ t h e y d i d n o t come t o t h e r e l i e f of
r aiy ats e ith e r. Some z a m i n d a r s m ig h t even hav e made f u l l
u s e o f t h e i r p a i k s and b a r q u n d a z e s a s an i n s t r u m e n t o f
mvMf- w -9 mm y «n. wwuiMM w H'm m

o p p r e s s i o n w i t h o u t i n t e r f e r e n c e by t h e Nawab1s f o r c e s . As
5
t h e Se i r r e c o r d e d ;
n t h e v e r y s p i e s and e m i s s a r i e s o f a Z em ind ar,
having w riggled th e m selv es i n t o th e s e r v i c e of
Governm ent, commit upon t h e i n h a b i t a n t s a v a r i e t y

1. L uck yp ur F a c t o r y t o F o r t W i l l i a m C o u n c i l , J u l y 1, 1 7 6 2 ,
B.D.R. C h i t t a g o n g I , l+l 5 J . L o n g , S e l e c t i o n s ............ 7 6 7 ? 770?
C . P . C . I , 2 0 1 1 , 2 ^ 6 ^ , 2^78.
2 . H a j i M u s t a f a ( t r , ) , S e i r I I I . 1 9 3 s B . B . M i s r a , The
J u d i c i a l Admini s t r a t i o n . . . . . 6 8 .
3* Major S leem an, Re p o r t on t h e D e p r e d a t i o n s co m m itted by t h e
Thug Gangs o f Upper and C e n t r a l I n d i a , x v i i ,
k* J * L o n g , ^ S e l e c t i o n s . . . . . 2 7 6 , 3 7 6 , 6 3 2 , 6 5 5 ) 6 6 3 5
J .H a r r is to
C .C .R .M ., A u g .5? 1771, P.C.C.R.M . Aug. 1 2 , 1771, V I, 79*
5. I l a j i M u s t a f a ( t r . ) , S e i r I I I , 175.
 o f o p p r e s s i o n s and e x a c t i o n s , and a lw a y s w i t h
t h e u tm o s t s a f e t y , n o r i s t h e r e fou n d a s i n g l e
man t o a s k them what t h e y a r e d o in g ’5 so f a r
fro m t h e r e b e i n g any one t o i n f l i c t a, c o n d i g n
c h a s t i s e m e n t upon them*"
The d i s i n t e g r a t i o n o f t h e p o l i c e s y s te m was c h a r a c t e r i z e d by
t h e c o n c e a l m e n t o f c r i m e s and c o l l u s i o n w i t h t h e r o b b e r s by
t h e p e t t y z a m i n d a r s i f n o t by t h e b i g o n e s . G ro s e , t h e
S u p e r v i s o r o f Rangpur c a t e g o r i c a l l y p ro n o u n c e d t h a t t h e
d a c o i t s ''f o l l o w e d t h e p e r n i c i o u s t r a d e o f d a c o i t i n g f o r
many y e a r s , t o w hich t h e y have b e e n e n c o u r a g e d by t h e R a j a h s ,
1 ■ ,

2 em indar s and o t h e r s ........... "

I n s u c h a s e t t i n g t h e Blast I n d i a Company a s c e n d e d
t o t h e Diwani po w er, w h ich p l a c e d t h e f i s c a l and c i v i l
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of t h e su b a h i n t o t h e h a n d s o f t h e Company.
The Nawab as Nazim re m a in e d r e s p o n s i b l e a s u s u a l f o r c r i m i n a l
ju stic e . And t h e z a m i n d a r s c o n t i n u e d t o d i s c h a r g e t h e p o l i c e
2
d u tie s w ithin t h e i r ju r is d ic tio n s . The i n s t a b i l i t y domin­
a t i n g t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e su b a h i n t h e wake o f t h e
P l a s s e y by no means ended w i t h t h e Company's a s s u m p t i o n o f
Diwani pow er. The c l a s h of i n t e r e s t s among C l i v e , S y k e s ,
t h e R e s i d e n t a t t h e D u r b a r , R eza Khan, t h e N aib Diwan, and
t h e Nawabs p r e c l u d e d any c o n c e r t e d a c t i o n t o i n f u s e V i g o u r ,

1 . J . G r o s e t o C . C . R . M . - J u l y 8 , 1771? P . C . C eR>M. . J a n . 18,

1771, I I I , 6 3 . .
2 . R e z a K h a n ' s N o t e , P.C .C .R .M . Dec. 3 0 , 17 71 , V I I I , 1 0 2 -1 0 3 .
/ w m u 111ir. i irni i n mmm uiii f nr imn~n~l r w r '***

3 . A.M.Khan, The T r a n s i t i o n i n B e n g a l . 1 0 3 - 1 1 6 ; R .Guha,

A R u le o f P r o p e r t y for" B e n g a l , 32°
 221

so badly needed i n t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e machinery.,

The appointm ents o f t h e ami I s f o r c o l l e c t i o n , of
revenues c o n t r a r y t o t h e i n t e r e s t of t h e zam indars, th e
tem porary farming o f t h e zam indari lands, t o o u t s i d e r s a f f e c t e d
t h e p o l i c e system of th e zamindars* The h e r e d i t a r y la n d ­
h o l d e r s with, f u l l a u t h o r i t y over t h e i r e s t a t e s had found i t
advantageous t o t h e i r i n t e r e s t s i n s a f e g u a r d in g t h e i r p eo ple.
But t h a t s p i r i t began t o wane w ith t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n of new
. 1
revenue measures o f t h e Company government. . The c o n d i t i o n
worsened by t h e p o l i c y of exemption of p o l i c e d u t i e s of t h e
new f a r m e r s , so long d is c h a rg e d by t h e zam indars. These
farm ers were n o t r e q u ire d t o keep p o l i c e f o r c e s , s in c e th e
expense would u l t i m a t e l y f a l l on t h e Company. These in n o v ­
a t i o n s i n th e revenue and c r i m i n a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n had
in tr in s ic defects. H a s tin g s i n h i s o b s e r v a t i o n p o in te d o u t "
th e d e m e r its of t h e s e changes;
"The Farming system - u s e f u l as t h i s i s t o th e
g e n e r a l w e lf a r e of t h e s t a t e , and of t h e p e o p le ,
i t i s one o f t h e p r i n c i p a l sources of t h e d i s o r d e r l y
s t a t e of t h e M o f u s s il, by th e removal o f t h a t claim,
which t h e p u b li c by immemorial usage b e f o r e possessed
t o th e r e s t i t u t i o n of a l l damages and l o s s e s s u s t a in e d
by r o b b e r s , on t h e Zemindars of th e c o u n t r y . These
having no lo n g e r t h e sane a u t h o r i t y cannot be held
a c c o u n ta b le as th e y fo rm e rly were f o r t h e e f f e c t s of
i t , alth o u g h th e r i g h t of Government has nev er been

1. F. S y k e s t o . S . C. Feb. 10, 1768, S.C.C. F e b . 10, 1768,

E/A, 8 ; R. B e c h e r t o S .C . J u n e 2 , 1770, B . C . C . J u n e 9 , 1770
R/A, 10$ A r z i o f R ani Bhawani, R.C*C„R*M* Nov. 25,
1 77 1, V I I , 205; G. Shee t o B:R. S e p t T l 7 , 17 85 , B .R .C .
S e p t . 3 0 , 1 7 8 5 , R 5 0 /6 1 .
 f o r m a l l y r e n o u n c e d . The f a r m e r s who s t a n d .in t h e i r ,
p l a c e s oug h t i n d e e d t o ' b e made a n s w e r a b l e f o r t h e
d i s o r d e r s p r o c e e d i n g from t h e i r n e g l e c t , b u t w h a t­
e v e r t h e y were c o m p e l l e d t o pay on t h i s a c c o u n t would
be b r o u g h t i n t o t h e i r b a l a n c e s a t t h e end o f t h e y e a r , .
and would t h u s f a l l u l t i m a t e l y upon- t h e Government
i t s e l f . 11 1
il h e r e t h e . - z a m i n d a r s r e t a i n e d t h e i r f a r m i n g r i g h t s , t h e r e
were p a r t i a l o r f u l l r e s u m p t i o n o f c h a k a r a n l a n d s w hich
*** J* i i i h imw u

s u p p o r t e d t h e p o l i c e e s t a b l i s h m e n t ■;!, o r t h e d i s c o n t i n u a t i o n
2 ' ’: r ■ ' :
of allow ances. I n some z a m i n d a r i s t h e number o f t h e p o l i c e
- ■ .3
s t a f f was r e d u c e d as a m ea s u re of economy. I t i s not
d i f f i c u l t t o gauge t h e outcome o f t h e s e c h a n g e s . : “The g e n e r a l
p r o t e c t i o n h a s by t h e r e s u m p t i o n 11, o b s e r v e d t h e Burdwan
k
C ouncil, “ o f a l a r g e q u a n t i t y o f c hake r a n land, t o G overn­
ment* s r e v e n u e c e a s e d w i t h i n t h e s e few y e a r s , w h ic h h a s i n
some m e a s u r e c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e g r e a t d e c a y i n t h e i n l a n d
t r a d e o f t h e c o u n t r y , and t h i s e v i l w i l l p r o b a b l y c o n t i n u e
t o i n c r e a s e so l o n g a s t h e p o l i c e r e m a i n s on i t s p r e s e n t
. e s t a b l i s h m e n t . . . . . . o“ , At l e a s t t h e s e m ig h t have o f f e r e d
t o some z a m i n d a r s an e x c u s e f o r n e g l e c t i n g t h e i r u s u a l
p o lice d u tie s.

1 . B . R . C . A p r i l 1'9, 1 7 7 ]+ 9 R k 9 / k 5, 1210.
2 . J .G r a h a m t o H . V e r e l s t , S e p t . 3 0 ? 1766, S . C . C . G c t . I 1*, 1766,
R/A, 7; P . C . C . R . M . , March 23, 1772, X, 86; E a s t i n g s 1
M i n u t e , B 7 R 7 c7 7 "A pril 19, 1 7 h , R ^ 9 A L
3 . B .P .C . S e p t . 2 8 , ' 1767> R l A l , 756, A .H i g g i n s o n t o G.C.R.M.
Oct. 1 0 , 1770, M.F.R. Oct. 23, 1770, I ; W .H arriot t o 7
C .C .R .M ., March 1 , 1772, P .C .C .R .M .,. March .5, 1772, X , 7 _ 8 . ,
>+. Burdwan C o u n c i l t o B.R. J u n e A , 1775? B .R .C . J u l y 7 , 1 7 7 5 '
A 9/55-.
 On t h e h e e l s , o f t h i s t h e p o s t o f t h e f a u . i d a r
. . 1 "
was a b o l i s h e d i n many d i s t r i c t s . The vacuum t h u s c r e a t e d

in th e p o l i c e m a c h i n e r y was n o t f i l l e d i n i m m e d i a t e l y * The. -

s e p o y s p l a c e d w i t h t h e S u p e r v i s o r s w ere v e r y i n s u f f i c i e n t

i n n u m b e r and . i t became an o n e r o u s t a s k t o cope w ith 'th e , vy

in creasin g la w le ssn e ss in th e d i s t r i c t s under t h e i r charge. •

T h e t r o o p s o f t h e Company and t h e p r i v a t e m e r c h a n t s e x p l o i t e d 1

;t h e situ atio n . C o m p l a i n t s o f b r e a c h o f p e a c e by t h e sepoys v

•5 .. ■•' ■- v ••
aiid p e o n s , h a r a s s m e n t o f t h e i n n o c e n t r a i y a t ^ s on f a l s e
, , ly . . , '

c h a rg e s o f dacoity.j began t o r e a c h t h e S u p e r v i s o r s from .

every c o r n e r o f..th e c o u n try . The c h a o t i c c o n d i t i o n em bol- . \ r -

dened some t o s u c h an e x t e n t t h a t t h e y t r a n s g r e s s e d th e

l e g a l norm s o f t h e c o u n t r y ^ w i t h o u t ' any a p p r e h e n s i o n o f

punishm ent." A f t e r t h e f a m i n e o f 1 7 6 9 ™!770 w h i c h r e n d e r e d

many p e o p l e p a u p e r s , hundreds of vagabonds d a i l y sw elled

t h e .number o f t h e v a r i o u s r a i d i n g g a n g s . The f l e e i n g

i- P ^C*C*JR.>M, , D e c . 1 0 , 1 7 7 0 , I I , 35? 58 ( t h e d i s t r i c t s w e r e
D in ajp u r, J e s s o r e , P u r n e a , R a j m a h a l and R a n g p u r ) . ; .H-SA"

2 . J . G r o s e t o C . C X M . , F e b . 2 1 , 1 7 7 1 . P . C . C . R . Mc/ F e b . 2 8 .
, 1 7 7 1 , I V , 385 C.C.RJM* t o J . G r o s e , P . C . C . R . M , , F e b . 2 8 ,
1 7 7 1 i' I V , 3 9 ; B^R* M i s r a , T h e J u d i c i a l ' Ad mi n i s t r a t 1 011 11

3„ J . P e i a r c e t o L t . G o o d y a r , A p r i l 2 .3 , 1 7 7 0 , B„D«>R ». ' M i d n a p u r -
I V , 3 ; J . L a w r e l l t o C. P u r l i n g , J u l y .12, 1 7 7 1 ? P.l5<C»R»M» 7 ~
Aug. 8 , I 7 7 I 3V I,. 6 8 - 6 9 * C , F , C. I I , 1 1 1 1 . , v\

k , P . C . C . R . M . , Nov. 1 9 ?1 7 7 0 , I , 2 0 7 5 0*C.R„M* t o T . H e n c h m e n , May< 8 , . /

1 7 7 3 , P*C.C.R*M* X I I , l 6 h .' 0 . - VA.
5* P » C .C > R .M ., V I I (A) , 135™ 1385 P ress, L i s t o f A n cien t Docu- 1
, m e n ts , S e r i e s I I , v o l . I I , 25 q u o te d i n B .B .M i s r a , The J u d i c i a l
A d m in istratio n . . . . . . 116. . A *V' :
6 . S . C . C . , A p r i l 2 8 , 1 7 7 0 , R / A ,1 0 $ C .W „B .R ous t o C.»C<J :UM*, A p r i l
1 5 , 1 7 7 1 , P .C .C « R „ M » . A p r i l , 1 9 , 1 7 7 1 ?635 A . K . M . M o h s i n , A :A; A;
8 t u d y o f _ Mur s h l d a b a d P i s t r i c t ? 3 1^° ' . A'
r a i y a t s, th e disbanded f o r c e s of th e r a i a s and t h e Nawab,
1
a l s o took r e c o u r s e t o robbery and p lu n d e r. Under th e garb
of r e l i g i o u s m en d ican ts, numerous s a n n y a s ie s and f a q u i r s
armed w ith r o c k e t s , matchlocks and even s w iv e ls moved throughout-
p
th e co u n try i n s e a rc h of booty* They began t o f l e e c e th e
people by le v y in g f o r c e d c o n t r i b u t i o n s * Even t h e c u t c h e r r i e s ’
of th e zamindars were not immune from plunder* 3
The zamindars* r o l e durin g t h i s p e rio d was
la m e n ta b le . Impoverished of men and money e s p e c i a l l y a f t e r
k
th e famine th e y had perhaps l i t t l e means a t t h e i r d i s p o s a l
t o stop t h e growing number of crimes committed w ith impunity*
A gainst such odds many zamindars f e l t h e l p l e s s and some even
sought t h e p r o t e c t i o n of t h e E n g l i s h . 5 I n Rangpur at th e
r e q u e s t o f t h e zamindars and t h e f a rm e rs , some sepoys had to
be placed f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n of the people as w e ll as of
6
t h e t h a n as. Other zamindars took f u l l advantage of t h e
v i c i s s i t u d e s of t h e p e r io d and p r o f i t e d from i t . Not only

1 . J . L o n g , S e l e c t i o n s . . *. . ^ 6 8 ^ H a s t i n g s ' M in u te , B . R . C . ,
A p r i l 1 9 5 177*T, 5 ^ 9 /5 ^ 5 A.B*.M*Mahmood, The Land Revenue
H i s t o r y o f t h e Ra .is h a h i Zamin d a r i , 305*
2. C.W.B.Rous t o C.C.R.Mp, J a n , 25? 1 772, P . C . C . R .M. J a n . 3 0 , .
1772, IX 5 1 0 2 - 1 035 R e s i d e n t a t M ursh id aba d t o H a s t i n g s ,
Nov. 30, 1773 P.C.C.R.M . X I I , I 9 8 .
3 * C .W .B .R o useto C .C .R .M ,, J a n . 2 5 , 1772, PeCXl*R*M. , J a n , 3 0 ,
1 77 2, IX, 103s J . G r o s e t o S . M i d d l e t o n , P « C .C .R .M ., Feb* 21,
1 7 7 1 ! i v ) ^ 8 : P .C .C .R .M . . J a n . 27, 1 7 7 2 7 T x T F o 7
8*0*0*A p r i l 28 , 1 7 7 0 , R/A,10$ Progs.G-.G. i n C o u n c i l , vol*29A,
J . B r o w n e ' s l e t t e r v o l . 30, q u o te d i n N*K*Sinha, The Economic
H isto ry I I , 635 W.W.Hunter, lEhe A n n a l s . . . . . . 56-58.
5. G . G .D u c a r e l t o S .M i d d l e t o n , M a r c h 2 9 , 1 7 7 1 , P .C .C .R .M .,■ A p r i l
If, 1771, V, 21.
P .C .C .R .M . . March 2 3 , 1772, X., 85.
 some re c e n tly * d i s p o s s e s s e d z a m i n d a r s p l u n d e r e d t h e - / -,5
■ ' .I'" • " - '■ ‘■ 'l
c u t c h e r r i e s o f t h e new o n e s , h u t some e x i s t i n g z a m i n d a r s
a l s o o p e n l y became i n v o l v e d i n m ara u d in g a c t i v i t i e s * D espite
. t h e v i g i l a n c e o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r s some z a m i n d a r s iri< Rang p u r y,
c o m m itte d t h e f t s and even m u r d e r s . The r o b b e r b a n d s and .
many z a m i n d a r s o f t h e p e r i o d were bound t o g e t h e r i n o r g a n i z e d
■■ ■ ' . -..V 1 : 3
c r i m e s . The z a m i n d a r s nob o n l y h a r b o u r e d t h e d a c o i t s , v, v
k J ■ ' . . . ' " .■ .v
s a n n y a s i s and f a q u i r s b u t a l s o f r u s t r a t e d t h e a t t e m p t s o f .
t h e S u p e r v i s o r s t o s e i z e them by g i v i n g i n t e l l i g e n c e t o . •
5- - \
cu lp rits. . • ;■ : ■ -y-'f
\ 6 ■ ■ '■
The R e g u l a t i o n s o f 1772 - d id n o t b r i n g any
s u b s t a n t i a l chang e i n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t h e .z a m in d a r s .
t o w a r d s t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f p e a c e and o r d e r . * W ith t h e , r e - v
■ ' *7 ' " " "

i n t r o d u c t i o n o f t h e f a u j d a r i i n s t i t u t i o n i h 177*+V a t t e m p t s .,
were m a d e . t o p u t i n o r d e r t h e p a r a l y s i n g s t a t e o f t h e p o l i c e . .
■ ‘ . . - "• 1 ■ Q S.'
ad m in istratio n . By t h e P o l i c e R e g u l a t i o n s o f December 7?179^? V
t h e z a m i n d a r s were .exempted from t h e p o l i c e d u t i e s once f o r ■a l l * 'y
T7 B .R .C . A p r i l 5 , 1 7 7 ^ , R*+9/5^+- : .,
2. J . G r o s e t o . C . C . R . M . , A p r i l 2 0, 17 70 ,. B .D.R .V Rang our I , j ;
See a l s o P .G . C . R .M. S e p t . 3 0 , 1 7 7 1 , V II ( A ) , 9 5 - | 5 7 p ~ C . ;C.R-:M; p .
ii i i ii 11 ■l ■ ■ ■ ■ *■** -v * a / ■ * w f r <r / / , ••

. D e c . 9 , 1 7 7 1 , V I I I , 2 ^ - 2 5 ; P.'C.C.R.M. . F e b . 3 , 1772, IX,12V. X :

3 . J . G r o s e t o R . B e c h e r , A u g.2 0 , 1 7 7 0 , I<4lCi B . T I , W 5; J . G r o s e t o
C.C.R.M. , Oct.. 31, 1770. P.O.C.R.M . Nov. 1 5 , 1 7 7 0 , 1 , 1 9 I+-I 9 5 .
*+. C.W.B.Rous t o . C . C .R . M . , J a n . 2 8 , 1 7 7 2 , P .C I C . R . M . , F o b . 3 , 1772,
1 K / . - / • * # m i-i1i M t . i * » * » i i . m n u r ^ - i a i / '* ** ‘ . ' a

IX jllH . . X •'.X'XX
• 5 . R .W ilm o t.to - R . B e c h e r , A ug .2 9 , 1 7 7 0 , L .C .B . 1 1 , 7 ; P .C.C.RXK. .
F eb . 8 , 1772, I X , 160. . ' ■ ■ . X. ,:
6 . C . C . R . P . May l b , 1772, R67/5*+.
7. H a s t i n g s ’ M i n u t e , A p r i l 1 9 , 1 7 7 b , B .R .C . Rl+9/1+5. :;XX
8 . H . M . S . , . 3 8 O.
 Measured by i t s achievements, t h e p o l i c e system
run by t h e zamindars s ta n d s condemned or d i s c r e d i t e d at l e a s t
i n t h e l a t e r days* I n a d d i t i o n t o i t s i n t e r a c t i o n s w ith t h e .
v a r i o u s p o l i t i c a l f o r c e s a t work, th e system s u f f e r e d from
i t s i n h e r e n t weaknesses*
One i n s u p e r a b l e o b s t a c l e i n t h e way of success
o f t h e p o l i c e a c t i v i t i e s of t h e zamindars was t h e p h y s ic a l
f e a t u r e s of th e country* Bengal pro per i s i n t e r s e c t e d i n
every d i r e c t i o n by r i v e r s , r i v u l e t s , , y h i l s andh a l a s . During
t h e r a i n y season th e c o u n try loo ks l i k e a v a s t sheet of :
water* T h is rendered a l l communications im p o s s ib le ex cep tin g
t h e one by water* The numerous r i v u l e t s and n a l a s reached
t h e very d o o r s te p s of most houses i n .the s o u th e r n and
e a s t e r n p a r t s of Bengal* The r i v e r d a c o i t s e x p l o i t e d t h i s .
1
s i t u a t i o n t o t h e i r own advantage* A fte r committing t h e
d a c o i t i e s i n t h e d a rk n e s s of n i g h t , t h e r o b b e rs melted away . ,
b e f o r e t h e law a r r i v e d from th e n e a r e s t p o l i c e s ta t io n *
Armed w ith f i r e arms and o th e r l e t h a l weapons, t h e r o b b e rs
i n f e s t e d th e r i v e r ways of Bengal and h a r a s s e d th e i n h a b i t a n t s
of .the v i l l a g e s as w ell as t h e merchants and t r a v e l l e r s . The
2
dingy* p r o f u s e l y used by them f a c i l i t a t e d t h e i r remarkably
sp ee d y movements . However $ i . g i l a n t t h e p o l i c e s t a f f m ig ht

1 . D ac ca C o u n c i l t o B . R . , A p r i l , 2 2 , 1 7 7 b , B .R .C . May 17, 1 7 7 b
Ri+9A6; G .Shee t o B.R. S e p t . 17, 1 78 5 , B .R .C . S e p t . 3 0 ,1 7 8 5 ,
R50/ 6 1 . .
2 . A k i n d of- l i g h t v e s s e l .
3 . G.Shee t o B . R i S e p t . 17, B . R . C . , S e p t . 3 0 , 1 7 8 5 , R 5 0 /6 1 .
have been, i t was v i r t u a l l y im p ossible t o check such crimes
or to apprehend th e c r i m i n a l s under such c irc u m s ta n c e s .
The impregnable f o r e s t t r a c t s of t h e c o u n try
stood i n t h e way of e f f i c i e n t working of th e p o l i c e . A
c o n s i d e r a b l e p a r t of Bengal was f i l l e d w ith waste la n d s
and dense j u n g l e s . From t h e i r s a fe abodes i n th e j u n g l e s ,
th e robber bands d i r e c t e d t h e i r o p e r a t io n s and r e tu r n e d
1
t h e r e w ith th e booty, le a v in g l i t t l e t r a c e of detection. It
was n o t a very easy taste t o tr a c l\ th o s e c r i m i n a l s down
w ithou t e v i c t i n g them from t h e i r b a s e s . The p o l i c e chaukies
could r a r e l y be posted at th o s e lo n e l y f o r e s t s . Thus i t
may be d iv i n e d t h a t a v a s t t r a c t of th e c o u n try remained
u n p r o te c te d g iv in g scope t o t h e b a n d i t t i t o grow i n s t r e n g t h .
The zamindars r e f u s e d t o sh a re w ith th e government t h e
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of guarding th o s e v u ln e r a b le p a r t s of t h e i r
te rrito rie s. The c irc u m s ta n c e s which l e d to t h e murder of
D .Holland, an E n g l is h gentleman i n l e s s o r e would throw some
l i g h t on t h e a c t u a l s t a t e of a f f a i r s . The murder was
2
committed i n t h e t e r r i t o r y of Raja S r i k a n t a of Chanchra.
While c a l l e d upon t o answer f o r i t , th e r a j a 1s diwan put
forward th e fo llo w in g arguments

1 . J G r o s e t o B.R.Oct. 9? 1770, M.F.R. I , 197; E.Baber t o

H a s t i n g s , F e b . 6 , 1 7 7 3 , B.D.R.. M id n a p u r. IV, 106 -1 07 ; .
W.A.Brooke to B . R . , March 1 , 1793? B*R.J.C„, F e b .22,
1793? R127/87? B.Chattopdhyaya, Ananda-matha« 15,37*
2 . P.C .C .R .M ., S ept. 25, 1771? V I I (A), 8k.
 "The g e n t l e m a n s t o p p e d h i s b o a t i n t h e r i v e r
B o l b e r r e a h , and anc h o red a t one s i d e i n a c o u n t r y
c o v e r e d w i t h j u n g l e s & m a r s h e s , - he was t h e r e
a t t a c k e d and m u rd ered by some r o b b e r s fro m a n o t h e r
p r o v i n c e ™ The p l a c e was q u i t e a d e s e r t , d e s o l a t e
& u n i n h a b i t e d , f a r from -any town, and 3 day s j o u r n e y
from t h e c u t c h e r r y o f I s o o f p o r e - T h e r e was no cho//key
o r g u a r d s t a t i o n e d t h e r e . - I n h i g h r o a d s and
c u l t i v a t e d p l a c e s t h e r e a r e g u a r d s s t a t i o n e d - but
i n j u n g l e s and d e s e r t s i t i s i m p r a c t i c a b l e e s p e c i a l l y
i n t h e p la c e , where t h e g e n t l e m a n l a n d e d , w hich i t
i s a b s o l u t e l y i m p o s s i b l e t o g u a r d and p r o t e c t . " 1

I n t h i s p a r t i c u l a r c a s e l u c k i l y t h e c r i m i n a l s were a r r e s t e d
b u t t h e z a m in d a r c a t e g o r i c a l l y e x p r e s s e d h i s h e l p l e s s n e s s
2
t o p r o v i d e any p r o t e c t i o n u n d e r such c i r c u m s t a n c e s .
The a u t h o r i t y o f t h e z a m in d a r was c o n f i n e d w i t h i n
t h e bounds o f h i s own t e r r i t o r y and i t was an o u t s t a n d i n g
im pedim ent t o e f f e c t i v e p o l i c e a c t i v i t i e s . I f the c u l p r i t s
esc ap ed any n e i g h b o u r i n g z a m i n d a r i a f t e r c o m m i tt i n g t h e c r im e
t h e z a m i n d a r i i n whose t e r r i t o r y t h e o f f e n c e was p e r p e t r a t e d
became p o w e r l e s s t o t a k e any a c t i o n . And i t was t h e u s u a l
p r a c t i c e w i t h t h e d a c o i t s t o avoid c o m m ittin g d a c o i t y w i t h i n
3 ’
t h e bounds o f t h e i r home t e r r i t o r y . Many c o m p l a i n t s
o f r o b b e r y and v i o l e n c e com m itted by t h e p e o p l e o f t h e

1 . R eza K h a n ' s N o t e , P .C .C .R . M . , Dec. 3 0 , 1771, V I I I , 102.

2. I b i d . , 1 0 2 - 1 0 3 .
3 . I b i d . , 102; G.Shee t o B.R. S e p t . 17, 1 7 8 5 , B .R . C .
S e p t , 3 0 , 1785, R5 0 /6 1 .
 J.
n e i g h b o u r i n g z a m i n d a r i s a r e on r e c o r d . D i s s o n a n c e and
a c rim o n y v e r y o f t e n existiu^. b e tw e e n t h e n e i g h b o u r i n g
z a m i n d a r s , made t h e a p p r e h e n s i o n o f c r i m i n a l s a d i f f i c u l t t a s k .
However m e t i c u l o u s a z a m in d a r m ig h t h a v e b e e n i n f u l f i l l i n g ,
h i s p o l i c e o b l i g a t i o n s , t h e n e g l i g e n c e o f t h e same d u t y by
h i s n eig hbours annulled th e e f f e c t . A ch a ra c te ristic
example i s t h e i n c i d e n t o f t h e p l u n d e r o f some money i n t h e
2
t e r r i t o r y of th e R aja of B anaras, The l o s t amount c o u ld
n o t be f u l l y r e c o v e r e d from t h e B a n a r a s e s t a t e in asm u ch as
some m i s c r e a n t s from t h e n e i g h b o u r i n g t e r r i t o r i e s were a l s o
involved in th e robbery. The n e i g h b o u r i n g z a m i n d a r s were
t h e r e f o r e u r g e d by t h e governm ent t o g uard t h e roads' p r o p e r l y
3
so t h a t p r o t e c t i o n c o u l d be a f f o r d e d t o t h e p e o p l e . Such
l i m i t a t i o n on t h e a u t h o r i t y o f t h e z a m i n d a r s m ig h t have
p r o v i d e d them w i t h an e x c u s e t o s h i r k t h e i r p o l i c e r e s p o n -
l!'
sib ility *
The s i t u a t i o n was compounded by t h e f r a g m e n t a t i o n
o f t h e z a m i n d a r i e s t a t e s i n some p l a c e s , 5 and t h e s p r e a d i n g

1 . C.C.R.M. t o ¥ . Harwood, March 7 ?177l«, P . C . C . R .M. IV, 67;

P . C . C . R .M ., J a n . 23 , 1772, IX, 73; P . C . C . R .M . , F e b . 3 ,1 7 7 2 ,
m ^ r r r . C . C . R . M . ? May 4 , 1772, x ; " 0 - 2 7 1 ; P . C . C . R . M .
J u n e 3 , 1772," X I, 1 2 3 .
2 . C . P .O . I I . 1487.
3 . Ib id .
4 . J .B ro w n e t o B . R . , J a n . 1 2 , 1 7 7 6 , B . R . C . , F e b . 2 0 , 1 7 7 6 , R 4 9 / 6 0 .
5. G.Shee t o B . R . S e p t . 1 7 , 1785, B . R . C . , S e p t . 3 0 , 1 7 8 5 , R 50 /6 1;
F r a n c i s M S S .B u r .F . 8 . , 1 95 a; R . L i n d s a y t o B.R. N o v .24,1787}
B . D . R . . S v l h e t I I , 200. -
 230

o f one z a m i n d a r i o v e r s e v e r a l d i s t a n t p a r g a n a h s i n o t h e r s .
1

I n many i n s t a n c e s a s i n g l e z a m i n d a r i was d i v i d e d among t h e

successors. T h i s ham pered t h e e f f i c i e n c y i n t h e management
o f t h e z a m i n d a r i s i n more t h a n one way. The r i v a l r y and
s t r a i n e d r e l a t i o n s w h ich o f t e n p e r s i s t e d among t h e s h a r e ­
h o l d e r s o f an e s t a t e , t h e l a c k o f c o - o p e r a t i o n or t h e c o n - .
flictin g j u r i s d i c t i o n s o f t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s , made p o l i c i n g
d e f in ite ly a d i f f i c u l t task . I t may be d i s c e r n e d from a
sin g le in stan ce. When t h e r e v e n u e d e s p a t c h was on i t s way
t o t h e s a d a r c u t c h e r r v from t h e n i n e - anna d i v i s i o n o f t h e
2 '

G h o ra g h at z a m i n d a r i , a r o b b e r y was c o m m itte d . The blame

was l a i d on t h e p e o p l e o f t h e s e v e n - anna d i v i s i o n i n s p i t e
o f t h e f a c t t h a t t h e p l a c e o f o c c u r e n c e was a . t o w n t o t h e
e a s t o f G h o ra g h a t i n w h ich b o t h t h e z a m i n d a r i s had a s h a r e .
The a b s e n c e o f any w e l l d e f i n e d b o u n d a ry s e p a r a t i n g t h e two
z a m i n d a r i s made i t d i f f i c u l t t o d e t e r m i n e t h e . p a r t the . .
3
c u l p r i t s belonged t o . I n t h e D i s t r i c t s o f D acca and S y l h e t ,
t h e number o f b i g z a m i n d a r i s were v e r y few . uI n S y l h e t " ,
as McNeile s a i d , " as a r u l e , many v i l l a g e s a r e n o t i n c l u d e d
i n one e s t a t e , b u t many e s t a t e s a r e c o m p ris e d i n one v i l l a g e .

1. A. M. S e r a j u d d i n , The Heyenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f C h i t t a g o n g ,
3 0 5 -3 0 6 . ~ “

2. H . C o t t r e l l t o C .C .R .M ., S e p t . 6 ,1771? P . C . C.R.M. S e p t . l 6 ,
1771, V I I ( A ) , 51.
3 . H . C o t t r e l l t o C.C.R.M. S e p t . 6 , 1771, P .C .C .R .M . S e p t . 1 6 ,
1 7 7 1 , V I I ( A ) , 51. h,;
k . D. J . M c N e ile ,/ Repo r tiwfiinwon
imffciLwntiirti*iu>
h*.jewajrinjiV
iiwni*j l l a g e W a tc h I 3I. 1
I n s t e a d , t h e r e f o r e , o f a number o f c h o k i d a r s , n o m in a te d and
m a i n t a i n e d by one l a n d h o l d e r , we f i n d one c h o k i d a r m a i n t a i n e d
by. s e v e r a l l a n d h o l d e r s V ‘ As many as n i n e s h a r e h o l d e r s o f
Muhammad Aminpur z a m i n d a r i were r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e m a i n t e n ­
a n c e o f p o l i c e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e t h a n a o f Catwa.^" I n such
c irc u m s ta n c e s d iv id e d a u t h o r i t y im paired t h e e f f i c i e n c y of
t h e p o l i c e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of t h e z a rn in d a rs . -
The r e g u l a t i o n t h a t t h e z a m i n d a r s were t o recom -
p e n s a t e t h e l o s s s u s t a i n e d by a r o b b e r y o r a t h e f t c o u l d not,
b e g i v e n e f f e c t t o u n l e s s t h e a u t h o r i t y o f t h e governm ent
on t h e z a m in d a r s was o v e rw h e lm in g . The d e p e n d e n c e o f t h e
- ' ’ ’ 2 •

r a i y a t s on t h e i r p a t r o n s . ' f o r j u s t i c e .and. p r o t e c t i o n * ,;
and t h e enormous l o c a l i n f l u e n c e t h e z a m i n d a r s e x e r c i s e d ,
un d o u b ted ly in d uced th e zam indars to a c t at d i s c r e t i o n . The: '
z a m i n d a r s 1 m a c h i n a t i o n s l e f t many. c o m p l a i n t s u n a t t e n d e d . :
S p e c i a l l y t h e p e t t y z a m i n d a r s c o n c e a l e d many c a s e s o f c r i m e s
t o evade t h e n r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f c o m p e n s a t i o n . The r a i y a t s
a p p r e h e n s i v e o f su b seq u en t- h a r a s s m e n t by t h e i r l a n d l o r d s ,
h a r d ly dared to b rin g to th e n o t i c e o f th e fau.idar or th a n a d a r
o f any c r im e com m itte d on them. In o rd e r t o escape m olest a - *
t i o n by t h e r o b b e r s and t o a v oid t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f c r i m e s
c o m m itte d w i t h i n t h e i r j u r i s d i c t i o n s , t h e l e s s e r z a m i n d a r s

1 . F . R e d f e a r n t o B.R. F e b . 5, 1793, B . R . J . C . A p r i l .12, 1793?

RI2 7 /8 8 5 F o r t h i s p u r p o s e e a c h s h a r e h o l d e r o f t h e zam in ­
d a r i u s e d t o g e t d e d u c t i o n s fro m t h e i r a s a l ■■.1 ama. ( s e e
Appendix K ) .
2 . B .S . C . Oct, 18, 1775? R/A, 3 1 , 6 8 8 .
 232

found t h e m s e l v e s b e i n g o b l i g e d t o pay a h i n d o f f e e t o t h e
gangsters. Some z a m i n d a r s b o u g h t . im munity by s h e l t e r i n g t h e
g a n g s t e r s , who l i m i t e d t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s o u t s i d e t h e t e r r i t o r i e s
1
of t h e i r p atro n s. W hile t h e z a m i n d a r s fo und, i t . e x p e d i e n t
n o t t o a p p r e h e n d t h e r o b b e r s and t h i e v e s , t h e r a i y a t s i n
d e s p a i r had t o pay e x t o r t i o n money t o t h e r o b b e r s t o s e c u r e
- 2
th e ir safety .
The d e p e n d e n c e o f t h e t h a n a d a r s on t h e zam indars*
a s s i s t a n c e c o n s i d e r a b l y weakened t h e h o ld o f t h e f a u . i d a r s
on t h e r u r a l a r e a s . W ith a s t r o n g gov ernm en t a t t h e c e n t r e ,
t h e z a m i n d a r s m ig h t hav e a c t e d i n c o - o p e r a t i o n w i t h t h e
t hanadars fo r proper d isc h a rg e of t h e i r p o lic e d u t i e s . But
d u r i n g t h e s u b s e q u e n t p e r i o d , t h e t h a n a d a r s came u n d e r t h e
s p e l l of th e zam indars. I n some z a m i n d a r i s i f n o t a l l , t h e
n o m i n a t i o n and d i s m i s s a l o f t h e t h a n a d a r s were v e s t e d i n t h e
zam indars. T his d e f i n i t e l y placed th e t hanadar s at th e t
mercy o f t h e z a m i n d a r s . I t re q u ires l i t t l e im agination th a t
t h e t h a n a d a r s p l a c e d i n t h e s p h e r e o f i n f l u e n e e e o f an 1 i n e r t '
or corrupt* z a m in d a r would n o t d i s c h a r g e t h e i r d u t i e s h o n e s t l y
and e f f i c i e n t l y .

1. B. M. Add. MSS, 2 9 , 0 7 9 ? 2 6 b ; B , Ch a t t op adhyay a , B h aban i Pat h a k ,

'I Ilf- 1 1 5 .
2 . B.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 7 9 3 26b.
3o M . L e s l i e t o B .R .N o v .1 3 , 1785, B . R . C , , F e b . l , 1786, R 50/63;
T .B ro o k e t o B . R . O c t . 1 2 , 1788, B .R .C . Dec. 2 2 , 1788, R51/29*
 F o r t h e a p p o i n t m e n t s o f t h e t h a n ad a r s t h e e f f i c i e n c y
and c h a r a c t e r o f t h e i n c u m b e n t s were n o t a lw a y s t a k e n i n t o
consideration. The amount of salami or n a z r weighed much i n
1
th e nom ination of th e t h a n a d a r s . On t h e one hand t h e
th a n a d a r s had t o nay a c o n s i d e r a b l e amount as salami t o th e
N U |M w m m r r a i M i n H i |i N k M « » **

zamindar, on th e o th e r hand a f t e r t h e i r appointm ents many

were t o pay q u i t * r e n t s f o r t h e enjoyment of t h e i r , s e r v i c e .
2
lands. When t h e t h an ad. ar i post t h u s became a p u rc h a s a b le
commodity, p rop er s e r v i c e could h a r d ly be exp ected from them. >
I n such c irc u m s ta n c e s t h e t h a n a d a r s 1 le ag u e w ith t h e d a c o i t s
could n o t be s u r p r i z i n g . •* * «
The connivance of t h e l o c a l t h a n a d a r s ,
n w i w M .1 * in /

and th e l a c k of c o - o p e r a t i o n among t h e n eig h b o u rin g t hanadars

d e n i g r a t e d th e f o r c e s of law and o r d e r. 3 The th a n a d a r i
e s ta b l is h m e n t t h u s f a l l i n g 'v e r y s h o r t of answering t h e end
k
p ro p o s e d 1 became a t o o l of o p p r e s s io n .
I n ad eq u ate and i r r e g u l a r re m u n e ra tio n t o th e p a1ik s
O. —* mmj.T 1> hi imrnm-T.

and watchmen undoubtedly induced them t o m a l p r a c t i c e s f o r

monetary g a i n s . As Becher has p o in te d o u t ; ^

1 . T .B ro o k e t o B .R. Oct. 1 2 , 1788, B .R .C . D e c . 22. 1 7 8 8 ,R 5 1 / 2 9 ;

L .M e r c e r t o B . R . N o v . 2 3 , 1 7 9 0 , . B . R . J . C . , M a r c h 1 8 , 1 7 9 1 , R 1 2 7 /7 7 .
2 . M . L e s l i e t o B .R . N o v . 1 3 , 1 7 8 5 , B . R . C . F e b . 1 , 1 7 8 6 , R 5 0 / 6 3 .
3 . E .S tr a c h e y t o B ayley, J u n e 1 3 & Aug. 1 0 , 1808 q u o te d i n W.K.
F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t 1 1 , 6 8 6 - 6 8 9 ; L .M e r c e r
t o C . K e a t i n g , A p r i l 7, 1790} W. B . D . R . . B irb h u m . 82.
*+. S .C . C . A ug.1 6 , 1 7 6 9 , R/A, 95 Vf.W.Hunter, The A n n a l s 327.
5. R . B e c h e r t o S .C . May 2 , 1770, L .C .B . I , 12 6.
 '•The custom o f c o l l e c t i n g t h e r e v e n u e s by
py'kes, whose s u b s i s t e n c e s o l e l y dep en d ed on what
t h e y c a n e x t o r t from t h e weals: and h e l p l e s s i s
u n d o u b t e d l y i n j u r i o u s t o t h e r y o t s and c o n t r a r y
t o t h a t m i l d and e q u i t a b l e s y s te m o f Government which
i t i s now o u r aim t o e s t a b l i s h , (t
The watchmen were som etim es p a i d by g r a n t s o f r e n t - f r e e
l a n d b u t o f t e n t h e y had t o m a i n t a i n t h e m s e l v e s by l e v y i n g
a d o o r t a x fro m t h e v i l l a g e r s . W h atever m ig h t h av e b e e n t h e
mode o f r e m u n e r a t i o n , t h e i r wages were i n s i g n i f i c a n t . In
some p l a c e s t h e watchman would g e t f o u r t o t w e l v e a n n a s
1
a y e a r from e a c h h o u se t h e y g u a r d e d . I t i s u n see m ly t o
e x p e c t an e f f i c i e n t and h o n e s t d i s c h a r g e o f d u t i e s from
these i l l - p a i d staff. To f u r t h e r t h e i r i n t e r e s t s , t h e
2
b r i g a n d s bo u g h t them w i t h o u t d i f f i c u l t y .
M o reo v e r, most o f t h e l o w - r a n k i n g p o l i c e f o r c e
was manned by r e c r u i t s from t h e r o b b e r c a s t e s l i k e , VDosad1,
3
H u r e d , !13agdi|,'Dorn!? and ’K u r r a r i a ’, from whom d i s p l a y of h i g h ,
If
m o r a l s e n s e c o u l d n o t be e x p e c t e d . The watchmen b e l o n g i n g
t o su ch p r e d a t o r y c a s t e s v e r y f r e q u e n t l y p l a y e d t h e r o l e o f

1. HvM.S. 775, 43; S , A .B , V I I , 232.

2 . R . H . H o l l i n g b u r y , The Zam indary S e t t l e m e n tof B engal, I 263
B.A.B . IV, 2 ^2 ; J.W .K a y e, The A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e E a s t
39*+-
jj. H.M.S,755>*+8; E v i d e n c e o f a d a c o i t a p p r o v e r q u o te d i n J.W.
K a y e , The A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e Mast I n d i a Compan y , 39*+;
D .J.M cN eile ," Rep o r t on t h e V i l l a g e W atch 115™
K. T h e s e watchmen had a c l o s e a p p r o x i m a t i o n w i t h P a r i s h
C o n s t a b l e s o f E n g la n d (W.L.M.Lee, A Hi s t o r y o f P o l i c e i n
E ng lan d , I 8 3 - I 8 K .)
 235

' e i t h e r t h e a c t u a l p e r p e t r a t o r s or t h e a i d e r s and a b e t t o r s '

o f t h i e v e s and r o b b e r s i n t o t a l b r e a c h o f t h e i r e n t r u s t e d d u t i e s ,
The p u s i l l a n i m i t y and t h e i n d i f f e r e n c e o f t h e
g e n e r a l p e o p l e made i t r a t h e r d i f f i c u l t t o b r i n g t h e c r i m i n a l s
1
t o j u s t i c e even i f t h e y were a r r e s t e d by t h e p o l i c e * Under
t h e Muhammedan law no o f f e n d e r c o u ld be p u n i s h e d f o r c a p i t a l
2
o ffe n ces w ithout s u f f i c i e n t proof. But a d e q u a t e p r o o f m ig ht
n o t be f o r t h c o m i n g . D a c o i t i e s were u s u a l l y co m m itted i n
th e darkness of n ig h t or in d isg u ise . T h i s posed a p rob lem
to th e ta s k of i d e n t i f i c a t i o n . Even t h o s e who c o u l d t e s t i f y
would n o t v o l u n t e e r f o r i t i n a p p r e h e n s i o n o f r e t a l i a t i o n .
To a l l t h e s e i n d i f f e r e n c e s and p u s i l l a n i m i t y o f
t h e p e o p l e must be added t h e g re e d o f t h e v i l l a g e s t a f f and
t h e p o l i c e o f f i c i a l s who s h a r e d i n t h e d i v i s i o n o f s p o i l s .
I t was a common phenomenon t h a t w i t h t h e know ledge o f t h e
v i l l a g e headman, watchmen and even t h e z a m i n d a r , a d a c o i t o r
a t h i e f c o u l d s t a y i n a v i l l a g e w i t h o u t t h e s l i g h t e s t ch a n c e
3
of d e te c tio n * T h e s e c h a n c e s o f e s c a p e were s u c h as t o
r e n d e r i m p u n i t y much more p r o b a b l e t h a n p u n i s h m e n t . They
o p e r a t e d a s a p o w e r f u l i n c e n t i v e t o t h e co m m issio n o f c r i m e .

1 . H a s t i n g s ' M i n u t e , B .R .C . A p r i l , 1 9 , 1 7 7 4 , R 4 9 A 5 ; H . M . 8 ., 775,
4 8 - 4 9 ; M ajor 81 eemail. R e p o r t on t h e D e p r e d a t i o n s Com m itted
by t h e Thug G angs. . . . . IX.
2. C.W.B.Rous t o R . B e c h e r , Aug.25? 1770, L .C .B . 1 1 , 1 1 ; H a s t i n g s '
M i n u t e , B .R .C . A p r i l 1 9 , 1774, R 4 9 A 5 -
3 . R.Wilmot t o R . B e c h e r , A u g .2 9 , 1 7 7 0 , L. C . B . I I , 7? J . G r o s e t o
C.C.R.M. Oct. 31, 1770, P.C.C.R.M . .Nov. 1 5 . 1770, I , 1 9 4-19 5;
B .R .C . t o G.G. J u n e 26,1775? B .R .C . J u l y 7, 1775? R 49/54.
 CHARTER VI
mmmmm h i mam f i ■■iu.i

THE ROLE OF THE ZAMINDARS IN THE ADMINISTRATION

m h h m ^m m iw ini— imniiii i . ■ \mmmm i ■im.n—t>wii»iO*iiin»miHii n i m m f a n u ! ■ mum+m j — i——h^hm m i w*i mrnn—n u m iram h m t w —u p )

OF JUSTICE

C o n t r o v e r s y r a g e s o v e r t h e r o l e o f t h e z a m in d a r
as th e ju d g e -m a g is tra te o f h i s t e r r i t o r y * The i s s u e s a t
s t a k e h e r e r e v o l v e aro u n d t h e q u e s t i o n o f t h e e x a c t
n atu re o f th e le g a l san c tio n attached to t h e i r ju d i c i a l
p o w er, t h e e x t e n t o f t h i s power and t h e u n i v e r s a l i t y o f
t h i s p r i v i l e g e g iv e n t o th e zam indars as a c la ss * The
p au c ity of m a te r ia ls regarding th e j u d i c i a l a d m in is tra tio n
o f t h e p r e - B r i t i s h B e n g a l makes i t d i f f i c u l t t o g a t h e r
much s y s t e m a t i c kn ow led g e a b o u t i t s w o r k i n g . However
when we p i e c e t h e f r a g m e n t a r y i n f o r m a t i o n t o g e t h e r , a
f a i r l y c l e a r p i c t u r e em erges. I t may be s t a t e d t h a t i t
w i l l n o t be a p p r o p r i a t e t o p r o j e c t t o t h e z a m i n d a r o f t h e
p e r i o d u n d e r r e v i e w , t h e image o f t h e j u d g e - m a g i s t r a t e o f
t h e modern age.
A s t u d y o f t h e o u t l i n e o f t h e Mughal j u d i c i a l
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n and an a n a l y s i s o f t h e s o c i o - p o l i t i c a l
t r e n d s i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n tu ry Bengal w i l l h e lp i n c l e a r ­
in g t h e m i s ts v e i l i n g t h e r o l e of th e zam indar as t h e ju d g e -
m agistrate of h is te r r it o r y .

1* A. K arim , Murshi d Q u li K h a n ................70.

 The Mughal E m perors r e g a r d e d t h e m s e l v e s a s t h e
f o u n t a i n h e a d o f j u s t i c e f o r t h e whole Em pire. They h e a r d
c o m p l a i n t s even fro m t h e h u m b l e s t p e o p l e and t r i e d c a s e s
1
p e r s o n a l l y i n t h e open c o u r t s * Thus t h e Emperor was n o t
2
only th e f i n a l c o u rt of appeal but a ls o a c o u rt of f i r s t
3
instance* The Emperor*s duty of adm inistering j u s t i c e to
h is people at la rg e was c a r r ie d out by th e q a z i - u l - quzat
(su p rem e a a z i ) . who d e l e g a t e d h i s power t o t h e q a z i s a t
4
th e p ro v in c ia l h eadquarters. A g e n e ra l superintendence
o v e r t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f c i v i l and c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e , and
t h e e f f e c t i v e p r o s e c u t i o n o f la w r e s t e d w i t h t h e s u b a h d a r
a s t h e Nazim, and t h e d i w a n - i - s u b a h a s t h e h e a d o f t h e
p r o v i n c i a l ex ch equ er* The a c t u a l a c t o f j u s t i c e a t t h e
p r o v i n c i a l c a p i t a l w as, h o w e v e r, c a r r i e d on by t h e q f l a z i s
of th e
and t h e d a r Q g h a - i - a d a l a t - a l - a l l a ( t h e d e p u t y / N a z im i n t h e
suprem e c r i m i n a l c o u r t ) , and d a r o g h a - i - a d a l a t - d i w a n i ( t h e
d e p u t y o f t h e diw an i n t h e c i v i l c o u r t ) . ^ In th e sarkars

1. A .C onstable ( t r . ) T r a v e ls 263; W. I r w i n e ( t r . ) ,
S to ria. I I , W l ; J . N T S a r k a r , Mughal A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ylOS
2 . H . S * J a r r e t t ( t r * ) , Ain 1 1 , 4 2 ; S . N * S e n ( e d . ) , I n d i a n T r a v e l s
o f C a r e r l , I I I , 240.
3 . W. I r v i n e (tr.), S to ria I I , 461; J . N . S a r k a r , Mughal
Admini st r at i on * 107.
4 . J . N . S a r k a r , Mughal A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , 110*
5. C>P .O . IV, 1662; B . B . M i s r a , The J u d i c i a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n . . .
in to which th e subah was divided, th e f au.idars? kotw alsy
muht a s i b s « amils and aanungos combined th e executive and
j u d i c i a l d u tie s i n t h e i r o f f ic e s . Likewise, in the parganahs,
th e s h ik d a rs? amils and amins were in charge of th e revenue
and j u d i c i a l a d m in istra tio n . Every tov/n and most of the
2
v i l l a g e s with Muslim population, had a a a z i. But m ajo rity
of th e r u r a l people would.put t h e i r complaints before qu asi­
j u d i c i a l v illa g e i n s t i t u t i o n s such as th e panchavats (lo c a l
3
j u r i e s ) or an a r b i t r a t i o n (s a l i s ) T or would reso lv e t h e i r
k
d isp u te s by r e s o r tin g to fo rc e . The r i c h and e n te rp ris in g
would go to the d i s t a n t c a p ita l to la y com plaints at th e
5
nizamat or d iw a n i-a d a la ts .
Because of th e e x istin g s o c ia l and r e lig io u s
c h a ra c te r of th e people of th e country, a c e n tr a liz e d j u d i c i a l
s tr u c tu r e could not develop under th e Mughal r u le . The scope
of Islam ic laws was lim ite d in In d ia , inasmuch as th e v ast

1. P.Saran, The P ro v in c ia l Government 352-357; B.B.Misra,

The J u d ic i a l A dm inistration. . . . . 55-57; N .A .Siddiqi, Land
Revenue A d m inistration 8 *+.

2., J.N .S a rk a r, Mughal Administrat i o n ^ 110-111; P.Saran, The

P ro v in c ia l Government 3 55.

3. H#Maine, V illag e Communities in the E astland West. 122-123;

P.Saran, The P ro v in c ia l Government. . . . . ^ 6 5 .
k. J.N .S a rk a r, Mughal A dm inistration. 110-111.
 239

m a jo rity of th e people were non-Muslims* In persuance of th e

avowed po licy of t o l e r a t i o n , th e customary laws and usage
were allowed to prevail* Moreover, the n a tu re o f th e Indian
s o c ie ty , as c h a ra c te ris e d by 't h e p a te rn a l and t r i b a l
c h a ra c te r or th e b ir a d a r i (brotherhood) system*, l e f t very
*i
l i t t l e scope f o r l i t i g a t i o n i n th e c i v i l s u i t s . The
settlem en t of d isp u te s by a r b i t r a t i o n was an age-old p r a c tic e
2
in In d ia . On r a re occasions people would go to c o u rts f o r
th e settlem en t of d is p u te s of th e r u r a l areas* To quote
3
Cohn,
“c o u rts were and are used as an arena i n th e
com petition fo r s o c ia l s ta t u s , and f o r p o l i ­
t i c a l and economic dominance in th e v i l la g e .
Cases are brought to court to h a ra ss o ne's
opponents, as a punishment, as a form of
land sp ec u latio n and p r o f i t making, to
s a t i s f y in s u lte d p rid e , and to m aintain
l o c a l p o l i t i c a l dominance over o n e's
fo llo w e rs ."
The r e a c tio n of th e n a tiv e people to th e Mughal J u d ic ia l
system may be gauged v i s - a - v i s t h e i r response t o th e B r i t i s h
system at th e beginning. Many of them had aversion f o r
t r a v e l l i n g to d i s t a n t places and atten d in g th e lengthy

1. I.Ilas.an, The C en tral S tru c tu re of th e Mughal Empire,

339-\3*+0$ P.Saran, The P ro v in c ial Government 3 ^-3 6 5 .
2. H.Maine, V illa g e Communities 123.
3. B.S.Cohn, "A nthropological Notes on D isputes and Law in
In d ia " , American A n th ro p olo g istT 196?, 105.
 »
2k 0

1
proceedings of th e Courts, The Mughal kotw als, darogha s ,
qazl s , and m uftis had heen as fo re ig n to them as th e English
judges appeared to he in l a t e r tim es. This in d iffe re n c e
of th e v illa g e people to reg u la r government Courts was
perceived by Duncan among th e people of Banaras as l a t e as
2
1788. Such fo rce s at work were not conducive to th e
establishm ent of an ela b o ra te ju d ic ia ry , and th e Mughal
government l e f t th e old j u d i c i a l framework f r e e t o operate
at la rg e .
Let us examine the j u d i c i a l powers of the zamindars
a g ain st such a background. As executive heads of t h e i r
re sp e c tiv e e s ta te s , th e p rin c ip a l zamindars d e f i n i t e l y had
3
shares i n the j u d i c i a l a f f a i r s . Im perial ordinances also
had e x p l i c it sanctions fo r th e exercise of j u d i c i a l power by
the zamindars. A l e t t e r i n the possession of th e Susung Raj
fam ily recorded th a t th e complaint of a Muslim su b ject made
t o Aurangzeb was r e fe r re d to th e lo c a l Hindu zamindar fo r
doing j u s t i c e on th e spot. When th e East In d ia Company

1. B.R.C. Feb. 15, 1775, R*+9/5G;

According t o Reza Khan, "The people have liv e d easy and
s a t i s f i e d under t h e i r own la w s ,- and are alarmed and
d ish earten ed at th e id ea of innovation".
(F rancis MSB. Eur.E.28, 350)*
2. J.Duncan to Cr.Cr. -in -C o u n c il, S e p t.12, 1788, B.R.C. Oct.
1788,$$1/25 quoted i n K .P .M ish ra, The A d m in istr a tio n and
Economy o f th e B anaras r e g io n T 127.
3 . W .Irvine ( t r . ) , S t o r i a I I I . **8 .
T.Rayehaudhuri, Bengal and Akbar and J a h a n g ir, 22-23.
was granted the zamindari of th e th re e v il l a g e s of C alc u tta,
S u tan u ti and Govindpur in 1 6 9 8 , i t fo u n d th e zamindars
disch arg ing j u d i c i a l fu n ctio n s w ithin t h e i r l o c a l i t i e s .
Holwell i s c o rre c t when he sa id ,
“The zemindar a c ts i n a double c a p a c ity , d i s t i n c t
and independent of each o th er, (with very few
exceptions) the one as superintendent and
c o l l e c t o r of your revenues, th e o th e r, as
judge of th e Court o f Cutcherry, a tr ib u n a l
c o n s titu te d foxj/nearing, try in g , and determ-
, in in g a l l m atters and th in g s , both c i v i l and
c rim in a l, wherein the n a tiv e s only, su b je c ts
o f th e Mugul, are concerned.1* 1
S tavorinus e n d o r s e d the view when he observed in every town
or v i l l a g e a zamindar
“who r u le s over the p lace, and p a rt of the
circum jacent country, ana s e t t l e s a l l d i f f ­
erences which a r is e between th e i n h a b i t a n t s . 11 2
The a d m in istra tiv e e n q u iries of th e East In d ia
Company in th e se v en tie s of the eig h teen th century unearthed
cogent evidence of the j u d i c i a l power of th e zamindars. The
re p o rt of th e Committee of C irc u it at Kasimbazar on August
3
1 5 , 1772 enumerated as many as e ig h t cadre of j u d i c i a l
o f f ic e s at Murshidabad, The c a p i t a l of th e subah. In i t s

1 . J.Z .H olw ell & F rien d s. In d ia T r a c ts T 1 2 0 ; See a lso

W .Bolts, C o n sid era tio n s. . . . . I . 8 O-B2 .
2 . J .S .S ta v o r in u s , Voyages to th e East I n d ie s . I , ^5»9.

3* F . C .C . K . . Aug. 1 5 , 17 7 2 , I - I I I ( i n o n e ), 118-122.
*+..The j u d i c i a l o f f ic e s were: th e Nazim, th e diwan. th e
d a r o g h a - i - a d a l a t - a l - a l i a , the d a ro g h a -i-a d a la t-d iw a n i.
‘the f a u j d a r . th e q a z i, th e muhtasib and th e m u fti. .
review of th e j u d i c i a l system, the Committee found:
11Another g rea t and c a p ita l defect in th e se Courts i s
th e want of a s u b s titu te , or subordinate j u r i s ­
d ic tio n fo r th e d i s t r i b u t i o n of j u s t i c e i n such
p a r ts of th e province as l i e out of t h e i r reach,
which in e f f e c t confines t h e i r o p eratio n s to a
c i r c l e ex&ending but a very small a is ta n c e
</di s ta n c e / beyond th e bounds of th e c i t y of
Murshidabad.........
This d e fe c t i s not however l e f t a b so lu te ly
w ithout a remedy, the Zemindars, F arm ers,...............
& o th er o f f i c e r s of th e revenue assuming th a t
power fo r which, no p rovision i s made by the
laws of th e lan d s, but which in whatever manner
i t i s ex ercised , i s p re fa ra b le to a t o t a l
anarchy . 11 1
2
The Seventh Report from the Committee of Secrecy,
however, contends th a t th e zamindars possessed ju d i c i a l
power of both c i v i l and crim inal denominations to a l l i n t e n t s
and purposes. To quote th e Seventh Report,
uThe Criminal Court, i n evei’y D i s t r i c t , was g en erally
known by th e name of th e Phousdary: The Zemindar,
or Rajah of th e D i s t r i c t , was th e Judge i n t h i s
co u rt: His j u r i s d i c t i o n extends to a l l crim inal
c a s e s ....................
The Court of C iv il j u r i s d i c t i o n , i n every D i s t r i c t ,
was g e n e ra lly known by th e name of th e Adawlat:
th e Zemindar, or Rajah of the Province, was the
Judge also i n t h i s Court: I t s j u r i s d i c t i o n
extended to a l l causes between p a rty and p a r t y . .........
. . . . . . . a l l causes resp ectin g th e revenue, or the
re n ts of the lan d s, were under the cognizance of a
p e c u lia r Court in every D i s t r i c t ; I t appears, th a t
form erly th e Zemindar or Rajah held th e a u th o rity
of t h i s ju d ic a tu re a lso ; but Mr.Sykes informed
your Committee, t h a t , f o r some years before the
a c q u is itio n of the Dewannee, t h i s j u r i s d i c t i o n of

1. P.C.p.,K., Aug. 15, 1772, I - I I I (in one), 120.

2. The Seventh R e p o r t . . . . . . May 6 , 1773? Report s . House of
Commons, IV, 32^.
 21*3

the Eemindar had gone in to d isu se, and had since

been exercised by the Naib Duan, appointed in
every D i s t r i c t by the p r in c ip a l Duan a t Moorshi-
dabad$ th a t t h i s o f f ic e r decided in a l l causes
of Revenue 5 but th a t appeal la y from h is
d e c isio n s to th e p rin c ip a l Duan. 11 1
This view of the Committee of Secrecy emanated from the
concept th a t j u d i c i a l powers of the zamindars had t h e i r
le g a l b a s is in th e fundamental r ig h ts under which the
zamindars acquired th e c o n tro l of th e land.
Now two observations are p e r tin e n t. In th e
f i r s t p lace, th e fin d in g s of th e Committee of C irc u it under­
l i n e s th e ,th e n ju d ic ia ry of th e subah and not th e one func­
tio n in g during th e vigorous ru le of th e Mughals. The
second concerns with the Report of th e Committee of Secrecy.
I t s con ten tio n th a t th e zamindars were th e sole judge-
m a g istra te of t h e i r l o c a l i t y does not attem pt t o imply th a t
a l l zamindars throughout th e Mughal period exercised such
an extensive j u d i c i a l a u th o rity .
The th re e C ouncillors - F ra n c is, Clavering and
Monson/upheld th e fin d in g s of th e Committee of Secrecy. They
maintained t h a t i n accordance with the C o n s titu tio n of
Bengal, th e zamindars presided over th e crim inal Courts
w ith in t h e i r j u r i s d i c t i o n s and pronounced and executed
sentences on a l l offences l e s s th an c a p i t a l . 2 But Hastings

1. The Seventh R eport.............. R ep o rtsx House of Commons

IV, 32b:
2. B.S.C. Oct. 18, 1775, R/A, 31.
questioned th e fin d in g s of th e Seventh Report on the n atu re
of th e j u d i c i a l a u th o rity of the zamindars. In h is r e b u tta l
H astings remarked “w ith confidence th a t by th e c o n s titu tio n
of Bengal th e zemindar n e ith e r presided i n th e crim inal
court of h is d i s t r i c t , nor pronounced nor executed sentence
on a l l offences whatever except the non-payment of the r e n ts
But the views of th e Committee of Secrecy and Hastings
though c o n tra d ic to ry are not ir r e c o n c ila b le . By th e term
2
‘ ancient c o n s titu tio n of Bengal*, the Committee of Secrecy
meant th e government in Bengal during the e a rly days of th e
Nizamat r u le . On the other hand, H astings d isp u ted the
co n ten tio n of the Committee of Secrecy envisaging the
p o s itio n of th e zamindars in a s e ttin g of strong c e n tra liz e d
Mughal r u le . He perhaps overlooked th e f a c t t h a t th e t i g h t
g rip of th e Mughals of the e a r l i e r period, was d e f i n i t e l y
slackened by the time Murshid Quli Khan had e s ta b lis h e d h is
de fa c to independent ru le i n Bengal. The j u d i c i a l machinery
along w ith o th er branches of the im perial ad m in istra tio n ,
had shown a tendency t o d e c e n tra liz e . The j u r i s d i c t i o n of
th e re g u la r c o u rts g radually shrank and was confined w ithin
tit—i ii m i w mm n T — T i m — n — rr ' I — 11 ' i ' ' ' i i n i— p— — .—

1. B.S.C. Oct. 1 8 , 1 7 7 5 , R/A, 31.

2. The Seventh R epo rt............. R eports. House of Commons.
IV , 32 ^.
th e bounds of th e p ro v in c ia l c a p ita l and im portant towns.
In th e l i g h t of th e se circum stances, th e re i s no r e a l reason
to conclude th a t th e j u d i c i a l power of th e zamindars, espec­
i a l l y th a t of th e major ones, remained lim ite d only to the
d isp e n sa tio n of p e tty cases. The extent of autonomy
enjoyed .by such zamindars, the existence of j a i l s , dungeons
1
and g ib b ets at t h e i r c a p i t a l towns, and the presence of the
2 3
qazis and p a n d i t s at t h e i r c o u rts suggest to th e co n trary .
With regard t o th e le g a l san ctio n behind the
ex ercise of j u d i c i a l powers by th e zamindars H astings raise d
the qu estion t h a t i f j u d i c i a l power was in h eren t i n th e landed
ten u re of the zamindars, th e procurement of a sp e c ia l sanad
from th e Nazim would have been unnecessary f o r the Raja of
Burdwan in order to e x e rc ise h is j u d i c i a l a u th o rity . We
are q u ite in - th e dark about the exact wordings of th e sanad
because of i t s n o n - a v a ila b ility , nor did Hastings, quote them.
The re p re s e n ta tio n of th e ra.1a and th e diwan of Burdwan
rev eal th a t th e a u th o rity of th e fa u jd a r ceased to operate in

1. J . West land , A Report on th e D i s t r i c t of J e s s o r e T 31 5 K.C.

M itra, "The T e r r i t o r i a l A ristocracy of Bengal - The
Rajas of R ajshahi", C^R. 1873, ^VI, 1 9 .
2. Bharatachahdra Raya, Bharatachandrer G ran th av ali, 1^+7.
3. VI.H.Moreland, The Agrarian System 158; B.B. Misra,
The C entral A d m inistration. . . . .22**.
k • H astin g s 1 Minute, B.S.C. Dec. 7, 1775, B/A, 32.
 2k6

Burdwan from th e year 1725, and th e ra.ia was authorized t o

assume th e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s of the fau.1dar in m atters of
revenue and crim in al a d m in istra tio n on th e payment of some
money.1 I t w ill be, however, erroneous to i n f e r from t h i s
th a t only thenceforward the a d m in istra tio n of c i v i l and crim­
i n a l j u s t i c e was tr a n s f e r r e d to th e ra.ia. The fa u jd a r had
l i t t l e j u d i c i a l r e s p o n s ib ility . 2 As th e head of the m ilita r y
and p o lic e a d m in istra tio n , he had to send th e apprehended
crim in a ls to th e kotwal or aazi or to th e fa u .id a ri-a d a la t
fo r t r i a l . In e x e rc isin g h is general supervisory power,
the f au.idar might s e t t l e some p e tty cases of q u a rre ls ,
i n s u l t s and abuses, but th e ta s k of in v e s tig a tin g th e serio u s
cases of crimes and pronouncing judgements re s te d on the
3
re g u la r fau.idari c o u rts , Hastings h im self admitted th a t
bhe fau.idar and f au,1dari-adalat ware 1t o t a l l y d i s t i n c t and
k
independent*.
I f th e withdrawal of the fau.idar1s c o n tro l
r e f l e c t e d th e gran tin g of j u d i c i a l power to th e zamindar,

1. B.R.C. May 29, 1775, **9/53 S B.R.C. Feb. 9, 1776, R*t-9/6o.

2. H .S s.Jarrett ( t r . ) , Ain I I *+Q~*KL$ B.M.Add.MSS.1 9 5 0 5 , 7a:
C^PvC. I I , 6 1 3 .
3. P.C.C.IC. Aug. 15, 1772, I - I I I (In one), 119; B.B.Misra,
The J u d ic ia l A d m in istratio n 55*
**. Hastings* Minute, B .S .C ., Dec. 7, 1775, R/A, 32.
th e Burdwan e s ta te was not th e only one enjoying t h i s
p r iv ile g e . 1 From the re p o rt of the n ai~b dlwan 2 we come
to le a r n t h a t th e nominal f a n ld a r i j u r i s d i c t i o n over the
Baikuhthapur zamindari was subsequently withdrawn fo r the
sake of economy. In r e tu rn f o r an annual payment of
R s. 1 0 ,0 0 0 to th e government, th e f a u jd a r *s a u th o rity was
3
revoked. The zamindars of Rangamati though paying revenue
t o th e Mughals were n e ith e r under th e f u l l c o n tro l of th e
k
fau.idar nor of th e Nazim.
Advocating th e r e te n tio n of th e e x is tin g j u d i c ia l
s tr u c tu r e i n th e countryside of Burdwan, V e re lst sa id ,
"as i t i s an e s ta b lis h e d custom i n a l l p a r ts of th e
country f o r th e Zemindar or head farmer of th e
lan d s to adm inister j u s t i c e in th e sev e ra l d i s t r i c t s
in a l l cases th a t are not of very g rea t importance,
he l e f t th e same to them . 11 5
By 11a l l p a r ts of th e country1*, V erelst did not c e r ta in ly
mean the D i s t r i c t of Burdwan, since he has used th e term
" in a l l p a r ts of th e province '1 to r e f e r to Burdwan in th e
6
same piece of inform ation.

1. H astings '1 Minute, B .S .C ., Dec. 7* 1775> R/A, 32.

2. ?.C.C.R.M.Dec. 17, 1770, I I , 8 *+.
3. Ibid.
>+* P.C.C.R.M. January 20, 1772, IX, 52.
5. B .P.C ., Sept. 28 , 1 7 6 7 , R l A l , 722.
6. Ib id .
 The zsunindars* e s s e n t i a l duty of c o ll e c t i o n of
r e n t s from t h e s u b o r d i n a t e t e n u r e h o l d e r s and r a i v a t s
r e q u i r e d some a d d i t i o n a l a u t h o r i t y t o d e a l w i t h t h e d e f a u l t i n g
r fliyatsj and t h e d i s p u t e s r e l a t i n g t o p r o p e r t y . The j u d i c i a l
power o f t h e r e v e n u e f a r m e r s t o p u n i s h t h e t e n a n t s f o r n o n ­
payment o f r e n t s o r f o r c i v i l and c r i m i n a l o f f e n c e s was n o t
w h o l l y a u s u r p a t i o n o f power by t h e z a m i n d a r s ; i t was
g r a n t e d p a r t l y by p r a c t i c a l n e c e s s i t y and e x p e d i e n c y . The
u s u a l z a m i n d a r i s a n a d i s s u e d t o a s u b s t a n t i a l z a m i n d a r a lw a y s
s t i p u l a t e d t o *'employ h i m s e l f d i l i g e n t l y i n e x p e l l i n g and
1
p u n i s h i n g t h e r e f r a c t o r y 11. And s u c h p r i n c i p l e e n s h r i n e d
i n th e sanad p erh ap s d id n o t n e c e s s i t a t e t h e procurem ent of
a s p e c i a l san a d f o r e x e r c i s i n g j u d i c i a l pow er. "Zem indars,
i t i s t r u e 11, F r a n c i s rem a rk ed w i t h p r e c i s i o n ,
"w ere o f f i c e r s and M a g i s t r a t e s , o b l i g e d by t h e i r
. sunnuds t o t h e perform ance of c e r t a i n c i v i l
d u t i e s ^ w h ich r e l i e v e d t h e P r i n c e i n t h e admin­
i s t r a t i o n o f h i s i n t e r n a l Government. But i t was
t h e p o s s e s s i o n o f l a n d e d p r o p e r t y w hich n a t u r a l l y
im posed t h o s e d u t i e s on t h e z e m i n d a r s , and i p s o
f a c t o made them t h e M a g i s t r a t e s o f t h e c o u n t r y .
T h e r e c o u l d n o t be a w i s e r p o l i c y , e i t h e r f o r
t h e P r i n c e t o whom t h e men o f p r o p e r t y were made
r e s p o n s i b l e , o r f o r t h e p e o p l e , who had j u s t i c e
b r o u g h t home t o th e m , and a d m i n i s t e r e d by men. who
had a s t a k e i n t h e c o u n t r y and a p e r m a n e n t i n t e r e s t
i n i t s p r o p e r t y . . . . . 11 2

1* Sanad t o R a j a Ramie a n t a , fro m J . S h o r e ’ s M i n u t e , A p r i l 1788

q u o t e d i n W . K . F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . 1 , x l v l i .
2 . P . F r a n c i s t o C.W.B.Rous J u n e 22, 17 76 , S .W e itz m a n , W a rren
H a s t i n g s and P h i l i p F r a n c i s T A p p ., 3^5*
 The a s s u m p t i o n o f j u d i c i a l power by t h e
z a m i n d a r s was i n g r a i n e d i n t h e t e r r i t o r i a l i n t e r e s t s o f t h e
zam indars as w e ll. T h e i r r o l e as j u d g e - m a g i s t r a t e s o f t h e i r
l o c a l i t y m ust h av e a c t e d a s a symbol o f s t a t u s , and i n s p i r e d
adm iration of t h e i r te n a n ts . The numerous z a m i n d a r i s t a f f -
r e v e n u e , r e v e n u e - c u m - p o l i c e , m i l i t a r y , and h o u s e h o l d em ployees
i n c l u d i n g t h e l a r g e number o f s l a v e s c o n s t i t u t e d a s i g n i ­
f i c a n t p o rtio n of th e p o p u latio n in a la r g e e s t a t e . To
commit them t o t h e j u d i c i a l a u t h o r i t y o u t s i d e t h e pOrview o f
t h e r e s p e c t i v e z a m i n d a r c o u l d u p s e t o r u n d e rm in e h i s
a u th o r ity over h is su b o rd in a te s. In f a c t , the ex e rcise of
j u d i c i a l power o v e r h i s s u b o r d i n a t e s u n d o u b t e d l y had a s a l u t a r y
e f f e c t on t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f d i s c i p l i n e w i t h i n t h e e s t a t e .
Hence t h e t r i a l o f c a s e s r e l a t i n g t o t h e i r own s t a f f became
th e p r e r o g a t i v e o f th e zam indars. F o r e x a m p le , G okul, t h e
majumdar ( t r e a s u r e r ) o f R a j a T r a i l o k y a C h a n d r a o f Burdwan,
was f o u n d g u i l t y o f s e q u e s t e r i n g huge sums fro m t h e r e v e n u e s
1
and, was d i s m i s s e d from h i s p o s t . S i n c e Gokul r e f u s e d t o
s e t t l e h i s a c c o u n t s and r e i m b u r s e t h e m i s a p p r o p r i a t e d am ount,
2
he was i m p r i s o n e d and t r e a t e d w i t h s e v e r i t y . The i m p o r t a n c e
of ad ju d icatin g cases of t h e f t , a d u l t e r y and o t h e r s o c i a l
m is d e m e a n o u rs by t h e l o c a l o f f i c e r s d i d n o t e s c a p e t h e n o t i c e

1 . R a j a f s R e p r e s e n t a t i o n * J a n . 19* 1 7 6 4 , J . L o n g , S e l e c t i o n s . . . .
...,7 1 1 .
2. I b i d .
o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r y H i g g i n s o n w r o t e from Birbhum i n 1772s
“W ith r e s p e c t t o t h e B aze e Jumma o r p e t t y t r i a l
f o r t h e f t s , a d u l t e r y and o t h e r v i c e s - t h e y were
form erly a d ju sted i n th e sev e ral D i s t r i c t s - b y th e
. o f f i c e r s o f t h e c o u n t r y Governm ent, t h e f i n e s f o r
w h ic h s e r v e d n o t o n l y f o r t h e s u p p o r t o f t h e i r
power b u t k e p t t h e common p e o p l e i n awe o f t h e s e
o f f i c e r s and t e n d e d t o t h e q u i e t o f t h e i n h a b i t a n t s ,
w h e r e a s t h e y w i l l now be u n d e r n o o t h e r c h e c k t h a n
t h e f e a r o f c o r p o r a l p u n i s h m e n t , w h ic h i s n o t a t
p r e s e n t a u t h o r i z e d i n t h e M o f u s s i l and w i l l be
a t t e n d e d w i t h c o n s i d e r a b l e t r o u b l e and i n c o n v e n i e n c e
t o be e x e c u t e d a t t h e Gudder c u t c h e r r y . 11
The m o n e t a r y g a i n m ig h t a l s o h a v e s t e e r e d t h e
zam indars t o a s s e r t th em selv es a s - t h e ju d g e - m a g is tr a te s
of th e ir lo c a lity . The r e p o r t s o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r s and t h e
C o u n c i l s a l l o v e r t h e c o u n t r y t e s t i f y t h a t t h e mode o f
com prom ise o f a l m o s t a l l c i v i l and c r i m i n a l c a s e s o f f i n e s
was a f e a t u r e o f t h e j u d i c i a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h a t p e r i o d .
The f i n e s imposed i n t h e c r i m i n a l c o u r t s o f t h e z a m in d a r
was r e g a r d e d t o b e a ‘ p e r q u i s i t e o f t h e z a m i n d a r h i m s e l f by
2
v ir tu e of h is ten u re of th e lan d s* . A p o r t i o n o f what was
re c o v e re d i n s e t t l i n g a c i v i l s u i t belonged t o t h e zam indar.
T h i s c u s t o m a r y p e r q u i s i t e was c a l l e d c h a u t h , b e i n g t h e f o u r t h
p a r t o f e v e r y t h i n g recovered.^ i n such c irc u m s ta n c e s i t i s

1 . A .H i g g i n s o n t o C . C . B . M . , May 6 , 1 77 2, P .C .C .R .M . May 11,

1 7 7 2 , X I, 2 k .
2 . G . G .D u c a r e l t o R .B e c h e r Dec. 3 , 1 77 0, P .C .C .R .M . Dec. 1 3 ,
1 7 7 0 , I I , 6 6 - 6 7 5 The S e v e n t h R e p o r t . . . . . . R e p o r t s . House
o f Commons. I V T 32*+; H.M.S. 352, 9*
3 . C.W.B.Rous t o C^C.R.Mc A p r i l 1 6 , 1 7 7 2 , ?.C.C«R«M. A p r i l 2 3,
17 72 , X , 2 2 8 - 2 2 9 ; 3 5 2 , 2 3 , ^ 1 ; P . C . C .K . Aug.1 5 , 1772,
I - I I I (xn o n e ) , 1 2 1 .
e a s y t o com prehend t h e f i n a n c i a l l o s s o f t h e z a m i n d a r i f
c a s e s were p l a c e d b e f o r e t h e qa z i o r t h e t h a n a d a r . B esides,
t h e z a m i n d a r s were o b l i g e d t o r e p a i r t h e l o s s e s s u f f e r e d by
1
t h e f t or robbery w ith in t h e i r j u r i s d i c t i o n s . To l e t t h e
c o m p l a i n t s o f r o b b e r y and t h e f t p a s s t o t h e t h a n a d a r meant
t o s h o u l d e r t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f r e p a i r i n g t h e l o s s by t h e
r e s p e c t i v e zam indar. On t h e f a c e o f i t , t h e zam indars
found i t ex p ed ien t t o e n t e r t a i n th e co m p lain ts a t t h e i r
c u t c h e r r i e s and d e l a y t h e i r d i s p e n s a t i o n o r h u s h them up.
Such f i n a n c i a l i n t e r e s t s p e r h a p s p ro m p te d t h e
z a m i n d a r s t o p r e v e n t t h e governm ent a p p o i n t e d q a z i s from
a s s u m in g t h e i r o f f i c i a l p o s i t i o n o r d i s c h a r g i n g t h e i r d u t i e s
2
w ithout h in d ran ce. The c o m p l a i n t s o f t h e q a z i s and n a i b q a z i s
d e m o n s t r a t e t h a t even i n r e l i g i o u s m a t t e r s o f t h e M uslims i n
w h ic h t h e c o g n i z a n c e o f t h e q a z i s was a b s o l u t e , t h e z a m i n d a r s
e n c r o a c h e d upon them . Though i t was a f a c t t h a t t h e q a z i s
were e x a c t i n g a s much a s t h e y c o u l d fro m t h e i r c l i e n t s , ^ t h e
zam indars1 a s s e r t i o n as th e ju d g e -m a g is tra te s of t h e i r l o c a l i t y
had s o m e th in g t o do w i t h s u c h c o n f l i c t s . The n a i b q a z i o f
ij,
K halifabad a lle g e d t h a t th e o f f i c e r s of th e zam ind aris of th e

1 . V id e S u p r a , 191-192.

2 . P .C .C .R .M . J a n u a r y 2 0 , 1 77 2, IX, 6 l s P .C .C .R .M . Feb. 1772

IX ,2 2 ^ ; G .P .G . I I , 312.
3 . C.W.B.Rous t o R . B e c h e r , J a n . 2 1 , 1770, L.C ..B .S .R . . 3-1+;
P.C .C .R .M . F e b . 2 k , 1 7 7 2 , IX , 22l+.
*+. S i t u a t e d i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e .
 252

1 2 - anna parganah o f J e s s o r e , and th o se o f th e parganahs

dependent upon Kishennagar g r e a tly impeded th e r e s o lu tio n

o f a l l r e lig io u s c a s e s , and th e c o lle c t io n o f th e e sta b lish e d
rasum or dues o f th e q a z i Such a c t i v i t i e s of the zamindars
p
continued as l a t e as th e year 1 7 9 2 .
The zamindars 1 j u d ic ia l a u th o rity may he studied
from another a n g le. Of the f i f t e e n la r g e r zamindars during
3
the tim e o f Nawab Shujauddin (1727-1739)) only one was Muslim.
The t o t a l number o f Muslim zamindars throughout the period
under review , was l e s s than th a t o f t h e ir Hindu cou n terp art.
If
The m ajority o f th e peasantry on th e other hand were Muslims.
Under the Mughal j u d ic ia l system , q a z is were appointed in
th e v i l l a g e s w ith Muslim p op u lation . I t was probably
intended th a t the p e tty problems o f th e Hindus of th e ru ra l
area should be reso lv ed by th e v i l l a g e i n s t i t u t i o n s . S in ce
Q u ra n ic l a w s which served as guidance to th e Mughal judges
were n ot s p e c if ic and illu m in a tiv e in s u it s in v o lv in g non-
Muslims, the customs and usages of the country had t o be
.

1., P.C.C.R»M» « J a n . 2 0 , 1772, IX, 6 l .

2. W .B.D.R.. Burdwan? 214.
3 . J.G rant, H is to r ic a l and Comparative A n a ly sis, W.K.
F i r m i n g e r ( e d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t . . . . . I I , 1 9 4 -1 9 8 .
4* g.B.A .D .G . Bogra. 124; A. F. S. Ahmed, B o cia l Ideas__and
S o c ia l Changes in B engal? 19*
 253

I
t a k e n i n t o ac co u n t i n d e c id in g such c a s e s . B ut,
(,t h e r u l e s d e r i v e d from t h e s e s o u r c e s were i n
g e n e r a l v e r y l o o s e and u n c e r t a i n ; and t h e
n e c e s s a r y consequences of so im p e rfe c t a
s y s te m o f l a w , r e n d e r e d t h e e x e r c i s e o f
c r i m i n a l and c i v i l j u d i c a t u r e i n B e n g a l , i n
a g r e a t m e a s u r e d i s c r e t i o n a r y * 1. 2
M o re o v e r, u n d e r t h e Mughal j u d i c i a l s y s te m t h e r e was no
h a r d and f a s t r u l e w h ich bound t h e H in d u s t o r e p a i r a lw a y s t o
the re g u la r c o u r ts . The m a g i s t r a t e was n o t a u t h o r i z e d t o
i n t e r f e r e i f t h e H in d u s c o u l d r e s o l v e t h e i r c a s e s w i t h o u t
appearing b e fo re th e c o u r t.^ D u r i n g t h e Mughal r u l e j u s t i c e
w as, i n r e a l i t y , made a v a i l a b l e t o a l l s e c t i o n s o f t h e p e o p l e
"by two d i s t i n c t t y p e s o f t r i b u n a l s : t h e one
u n d e r t h e Q a z i s a d m i n i s t e r i n g t h e la w o f t h e
Q uran, and t h e o t h e r u n d e r t h e o f f i c e r s o f
Government e x e r c i s i n g d i s c r e t i o n a r y a u t h o r i t y
i n m a t t e i ’s n o t c o v e r e d by t h e c a n o n law.** if-
A g a i n s t s u c h a b a c k g ro u n d i t i s t e m p t i n g t o a s c r i b e t o t h e
z a m i n d a r s t h e a u t h o r i t y o f j u d g e - m a g i s t r a t e o v e r t h e H indu
s u b j e c t s i f n o t o v e r t h e Muslims o f t h e i r j u r i s d i c t i o n s . T his
p r o p o s i t i o n seems most r e a s o n a b l e and n a t u r a l f o r t h e e i g h t ­
e e n t h c e n t u r y B e n g a l when t h e c e n t r a l i z e d power o f t h e l a r g e r •f

1 . The S e v e n t h R e p o r t . . . . . R e p o r t s . House o f Commons. IV, $ 2 ki

R e z a K h a n 's N o t e , F e b . 1775, F r a n c i s MSS. B u r. E . 2 8 , 3 5 0 ;
R.Orme, H i s t o r i c a l F ra g m e n ts o f t h e Mughal E m p ire. *+51.
f f— i***Tt***!*— H* * " - r — i t —— r— r i ' T ' m i H t f f T * ! —i r r ^ ,ririrrrinTfi!T"TnTiiwiri'i*|wn'ii.yiy< m n« i»i wlwmnTi ln.n n . n u / r

2. The S e v e n t h R e p o r t R e p o r t s , House o f CommonsT IV,

32**; S ee a l s o I . H a s a n , The C e n t r a l S t r u c t u r e , 309.
3* P . C . C . R . M . , May k , 1 7 7 2 , X, 2 6 7 - 2 6 8 5 C . H a m i l t o n , The
H e d a y a . I , XIV.
W B . B . M i s r a , The J u d i c i a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n 51.
z a m i n d a r s had u n d o u b t e d l y a p p r o p r i a t e d much o f t h e power
a n d i n f l u e n c e o f t h e v i l l a g e i n s t i t u t i o n s o f t h e p re -M u g h a l
days.
The o f f i c i a l c o r r e s p o n d e n c e o f t h e e a r l y B r i t i s h
p e r i o d a l s o l e n d s u p p o r t t o t h i s v ie w . Two l e t t e r s from Rous
v i v i d l y g l i m p s e i n t o two s e t s o f j u d i c a t u r e t h e n f u n c t i o n i n g
s im u lta n e o u sly i n th e t e r r i t o r i e s o f t h e R ajsh ah i R aja.
The Muslim r a i y a t s w ere t r i e d by t h e q a z i s , who were e x e r c i s i n g
e x t e n s i v e j u d i c i a l p ow ers and e x a c t i n g i l l e g a l t a x e s and f i n e s
1
fro m t h e r a i y a t s . In th e o th e r set of ju d ic a tu r e , th e re
was no i n s t i t u t i o n o f B rahm ins f o r a d m i n i s t e r i n g J u s t i c e
<2
among t h e H i n d u s . T h e i r d i s p u t e s were d e c i d e d a t t h e
3
zam indari c u t c h e r r i e s .
On t h e s t r e n g t h o f s u c h i n f o r m a t i o n one c o u ld
be i n c l i n e d t o i n f e r t h a t t h e Muslim pra.i a s u n d e r t h e Hindu
z a m i n d a r s would go t o t h e q a z i i f h e was n e a r a t h a n d . There
was an a p p r e h e n s i o n t h a t t h e Hindu z a m in d a r o r h i s ami a m ight
n o t a lw a y s be i m p a r t i a l . M oreov er, t h e Muslim p r a j a s c o u l d

1.C .W.B.Rous t o R . B e c h e r , J a n . 2 1 , 1 7 7 0 , L . C . B . S . R . , 3 - 5 .
The r e c o r d s o f t h e D e c e n n i a l S e t t l e m e n t d e m o n s t r a t e
t h a t t h e a u t h o r i t y o f t h e q a z i was i n f o r c e i n some
z a m i n d a r i s o f R ang pu r D i s t f T c t 1 t i l l 1790. The Muslim
s u b j e c t s and c l i e n t s were c h a r g e d w i t h a f e e c a l l e d
q a z i a n a ( B.D. R . T Rangpur I , 3 2 ) .
2 . P .C .C .R .M . A p r i l 2 3 , 17 7 2, X, 229.
3*I£ld.
^ • B ^ D X ^ a i s h a h i , 125.
g e t fro m t h e j j a z i t h e s o l u t i o n o f a l l t h e i r s o c i o - r e l i g i o u s
problem s. T h i s c o u l d n o t be e x p e c t e d from t h e z a m i n d a r i
1
n a i b o r d iw a n o f t h e d i f f e r e n t c r e e d .
The l a r g e r z a m i n d a r s 1 p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t h e admin­
i s t r a t i o n o f c i v i l and c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e d i d n o t o b l i t e r a t e
th e sh are of j u d i c i a l a u t h o r i t y of th e p e t t y zam indars. The
c h a u d h u rist o r o a r g a n a h headmen who were s i m u l t a n e o u s l y s m a l l
2
z a m i n d a r s i n most c a s e s , e x e r c i s e d some p ow ers i n t h e
ordinary d e t a i l s of ju s t ic e w ith in t h e i r p re c in c ts . Compl­
a i n t s a b o u t d e b t s , t h e f t s , p e t t y q u a r r e l s were l o d g e d t o
them . I n d e a l i n g w i t h s u c h c a s e s t h e y had t h e a u t h o r i t y
t o im pose j a r ymana ( p a l t r y f i n e s ) . 11* From t h e sanad o f
Emperor Shah Alam I I c o n f i r m i n g K i s s e n s i n g h t o t h e o f f i c e o f
5
chaudhuri o f narganah H o g h la,y i t t r a n s p i r e s t h a t th e
s m a l l e r z a m i n d a r s t o o were e x p e c t e d t o d i s c h a r g e - s o m e m a g i-
s t a r i a l d u t i e s such as punish in g th e e v i l - d o e r s . 6 K issensingh

1 . The z a m i n d a r i s t a f f su ch a s n a i b s , d i w a n s , gu m a s h ta s e t c .
w ere m o s t l y H in d u s not. o n l y i n t h e H i n d u ~ z a m i n d a r i s b u t
a l s o i n t h e Muslim z a m i n d a r i s .
2. N . K . S i n h a , The Economi c H i s t o r y I I , 32$ I . H a b i b , The
A g r a r i a n S y ste m 29, 17*+; B . R . G r o v e r , “N a t u r e o f Land
R i g h t s i n Mughal I n d i a " , I . E . S . H . R » T 1 9 ° 3 , I , I 1*.
3. G . V . P . , Dep. b . 6 9 , 120-121$. W.H. Morel and , "The P a r g a n a
Headman (ChaudhyfrfO i n t h e Mo.gha£l E m p i r e " , J . R . A . S . .
1 938, 518. '
*+,. G . V . P . , D e p . b . 6 9 , 1 2 1 ; N . K . S i n h a , The Economic H i s t o r y II,
5 . In s a r k a r K h a lifa b a lS a d -
6 . B.M.Add. MSS.19505, 1 0 a .
was a z a m i n d a r i s e s t a b l i s h e d by a u t h e n t i c r e f e r e n c e s . 'Even
i f t h e c o n t e n t i o n t h a t a l l c h a u d h u r i s were z a m i n d a r s i s
d i s p u t e d , t h e f a c t r e m a i n s t h a t a g r e a t many o f them were
z a m i n d a r s and t h e y e x e r c i s e d j u d i c i a l pow ers i n d e a l i n g
w ith p e t t y c a se s in th e c a p a c ity of ch au d h u ris i f not as
p e t t y zam indars. The t a l u k d a r s who, a s s u b o r d i n a t e t e n u r e -
h o l d e r s came u n d e r t h e domain o f t h e z a m i n d a r s 1 j u d i c i a l
a u t h o r i t y , w ere a l s o fo u n d t o e x e r c i s e j u d i c i a l power r e l a t i n g
t o p r o p e r t y d i s p u t e s , and even c r i m i n a l s u i t s . L im ited as
t h e i r i n f l u e n c e and means w e r e , t h e s m a l l e r zam indars*
j u r i s d i c t i o n s m ig h t h a v e b e e n c o n f i n e d t o t h e a d j u d i c a t i o n
o f p e t t y c a s e s and t o t h e i n f l i c t i o n o f f i n e s o r c o r p o r a l
punishm ents. Having no p e n a l e s t a b l i s h m e n t s , t h e y would
r e f e r t o t h e n e a r b y t h an ad a r o r t h e q a z i , t h e s e r i o u s c a s e s
m e r i t i n g c o n f i n e m e n t o r c a p i t a l p u n ish m en ts..

1 . J . G r a n t , i n E n q u i r y i n t o t h e N a t u r e o f Z em in dary T e n u r e s . . .
. . . . . 81 91
- *

2. R . B e c h e r t o J . G r o s e , May 2 5 , 1770, I , 128.

3 . N . A . S i d d i q i , Land Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n 2*+.
From t h e a c c o u n t s o f t h e Mi r a t - i - A h m a d i i t a p p e a r s t h a t
i n t h e su b a h o f Gujcrat d u r i n g t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y ,
t h e l e s s e r z a m i n d a r s o c c u p y in g a p a r g a n a h o r so were
under th e d i r e c t a d m in is tra tiv e c o n tro l of th e
Nazim t h r o u g h t h e f a u j d a r , q a z i , wateai - n i g a r and
' f t e s a i (M .F.Loldiandwala r • ) ^ M ir a ^ , S u p p l e m e n t ,.)
200- 201, , 210- 211, 21k9 233 ).
 The f a u j d a r , k o t w a l , t h a n a d a r , q a z i, m u fti, am il,
s h l k d a r , qanungo a l l p a r t i c i p a t e d d i r e c t l y o r i n d i r e c t l y i n
t h e c r i m i n a l and c i v i l j u s t i c e . The number o f c a s e s r e f e r r e d
t o t h e t h a n a d a r , k o t w a l o r q a z i was d e f i n i t e l y p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y
h i g h e r i n t h e hey d a y o f t h e Mughal r u l e . D esp ite the c r i s i s
i n t h e Mughal a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t h e 1 r u l e o f j u s t i c e * i n Bengal
was n o t d e s t r o y e d a l t o g e t h e r . The Nawabs t o o k up t h e m a n t l e
o f t h e Mughal r u l e r s and u p h e l d t h e v i g o u r o f t h e Mughal
1
despotism . The s u b s e q u e n t w eakness o f t h e Nawabs, h o w ev e r,
upset th e b a l a n c e o f power i n t h e s u b a h . C orruption
c o r r o d e d t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e m a c h i n e r y s o much so t h a t " a t
l a s t t h e o f f i c e o f Cazy o r J u d g e , and t h e n o f S a d r o r o f
2
G r e a t A lm oner, w i t h many o t h e r M a g i s t r a t u r e s , came t o be
p u t up p u b l i c l y t o s a l e ; so t h a t t h e p e o p l e s k i l l e d i n l a w ,
and i n m a t t e r s o f d i s t r i b u t i v e j u s t i c e , e n t i r e l y disappeared
fro m t h e l a n d ; n o r was a n y t h i n g e l s e t h o u g h t o f , b u t how
3
t o b r i n g money t o hand by any means w h a t e v e r . " The qa z i s
a f t e r re c e iv in g t h e i r fe e s did not h e s i t a t e "to tu rn r ig h t
k
i n t o wrong, and i n j u s t i c e i n t o j u s t i c e . " The o f f i c e o f t h e

1 . R .G uha, A R u l e o f P r o p e r t y f o r B e n g a l , 31.
2* A c h i e f j u d g e . He had t h e s p e c i a l d u t y o f i n v e s t i g a t i n g
t h e e a s e s o f a l l t h o s e who a p p l i e d f o r g r a n t s o f c h a r i t y
lan d s.
3 . H a j i M ustafa ( t r . ) , S e i r I I I , 160.
k . I b i d . , 166; S ee a l s o A.Karim , M u rshid Q/ull Khan 71*
n a i b - q a z i was a l s o o f l i t t l e b e n e f i t t o t h e p e o p l e . The
— - !
C om m ittee o f C i r c u i t r e c o r d e d i n 1772s
. “The C a z z e e h a s a l s o h i s s u b s t i t u t e s i n t h e
D i s t r i c t s , b u t t h e i r l e g a l powers a r e t o o
l i m i t e d t o be o f g e n e r a l u s e , and t h e power
w h ic h t h e y assume b e i n g w a r r a n t e d by no
l a w f u l c o m m issio n ; b u t d e p e n d i n g on t h e i r
own p l e a s u r e , o r t h e a b i l i t y o f t h e p e o p l e
t o c o n t e s t th e m , i s a l s o an a p p r e s s i o n . “
The d e c l i n e o f t h e i m p e r i a l a u t h o r i t y e n c o u r a g e d e v e ry o n e
h a v i n g some a u t h o r i t y a t h a n d s t o u s u r p t h e j u d i c i a l power.
I n 1 6 9 9 an a t t e m p t o f t h e f a u M a r o f H u g l i , t o p o s t one
q a z i f o r a d m i n i s t e r i n g j u s t i c e among t h e n a t i v e p o p u l a t i o n
o f t h e C a l c u t t a z a m i n d a r i was t h w a r t e d by t h e s e r v a n t s o f
t h e Company. T hey managed t o b r i b e S u b a h d a r Azim~u sh ~ s h an
2
t o abandon t h e m e a s u r e . S i n c e t h e n no f u r t h e r e n d e a v o u r
was made i n t h i s d i r e c t i o n by t h e Nawabs o f Bengal* There
a r e i n s t a n c e s t h a t even t h e g u m a s h ta s o f t h e Company s e n t
o u t f o r b u y i n g and s e l l i n g g o o d s , a c t e d a s j u d g e s . A letter
3
fro m S u r g e a n t B re g o t o t h e G ov ern or r e a d :
“B e f o r e j u s t i c e was g i v e n i n t h e p u b l i c c u t e h e r r e e ,
. b u t now e v e r y g o m a sta h i s become a j u d g e , and
e v e r y o n e* s h o u s e a c u t e h e r r e e , t h e y even p a s s
s e n t e n c e s on t h e Z e m in d a rs t h e m s e l v e s , and draw
money fr o m them by p r e t e n d e d i n j u r i e s . . . . . 11

1 . P .C . C .K . . Aug. 1 5 , 1 7 7 2 , I - I I I ( i n o ne), 121.

2 . R.Orme, A H i s t o r y o f t h e M i l i t a r y T r a n s a c t i o n s . . * . I I ,
Book V I, 1 7 - 1 8 ; See a l s o L e t t e r t o C o u r t , J a n . 8 , 1702,
q u o t e d i n C . R . W i l s o n , Old F o r t W i l l i a m i n B e n g a l I,*+9-?0.
3. Quoted i n I l . V a n s i t t a r t , A N a r r a t i v e o f t h e T r a n s a c t i o n s . . .
...I I , Ilk.
 259

The F r e n c h and D u t c h Companies t o o were f o u n d e x e r c i s i n g

j u d i c i a l powers. S uch i n f r i n g e m e n t s o f j u d i c i a l a u t h o r i t y
by t h e E u r o p e a n Companys1 g u m a s h t a s , s e p o y s , h a r k a r a h s and
a l s o hy t h e p r i v a t e m e r c h a n t s compounded t h e c h a o t i c s i t u a t i o n
a n d . s u b j e c t e d t h e common p e o p l e , p e a s a n t s and t r a d e r s t o
unchecked o p p r e s s io n . The p e r v e r s e c o n d i t i o n l e d t h e
s u b j e c t s more and more t o t u r n f o r j u s t i c e t o t h e h e r e d i t a r y
z a m i n d a r s , who had some v e s t e d i n t e r e s t s i n t h e i r r a i y a t s .
Thus b a c k e d by t h e c u sto m and u s a g e o f t h e
c o u n t r y , demanded by n e c e s s i t y , t h e de f a c t o p o s i t i o n o f t h e
zam indars as ju d g e - m a g is tr a te s of t h e i r l o c a l i t y to o k th e
c o l o u r o f de j u r e p o s i t i o n by t h e y e a r 1 7 6 5 . T his gradual
t r a n s f o r m a t i o n made i t d i f f i c u l t f o r many t o d i s t i n g u i s h
b e t w e e n t h e d e f a c t o and de j u r e p o s i t i o n s .
The a b s e n c e o f u n i f o r m i t y c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e
j u d i c i a l s t r u c t u r e of th e i n t e r i o r o f t h e subah o f B engal.
The t y p e s o f l o c a l c o u r t s f u n c t i o n i n g i n t h e Burdwan z a m i n d a r i
w ere n o t a n a l o g o u s t o t h o s e o f t h e J u n g l e t e r r y d i s t r i c t . The
s t a t e o f j u d i c a t u r e i n t h e i s l a n d o f Sandwip o f f e r e d a
c o n t r a s t to t h a t of t h e r e s t of B engal.

1 . Secret l e t t e r t o C o u r t , N o v .1 0 , 1773? F r e n c h R e c o r d s ,
R I / I , IV, 5 - 6 .
2 . C l i v e t o A .B isd am , O c t . 2 9 , 1757* D u t c h R e c o r d s , V II I*
3 . R e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e Nawab, S . C .C . J a n * 2 91 7 6 k 9 R/A, 5;
S . C . C . A p r i l 30 & May 3 , 176*+, R/A, 5$ S . C . C . A u g . l 6 ,
1 7 6 9 , R/A, 9.
 I n t h e p rim e z a m i n d a r i e s t a t e o f Burdwan an
e l a b o r a t e j u d i c i a r y c o u ld be t r a c e d i n t h e s i x t i e s o f t h e
e ig h te e n th cen tu ry . As many as e i g h t c o u r t s were f u n c t i o n i n g
1
th ere:
(1 ) The s a d a r - c u t c h e r r y r e c e i v e d l a n d - r e n t s and r e v e n u e s ,
a d j u s t e d a l l a c c o u n t s r e l a t i n g t o them, c o n f ir m e d a l l s a l e s
and p u r c h a s e s o f l a n d and p r o p e r t y u n d e r i t s ju risd ictio n
and s e t t l e d a l l d i s p u t e s b e tw e e n t h e z a m i n d a r and t h e t e n a n t .
(2 ) The a m in -d a f t a r a c t e d as a s o r t o f l o w e r c o u r t u n d e r
bhe s ad a r ~c u t c he r r y . I t e n te r ta in e d co m p lain ts concerning
r e v e n u e m a t t e r s and t h e c o n d u c t o f t h e r e v e n u e c o l l e c t o r s ,
and t r a n s m i t t e d t h o s e t o t h e s ad a r - c u t c h e r r y f o r d e c i s i o n s .
(3 ) t h e f a u j d a r i c o u r t was c o n c e rn e d w i t h t h e c r i m i n a l
m atters in clu d in g c a p ita l offences.
(h) The b a z i - j a m a - d a f t a r u s e d t o t a k e c o g n i z a n c e of a d u l t e r i e s ,
a b o r t i o n s and t h e l i k e o f f e n c e s a f f e c t i n g t h e p e a c e and
happiness of p r iv a te f a m ilie s . T h i s c o u r t had a v a r i e t y of
a d m in istra tiv e fu n ctio n s.
(5) The b u r r a h - a d a l a t was i n c h a r g e of d i s p e n s i n g c i v i l s u i t s
i n v o l v i n g an amount above H s . 5 0 .

1 . H. V e r e l s t , A View o f t h e R i s e and P r o g r e s s . . . . . . . App. 2 1 9 -2 2 0

V e r e l s t m e n tio n e d a n o t h e r c o u r t f u n c t i o n i n g i n Burdwan,
i . e . , t h e b a k h s h i ~ d a f t a r w h ich , p r o p e r l y s p e a k i n g ,
was more c o n c e r n e d w i t h t h e g e n e r a l s u p e r v i s i o n of
p o l i c e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n and e n f o r c e m e n t o f law and o r d e r .
 261

(6) The c h o o t a h - a d a l a t u s e d t o d i s p o s e o f s u i t s f o r d e b t s
n o t exceeding R s.5 0 .
^7) The b az i - z a m i n - d a f t a r was i n c h a r g e o f t a k i n g c o g n i z a n c e
o f a l l d i f f e r e n c e s r e l a t i n g t o c h a r i t y l a n d s and o t h e r
pu b lic supports.
($) The R h a r i j - d a f t a r e x e r c i s e d an a r b i t r a t i o n j u r i s d i c t i o n
o f c o m p e l l i n g a l a n d h o l d e r t o compromise w i t h t h e d e b t o r i n
case th e l a t t e r f a ile d to c le a r h is dues.
Such e l a b o r a t e j u d i c i a r y w h ich s u f f i c e d t h e
c a u s e o f c i v i l and c r i m i n a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e r u r a l
a r e a s , p r o b a b l y was n o t t y p i c a l o f a l l z a m i n d a r i s . However,
i t c a n s a f e l y be presum ed t h a t i n e a c h o f t h e m a jo r e s t a t e s
t h e r e was a r e g u l a r h i e r a r c h y o f c o u r t s c o m p a r a b le t o a ' c o u r t
of f i r s t in sta n c e , a J u d g e and t h e High C o u r t ' . ^ P etty
d i s p u t e s r e g a r d i n g p r o p e r t y and o t h e r c i v i l and c r i m i n a l
c a u s e s u s e d t o be s e t t l e d a t t h e v i l l a g e l e v e l by t h e ma n d a l ?
panehayat or th e s a i l s . The m and als or p aram a n i k s
" a r e t h e p r i n c i p a l men i n any l o c a l i t y who a r e l o o k e d
up t o by t h e i n f e r i o r r y o t s t o a d v i s e i n and s e t t l e
m a t t e r s o f l o c a l i n t e r e s t , from k i l l i n g a t h i e f who
has been caught i n th e a c t , to th e ad ju stm en t of every
t r i v i a l c a s te q u estio n ." 2
The s u i t s w hich c o u l d n o t be r e s o l v e d e a s i l y came b e f o r e t h e

1° G. t s h a h i , 125; VI.H.Nelson, F i n a l R e p o r t on t h e
S u r v e y and SetiETement O p e r a t i o n s i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f

2. E . G . G l a z i e r , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f R a n g p u r . I , 3^?
See a l s o , B.M.Add.MSS. 2 9 , 0 8 5 7 * 3 a.
zam in d ari c u tc h e r r y a t t h e p arg anah. The n a i b s t a t i o n e d
a t t h e c u t c h e r r y d i s p o s e d o f p e t t y r e v e n u e , c i v i l and
crim in al s u i t s . To s e t t l e t h e p e t t y l a n d d i s p u t e s l o c a l l y ,
2
amins w i t h c o n t i n g e n t s w ere s e n t . The c o m p l i c a t e d c a s e s
were r e f e r r e d t o t h e d iw an o f t h e c e n t r a l c u t c h e r r y a t
3
th e zam indari h e a d q u a rte rs .
A
The d iw a n d i s p e n s e d w i t h
M a a J S M i i i E ii i ) A

l a n d d i s p u t e s e x a m i n i n g t h e r e l e v a n t s a n a d s and o t h e r
docum ents. H i s f i n d i n g s and ju d g e m e n t b o r e h i s s i g n a t u r e . **
I n t h e N a d i a z a m i n d a r i , t h e s e r i o u s c r i m i n a l c a s e s were
d e c i d e d by t h e f a u . i d a r o f t h e r a j a w i t h t h e r i g h t o f a p p e a l
to the l a t t e r . ^ The p a n d i t s and t h e q a z i s a p p o i n t e d a t t h e
c o u r t s o f t h e r a j a s , a d v i s e d i n m a t t e r s o f t h e H in d u , and
Muslim r e l i g i o u s p r e c e p t s .
B e s i d e s s u c h w o rk in g o f t h e j u d i c i a r y , t h e
e x i s t e n c e o f an i n f e r i o r c o u r t o f c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e i . e . ,
b a z l - . i a m a . c a n b e t r a c e d i n some e s t a t e s a s was fo u n d i n
Burdwan. T h e f t , m u r d e r , a d u l t e r y and o t h e r c r i m e s more

1 . P . S a r a n , The P r o v i n c i a l G overnm ent 239; N . K . S i n h a ( e d . )

The H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l , 84—85; A r c y d a e , "The B e n g a l Zem indar
and. R y o t " , The B e n g a l M a g a z i n e . 1873? TT? 3*
2. E . G . G l a z i e r , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t of, R an g p u r I , 97*
3 . The C a l c u t t a M o n th ly R e g i s t e r , J a n . 1791 q u o t e d i n "The
C h r o n i c l e o f K r i s h n a g h u r " , C.R. 1855> XXV, l l ^ .
J u d g e m e n t R e p o r t , K .R ay a , K s h i t i s a v a m s a . v a l i c h a r i t a T 2 2 5 -2 2 7
j. "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l - T h e N a d i a R a j " ,
C.R. 1 8 7 2 , LV, 1 11 .
6 . B h a r a t a c h a n d r a R a y a , B h a r a t a c h a n d r e r G r a n t h a v a l i ? 1^7*
im m ediately c o n c e r n i n g t h e p e a c e and h a p p i n e s s o f t h e p e o p l e
came b e f o r e th e cognizance of such c o u r t . 1 D ucarelw rote
’ 2
from P u r n e a :
" T h e r e were a p a r t i c u l a r s e t o f p e o p l e whose
p r o f e s s i o n was t h e d i s c o v e r y o f w i t c h c r a f t
(th is was c a l l e d t h e Gunni M e h a l) . T h e s e
a c c u s a tio n s i n o th e r c o u n t r i e s are w holly
c o n f i n e d t o t h e o l d and i m p o t e n t ; her©
t h e y f e l l g e n e r a l l y on t h e r i c h and s u b ­
s t a n t i a l , . T h e r e were a l s o o t h e r s , p a r t i c u ­
l a r l y women, who l i v e d by t h e d i s c o v e r y o f
f o r n i c a t i o n and a d u l t e r y , and t h e s l i g h t e s t
e v i d e n c e was s u f f i c i e n t t o w a r r a n t a f i n e t o
th e e x te n t o f th e circum stances o f th e
accu sed ."
F i n e s , f o r f e i t u r e s e a r n e d t h r o u g h su ch a c o u r t formed a
p a r t o f t h e a n n u a l .iama of. t h e r e s p e c t i v e z a m i n d a r s .
The a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f j u s t i c e t h r o u g h j u d i c i a l
h i e r a r c h y w « S n o t alw a y s p r a c t i s e d . The z a m i n d a r i b i c h a r
ij.
was v e r y o f t e n a s p e e d y and summary , on e. To q u o te M i t r a ,
" R e g u l a t i o n s and A c t s , P e n a l Codes and P r o c e d u r e s
t h e r e were n o n e , and i f t h e y had e x i s t e d , t h e y
would h a v e b e e n i g n o r e d and o v e r - r i d d e n . What
was w anted and what was a d m i n i s t e r e d was s h a r p
a n d summary j u s t i c e . "

1 . G . G . D u c a r e l t o R . B e c h e r , D e c . 3 , 1 7 7 0 , P .C .C .R .M . D e c . 1 3 ,
1770, II, 67.

2. Ib id .
3 . S .C .C .O ct. 2 8 , 1 7 6 6 , R/A,7,22*+, 230,2>+6; C.W.B.Rous t o
R . B e c h e r , A p r i l 1 6 , 1772, P .C .C .R .M . . A p r i l 2 3 , 1772, X,
229; P . C .C . K . A u g .1 5 , 1 7 7 2 , I - I I I ( i n o n e ) , 121.
k. K . C . M i t r a , "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l - The
R a j a s o f R a j s h a h i " , C . R . . 1$ 7 3, LYI, 1 9 .
The r a q ^ e x e r c i s e d h i s p o w e r . i n an a r b i t r a r y manner a s and
when he p r e f e r r e d i t . There are in s ta n c e s of d e te n tio n
1
f o r an. i n d e f i n i t e p e r i o d w i t h o u t t r i a l . The H a r i - l i l a
s p e a k s o f t h e summary j u s t i c e a t t h e r a j a 1s c o u r t . When
t h e t h i e f who had s t o l e n t h e n e c k l a c e o f t h e r a n i was b r o u g h t
b e f o r e t h e c o u r t , he was a t once s e n t e n c e d t o l i f e i m p r i s o n ­
m e n t. The j u d i c i a l p r o c e d u r e p r e v a i l i n g i n t h e J u n g l e t e r r y
d i s t r i c t was a c u r i o u s o n e .
" T h e i r ( z a m i n d a r s 1) p r o c e e d i n g s i n t h e t r i a l s of
r o b b e r s and m u r d e r e r s h a v e b ee n e x a c t l y t h e same
a s t h o s e o f E u ro pe i n t h e i r s t a t e o f b a r b a r i s m .
The a c c u s e d were c o n f r o n t e d by t h e i r a c c u s e r s ,
and i n c a s e o f p e r s i s t i n g i n d e n y i n g t h e crim e
and t h e a c c u s e r s i n u r g i n g i t upon th e m , t h e y
t h e n were p u t t o t h e t r i a l o f f i r e , and i f t h e y
e s c a p e d u n h u r t were a d j u d g e d g u i l t l e s s . T his
mode o f a d m i n i s t e r i n g j u s t i c e was p r a c t i c e d by
e v e r y Zem in dar o v e r h i s own s u b j e c t s o r v a s s a l s ,
and i n c a s e o f anyone com m iting a c a p i t a l
o f f e n c e w i t h i n t h e b o u n d a r y o f a n o t h e r Z e m in d a r,
he was s e i z e d and s e n t p r i s o n e r t o h i s own
zem indar, w ith t h e c irc u m sta n c e s o f a c c u s a t i o n
and p r o o f upon w h ic h he was condemned o r
a c q u i t t e d . T h e i r p u n i s h m e n t s were e x p e d i t i o u s
and s e v e r e , b o t h m u rd er and r o b b e r y b e i n g
p u n i s h e d by d e a t h a s soon as p r o v e d . " 2
The a g g r i e v e d p a r t y had t h e r i g h t t o a p p e a l
a g a i n s t t h e v e r d i c t o f t h e z a m i n d a r i c o u r t s t o t h e Nawab
i n t h e e a s e s o f c r i m i n a l s u i t s , and t o t h e d i w a n - i - s u b a h .

1 . Ramprasad S e n a , 9 7 -9 8 .
2 . J .B ro w n e t o G.G. i n C o u n c i l , J a n . 1 2 , 177&> B .R .C .
F eb . 2 0 , 1 7 7 6 , R4-9/60.
 1
i n r e v e n u e and c i v i l m a t t e r s * However, t h i s p r i v i l e g e
was r a r e l y a v a i l e d o f hy t h e p r a j a s f o r t h e f e a r o f s u b -
2
sequent zam indari r e t a l i a t i o n * The z a m i n d a r s som etim es
e x e c u t e d d e a t h p e n a l t y d i s r e g a r d i n g t h e law t h a t no d e a t h
s e n t e n c e c o u l d he c a r r i e d o u t w i t h o u t t h e p r i o r a p p r o v a l
o f t h e Nawab. , In the Ju n g le te rry d i s t r i c t , zam indars
had a lw a y s c o n s i d e r e d t h e m s e l v e s 1 as suprem e j u d g e s o v e r
t h e l i v e s and p r o p e r t y o f t h e i r v a s s a l s i n a l l c i r c u m ­
stances* and t r i e d and p a s s e d s e n t e n c e s w i t h o u t r e f e r e n c e
It
t o any s u p e r i o r a u t h o r i t y *
The l a c k o f u n i f o r m i t y was a d i s t i n c t i v e
f e a t u r e of t h e j u d i c i a l p r a c t i c e of zam indari c o u r ts i n
Bengal* Two f a c t o r s , n e v e r t h e l e s s , r e m a in e d i n common.
F i r s t , n on e o f t h e z a m i n d a r i c o u r t s m a i n t a i n e d r e g i s t e r s
of j u d i c i a l proceedings. The a b s e n c e o f r e g i s t e r s i n
th e c o u rts precluded to a g re a t e x te n t th e p ro s p e c ts of
f u r th e r appeal t o th e h ig h er c o u rts . Secondly, a r b i t r a t i o n
6
i n s t e a d o f l i t i g a t i o n was e n c o u r a g e d i n t h e s e c o u r t s . .

1 . P . S a r a n , The P r o v i n c i a l Government 362-3630

2. “The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l - The N a d i a R a j “ ,
C .R . , 18 7 2, LV,111; K*Rava. K s h i t i s a v a m s a v a l i c h a r i t a , 25*
3 . W .Irvine ( t r . ) , S t o r i a . . . . * 1 1 , 420; The S e v e n t h R e p o r t . . .
. . . R e p o r t s House o f Commons, IV, 324; A . B . K e i t h , C onsti­
t u t i o n a l H i s t o r y o f I n d i a , 62.
4 . J .B r o w n e t o G . G . i n C o u n c i l , J a n . l 2 , l ? 6 7 , B . R . C . F e b . 2 0 ,
1 7 7 6 , R 4 9 /6 0 .
5. 3 . C . G . Aug. 1 6 , 1 7 6 9 , R / A , 95 The S e v e n t h Report*...R e p o r t s .
House o f Commons IV, 324* .
6 . P . S a r a n , The P r o v i n c i a l Governm ent...........3 6 4 - 3 6 ?5 A .B * K eith ,
A C o n s titu tio n a l H istory of I n d i a , 6 2 .
The law s were s i m p l e and s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d * T h e r e ware?/? no
com plex p a t h s and b y - p a t h s o f p r o c e d u r e whereby c r i m i n a l s
w i t h t h e a i d o f t h e d i s r e p u t a b l e bondmen and t h e sh ad y
law yers could escape ju s tic e *
The j u d i c i a l a u t h o r i t y o f t h e z a m i n d a r s i n c l u d e d
th e settlem en t of c a ste d isp u tes. N i c e t i e s o f t h e H in d u .
c a s t e r e g u l a t i o n s gav e r i s e t o many c o m p l i c a t i o n s . The
p e o p l e o f one c a s t e , by t r a n s g r e s s i n g t h e a v o c a t i o n s o f t h e
l o w e r c a s t e , o r by e s t a b l i s h i n g m a t r i m o n i a l o r s e x u a l
r e l a t i o n s w i t h them v i o l a t e d t h e n o r m s ' o f t h e H in d u . s o c i e t y ,
and would l o s e c a s t e . The c a s t e c o u l d be r e s t o r e d t o
e i t h e r “by g e n e r a l s u f f r a g e o f h i s own t r i b e , th e san c tio n
o f t h e B rahm in s (who a r e t h e h e a d t r i b e ) and t h e s u p e r a d d e d
1
c o n c u r r e n c e o f t h e supreme c i v i l power11. , The H in d u l e g a l
t r a d i t i o n , u r g e s t h e e n f o r c e m e n t o f t h e c a s t e o r d e r a s an
i m p o r t a n t d u t y o f t h e H indu K i n g s . But d u r i n g t h e Muslim
r u l e , t h e H in du ’s were l e f t t o t h e m s e l v e s t o s e t t l e t h e i r
o
c a ste questions. However, i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , t h e
Nawabs i n B e n g a l a r e fo u n d t o h a v e i n t e r f e r r e d i n t h e m a t t e r s
\' 3
o f re-ad m issio n t o c a s te . The Nawab was t h e h i g h e s t c o u r t

1 . H . V e r e l s t , A View o f t h e R i se and P r o g r e s s . . . . • l t e *
2* L . B . S . O f M a l l e y , I n d i a n C a s t e Cu s t oms, 57, 59*
3. S .C .C .A u g . 1 6 , 1 7 6 9 , .R/A,. 9.5 S . C . B o s e , The H in d u s a s
 267

o f a p p e a l i n t h e su b a h i n c a s t e d i s p u t e s . Such p r e r o g a t i v e
o f t h e Nawab was i n h e r i t e d by t h e B a s t I n d i a Company. A
r e g u l a r c o u r t , c a l l e d th e c a s t e c o u r t ( J a tira a la -C u tc h e rry)
was i n o p e r a t i o n u n d e r t h e p r e s i d e n t s h i p o f a n a t i v e Hindu,
2
a p p o i n t e d by t h e G o v e r n o r.
The t e r r i t o r i a l c h i e f s a r e fo u n d t o h a v e a c t i v e l y
e n f o r c e d t h e p r i v i l e g e s and d i s a b i l i t i e s o f v a r i o u s c a s t e
groups w i t h i n t h e i r j u r i s d i c t i o n s . The z a m i n d a r s o f h i g h
c a s t e and l o n g s t a n d i n g r e p u t a t i o n were t h e most d e s i r e d
■3
a r b ite r s of c a ste q u estions. Such z a m i n d a r s were r e g a r d e d
a s l e a d e r s n o t o n l y o f t h e i r own c a s t e b u t a l s o o f o t h e r
if.
c a s t e s w i t h i n t h e i r t e r r i t o r i a l bounds. B u t t h e s e m i-
i n d e p e n d e n t Sadgop R a j a s o f M idnapur and t h e 5J u n g l e - m a h a l 1
t h o u g h low i n t h e c a s t e - l a d d e r must h a v e assumed t h e r e s p o n ­
s i b i l i t y of d e c id in g c a s te d is p u te s of t h e i r people under
th e d i c t a t e s of ex ig en cies. I t I s b e c a u s e l a r g e number
o f t h e i n h a b i t a n t s o f t h e i r e s t a t e s w ere t h e S a d g o p s , who

1 . L . S . S * 0*M a l l e y , C en su s o f I n d i a . 1 9 H * V, p a r t I , *+535
S . C . B o s e , H i n d u s ~ " i ^ T S ? e . 1&7. V
2. W .B olts, C o n s id e r a tio n s 835 H . V e r e l s t , A View o f

3 . L . 8 . S . 0*M a l l e y ,
I n d i a n C a s t e C u s to m s . 725 A.B.M.Mahmood
The Land R ev © n u e^ H isto rv o f t h e R a .is h a h i Z a m i n d a r i , 299*
B h a r a t a c h a n d r a R aya, B h a r a t a c h a n d r e r G r a n t h a v a l i . 12?;
R . I n d e n , "The H in d u Chiefdom i n M id d le B e n g a l i L i t e r ­
a t u r e " , B.C.Dimock ( e d . ) , B e n g a l L i t e r a t u r e & H i s t o r y , 29*
 268

1
were a l s o t h e most d o m in an t g ro u p o f t h o s e a r e a s . U sually,
t h e r e w ere c a s t e c o u n c i l s c a l l e d p a n c h a y ^ t s t o d e a l w i t h t h e
2
caste d isp u tes. When t h e p a n e h a y a t f a i l e d t o g i v e s a t i s f a c ­
t i o n t o t h e a g g r i e v e d p a r t y , a n a p p e a l would he l o d g e d t o
t h e z a m i n d a r , who w i t h h i s c o u n c i l had t h e p r e r o g a t i v e o v e r
3
th e ca ste m atters. A s s i s t e d hy t h e p a n d i t s , t h e r a j as
s e ttle d caste d isp u tes. Though t h e o p i n i o n o f t h e p a n d i t s
k
c a r r i e d w eight i n c a s t e q u e s t i o n s , th e r a j as o fte n exercised
t h e i r d i s c r e t i o n a r y pow er. The R a j a o f C h an d ra d w ip as t h e
h e a d o f t h e ICayastha s am aja e x e r t e d t r e m e n d o u s i n f l u e n c e on
t h e s o c i e t y and g r a n t e d h i g h s t a t u s t o a f a m i l y o f h i s own
5
c a s te superceding s o c i a l o b lig a tio n s* M aharaja K ris h n a -
c h a n d r a o f N a d i a was a r e c o g n i z e d a r b i t e r o f c a s t e q u e s t i o n s .
D u r i n g h i s t i m e i t was n o t e a s y i n h i s z a m i n d a r i t o h av e t h e
caste re sto re d ,^
I n v ie w o f t h e e x t e n s i v e power e x e r c i s e d by t h e
c h i e f z a m i n d a r s d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d u n d e r s t u d y , i t c a n be

1 . H . S a n y a l , " C a s t e M o b i l i t y i n B e n g a l " , J * S . A . & . , 1 971, XXX,

3 2 2 -3 2 5 ; B .P .G . M id n a p u r, 5 7 ,6 0 .
2 . V a c a s p a t i , " Kul a s a r v arv v asv a" q u o t e d i n N .N .B a su , Va n g e r
J a t i v a I t i h a s a , D a k s h i n a R a d h i y a K a y a s t h a Kanda, I , 115;
N . K . S i n h a ( e d . ) , The I-Iisto ry o f B e n g a l , 85*
3 . L * S .S , 0* M a l l e y , I n d i a n C a s t e C u s to m s , 72; R . I n d e n , "The
H in d u C hiefdom i n M iddle B e n g a l i L i t e r a t u r e " , B.C.Dimock
( e d . ) , B e n g a l L i t e r a t u r e & H i s t o r y , 31*
*+. The S e v e n t h R e p o r t . . . * . R e p o r t s , House o f Commons IV, 32*+;
S .C * B o se, The H in d u s a s t h e y a r e ? 18^+7™
5* B . P .G , B a k a r g a n j , 35; R . I n d e n , "The H in d u Chiefdom i n
M id d le B e n g a l L i t e r a t u r e " , B.C.Dimock ( e d . ) , B e n g a l
L i t e r a t u r e & H i s t o r y , 30*
6 . B .C .B o s e , The H in d u s a s t h e y a r e , 167.
 269

s u r m i s e d t h a t u n s c r u p u l o u s z a m i n d a r s m ig h t h a v e t r a n s g r e s s e d
i n t h e a f f a i r s o f t h e c a s t e i n f r i n g i n g upon t h e a u t h o r i t y
of the lo c a l c a s te c o u n c ils. F o r i n s t a n c e , t h e p aram an lk
h ad t o o b t a i n p e r m i s s i o n from t h e r e s p e c t i v e z a m i n d a r and
P&y salami, t o him f o r s u p e r i n t e n d i n g t h e c a s t e a f f a i r s o f
1
h i s people. In a d d itio n to th e in h ere n t fe u d al p re te n tio n s
■to c o e r c e t h e i r t e n a n t s and k e e p them u n d e r t h e i r thum b 1
2
t h e y would i n t e r f e r e i n c a s t e q u e s t i o n s t o p o c k e t t h e f i n e s .
A buses i n t h e q u e s t i o n o f c a s t e r e s t r i c t i o n d i d n o t e s c a p e
t h e a t t e n t i o n o f t h e E n g l i s h g o v ern m e n t o f e a r l y d a y s . The
i n s t r u c t i o n t o th e S upervisors i n 1769 read:
f,f h e p e c u l i a r p u n is h m e n t o f f o r f e i t i n g c a s t e s t o
w h ic h t h e H in d o o s a r e l i a b l e i s o f t e n i n f l i c t e d
from p r i v a t e p i q u e and p e r s o n a l r e s e n t m e n t amongst
t h e m s e l v e s , and r e q u i r e s t o be r e s t r a i n e d t o t h o s e
o c c a s i o n s o n l y where t h e r e may be a r e g u l a r
p r o c e s s and c l e a r p r o o f s o f t h e o f f e n c e , b e f o r e
t h e B rah m in s who were t h e i r n a t u r a l j u d g e s . "
Som etim es p e o p l e h o l d i n g o f f i c i a l p o s i t i o n d e l i b e r a t e l y
a t t e m p t e d t o defame t h e c a s t e o f t h e o r d i n a r y p e o p l e w i t h

W ^ H n u m 'M i a nm m ■■■■ n - n n » ia ' ■ m m— n— mmr m mm iiy ir in ii>fm i » r i ^ » p | i ■> »mm\ T u m ^ i mi n mw n n i M iiiiM i iT w in w u r in w m m m iiw m n w up r n i w i nr m— iim ii w mm u —

1 . F . R e d f a a r n t o B .R . J a n . 3 0 , 1793* B . R . J . C . , A p r i l 1 2,
1 7 9 3 , K 1 2 7 /8 8 .
2 . L . S . S . 0 l M a l l e y , I n d i a n C a s t e C u s to m s , 72;
"B e c a u s e o f t h e i n t e g r a t e d n a t u r e , o f t h e economic s y s t e m " ,
re m a rk e d R e t z l a f f , " a n d t h e ^ v i r t u a l m onopoly o v e r t h e
l a n d h e l d by th em , t h e R a j p u t s were a b l e t o e f f e c t i v e l y
c o n t r o l t h e l o w e r c a s t e g r o u p s and e n f o r c e t h e i r
d e c i s i o n s upon th em . T h i s c o u l d be done e i t h e r by
t h r e a t e n i n g t o i n v o k e c e r t a i n economic s a n c t i o n , a s
w ell as th e l e s s s u b tle but e q u a lly e f f e c t i v e t h r e a t
o f p h y s i c a l f o r c e " . - R . H . R e t z l a f f , V i l l a g e Government
i n I n d i a , 22-23.

3 . S . C . C . Aug. 16, 1769, R/A, 9*

 1
t h e a n t i c i p a t i o n o f pecuniary g ain . In t h e B ishnupur
estate, c a s t e c a s e s were s e t t l e d by t h e r a . i a 1 s s o n , Neemy
2
Singh, I n o r d e r t o p r e v e n t t h e t h a n a d a r s and o t h e r s from
a b u s i n g t h e i r power t o d e g r a d e t h e c a s t e o f t h e p o o r i n h a b -
i t a n t s , Neeiny S i n g h p o s t e d a g u m ash ta w i t h e a c h t h a n a d a r .
3

I f one' l o s t h i s c a s t e by t h e m a c h i n a t i o n o f o t h e r s , he was
re sto re d to h is caste a f te r su b sta n tia tin g h is a lle g a tio n .
F o r s u c h a d j u d i c a t i o n t h e a p p e l l a n t h ad t o pay t h r e e r u p e e s
and e i g h t a n n a s and o b t a i n a s a n a d . But i f t h e a l l e g a t i o n
Ij.
p r o v e d t o be b a s e l e s s , t h e c o m p l a i n a n t had t o pay one r u p e e .
The z a m i n d a r s 1 j u d i c i a l f u n c t i o n s d i d n o t end i n
d e c i d i n g r e v e n u e , c i v i l and c r i m i n a l s u i t s w i t h i n t h e i r
estates. They had a lw a y s t o l e n d e f f e c t u a l a s s i s t a n c e i n
the a d m in is tra tio n of j u s t i c e . The z a m i n d a r s a p p o i n t e d
wa k i l s t o t h e f a u . i d a r i and d l wa n i - ad a l a t s a t t h e c a p i t a l t o .
r e p r e s e n t t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e e s t a t e s and t o a s s i s t i n t h e
e x e c u tio n of law s. The w a k i l s were a l s o s t a t i o n e d a t t h e
t h a n a s and a t t h e q a z i 1s c o u r t s to look a f t e r the cases
i n w h ich t h e z a m i n d a r s were i n v o l v e d . I n some e s t a t e s t h e

1 , A . I I e s i l r i g e t o C . K e a t i n g , J u l y 29? 1789? W.B.D.R. .

Burdwan, 3 8 .
2, I b i d .
3 , Ibid*
wuewnMiir iujMJiBi

k. Ib id .
5 . B . S t r a e h e y t o W .B .B a y le y .
A ug.1 0 ,1 8 0 8 ? W .K .F i r m i n g e r ( e d . )
The F i f t h R e p o r t 1 1 ,6 9 3 ; S . P . S a n g a r , Grime & P u n ish m e n t
‘ " " “ In d ia, 2 3 .
 271

z a m i n d a r i s t a f f i n c l u d e d a f a u . i d a r i - g u m ash ta whose prim e d u t y

was t o p r o c u r e e v i d e n c e on b e h a l f o f t h e z a m i n d a r i n v o l v e d i n
1
su ch cases,, When any s u i t was f i l e d a t t h e f a u j d a r i - a d a l a t
by a p l a i n t i f f , t h e copy, o f t h e p e t i t i o n was s e n t t h r o u g h a
h a r k a r a h t o t h e mandal t o be d e l i v e r e d t o t h e d e f e n d a n t . %It
was t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t h e mandal t o d e l i v e r t h e summons
t o t h e d e f e n d a n t and s t a n d as s e c u r i t y f o r p r e s e n t i n g t h e
2
a c c u s e d t o t h e c o u r t on t h e day o f h e a r i n g t h e c a s e . I f the
d e fen d an t belonged t o a d i s t a n t p la c e , th e t a s k of p r e s e n t in g
t h e a c c u s e d d e v o l v e d on t h e w a k i l o f t h e r e s p e c t i v e z a m in d a r
3
statio n ed at the co u rt.
P u n i s h m e n t s i n t h e z a m i n d a r i s were m eted o u t i n
t h e fo rm o f f i n e s , c o r p o r a l p u n is h m e n t o r i m p r i s o n m e n t . In
r e v e n u e c a s e s c o n c e r n i n g d e f a u l t i n payment o f t h e r e n t s o r non
f u l f i l m e n t o f o t h e r o b l i g a t i o n s , t h e u s u a l p e n a l t y was t h e
enhancement o f r e n t s . For c i v i l causes th e im p o s itio n of
f i n e s was w i d e l y p r a c t i s e d .
F o r m ino r o f f e n c e s , t h e z a m in d a r s
5
o f t e n im posed h e a v y f i n e s on t h e i r s u b j e c t s . C orporal

1* S . J U B . , IV, 2 k Q - 2 k l .
2* I b i d . T 2^1; K .P .B a n d o p a d h a y a , B a n g l a r I t i h a s a ^ *+7,5.
3 . K .P .B a n d o p a d h a y a , B a n g l a r I t i h a s a . *+75*
k. K .N . R ., "The Khudkasht Ryot o f B e n g a l 1' , C^R. ,1 8 8 3 , LXXVII,13
5. G . V a n s i t t a r t , Nov. 17, 17 68, B . D . R . . Midnapur I I , 126$
C.W.B.Rous t o R . B e c h e r , J a n . 2 1 , 1770, L . C . B . S . R . , 3 ~%
 272

p u n is h m e n t was a l s o p r e s c r i b e d i n t h e c i v i l and r e v e n u e
1
su its. T h r a s h i n g 5 s t a r v i n g , and w h i p p i n g were t h e u s u a l
2
modes o f c o r p o r a l p un ish m en ts# The o f f e n d e r s o f highway
r o b b e r y , t h e f t , were awarded m o s t l y w i t h h e a v y c o r p o r a l
punishm ents. M u t i l a t i o n o f t h e l i m b s were f r e q u e n t l y
prescribed. B o t h i n c i v i l and c r i m i n a l c a s e s , t h e g u i l t y
c o u l d be c o m m itte d t o p r i s o n . P e r p e t r a t o r s o f highway
r o b b e r y and d a c o i t y w i t h m u rder were s e n t e n c e d t o i m p r i s o n -
k
ment f o r l i f e , i f n o t t o d ea th# The r e m n a n t s o f j a i l s
and g i b b e t s i n t h e p a l a c e s o f t h e r a j a s t e s t i f y t o t h e r i g o u r
w i t h w h ich t h e j u d i c i a l power o f t h e z a m i n d a r s was d i s c h a r g e d .
Bach p a l a c e o f t h e m a jo r z a m i n d a r s i n v a r i a b l y c o n t a i n e d an
5
a n d h a r i k o t h a (d a rk ro o m ) i f n o t an a c t u a l j & i l . F or
c a p i t a l o f f e n c e s t h e r e was t h e p r o v i s i o n fo r d e a t h p e n a l t y #

The e x e r c i s e o f j u d i c i a l power by t h e z a m i n d a r s
was p r o d u c t i v e o f b o t h good and bad c o n s e q u e n c e s f o r t h e
people. I t u n d o u b t e d l y made j u s t i c e e a s i l y a c c e s s i b l e ,

1. ¥ . B o l ts , C o n s i d e r a t i o n s 1$0; K .P .B a n d o p a d h y a y a ,
B a n g l a r I t i h a s a , 53°*
■.mu. J I# ■! j>wi n»iw p n#^i rs*w*i i — H n K 'i m /

2. W. I r v i n e ( t r . ) , S t o r i a , II, Luard and H o s t e n

( i ? * ) * T r a v e l s . . . . . I I , 113 5 J . L o n g , S e l e c t i o n s . . . . *k 1 3 , ^ 6 3 .*
3 . L uard and H o s t e n ( t r . ) , T rav els, 1 1 , 1 1 3 ; The S e v e n t h
R eport Re p o r t s . House o f Commons. IV, 327*
Bh a r a t ac h and r a Raya, Bh a r a t a c h a n d r e r G r a n t h a v a l i # 6 8 .
5* J # ¥ e s t l a n d , A R e p o r t on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e , 3 9 ; T .R a y -
^ / MMi>r ‘npn~iwf[iu m wliiiif iii#< iTIi n i # n—mi iit ih ^ h h w i m n u p m im i — Tinm m mi m—iT a n iinwi.iiBi#Tirimm * iii-im iiT iii— m #rttiTwrniM> n i m w u m / r / V

c h a u d h u r i , “ P erm anent S e t t l e m e n t i n O p e r a t i o n : B a k a r g a n j
D i s t r i c t 11, R , E . F r y k e n b e r g ( e d * ) , Land C o n t r o l and S o c i a l
S t r u c t u r e . #...173#
s p e e d y and o f t e n c h e a p , when t o go t o d i s t a n t Nawabi o r
Company c o u r t s t o f i l e t h e i r p e t t y c a s e s would have i n v o l v e d
a t r o h b l e s o m e a b s e n c e from t h e r e g u l a r work o f c u l t i v a t i o n
1
or of th e i r h a n d ic ra ft. The s y s tem a l s o s u i t e d t h e n e e d s
o f s i m p l e c o m m u n itie s who t r a d i t i o n a l l y p u t t h e i r c o m p l a i n t s
before t h e i r v illa g e o rg a n iz atio n s. And w h ere t h e t e n a n t s
were u n d e r a b e n e v o l e n t z a m i n d a r , t h e m e r i t s o f z a m i n d a r i
b i c h a r w ere c o n s i d e r a b l e ,
as i s e v i d e n t fro m a l e t t e r from
2
D o u g l a s , C o l l e c t o r o f Dacca?
"The Z e m in d a rs a l s o had t h e p r i v i l e g e . o f a d m i n i -
.sto rin g ju s tic e in t h e i r resp e ctiv e ju r is d ic tio n s ,
a c t i n g som ething l i k e J u s t i c e s o f t h e Peace i n
o u r own c o u n t r y , s e t t l i n g t r i f l i n g d i s p u t e s and
r e n d e r i n g e a s y and s p e e d y r e d r e s s t o t h e i n j u r e d
p a r t y , w h ic h would h a v e b e e n r e n d e r e d v e r y
d i f f i c u l t i n d e e d i f a p o o r man had had., t o t r a v e l
t o t h e Huzzooi3 and p r e f e r h i s c o m p l a i n t t h r o u g h
a r e g i m e n t o f c o r r u p t M u t a s u d d i e s , e v e r y one o f
whom must h av e b e e n b r i b e d b e f o r e he c o u l d
o b t a i n what a r e s p e c t a b l e Zem indar c o u l d have
g r a n t e d him on t h e s p o t i n a d a y ' s a t t e n d a n c e . "
But t h e custo m o f v e s t i n g b o t h e x e c u t i v e and
j u d i c i a l f u n c t i o n s i n one p e r s o n h ad i t s d e m e r i t s t o o .
When t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s o r t h e i r am ia were
i n v o l v e d , z a m i n d a r s w ere n a t u r a l l y p r o n e t o t i l t th e balance
of j u s t i c e in favour of th em selv es.o r t h e i r ag e n ts. A

1. H . V e r e l s t ' s O b s e r v a t i o n , B . P .C . S e p t . 2 8 , 17 6 7 , B /l/,
**1; B »D .G , t Ra.1 s h a h i T 125.
2. W.Douglas t o B * R ,, May 25> 1 790, B .R .C . J u n e 11, 1790,
R 5 2 /1 3 .
3 . The c o u r t of th e sovereign.
s t r o n g g overnm ent c o u l d d e t e r t h e a b u s e o f power by t h e
1
z a m i n d a r s . The Taw a r i k h - i ~B ang a l a d e s c r i b e s t h e c o n d i t i o n
o f j u s t i c e d u r i n g t h e t i m e o f M urshid Q uli Khan i n t h e
f o l l o w i n g words?
"No z e m i n d a r o r a u m il c o u l d , w i t h i m p u n i t y ,
o p p r e s s an y one. T h e i r v a k e e l s were
c o n t i n u a l l y i n s e a r c h o f c o m p l a i n t s , and
w h enever t h e y met w i t h any p e r s o n who had
r e a s o n t o be d i s s a t i s f i e d , t h e y u s e d e v e r y
e n d e a v o u r t o p a c i f y him: b u t i f i t happ en ed
t h a t a w ell-fo u n d ed com plaint reached t h e
e a r s o f J a f f e r Khan, t h e o f f e n d e r was s u r e t o
s u ffe r sev e rely ."
A g a in , d u r i n g A l i v a r d i K h a n 's s t r o n g r u l e , a s R e z a Khan
t e s t i f i e d , " c o m p l a i n t s were r e a d i l y h e a r d and j u s t i c e
2
a d m i n i s t e r e d " by t h e z a m i n d a r s . B ut t h e e r o s i o n o f t h e
i m p e r i a l a u t h o r i t y and t h e w eak ness and i n d i f f e r e n c e o f t h e
Nawabs s u b s e q u e n t t o t h e d e a t h o f A l i v a r d i Khan l o f t t h e
r a i v a t s more and more a t t h e mercy o f t h e i r o v e r l o r d s , t h e
zam indars. The r e c o g n i z e d s e i g n o r i a l r i g h t s o f t h e z a m in d a r
c l a s s t e n d e d t o p r o d u c e e v i l e f f e c t s when t h e s u p e r v i s o r y
c o n t r o l o v e r t h a t c l a s s became m e r e l y n o m i n a l . "It w ill
7
how ever be o b v i o u s " , t h e Com mittee o f C i r c u i t r e m a r k e d ,
" t h a t t h e J u d i c i a l A u th o rity lodged i n th e hands
o f men who g a i n t h e i r l i v e l y h o o d by t h e p r o f i t s
on t h e c o l l e c t i o n s o f t h e r e v e n u e , must u n a v o i d ­
a b l y be c o n v e r t e d t o s o u r c e s , o f p r i v a t e em olu-

1 . F . G l a d w i n ( t r . ) , T . B . . 1 1 5 -1 1 6 .
2 , R e z a K h a n 's N o t e , Feb. 1775? F r a n c i s MSS. B u r.B . 28,3*+5#
3* P .C . C . K . y Aug. 1 5 , 1 772, I - I I I ( i n o n e), 120-121.
 275

m e n ts and i n e f f e c t t h e g r e a t e s t o p p r e s s i o n s
o f t h e i n h a b i t a n t s owe t h e i r o r i g i n t o t h i s
n e c e s s a r y e v i l * 11 1
To a p p e a l a g a i n s t z a m i n d a r i j u s t i c e an d, s t i l l more t o r i s e
i n p r o t e s t a g a i n s t i n j u s t i c e was r a r e among t h e B e n g a l i
p e a s a n t s , known f o r t h e i r i g n o r a n c e , p a s s i v i t y , i m p r o v e r -
2
i s h m e n t and p o l i t i c a l i n e r t n e s s . Not t o s p e a k o f t h e
r a i y a t s , t a l u k d a r s , t a ra fd a r s or ta p p a d a rs claim in g a
s u b o r d i n a t e i n t e r e s t i n t h e l a n d m igh t h a v e b e e n h e s i t a n t t o
lo d g e c o m p la in ts a g a i n s t t h e i r pow erfu l zam indar f o r f e a r
3
of re p ris a ls . M o reo v e r, a v e n t u r e o f t h e a g g r i e v e d p a r t y
t o la y com plaints t o th e fau .id ari or d iw an i-ad a l a t at th e
c a p ital, o r d i r e c t l y t o t h e Nawab o r t h e Emperor was alw ays
f r a u g h t w i t h d a n g e r and d i f f i c u l t i e s ! t h e r e were t h e e x p e n s e s
o f a d i s t a n t j o u r n e y and t h e i n c i d e n t a l e x p e n s e s o f l e n g t h y
court procedures; f e a r o f t h e highway r o b b e r y ; t h e ch a n c e
o f d e t e c t i o n and s e i z u r e by t h e s p i e s o f t h e z a m i n d a r s i n t h e
c a s e o f an i n t e n d e d a p p e a l t o t h e Nawab, o r by t h e a g e n t s o f
t h e Nawab i n t h e e v e n t o f an a p p e a l t o t h e E m p e ro r. I f per­
c h a n c e t h e p a r t y h a z a r d e d a l l t h e s e , t h e r e were w a k i l s and

1 . T h a t t h e undue p u r s u i t o f p r o f i t i n t h e z a m i n d a r s m ight
w e l l h a v e b ee n i n d u c e d by t h e demands o f t h e Company,
w hich u p s e t t h e c u s t o m a r y b a l a n c e , was i g n o r e d by t h e
Committee - and l i t t l e c o n s o l a t i o n t o t h e o p p r e s s e d .
2 . F r a n c i s M S S .E u r . F .8 , 193? A rc y d ae, MThe P e a s a n t r y o f
B e n g a l 11, The B e n g a l M a g a z in e . I , 351*
3 . C.W.B.Rous t o . R . B e c h e r , J u n e 22, 1770, L . C . B . 3 . R . . 2 k.
f a u . i d a r i g u m a s h ta s s t a t i o n e d a t t h e t h a n a s and a d a l a t s
and a t t h e Nawab1s c o u r t t o r e p r e s e n t t h e c a s e s o f t h e i r
r e s p e c t i v e z a m i n d a r s , t o i n f l u e n c e t h e c o u r s e o f j u s t i c e and
perhaps a f t e r a l l t o get th e case se n t back t o th e o r i g i n a l '
1
lo cal a u th o ritie s fo r r e tr ia l. Only a p e r s o n s u r e o f
g o v ernm ent p r o t e c t i o n and f a v o u r would h a v e d a r e d t o l a y h i s
p l a i n t s b e f o r e t h e Nawab o r t h e d i w a n - i - s u b a h . - T h e s e draw­
b a c k s were compounded by t h e f a c t t h a t b o t h t h e q a z f s and
zam indars d u rin g t h i s p e r io d used t h e i r a u t h o r i t y as a source,
o f p r i v a t e p r o f i t , r a t h e r t h a n a s an i n s t r u m e n t o f r e l i e f
3 ■■
' '■
a g a i n s t o p p r e s s i o n and i n j u s t i c e . The " d e g r e e o f t h e
p e n a l t y t o be i n f l i c t e d , w h ic h was t o be l e v i e d n o t a c c o r d i n g
t o th e n a t u r e of t h e crim e, but o f th e c irc u m s ta n c e s of th e
h
accu sed ." By t h e y e a r 1772, most o f t h e modes o f p u n is h m e n t
had. b e e n r e p l a c e d by a r b i t r a r y f i n e s . Very o f t e n t h e f t and*
m u r d e r w ere "compounded f o r f o u r o r f i v e R u p e e s , w h i l s t f o r n i -
5
c a t i o n & w i t c h c r a f t were p u n i s h e d w i t h f o u r o r f i v e t h o u s a n d 11, .

1 . A . C o n s t a b l e ( t r . ) , Tr a v e l s 2 3 5 -2 3 6 ; B . C . C . J u l y 8 , 1 7 6 9 ,
R/A, 9 ; J . D u n c a n t o G.G. i n C o u n c i l , S e p t . 1 2 , 1 7 8 8 , B,R*C,
O ct. 3 , 17 8 8 , R 5 1 / 2 5*
2 . M„F.Lokhandwala ( t r . ) , Ml r a t , 189; N . K . S i n h a ( e d . ) , The
H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l , 85*
3 . S ee T. P a t t e l t o B . R . J u n e 2 3 ,1 77 3? B . R . C . J u l y 9 , 1 7 7 3 , *&9AQ»
f o r an i l l u s t r a t i o n o f t h e a b u s e o f z a m i n d a r * s power &
i n f l u e n c e t o h u s h up a c a p i t a l o f f e n c e c o m m itte d by t h e •
zam indar h i m s e l f ,
b . G . G .D u c a r e l t o C.C,R.M* D e c . 3 , 1770, P .C .C .R .M . D e c . 1 3 ,
1770, I I , 6 7 .
5* I b i d . ; S ee a l s o C.W.B.Rous t o R . B e c h e r , A p r i l 1 6 , 1 7 7 2 ,
P .C .C . R . M . , A p r i l 23? 1 7 7 2 , X, 229*
 2 7?:

The r a t e o f f i n e s had a lm o s t d o u b l e d , . Rous c a t e g o r i c a l l y ,7--7

m e n t i o n e d t h a t t h e v e n a l i t y and o p p r e s s i o n s i n t h e j u d i c i a l
: ‘ 1 ■
s y s t e m had i n c r e a s e d i n t h e l a s t few y e a r s #

S i n c e t h e D iw ani r i g h t i n c l u d e d t h e c i v i l j u s t i c e , . . ;
t h e Company i n 1765 assumed t h a t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y too* But i n
p r a c t i c e , t h e n a t i v e o f f i c e r s were l e f t i n c h a r g e o f t h e c i v i l :
ju stic e. The s u p e r v i s o r y power r e l a t i n g t o c i v i l j u s t i c e
was e n t r u s t e d t o R eza Khan as t h e N a ib Diwan o f t h e Company,
and t o t h e R e s i d e n t a t t h e D u rb a r a t M u rs h id a b a d . The
c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e w h ic h was beyond t h e o r b i t o f t h e Diward
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n re m a in e d as b e f o r e i n t h e h a n d s o f t h e Nawab
Nazim o f t h e sub ah. I n r e a l i t y , , how ever, t h e r e re m a in e d v e r y
l i t t l e t o d i s t i n g u i s h b e tw e e n t h e D iw ani and t h e Nizemat adm in- .
■ ■" • 2
istratio n * . I n Ja n u a ry 1 7 6 7 , C liv e w rote: A-

"The f i r s t p o i n t i n P o l i t i c s , w h ich I o f f e r t o y o u r
. c o n s i d e r a t i o n , i&. t h e Form o f G overnm ent. We a r e
s e n s i b l e t h a t sine© t h e a c q u i s i t i o n o f t h e Bewannee,
t h e power f o r m e r l y b e l o n g i n g t o th e. Subah o f t h e s e
P rovinces i s t o t a l l y in f a c t v ested i n th e F a s t I n d ia
Company; n o t h i n g r e m a i n s , t o him, b u t t h e name & 4.:-
shadow o f a u t h o r i t y . "
The C o u r t o f D i r e c t o r s * a s s e r t i o n s t h a t t h e o f f i c e o f Dewan
s h o u l d be e x e r c i s e d o n l y i n t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n c e o f t h e :7

1 . C.W.B.Rous t o R . B e c h e r , J a n . 2 1 , 1 7 7 0 , E . C . B . S . R . . 3 - 5 . •'
2 . S . C . C . J a n . 1 6 , 1 7 6 7 , R/A, 7 , 3 0 7 .
c o l l e c t i o n and d i s p o s a l o f t h e r e v e n u e s , and t h a t t h e
“ a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f j u s t i c e , th e appointm ent t o o f f i c e s ,
z e m i n d a r i e s , i n s h o r t , w h a t e v e r comes u n d e r t h e d e n o m i n a t i o n
o f c i v i l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , we u n d e r s t a n d , i s t o r e m a in i n
t h e h a n d s o f t h e Nabob or h i s m i n i s t e r s 1' d i d not d issu ad e5
t h e Company fro m d i r e c t o r i n d i r e c t i n v o l v e m e n t i n t h e admin­
i s t r a t i o n o f c i v i l and c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e .
B e f o r e l o n g i t was f e l t t h a t t h e j u d i c i a l m a t t e r s
n e e d e d some c h a n g e s i n o r d e r t o s a f e g u a r d t h e f i n a n c i a l
i n t e r e s t s o f t h e Company. The a p p o i n t m e n t o f S u p e r v i s o r s i n
t h e Diwani D i s t r i c t s was t h e f i r s t s t e p t o t h a t d i r e c t i o n .
The S u p e r v i s o r s were c a t e g o r i c a l l y i n s t r u c t e d t o stamp o u t
c o r r u p t i o n s among t h e j u d g e s and t o i n f u s e v i g o u r i n t o t h e ,
2
e x i s t i n g system o f j u s t i c e . The n e x t s t e p t a k e n was t h e
a b o l i t i o n o f t h e p o s t o f R e s i d e n t a t t h e Nawab1s c o u r t and
t h e i n s t i t u t i o n o f two C o n t r o l l i n g C o u n c i l s o f Revenue a t

1* L e t t e r from C o u r t , May 1 7 , 1 7 6 6 , p a r a . I 1*, E/4-/6l8*

2 . "Your c o n d u c t " , t o q u o t e t h e I n s t r u c t i o n t o t h e S u p e r v i s o r s
r- !in a l l c a p i t a l o f f e n c e s s h o u l d be t o e n f o r c e j u s t i c e
where t h e law demands i t c h e c k i n g e v e r y c o m p o s i t i o n by
f i n e o r m u l c t , & where any d i s p u t e s a r i s e i n m a t t e r s
o f p r o p e r t y , you s h o u l d recommend t h e method o f a r b i ­
t r a t i o n t o any o t h e r , & i n c u l c a t e s t r o n g l y i n t h e m inds
o f t h e p e o p l e t h a t we a r e n o t d e s i r o u s t o augment our
r e v e n u e by su ch i m p o s i t i o n s , b u t t o a c q u i r e t h e i r
c o n f i d e n c e by t h e e q u i t y and i m p a r t i a l i t y o f ’ o u r
p r o c e e d i n g s , & by o u r t e n d e r n e s s f o r t h e i r h a p p i n e s s .
The a r b i t r a t o r s s h o u l d be men c h o s e n by t h e m s e l v e s ,
& o f known i n t e g r i t y , & whose c i r c u m s t a n c e s may
s u p p o s e them exempt fro m v e n a l i t y , & p r o m i s e b e s t t o
ensure t h e i r r e c t i t u d e ( S .C . C . Aug. 1 6 , 1769,
R/A, 9, 383X
 279

M u rsh id ab a d and P a t n a i n J u l y , 1770. T h e o r e tic a lly , the

p o s i t i o n o f Reza Khan re m a in e d t h e same b u t t h e C o n t r o l l i n g
C o u n c i l o f Revenue a t M urshidab ad began t o e x e r c i s e t h e power
o f i n t e r p o s i t i o n i n a l l m a tte rs of im portance in c lu d in g
th e crim inal c a u s e s.1
I n t h e j u d i c i a l a s p e c t s o f D iw ani a d m i n i s t r a t i o n
of B engal, th e S u p e rv is o rs ' a u t h o r i t y soon b e g a n t o be f e l t .
In th e d i s t r i c t of N adia, th e S u p e rv iso r R id e r t r i e d t o secure
j u s t i c e in a c rim in a l s u i t in v olving th e d eath of a m u h a rrir.
The c h a r g e was t h a t t h e m u h a r r i r had n o t d e p o s i t e d i n t h e
same day t h e sum o f s e v e n r u p e e s , h i s c o l l e c t i o n o f t h e d ay .
On h e a r i n g t h i s M i r z a Muhammad H i , t h e n a i b - s a z a w a l ( d e p u t y
co llecto r) o f N a d i a , and h i s n a i b , Mir Qasim f l o g g e d t h e
2
muhar r i r so s e v e r e l y t h a t he d i e d a few d a y s l a t e r . On
t h e c o m p l a i n t o f t h e d e c e a s e d m u h a r r i r 1s young w i f e and b l i n d
f a t h e r , th e S u p e rv is o r, i n c o n ju n c tio n w ith R aja K rish n a -
c h a n d r a and h i s so n , h e l d an e n q u i r y . Mir Qasim a d m i t t e d h i s
3
g u i l t , M irz a Mushammad A l i p l e a d e d i n n o c e n c e . Mir Qasim was
remanded i n c u s t o d y . S u r p r i s i n g l y enough t h e r a j a s e c r e t l y
m anoeuvred t o g e t t h e o f f e n d e r ' s a c q u i t t a l , a ttr ib u tin g the

1. Oct. 22, 1770, I , 78-79; J.Reed to R.Becher,

Dec. 17, 1770, B.S.C.,, Jan. 17, 1771, R/A,18.
2 . J.R id e r to R.Becher, Sept.l>+, 1770, L.C.ff. . I I , 1-2.
3. I b i d ; J .R id e r to R.Becher, Sept. 23,1770, P.C.C.R.M.
OctTU, 1770, I , 2!+-25.
d e a th of th e m uharrir to n a tu r a l causes. However, t h e
M u rs h id a b a d C o u n c i l r e f e r r e d t h e c a s e h a c k t o R i d e r f o r
fu rth e r in v estig atio n . S u b s e q u e n t l y E i d e r was a d v i s e d t o
send M ir Qasim t o M u rs h id a b a d f o r t r i a l a s t h e p e r p e t r a t o r
of a c a p ita l offence. No f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n i s a v a i l a b l e
about th e c a se . B ut i t i s s t r i k i n g t h a t w i t h i n a month
2
M i r z a Muhammad H i was d i s m i s s e d , and R a j a K r i s h n a c h a n d r a
and h i s s o n w ere removed from th e -m a n a g e m e n t o f t h e z a m i n d a r i
3
f o r some t i m e . The a b s e n c e o f e v i d e n c e makes i t d i f f i c u l t
t o draw a d i r e c t c o n n e c t i o n b e tw e e n t h i s c a s e and t h e re m o v a l
o f t h e n aib ~ sazq .w a l and t h e z a m i n d a r , b u t it i s tem p tin g
t o surm ise t h a t t h e i n t e r v e n t i o n o f t h e Company o f f i c i a l s i n
th e in cid en t p re c ip ita te d t h e i r d ism issal. In th e d i s t r i c t
of R a js h a h i, th e q a z is i n d ecid in g a l l c rim in a l offences
im posed a r b i t r a r y f i n e s . S t e p s were t a k e n t o e r a d i c a t e t h i s
.abuse* The q a z i s were r e q u i r e d t o a c t a s j u d g e s , and l e t
t h e S u p e r v i s o r know t h e f i x e d amount o f c e s s e s and f i n e s
if
c h a r g e d by them . To r e g u l a t e j u d i c i a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n t h e

1 . R aj a 1s R e p r e s e n t a t i o n , L , C . B . I l y 16.
2 . £*£*£*&Jj[# , O ct. 22 , 1770, I , 8 9 - 9 0 .
3. P . C . C . R . M . . Nov. 2 8 , 1 77 0, I , 2k 6 -'2 kQ *
C.W.B.Rous t o R . B e c h e r , J a n . 2 0 , and March 2 6 , 1770?
9 3“1+9 12.
 281

d i s t r i c t by introducing a measure of checks and fealance between

, the powers of th e qazi and th e zamindar, th e Supervisor of
Rajshahi issued an in s tr u c tio n to th e q azis. To quote some
1
of the a r t ic l e s s
“In a f f a i r s r e l a t i v e . t o the c a s ts and r e lig io u s te n e ts
-o f th e Hindoos you must not i n t e r f e r e . But, i f you
see any i n j u s t i c e committed fey th e B ra m in s ,o r the
Zemindar* s o f f ic e r s over th e Hindoos, you w ill give
me inform ation of the circumstances*
“In v arian ces r e l a t i v e to th e recovery of debts and '
m ercan tile tra n s a c tio n s you w i l l tak e your measures
w ith th e concurrence o f th e zemindar* s deputy in the
Pergunnahs and when th e re i s a d iffe re n c e of opinion,
th e m atter must fee decided fey a r b i t r a t i o n , or be
re fe rre d to me, or t o the o f f ic e r s of AdauXet...............
“The r a t e of your fe e s i s to fee stuck up on the wall
of th e cutcheryy in the p ersian and Bengal languages,
a u th en tic ate d fey your se al and th e a t t e s t a t i o n of th e
Zemindar* s head o f f ic e r in the Pergunnah . 11
A r tic le 13 more unexpectly and i n t e r e s t i n g l y read:
“I f you hear of any E nglish gomastahs who take upon
them to send Peons and d e ta in p riso n e rs &c. or
Talookdars or Daroghas of gunges who ex ercise an
a u th o rity in crim inal or c i v i l m atters beyond t h e i r
own p re c in c ts , you w i l l exert y o u rse lf in conjunction
with th e Zemindar* s deputy, to put a check upon t h e i r
proceedings . 2

In Purnea, another d i s t r i c t included w ith in the Diwani lan d s,

Ducarel t r i e d to r e c t i f y the shortcomings of th e p re v a ilin g
j u d i c i a l system fey making j u s t i c e e a s ily a v a ila b le and l e s s

1. I n s t r u c t io n to the q azis, Jan. 1771, P +C.C.R.M. ?

Feb. 7, 1771, H I ,
2* I b i d v
 1
burdensom e t o t h e p e o p l e . From h i s a p p o i n t m e n t i n P u r n e a
two c o u r t s were h e l d every* week i n t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e
f a u . j d a r a t t e n d e d by o t h e r l o c a l o f f i c i a l s .
The p r o c e e d i n g s
; 2
o f t h e c o u r t s w ere m o s t l y s e n t t o t h e s a d a r - a d a l a , t ; . The
S u p e r v i s o r h i m s e l f o f t e n a t t e n d e d t h e c o u r t s and i n some
c a s e s succeeded i n m odifying t h e se n te n c e s p asse d -b y th e
N aib Nazim.
I n t h e c e d ed d i s t r i c t s , h o w ev e r, t h e a d m i n i s t r ­
a t i o n o f j u s t i c e was more r e g u l a t e d . Since th e c e s s i o n of
Burdwan, M id nap ur and C h i t t a g o n g t o t h e Company, t h e ,
R e s i d e n t s a t Burdwan and M id n a p u r, and t h e C h i e f a t C h i t t a ­
gong had e x e r c i s e d some a u t h o r i t y i n t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f
if . r

ju stic e . I n C h i t t a g o n g , t h e c i v i l and c r i m i n a l c o u r t s
were p l a c e d u n d e r t h e s u p e r v i s i o n o f t h e Company and e a c h o f
5
t h e s e met t h r i c e a week. I t was d e s i r e d t h a t t h e e x p e n s e s
o f t h e s e c o u r t s s h o u l d be b o rn e by t h e z a m i n d a r s 11 a s they
■6 •
te n d im m ediately t o th e b e n e f i t s of t h e i n h a b i t a n t s t h e m s e l v e s . 11
1
■ n u n i T m f i w H K W M m i i m r M i n m i B W H ifiT«iLi<i'Jii TH l* W H i — w > — nwii>iiiiMiwnMiM>iwiiii— w w » »— m l v n i m m .i wi * n n h i ii hi; imu h i.i i hi1ib Inr— ITT .

1 . G .G .D ucarel t o R .B ec h e r, D e c .3 , 1 7 7 0 , > D ec. 1 3 ,

1770, I I , 67.
2. I b id .
3* I b i d .
W .K .Firm inger ( e d . ) , The F i f t h Re p o r t . . . . . I . XXIV-XXV; 0
A .M .S eraju d d in , The Revenue A d m in is tr a tio n o f C h itta g o n g . ^6 . .
5. A .M .SeraJuddin, The Revenue A d m in is tr a tio n o f C h itta g o n g . 36.
6 . H . V e r e l s t and C o u n c i l t o C .N .L . J u n e 5 ,1 7 6 1 , P . C . N . L . ,
J u n e 2 k , 1 7 6 1 q u o t e d i n A . M . S e r a j u d d i n , The Revenue Admin­
i s t r a t i o n of C h ittag o n g , 3 6 .
I n o r d e r t o m i n im iz e c o r r u p t i o n s i n t h e c o u n t r y c o u r t s ,
re g u la r re c o rd in g of th e co u rt proceedings in a l l cases
« ... . » ^
f o r th e ex ecu tio n of th e sentences in se rio u s ca ses th e
w r i t t e n a p p r o v a l o f t h e C h i e f o r t h e R e s i d e n t on b e h a l f of
2
t h e Company, and t h e Nawab was r e q u i r e d . I n M idnapur and
J e i l a s o r e where t h e z a m i n d a r s u s e d t o im pose h e a v y f i n e s
3
for t r i f l i n g offences, a r e g u l a t i o n was p r o m u l g a t e d t o t h e
e f f e c t t h a t t h e f i n e s h o u l d be f i x e d t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t
th e q u a n tity of land h e ld . F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e z a m i n d a r s were
f o r b i d d e n t o l e v y no l a r g e r f i n e s t h a n t h o s e f i x e d ; t o do
If
o th e rw is e needed th e p e rm issio n of t h e R e s id e n t.
Thus u p t o t h e y e a r 1772, b o t h i n t h e Diwani and
c e d ed d i s t r i c t s , t h e Company government s o u g h t t o e r a d i c a t e
c o rru p tio n s in th e ju d ic a tu r e w ithout d is tu r b in g th e e x is tin g
5
set-u p . In decid in g c a s e s , a r b i t r a t i o n i n p re fe re n c e to
6
summary j u s t i c e , was s t r o n g l y recommended. I t was a t t e m p t e d

1 . H . V e r e l s t , A View o f t h e R i s e and P r o g r e s s . . . . . 2 2 0 a
2. I b i d .
3. G . V a n s i t t a r t t o R . B e c h e r , N ov .1 7 , 1 7 6 8 , B . D . R . . M i d n a p u r I I o l 2 6 .
k* G . V a n s i t t a r t t o R . B e c h e r , D e c . 3 , 1 7 6 8 , B .D .R .^ M id n a p u r 11,129.*.'
5. F o r t W i l l i a m C o u n c i l t o C .C .R .M ., O c t . 1 1 , 1 7 7 0 , P.C.C .R .M .
O c t . 2 2 . 1 7 7 0 . I . 78: The S e v e n t h R e p o r t . . . . • R e p o r t s . House
o f Commons. I V T 327. ™
6 . C h i t t a g o n g C o u n c i l t o F o r t W i l l i a m C o u n c i l , A u g .1 0 , 1 7 7 2 ,
B.D. R . . C h i t t a g o n g I , p a r t I I , 139; P .C .C .R .M . . May 1 1 ,
1772, X I , "2 5 1 2 5 .
 2m

t o do away w i t h t h e a r b i t r a r y m o n e t a r y demands on t h e
p l a i n t i f f s and d e f e n d a n t s .
T h e s e c h a n g e s b e g a n t o c i r c u m s c r i b e t h e a lm o s t
u n lim ite d j u d i c i a l a u t h o r i t y o f t h e g r e a t zam indars i n th e
ru ra l ju d icatu re. S i n c e 17 6 0 s t h e i r r o l e a s j u d g e - m a g i s t r a t e s
o f t h e i r l o c a l i t y was s u b j e c t e d t o s c r u t i n y and r e s t r a i n t .
Furtherm ore th e l e a s e of th e zam indari la n d s t o th e tem porary
f a r m e r s u p s e t t h e zam indars* t r a d i t i o n a l j u r i s d i c t i o n of
crim in al ju s tic e . N e v e r t h e l e s s some h e r e d i t a r y z a m i n d a r s ,
d e s p i t e t h e i r re m o v a l fro m t h e management o f t h e r e v e n u e s
o f p a r t o r w hole o f t h e i r e s t a t e s , c o n t i n u e d t o e x e r c i s e
1
j u d i c i a l power. B in c e t h e j u d i c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i n v o l v e d
some f i n a n c i a l l i a b i l i t i e s , t h e new f a r m e r s were n o t
e n tru s te d w ith i t . I t was a p p r e h e n d e d t h a t t h e j u d i c i a l
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y w i t h i t s f i n a n c i a l i m p l i c a t i o n s m ig h t w o rs e n t h e .
e x i s t i n g s t a t e o f f r e q u e n t d e f a u l t by t h e f a r m e r s . The
p r i n c i p a l o b j e c t i v e p e r h a p s was t o r e p l a c e t h e j u d i c i a l
power o f t h e z a m i n d a r s e x e r c i s e d so l o n g , by t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t
of elab o rate c e n tra liz e d ju d ic a tu re . The f i r s t j u d i c i a l
2
programme o f t h e Company i n t r o d u c e d i n 1 77 2 , l e f t t o t h e
zam indars l i t t l e to dispense j u s t i c e . I n e a c h d i s t r i c t s two

1 . R .B e c h e r t o J . C a r t i e r , March 30, 1 77 0, S . C . C . , A p r i l 28,

1 7 70 , R/A, 10.
2 . P .C . C . K . Aug. 1 5 , 1 77 2, I - I I I ( i n o n e ), 112-118.
 285

c o u r t s - one d i w a n i - a d a l a t f o r t h e c o g n i z a n c e o f a l l c i v i l
1
c a u s e s and t h e o t h e r , J ^ l l i d a ^ ^ j . l a i , f o r t h e t r i a l o f c r i m e s
and m is d e m e a n o u r s , were e s t a b l i s h e d , and t h e s e c o u r t s were
t o be p r e s i d e d o v e r by t h e E n g l i s h C o l l e c t o r o f t h e d i s t r i c t .
A p a r t from t h e s e , two c o u r t s o f t h e same n a t u r e t o he
p r e s i d e d o v e r by t h e members o f t h e C o u n c i l i n r o t a t i o n
were s e t up a t C a l c u t t a . The s a d a r - d i w a n i and t h e s a d a r -
m i z f f i ^ t ^ d a l a t ^ w ere t h e h i g h e s t a p p e a l a t e . c o u r t s w h ic h .
d e a l t w i t h c i v i l and c r i m i n a l c a s e s r e s p e c t i v e l y . The s a d a r -
d i w a n i - a d a l a t was p r e s i d e d o v e r by t h e P r e s i d e n t w i t h two
members o f t h e C o u n c i l and a t t e n d e d by t h e d l w a n o f t h e k h a l s a .
t h Q s a d a r - q anungo and o t h e r o f f i c e r s o f t h e cu t c h e r r y . The
s a d a r - n i z a m a t - a d a l a t . h ow ever, re m a in e d m a i n l y an i n d i g e n o u s
i n s t i t u t i o n p r e s i d e d by t h e d a r o gha- i - a d a l a t ( c h i e f judge)
and a s s i s t e d by t h e q a z i - u l - q x a z a t , t h e c h i e f m u f t i and t h r e e
m a u l v i e s , w e l l - v e r s e d i n t h e Q u ra n ic l a w s . The f i n a l d e c i s i o n
on t h e c a p i t a l o f f e n c e s r e s t e d w i t h t h e Nazim.
I n s u c h a s e t t i n g t h e r o l e o f t h e z a m i n d a r s was .
l i m i t e d only in - d e c id i n g th e s u i t s r e l a t i n g t o p ro p e rty n o t
2
exceeding R s.1 0 . The d i s t r i c t c o u r t s b e g a n t o assume t h e
j u d i c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s of th e zam indars. To make j u s t i c e

1. The c i v i l c a u s e s i n c l u d e d a l l d i s p u t e s o f p r o p e r t y , i n h e r i ­
t a n c e , d e b t , c o n t r a c t s , p a r t n e r s h i p , r e n t , m a r r i a g e and
caste.
2 . P^S^C^K., Aug. 1 5 , I - I I I ( in one), I l k .
r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e t o t h e p e o p l e , t h e C o l l e c t o r s w ere e n j o i n e d
upon t o r e c e i v e p e t i t i o n s fro m t h e a g g r i e v e d p a r t y a t any
1
tim e. D e s p i t e . t h e s e i n n o v a t i o n s much o f t h e a g e - o l d
p r a c t i c e of r u r a l Bengal su rv iv e d . The j u d i c i a l power o f
t h e z a m i n d a r s was so much i n t e r w o v e n w i t h t h e z a m i n d a r i
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t h a t eve n t h e r e g u l a t i o n s o f t h e Perm an en t
2
S e ttle m e n t could n o t cu t i t o u t a t one s t r o k e . On t h e whole
it i s c e r t a i n t h a t t h e s y s t e m o f d i s c h a r g i n g j u s t i c e by t h e
z a m i n d a r s i n t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e l o c a l i t y s u i t e d t h e age i n
w h ich i t f u n c t i o n e d and even more t h e s o c i e t y f o r w hich i t ’
was m a i n t a i n e d .

1* P . C . C .K . , Aug. 1 5 , I - X I I ( i n o n e ), 113.
2 . T h i s h a s b e e n made c l e a r by R a y c h a u d h u r i when he s a i d ,
“C o r n w a l l i s had d i s b a n d e d t h e z a m i n d a r 1s p o l i c e f o r c e ,
b u t t h e y e f f e c t i v e l y r e t a i n e d some o f t h e i r j u d i c i a l
f u n c t i o n s o u t s i d e t h e system of o rg a n iz e d B r i t i s h
law . They a l s o r e t a i n e d t h e de f a c t o power o f
p u n i s h i n g t h e i r t e n a n t s t h r o u g h f i n e s and c o r p o r a l
p u n i s h m e n t s , and l i t t l e c o u l d be done t o c h e c k t h i s
e x t r a l e g a l a u t h o r i t y , not only because o f t h e
t e n a n t ' s weak p o s i t i o n , b u t a l s o b e c a u s e o f h i s b a s i c
a c c e p t a n c e o f t h e s i t u a t i o n . 11 (T. R a y c h a u d h u r i ,
“P erm an e n t S e t t l e m e n t i n O p e r a t i o n ; B a k a r g a n j
D i s t r i c t " , R . E . P r y k e n b e r g ( e d . ) , Land C o n t r o l and
S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e .............. 1 7 2 ) . ~~
 287

COICLUSIOIf

The i n s t i t u t i o n of zamindari d u r i n g th e p e r io d
under re-view "brings i n t o p e r s p e c t i v e a wide range of admin­
i s t r a t i v e problems and dilemmas t h a t b e s e t the Mughale and
the E a s t I n d ia Company, As a f u n c t i o n a l base of the
government, i t eased a d m i n i s t r a t i v e burden of the Mughals
and to a l e s s e r degree t h a t of the Company, The zamindars
through t h e i r p r i v i l e g e d h e r e d i t a r y p o s i t i o n and the p e r ­
formance of a h o s t of government f u n c t i o n s m a intained
t h e i r power, and d e a l t w ith the needs and i n t e r e s t s of the .
community around them. In s p i t e of the c o - o p e r a t i o n and
a s s i s t a n c e ' of th e zamindar c l a s s to the cause of the
government, th e im plied c l a s h of i n t e r e s t between them and
th e s t a t e remained u n re s o lv e d .
During the f i r s t h a l f of the e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y ,
a p e r io d of i n s t a b i l i t y i n the Mughal Empire,, the zam indari
i n s t i t u t i o n was marked by c e r t a i n developments which
weakened the a u t h o r i t y of Delhi o v er the subah of Bengal
t o the p o i n t of v i r t u a l independence f o r ' th e r e g i o n a l
power. The impact of the march of e v e n ts was overwhelming.
The s u c c e s s io n wars f o r the v i c e r e g a l t h r o n e , the w ranglings
of p a r t i e s a t the c o u r t of the Nawab ooupled w ith th e e n t ry
of th e Company i n the p o l i t i c a l a re n a of Bengal opened a
new c h a p t e r i n i t s h i s t o r y . The growing dependence of
.Nawabs on the zamindar c l a s s r e i n f o r c e d the p o l i t i c a l
s t r e n g t h of t h e .landed a r i s t o c r a c y , The b i g zamindars
e n te r e d th e main stream of p o l i t i c s , a l i g n i n g them selves
w ith the c o n te n d e rs f o r t h e su bah dari and. i n league w ith the =
hankers and th e E a s t I n d i a Company. This com bination con­
t r i b u t e d f o r a b r i e f p e rio d t o the making and unmaking of
the Nawabs. Thus the r o l e of the zamindars had profound
impact on the surro u n d in g a r e a of p o l i t i c a l and f i n a n c i a l
t u r m o i l s «, /
■The zamindars in p r e - B r i t i s h Bengal c a m e t o occupy v
th e p o s i t i o n w e ll f i l l i n g 1the vacuum c r e a t e d by the decay!
of Mughal power i n an o u tl y in g p a r t of the Empire*, Apart
from th e b o r d e r zamindars who were always i n a s p e c i a l . c l a s s ,
many
J 1 i n t e r m e d i a r y .zamindars i n the i n t e r i o r of th e s^^bah
' „ • ( ' . i.Mli'J II.[■AjUk.UJ'MLffji mil

had grown very powerful and- occupied a s i g n i f i c a n t p lace i n

the s o c i o - p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n of the c o u n tr y . They developed
a ,s y s te m o f ' zam indari management of t h e i r own, and b u i l t up ;
t h e i r c o u r t s and s t y l e of p r i v a t e l i f e v y i n g .w i t h each o t h e r
;l,ni;pomp and show. The whole community was h i s domain. He
e x e r c i s e d a u t h o r i t y over h i s s u b j e c t s i n t e r v e n i n g i n t h e i r
a f f a i r s i n many s i t u a t i o n s and on a number of j u s t i f i c a t i o n s
ome. la w f u l and some b e s t d e s c rib e d as a cce p ted p r a c t i c e
but c o n tra ry - to t r a d i t i o n . The c h a p t e r - h e a d in g s epitomize.
the im pressive, a r r a y of powers enjoyed by t h e zamindars
which they could e x e r c i s e w ith out h in d ran c e •arid in. many
i n s t a n c e s w i t h o u t subsequent check f o r a b u s e . In the
u4 n s e t t l e d p ■
o l i t i c a l atmosphere of the subah, w ith the
government i n a c t i o n b u t t r e s s e d by th e i n e f f i c i e n c y and
c o r r u p t i o n of the o f f i c e r s , the powers of the zamindars con­
tin u e d to grow unabated t i l l the t r a n s f e r of th e Diwani to
the Companyo
The term zamindar i n i t s contemporary sense
included people w ith d i f f e r e n t kinds of la n d h o ld in g s and
r i g h t s ra n g in g from th e autonomous or sem i-in d e p e n d e n t
c h i e f t a i n s who remained alm o st o u ts id e the pale of i m p e r i a l
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t o th e p e a s a n t - p r o p r i e t o r s whose r e s o u r c e s
were too i n s i g n i f i c a n t to e x c i t e envy. The re aso n i s to
be found i n th e Mughal p o l i c i e s , the h i s t o r i c a l r o l e s and
r e l a t i o n s of th e zamindars v i s - a - v i s the s o c i e t y and the
adm inistration. The House of Timur h a r n e s s e d th e old
machinery of l o c a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n t o th e im p e r i a l s e r v i c e .
The in d e p en d en t o r sem i-independent c h i e f t a i n s , humbled o r
b e f r i e n d e d , became peshkash paying s u b o r d in a t e a l l i e s w ith
t h e i r a d m i n i s t r a t i v e autonomy v i r t u a l l y un im p aired. The
r e s t were mostly m a l-w a jib paying zamindars who c o l l e c t e d
revenue f o r the i m p e r i a l t r e a s u r y . In r e t u r n f o r t h e i r
s e r v i c e s th e y enjoyed v a r io u s types of p e r q u i s i t e s , depending
upon t h e i r s t a t u s , re s o u r c e s and o t h e r f a c t o r s . They were
l i a b l e to be removed a t the Emperor*s w i l l b u t u s u a l l y i f
they f a i l e d to pay up th e s t i p u l a t e d sums. The b o rd e r
zamindars were g e n e r a l l y r e c a l c i t r a n t . I n s p i t e of s e v e r a l
e x p e d i t i o n s a g a i n s t them they could n o t be f o r c e d t o conform
to the la n d revenue r e g u l a t i o n s of the i n t e r i o r . The Mughal
r u l e r s had t o . be; c o n t e n t w ith t h e i r nominal s u b m is s io n and
i r r e g u l a r payments. Even the, Compahy1s government had
d i f f i c u l t y i n w r e s t in g c o n t r o l of th e fro n tie r D istricts
from th e s e zamindars. .
The p e rio d of u n r e s t and. t r a n s i t i o n w itn e ss e d
some m o b i l i t y w idhin th e landed c l a s s owing to th e i n f l u x
of new comers from d i f f e r e n t p r o f e s s i o n s , the r i s e , of some .'
zam indari f a m i l i e s through imperial; o r v i c e r e g a l p a tro n a g e , ,
o f f i c e , marriage., piecemeal purchase and i n h e r i t a n c e , and
the d e c l i n e of . o t h e r s ‘through the f r a g m e n t a t i o n of th e ' ,
zamindarihf! amongst s u c c e s s o r s . The e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a de
f a c t o independent r u l e i n Bengal and th e v ig o ro u s' s te p s of
Murshid Quli Khan had consequences on th e zamindar c l a s s . •*
During Murshid Q u l i 1s te n u re more la n d s were a v a i l a b l e f o r
farming owing to the c o n v e rs io n of many, j a g i r la n d s i n t o
khalsa.
nggpfcaamn ■»*I iim
This, a f f o r d e d the scope f o r the c r e a t i o n of some
^

new zamindars a s w e ll as the. t e r r i t o r i a l exp ansion of the

e x i s t i n g ones. The e l e v a t i o n of the b ig zamindars to, the ...
p o s ts of c h a k la h d a rs was a n o t h e r measure o f Murshid Quli Khan
which undermined the a u t h o r i t y and s t a t u s of the s m a l l e r
.zamindars and brought f o r t h some changes w i t h i n th e landed
class. During th e subsequent c o n t e s t f o r the s u b a h d a r i,
the b ig zamindars widened5 t h e i r power and in fL u eh ce. The
ascendancy of th e zamindars*. power and i n f l u e n c e came to a
h a l t when.the E a s t I n d ia Company took, up the a d m i n i s t r a t i v e
r e i n of the subah.
 291.

The management of the revenues which ranked f i r s t

i n the zam indari a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , remained t r a d i t i o n a l w ith
some m o d i f i c a t i o n s . I n f o r m a l i t y and f l e x i b i l i t y were the
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c f e a t u r e s of the revenue a d m i n i s t r a t i o n under -
th e Mughals. The re venue payable by the zamindars was
f ix e d on th e b a s i s of custom r a t h e r than on r e g u l a r o r r e a l
assessm ent o f la n d o r produce. The p r a c t i c e of c a r r y i n g
the balance from y e a r to y e a r , and th e method of paying
revenue through th e b i l l s of th e b a n k e rs , in t r o d u c e d i n the
1720s, eased the p ro cess of c o l l e c t i o n and payment of the
reven u es, but i t had a l s o a c c e n tu a te d an i n h e r e n t l y weak
ad m inistrative s itu a tio n . The in d u lg en ces r e l a t i n g t o the
re c la m a tio n of w astes and the d e d u c tio n s on the grounds of
n a t u r a l c a l a m i t i e s , a g r i c u l t u r a l development works and s o c i a l
s e r v i c e s were allow ed as i n c e n t i v e s t o b e t t e r management of
the zam indari a f f a i r s . I n a b ig z a m in d a ri, the zamindar
was a s s i s t e d by s e v e r a l c a t e g o r i e s of o f f i c i a l s a t the s a d a r
cuthcherry.
mi,
At the parganah o r v i l l a g e l e v e l s , the c u t c h e r r i e s
ji«rn+v«nTrmw*K r Tii.nrpr.w ni ^ f in jw m n m T i m n run ■*

were manned by minor f u n c t i o n a r i e s . C o n tr o l o v er the l o c a l

o f f i c e s was m a intain ed th ro u g h to u r s u n d e r ta k e n by the
zamindar o r h i s diwan. The e f f i c i e n c y of th e zamindari
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n depended on the a b i l i t y and the dynamism of
the zamindar. The g o v e r n m e n ts hold over the zamindars
v a r ie d from zam indari to .zamindari. The m a jo r zamindars /
p o s s e s s in g immense p o l i t i c a l power c irc u m s c r ib e d the govern­
ment c o n t r o l i n revenue management. With the enfeeble ment
of government checks th ro u g h the aanungos, a m ils and amins,
 2 9 2 .,

many abuses c r e p t i n t o th e revenue management of the zam in d ars.

I n c o n t i n v e n t i o n to the government r e g u l a t i o n s , the zamindars ‘
o f t e n overburdened the r a i y a t s w ith abwabs, mathauts and th e
num a-rw grmaiwi r tv r a t HtfwMq w A ta a w A s w m w a n * w w n v iffK fiH ittU T irM u lw a i ’

lik e cesses. The zamindari imposts on the p e a s a n t s , a r t i s a n s :

and merchants m u l t i p l i e d a f t e r t h e . r i s e of t h e r e g i o n a l power.
The zamindars unable' to w ith s ta n d p r e s s u r e from the Hawabs'
passed on th e burden of revenue demands on th e r a i y a t s . The
c a s e s of p h y s i c a l t o r t u r e and f o rc e d la b o u r i n c r e a s e d probably
as d e s p e r a te means of e x a c t i o n s . However, the c o n t i n u a t i o n
of the zaminda,ri i n the same fam ily f o r g e n e r a t i o n s had r.
n a t u r a l l y f o s t e r e d c l o s e r t i e s between the h e r e d i t a r y zamindars
and t h e i r p r a j a s who l i v e d i n the same v i l l a g e , and ploughed
the same f i e l d f o r y e a r s . And t h i s perhaps acco u n ts f o r
the absence of r e p o r t s of th e p easant u p r i s i n g d u rin g the
p e rio d p r i o r to Hawab Mir Qasim. Following the t r a n s f e r of
the Diwani to the Oomx^any th e revenue a d m i n i s t r a t i o n was
marked by th e Company's growing involvement a n d ' g r e a t e r
checks on the zam indari revenue management.
For th e defence of Bengal, a remote subah i n t e r ­
s e c te d by numerous r i v e r s and c a n a l s , the Mughals depended
c o n s id e r a b l y on th e l o c a l zamindars. The zamindars were
pledged to come to the aid. of the i m p e r i a l army under the
c irc u m s ta n c e s of war and r e b e l l i o n , extend c o - o p e r a t i o n a t
a l l tim es and f u r n i s h th e quota of m i l i t a r y s u p p l i e s a p p o r­
tio n ed by the government. These r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s ; i n con-
j u n c t i o n w ith th e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l need f o r defence and p r e s e r ­
v a t i o n of i n t e r n a l o r d e r led f t p the c r e a t i o n of m i l i t a r y
e s t a b l i shraent s' o f the zaminda v s , The zamind are we re g r a n t s d‘
land s o r d e duc t io ns f roin r e ve nue‘ f o r th e i r m il i t a r y : s e f v i c e e . .
They m ain tain ed r e g u l a r armed r e t a i n e r s and when r e q u i r e d -:
d rafted th e ir te n an ts. The m i l i t a r y p o t e n t i a l of some
b o rd e r zamindars r e s t e d n o t s o l e l y on t h e i r e x t e n s i v e f o r t i ­
f i c a t i o n s and i n a c c e s s i b l e t e r r a i n s but on t h e e n e r g e t i c ’ 1
s u p p o rt of t h e i r armed fo ll o w e r s a s well... . The m i l i t a r y
might of the powe r f u l .zamindar s was so me t ime s, e x e r c i s e d f o r .■
t e r r i t o r i a l expansion and f o r th e s e t t l e m e n t of d i s p u t e s .
The government viewed th e s e a f f a i r s w ith s u l l e n i n d i f f e r e n c e .
Because of t h e d e c l i n e of the Mughal a u t h o r i t y and n f the, •
mounting p r e d a t o r y . r a i d s of the M arathas, t h e subahdars
r e l i e d h e a v i l y on th e zamindars fo r m i l i t a r y h e l p .and s u p p o rt
The zamindars a r r o g a t i n g the ■■a u t h o r i t y of the s t a t e throug h
t h e i r a s s o c i a t i o n w ith a d m i n i s t r a t i v e fu n c tio n s , and th roug h
the weakness, of th e government were,welded i n t o a n -e f f e c t i v e
p o litic a l force. The antagonism between t h e . i n t e r e s t s of
the government and the zamindars came to s u r f a c e i n th e form
of r e b e l l i o n and bloody e n c o u n te r s . f
The p o l i c e and j u d i c i a l a u t h o r i t y .of the zamindars
was a c o r o l l a r y of t h e i r a d m i n i s t r a t i v e t a s k s . This t r a n s ­
f e r r e d a u t h o r i t y on the one hand gave the zamindar ;the r e s - ,
p o n s i b i l i t y of r e s o l v i n g th e problems of law and o r d e r - i n his.
 294.

r e a l m and on t h e o t h e r hand t h e l e g i t i m a t e g r a t i f i c a t i o n o f
h i s p r i d e and a u t h o r i t y , A z a m i n d a r was e x p e c t e d t o a p p r e ­
h e n d , p r o s e c u t e and e v e n p u n i s h c r i m i n a l s , 'R e p a i r i n g t h e
l o s s o f p r o p e r t y t h r o u g h t h e f t and r o b b e r y i n h i s t e r r i t o r y
was a l s o ^Jdbb&rfc-.the.piiS(:tnil3ifcJ;Qf h i s p o l i c e a c t i v i t i e s . The com­
b i n a t i o n o f powers t o d e f i n e c r i m i n a l c o n d u c t , t o a r r e s t ,
t o su m m arily p u n i s h and t o r e t r i e v e r e p o s e d i n t h e za m in d a r
some d i s c r e t i o n a r y p o w e r s . H is p r e r o g a t i v e and d i s c r e t i o n a r y
powers i n c r e a s e d d u r i n g t h e d e c l i n i n g d a y s o f t h e i m p e r i a l
and s u b a h d a r i a u t h o r i t y . T aking a d v a n t a g e o f the b u r e a u c r a t i c
i n e r t i a t h e p o l i c e a c t i v i t i e s o f many z a m in d a r s t o o k a
d iffe re n t ca st. The r e s o u r c e s o f t h e z a m i n d a r i p o l i c e
e s t a b l i s h m e n t , i n i t i a l l y s e t up f o r th e e n f o r c e m e n t , o f law
and o r d e r were d i v e r t e d i n t o q u e s t i o n a b l e c h a n n e l s . Some
z a m in d a r s e v e n had l i n k s w i t h t h e o r g a n i z e d c r i m i n a l s and
shared th e d i v i s i o n of the s p o i l s . The a s s u m p t i o n o f t h e
D iw ani by the Company d i d n o t improve t h e s i t u a t i o n i m m e d ia t e l y
The c o n d i t i o n f e s t e r e d t o t h e e x t e n t t h a t t h e m e r c h a n t s and
s e r v a n t s o f th e Company i n s t e a d o f c o m b a tin g t h e m a l p r a c t i c e s ,
began to in d u lg e i n i l l e g a l a c t i v i t i e s .
A z a m in d a r d o m in a te d t h e r u r a l s o c i e t y and c o u l d
r e d r e s s t h e g r i e v a n c e s o f h i s p e o p l e and r i g h t t h e i n j u s t i c e s
by c o m p e n s a t i o n . He c o u l d e n f o r c e law and o r d e r by im p o s in g
s a n c t i o n s w hich r a n g e d from o s t r a c i s m t o v i o l e n c e . In
m a tte rs o f o ffe n c e s n o t too s e r i o u s f o r o f f i c i a l cognizance ;
°£ *tile fa -u jd a r o r . q a z i , t h e za m in d ar o r h i s p e o p l e a c te d ., - -
I t i s , how ever, n o t d i f f i c u l t t o f i n d f a u l t w i t h th e j u d i c i a l
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of th e zam indars. The z a m in d a r ,c o m b in e d th e \ I;
p osts of a p ro se c u to r, j u r o r and th e judge. The f i n a n c i a l
c o n s i d e r a t io n s of the l i t i g a t i o n and t h e f e a r o f r e p r i s a l s
p r e c l u d e d t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f a p p e a l s by t h e r a i y a t s , and-
v i r t u a l l y f o r c e d t h e m . t o comply w i t h t h e z a m i n d a r s ' v e r d i c t s , . / ,,
N e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e d i s p e n s a t i o n o f j u s t i c e was c h e a p and r e a d t l y ’
av ailab le. D esp ite i t s shortconiings, i t f i t t e d th e ex igencies;,
of the r u r a l s o c i e t y . When t h e B r i t i s h t o o k up t h e j u d i c i a l ,
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , r a p i d change was a d o m in a n t c o n s e q u e n c e . / '/
But t h e g r e a t s t r u c t u r e of j u d i c i a l power and p r i v i l e g e
b u i l t up by t h e z a m in d a rs s u r v i v e d f o r a l o n g t i m e . JfriK
W ith t h e p a s s i n g o f tim e t h e r e d e v e l o p e d a u n i f o r m
p a t t e r n i n t h e l a n d c o n t r o l sy stem o f t h e Mughal s u b a h o f
b -j* ■** , v. ,

B engal. T a k in g a d v a n t a g e o f t h e i r p r i v i l e g e d p o s i t i o n and,.
p o l i t i c a l power t h e b i g za m in d a rs b eg a n to- f u r t h e r t h e i r ,
economic i n t e r e s t s . T h e i r n ee d f o r money i n o r d e r t o m a in - ; —
ta in t h e i r follo w ers, dependants and a t t e n d a n t s a s w e l l a s ' :
f o r the harem s, d r i n k s , j e w e l s and o t h e r l u x u r i e s had: grown -
t o o n um erou s. The t r a d i t i o n a l r o l e o f t h e z a m in d ars
e s p e c i a l l y o f t h e i n t e r m e d i a r y ones r e c e i v e d a s e t b a c k a f t e r / f
the b a t t l e of P la s s e y . The p e r i o d b e tw e e n 1757 t o 1772.
p r e s e n t e d m a n i f o l d p ro b le m s t o t h e . z a m i n d a r s . The s c r a m b le . .
f o r p o l i t i c a l power i n t h e su b a h c a u s e d f i n a n c i a l s t r i n g e n c y /
t o t h e a l r e a d y s t r a i n e d economy o f th e c o u n t r y . The Nawabs
ceded p a r t o f t h e p r o v i n c e t o t h e Company i n o r d e r t o l i q u i ­
date t h e i r d e b ts . T h i s m easu re posed a t h r e a t t o t h e p o s i ­
t i o n o f t h e z a m in d a rs i n t h e ceded d i s t r i c t s . The s e r i e s
o f e x p e r i m e n t s i n t h e Company's r e v e n u e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n n o t
o n l y b r o u g h t economic p r e s s u r e on t h e z a m in d a r s b u t a l s o
fo re s h a d o w e d t h e r e d u c t i o n o f t h e i r powers and p r i v i l e g e s
enjoyed so lo n g . Some d i s g r u n t l e d z a m in d a r s r e s o r t e d t o
arms to r e s i s t t h e a u t h o r i t y o f t h e i r new m a s t e r . The
t r a n s f e r o f t h e Diwani t o t h e Company i n 1765 s p e l l e d th e
d e c l i n e of t h e i n f l u e n c e o f t h e t r a d i t i o n a l z a m i n d a r s . The
z a m in d a r s had now t o d e a l w i t h some new p e o p l e whose i d e a s
and a t t i t u d e s were q u i t e f o r e i g n t o them . Naib Piwan Reza
Khan championed i h e c a u s e o f t h e z a m in d a r s and s o u g h t t o
p re se rv e th e e x i s t i n g revenue s e t - u p . H is v i e w p o i n t t h o u g h
s u p p o r t e d by B e c h e r , t h e R e s i d e n t , was r e j e c t e d ’by t h e S e l e c t
Committee and t h e C o u n c i l o f Revenue a t F o r t W i l l i a m , Reza
Khan r e a l i z i n g t h e f u t i l i t y o f h i s s t r u g g l e f o r t h e presei*va~
t i o n o f th e i n d i g e n o u s r e v e n u e s y s te m 'a b a n d o n e d t h e f i e l d 1
a t t h e end o f 1770. The move f i n a l l y p l a c e d t h e zam indars
u n d e r t h e f i r m g r i p o f th e Company a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . The
Company's c o n c e p t and d e f i n i t i o n of t h e z a m i n d a r i t e n u r e l a y at
t h e r o o t o f t h e many s t e p s t a k e n by them. The t r a d i t i o n a l
o p e r a t i o n a l p a t t e r n b a s e d on l o c a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n was d i s c a r d e d
i n f a v o u r of a c e n t r a l i z e d b u re a u c ra c y . The s t a t u s o f a
 zamindar moved away from a c h i e f to t h a t o f a revenue con­
tracto r. The in f r in g e m e n t of some p r i v i l e g e s enjoyed so
long by the zamindars, a c t u a t e d them to r e s o r t to f r a u d u l e n t
means. As the Company seemed determined to i n c r e a s e th e -
..f in a n c ia l r e s o u r c e s from the Diwani p o s s e s s io n so were the
zamindars to r e t a i n t h e i r powers and p r i v i l e g e s , b u i l t up
through l e g a l and i l l e g a l means. The Company's a t te m p t s to
c u t down the management expenses of the zam indaris and b r in g
more land under assessm ent f o r revenue payment were s t r o n g l y
r e s e n te d and opposed by the zamindars. The s a le of the
zam indari la n d s to pay up the b a la n c e s , the temporary removal
of the d e f a u l t i n g zamindars from revenue management undermined
the power o f the zamindars. The. f i x a t i o n of the emoluments
of th e zamindars, the r e d u c t i o n of the zam indari s t a f f , and
the resum ption of the chakaran la n d s , and b a z i-z a m in not
only c u t a c r o s s th e i n t e r e s t s of the big zamindars b u t a l s o
made the redundant s t a f f and t h e i r dependants im poverished.
These measures had a f a r - r e a c h i n g e f f e c t on the socio-economic
c o n d i t i o n of the c o u n try a t l a r g e .

In the absence of s p e c i a l i s e d departm ents to look

a f t e r the s o c i a l s e r v i c e s , developmental works or e d u c a tio n
th ro u g h o u t the v a s t compass o f . t h e c o u n try , the Mughal r u l e r s
r e l i e d on the i n i t i a t i v e of the zamindars to c a r r y the b e n e f i t
of the, Mughal r u l e to the r u r a l a r e a s . By g r a n t i n g r e n t - f r e e
 - ' T
l a n d s o r . d e d u c t i o n s from t h e jama,' t h e y , provoked t h e zamin
d a r s t o t a k e up the t a s k o f p u b l i c . s e r v i c e s i n e a r n e s t .
The Mughal E m perors \ a n x i e t y f o r p r o v i d i n g , e a s e
'■ p. ' 3
t o t h e t r a v e l l e r s found an echo among the z a m i n d a r s .
Some, t o m a t c h ’t h e i m p e r i a l e x p e c t a t i o n and some, t o s a t i s f y ;
>:ttieir r e l i g i o u s s e n t i m e n t s o r c r a v i n g f o r p e r p e t u a t i o n o f
t h e i r .names b u i l t r o a d s ,. . 'b r i d g e s and s e r a i s and l i b e r a l l y
m a in ta in e d them • P r e s s e d by t h e demands o f t h e government
and , s t r e s s e d f u r t h e r by the n e e d s of t h e r a i y a t a . t h e
zamind a r s p a r t i c i p a t e d i n .some a g r l c u l t u r a l d e v e 1 opme n t
works* These r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e ■.
i n d i v i d u a l , p h i l a n t h r o p i c z e a l o f some z a m in d a r s a c c o u n t f o r
th e e x a c a v a t i o n o f t a n k s , . w a t e r r e s e r v o i r s and c a n a l s and
t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n , o f embankments. The k e e n i n t e r e s t shown
by t h e z a m in d a r s l e d t o t h e ad vancem en t of. e d u c a t i o n . ■
P s t f h s a l a a „ t o l a and o t h e r e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s fo u n d e d
by t h e z a m in d a r s o f N a d ia , R a j s h a n i , Birbhum and Rawshanabad
be.came famous c e n t r e s l o f ’ b o t h x ^e ligiou s and s e c u l a r s t u d i e s .

1 . i W . b u s h i n g t o n t o R .B e c h e r , i o v . 1 9 , 1 7 7 0 , P.C..R.M*, D e c .6 ,
1770, I I , 21; P.C.R.M. P e b . 3 , 1 77 2, I X , ~ T 2 ^ T 2 7 ; -B.M.
Add .MSS, 29086, 2 F f PTC-.OvD, ' O c t . l O , 1772, 5 7 0 / 1 5 , 355.
,2. Abul F a z l , Akbarnamah, H .B e v b rid g e ( t r . ) , Ill, 1235.
3 . . W . I r v i n e ( t r . ) ? S t o r i a . . * 0 .'I, 116; K . C . M i t r a , "The
. T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y of B e n g a l -- The R a j a s of R a j s h a h i
C.R. 1873, LVI, 1 1 ; Naib Dxwan1s N o t e , P.C-.C.R.M., A p r i l
J-X j 1 / | 1 j V^ T 8. ., ,
4. The C a l c u t t a M onthly R e g i s t e r , J a n . 1791 q u o te d i n ’’The
C h r o n i c l e ..of K r i s h n a g h u r ,j C .R . 1855 9 XXY,, 114-115 i
; , Sham ser G-tiazir P u n t h i $ B .C .S e n , Yanga S a h i t y a P a r i c h a y a ,
P a r t 1 1 / 1854; Abdus S a l a m ( i r 0 ) 7 R i a ¥ » - a T ^ S a l a t l n , '2 5 7 7
The z a m i n d a r s ’ m u n i f i c e n t p a t r o n a g e o f l i t e r a t u r e enriched
t h e c u l t u r e o f Bengal* Though za m in d ars d i d n o t a lw a y s
f u l f i l t h e i r o b l i g a t i o n s r e g a r d i n g t h e i r s o c i a l d u t i e s and
som etimes m i s a p p r o p r i a t e d th e money t h e y r e c e i v e d f o r th e
w e l f a r e o f th e s u b j e c t s , ^ " t h e p e r s o n a l c h a r i t i e s o f some
z a m in d a r s d e s e r v e c r e d i t *
The l a n d e d a r i s t o c r a c y o f t h e p r e - B r i t i s h p e r i o d
i n c l u d e d few a b s e n t e e zam indars* Those whp. r e t a i n e d t h e i r
o f f i c i a l p o s i t i o n a s a a n u n g o s o r c h a u d h u r i s were z a m in d a rs
ii ■ n ir n n H ii^ r ir n m ~ r n r n n iin m m n w - n

o f th e same l o c a l i t y * The g lam ou r of t h e u r b a n l i f e was

y e t t o e n t i c e t h e z a m in d a r s o f Bengal* The s o c i a l l i f e
and p u b l i c a c t i v i t i e s o f t h e za m in d a rs were u s u a l l y c o n f i n e d
w i t h i n t h e bounds o f t h e i r ’ l i t t l e k in g d o m s ’ • T h e i r mode
o f l i f e was somewhat te m p e re d by t h e i r e x p o s u r e t o the g r a n d e u r
o f t h e i m p e r i a l and t h e Bawab’ s c o u r t . The g r e a t z a m i n d a r s ’
d u r b a r s were m o d e l l e d a f t e r t h a t o f t h e Bawab’ s and t h e
m m i i i w a i i M ^ n i i 11 u . i i M H n . w

2
i m p e r i a l d r e s s , f o o d , a r t and a r c h i t e c t u r e were em u lated*
T h i s paved t h e way f o r a s y n t h e s i s b e tw e e n t h e i m p e r i a l and
the indigenous c u ltu re s *

1. P . O . O . D . , N o v .27, 1772, R 7 0 /1 5 , 279; W.Wynne t o B.R. May

1 3 , 1773, B.R.O. May 25, 1773, R 4 9 / 3 9 ; R.B.Ramsbotham,
S t u d i e s i n t h e Land Revenue H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l , 1 2 0*
2o B .C .S e n , G l i mpses o f B en g al L i f e , 3 9 - 4 0 , 4 5 - 4 6 .
3. S .B . H a s a n , "The Zam indars u n d e r t h e M u g h a ls ” , R..E.
F r y k e n b e r g ( E d . ) , The Land C o n t r o l and S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e ..........
17. ‘ “ ""
 300.

The lu x u rio u s s t y l e of l i v i n g and the pomp and

g ran d eu r of the c o n s id e r a b le zamindars b o o ste d and in d ig en o u s
c r a f t s and s m a ll- s c a le i n d u s t r i e s . In o r d e r to c a t e r f o r
th e needs of th e lan ded a r i s t o c r a c y and h ig h - r a n k in g govern­
ment o f f i c e r s , h a n d i c r a f t i n d u s t r i e s produced f in e q u a l i t y
c o tto n t e x t i l e s , e x q u i s i t e s i l k s , je w e lle r y and d e c o r a tiv e
swords and weapons. The fame of th e c o t to n and s i l k c lo th s
of S a n tip u r and Burran w ith in the Nadia zam indari owed as
much to the s k i l l e d weavers as to the p atro n ag e of th e R ajas
of N adia. 1 The demand f o r th e fin e S a n t i p u r i c lo th s was
n o t co n fin e d to Bengal o n ly . Huge q u a n t i t i e s of m u s lin s ,
mulmuls and c o ssaes from S a n tip u r were ex p o rted to the m arkets
of Europe. 2 The m anufacture of san no es, mulmuls, and ta n je e b s
of G horaghat, S antose and Buddal w ith in the D in a jp u r zam indari
a l s o earned r e p u t a t i o n . 3 Under th e p atro n ag e of the R a jsh a h i
zam indars, th e t e x t i l e in d u s tr y f l o u r i s h e d w ith in t h e i r
e x te n s iv e z a m in d a ri.^ According to G ra n t, th e R ajsh ah i

1. K .R ay a, K s h i t i s a v a m s a v a l i o h a r i t a . 35; S .C .M itra,
J d s s o r e - K h t f t ln a r I t i h a s a I I , 402.
2. I m p e r i a l G a z e t t e e r s o f I n d i a , B e n g a l , I I , 428: J.Z .
H o lw ^ II1 * 1 " ^ —
E v e n t s , P a r t I . 202.
■-*‘T*Tr-i ‘Yr i t1 i T « - i . t t j i t u t > n r . . n r r r —T t i n q i u f - g m . i r . t . T ' i i w . i w i ■I T'~ r » *

3° J.Z .H o lw ell, I n t e r e s t in g H is to r ic a l E v en ts, P a rt I ,

r r . . . . . — . .- Y t r r ' T T f 'T i r ^ t i i i n r n i v n i t T i r m Y '," ( T f i i n ^ i fif n T M r i w f m r i T H t M 'n T ) > rian i « < i i i (ii T»
194
4* 192-193; K . K . B a t t a , A l i v a r d i a n d H is T im es, 226.
 301.

z a m i n d a r i p ro d u c e d " w i t h i n t h e l i m i t s of i t s ju risd ictio n ,

a t l e a s t f o u r f i f t h s of a l l the s i l k , raw o r m a n u f a c t u r e d ,
u sed i n , o r e x p o r t e d from t h e e f f e m i n a t e d l u x u r i o u s em p ire
of H i n d o s t a n . T h e zam indars1 t a s t e f o r lu x u rio u s
a r t i c l e s k e p t some s m a l l - s c a l e i n d u s t r i e s n o t o n ly a l i v e
but prosperous. The b r a s s w ares of Navadwip, M eherp ur,
t h e c l a y m odels o f K r i s h n a n a g a r e a r n e d fame u n d e r t h e
e n c o u ra g e m e n t of t h e z a m in d a rs o f STadia. Thus t h e " n a t i v e
p r i n c e s an d c h i e f s o f a v a r i o u s d e s c r i p t i o n , t h e r e t a i n e r s
o f numerous d e p e n d a n t s , a f f o r d e d a c o n s t a n t employment t o
a v a s t number o f i n d i g e n o u s m a n u f a c t u r e r s , who s u p p l i e d
t h e i r m a s t e r s w i t h g o ld and s i l v e r s t u f f s , c u r i o u s l y f l o w e r e d
p l a i n m u s l i n s , a d i v e r s i t y o f b e a u t i f u l s i l k s , and o t h e r
a r t i c l e s of A s i a t i c lu x u ry ;
t h e use o f w h ic h , w e a l t h , and
2
a p r o p e n s ity to a v o lu ptuou s l i f e , n a t u r a l l y e x c i t e d " .
A g a i n , t h e e x t r a v a g a n c e o f t h e z a m in d a r s i n
s o c i o - r e l i g i o u s o c c a s i o n s and f e s t i v i t i e s h e l p e d i n no l e s s
degree th e c i r c u l a t i o n of w e a lth in the s o c i e t y . The
p riv ate l i f e o f a t r a d i t i o n a l z a m in d a r was n o t h i n g s h o r t o f
*a c o u r t o f c e re m o n y 1 . S i n c e th e m a g n i f i c e n c e o f su ch
c e r e m o n i e s was a n i n d e x o f a za m in d ar* s s u p e r i o r p o s i t i o n ,

1. J . G r a n t , A n a l y s i s o f t h e F i n a n c e s o f B e n g a l , W.K.
F i r m i n g e r ( E d . ) , The F i f t h R e p o r t ................... I I , 194.
2. G . F o r s t e r , A J o u r n ey f rom B engal t o E n g l a n d , I , 4 - 5 ;
—• I I t i i n M .r r m « r « n T " n i* r t w m T m F r T iH n ij^ n n » ■ ! > « * > . m i u » X i« t i u n i ■ ■ ■ > _ » , ■ i. w m i —

s e e a l s o T . B a y c h a u a h u n , B en gal u n a e r At b a r and
J a h a n g ir , 201-202.
 1 2
he s p e n t l a v i s h l y on m a r r i a g e , a n n a p r a s h a n , funeral r ite s
and o t h e r o c c a s i o n s som etim es r u n n i n g th£mseD§Bp i n t o
17
i r r e t r i e v a b l e debt.''* That th e very p r e s t i g e of th e
z a m in d a r s h i n g e d on t h e i r l a v i s h s p e n d i n g i n s o c i o - r e l i g i o u s
f e s t i v i t i e s c a n be g l e a n e d from t h e f o l l o w i n g c o r r e s p o n d e n c e
of R aja B oidyanath of D in a jp u r
"As I c o n s i d e r t h e d i s c h a r g e o f my d e b t s
t o Government a s p r i o r t o e v e n t o th e
p r o v i s i o n o f my f o o d and r a i m e n t s , I
r e a d i l y subm itted to t h i s . But s i n c e
t h e " P o o j a D e s s e h r a " i s v e r y n e a r a t hand
and t h i s f e s t i v a l s u p e r s e d e s am ongst
t h o s e o f my c a s t , a l l r e l i g i o u s
w o r l d l y a f f a i r s G-od f o r b i d t h a t t h e means
s h o u l d f a i l me o f a d h e r i n g t o t h e custom s
w hich have b e e n k e p t up o f o l d s e e i n g t h e
same would r e f l e c t g r e a t l y on me i n t h e
o p i n i o n s o f men i n g e n e r a l * 1 therefore
hope t h a t you w i l l g r a n t me some a l l o w a n c e
t o s u p p o r t th e c h a r g e o f t h e P o o j a h and
t h a t I may i n a becoming m anner be t h e r e b y
e n a b l e d t o k e e p up my r e p u t a t i o n , "
At a t im e when t h e R a ja of M n a j p u r was p a s s i n g t h r o u g h
d i f f i c u l t i e s w i t h huge d e b t t o th e g o v e r n m e n t, he p ra y e d
f o r allow ance f o r c e l e b r a t i n g th e pooja i n a b e f i t t i n g
m an ner. The R a j a o f J e s s o r e p e t i t i o n i n g f o r a n a d v a n c e o f
a p a r t o f h i s a l l o w a n c e t o d e f r a y t h e e x p e n s e s o f t h e wDurga

1* "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B e n g a l - The R a d ia R a j " ,

CJrL 1872, LV, 9 5 - 9 6 ,
2* A . H i g g i n s o n t o C .C .R .M ., Dec, 12, 1770, P .C .C .R .M .,
Dec. 17, 1 7 7 0 , I I , 88.
5* J.H .G -rose, Voyages t o t h e E a s t I n d i e s I , 254; J/fo rb es,
Or i e n t a l Memoirs I , 56.

4. B . E . C . , S e p t - 1 7 , 1773, R 49/41, 3 0 8 8 -3 0 8 9 .
P o o j a ’ , e x p r e s s e d th e same a n x i e t y f o r t h e p r e s e r v a t i o n o f
1
M s fam ily d i g n i t y .
; The c o n s t r u c t i o n o f b u i l d i n g s , f o r t s , te m p l e s an d
mosques by t h e za m in d a rs p r o v i d e d l i v e l i h o o d t o numerous
masons. The z a m in d a rs o f t h e p e r i o d had on r e c o r d th e
c r e d i t o f b u i l d i n g a number o f t o w n s . The p r o m i n e n t
z a m in d a r s v i e d w i t h e a c h o t h e r i n making t h e i r h e a d q u a r t e r s
m agnificent. The S h i v n i v a s a o f R aja K r i s h n a c h a n d r a and t h e
R a j n a g a r o f R aja R a j b a l l a b h n o t o n ly d e m o n s t r a t e d the
a r c h i t e c t u r a l s k i l l of the craftsm en and th e t a s t e of t h e i r
p a t r o n s b u t a l s o t h e i r economic r e s o u r c e s , w h ich t h e y c o u l d
p
a f f o r d t o spend on s u c h v e n t u r e s . The s p e n d i n g on l u x u r y
a rtic le s, s o c i a l a n d r e l i g i o u s c e r e m o n i e s and b u i l d i n g s had
a n e n c o u r a g i n g e f f e c t on t h e economic l i f e of the s o c i e t y .
The ’’p r i v a t e w e a l t h was u s u a l l y expended on t h e s p o t where
i t had b e e n a c q u i r e d ; and t h o u g h s e v e r i t y and o p p r e s s i o n
m ig h t hav e been e x e r c i s e d i n t h e a c c u m u l a t i o n , y e t , by i t s
q u i c k c i r c u l a t i o n , t h r o u g h t h e many c h a n n e l s of l u x u r y , t h e
c o u n t r y a t l a r g e was im proved and e m b e l l i s h e d , w i t h o u t any
d e c r e a s e of t h e g enera,! c u r r e n c y

1. S . C h a r t e r t o B . H . C . , S e p t . 13, 1773, B .R .C . S e p t . 17,

1 773, R 4 9 /4 1 , 3087.
2„ P . O . S e n , H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l i l a n g u a g e and l i t e r a t u r e .
o /y -o o O .
3. G r .F o r s t e r , A J o u r n e y from. B e n g a l . to E n g l a n d , I , 6.
 The p r e c e d i n g d i s c u s s i o n p ro v e s beyond d o u b t t h a t
t h e l i f e an d a c t i v i t i e s of a c o n sid erab le z a m i n d a r had a
tre m e n d o u s i m p a c t on t h e v a r i o u s a s p e c t s o f r u r a l conimuniiy .
The a b r o g a t i o n o f much o f t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e a u t h o r i t y of
t h e z a m in d a r s and t h e d r a s t i c c u r t a i l m e n t of t h e i r . economic
p r i v i l e g e s had r e p u r c u s s i o n s on t h e s o c i e t y a t l a r g e and
s p e c i a l l y on t h e i r d e p e n d a n t s and b e n e f i c i a r i e s . The d i s ­
b a n d i n g o f t h e z a m i n d a r i t r o o p s and t h e r e d u c t i o n of th e
z a m i n d a r i s t a f f t h r e w many p e o p l e o u t o f em ploym ent. The
p o l i t i c a l an d economic m e a s u r e s a l s o h e r a l d e d the r u i n a t i o n
o f t h e i n d i g e n o u s a r t s and c r a f t s . A new d i m e n s i o n was
ad ded t o t h e p ro b lem o f law and o r d e r when many, b e r e f t o f
t h e i r liv e l ih o o d r e s o r te d to ro b b e ry .

The z a m in d a r s were a c o m p o s ite o f good and e v i l ,

a b l e n d of e n n o b l i n g e x c e l l e n c i e s and d e g r a d i n g i m p e r f e c t i o n s .
When h e l d by t r a d i t i o n an d d i s c i p l i n e d by t h e i m p e r i a l o r
v i c e r e g a l a u t h o r i t y t h e y d i s p l a y e d d e c e n c y and c o n s i d e r a t i o n .
I n t h e u n s e t t l e d p o l i t i c a l c l i m a t e o f th e s u b a h t h e g o v e r n -
ment was s a d d l e d w i t h m o u n tin g p r o b l e m s , t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e
m a c h in e r y was wrapped i n I n e f f i c i e n c y and c o r r u p t i o n a n d th e
za m in d a r s were p r e s s e d w i t h h e a v i e r demands on t h e i r r e s o u r c e s
and tem p ted by t h e d e s i r e f o r w i d e n i n g t h e i r power and t e r r i ­
to ries. 1 Thus were b o rn g r e e d and r a p a c i t y , a n d th e
bonds o f l o y a l t y and g o o d w i l l s e v e r e d .
 Appendix - A

P r o g r e s s i v e a c c o u n t o f t h e Revenue S e t t l e m e n t o f B e n g a l
fro m 1582 t o 1763^ s

T o d a r M a i 1s S e t t l e m e n t (1 5 8 2 )

K h a l s a L and s R s. 63,44,260
J a g i r Bands 43,48,892

T o ta l assignm ent 1 ,0 6 ,9 3 ,1 5 2

Shah S h u j a f s S e t t l e m e n t (1658)

A s a l o r o r i g i n a l K h a l s a Lands 63,44,260
Ia a fa or In c re a s e on t h e a s a l 9,87,162
I n c r e a s e o f K h a l s a l a n d by t r a n s f e r
and c o n q u e s t 14,3 5 ,5 9 3
J a g i r L ands 43,48,892

T otal assessm ent 1 ,3 1 ,1 5 ,9 0 7

t i i i n i M i n i i m i i i n i n m u n i n n n n m i i i i i i M i n m i n i m 11 ■ M i i w i i n n m i i a r i n i y " H i i i i i ^ > i i i P W w i i ^ i n i i n i i i T i u i i i i i i i i > n m w m

1. Appendix t o th e F i f t h R eport W .K .Firm inger (e d .

The F i f t h R eport ............. I I , 120-1 2 1
 M u rshid Q u l i ' s S e t t l e m e n t (1 7 2 2 )

K h a l s a l a n d s a c c o r d i n g t o Shah Sh'uga1®
S ettlem en t 87,67,015
I n c r e a s e on ab o v e , 11,72,279
J a g i r l a n d s c o n v e rte d in to K halsa 10,2 1 ,4 1 5
J a g ir lan d s 33,27,477

T otalassessm ent 1 ,4 2 ,8 8 ,1 8 6
Add abwabs .2 ,53 ,85 7

T o t a l a s s e s s m e n t i n c l u d i n g abwabs 1 ,4 5 ,4 7 ,0 4 3

S h u j a K h a n 's S e t t l e m e n t (1 72 8)

K halsa la n d s 1 ,0 9 ,1 8 ,0 8 4
J a g i r Lan ds .. 33,27,477

T otal assessm ent 1 ,42,45,561

Add abwabs , 1 9 ,1 4 ,0 9 5

T o t a l a s s e s s m e n t i n c l u d i n g abwabs 1 ,61,59,656

Qasim A l l ' s S e t t l e m e n t (17 63 )

Jama o f K h a l s a and J a g i r l a n d s a s above 1 ,4 2 ,4 5 ,5 6 1

D e d u c t i o n on v a r i o u s g r o u n d s 4 ,13,191

1 ,3 8 ,3 2 ,3 7 0
abwab o f A l i v a r d i Khan 22,25,554
" " " Qasim A l i 74,6 1 ,3 4 0

2 ,3 5 ,3 9 ,2 6 4
' T o t a l a s s e s s m e n t i n c l u d i n g M urshid Q u l i —— —
an d Shu .1a K h a n ' s - abwabs 2 ,5 6 ,2 4 ,2 2 3
 A ppendix - B

K h archa h i s a b o f a r a i y a t 1

la n d (o f v a r io u s produce) Money ( o r i g i n a l o r ,a s a l r a t e
of land)
3 d - Jbs- ;ihs R s. as* g s .
7 -1 2 - 7 1 14 0 . 8 ,

Abwab c e s s e s ,
Ghaut h, a t 3/16' p*R 2 - 1 0 - 0.
P o o l b a n d y , a h a l f Mv demand r O

o r i 1-. - 4 o f t h e jama 9 - 7 - 2
N a a r a n a . one M° o r % 1 -2 -1 5
Mangna ,d° d° 1 - 2 -1 5
P a u j d a r i f - o f one 1 ° amount
i i m Biiam m fill wiht l u i r — < mm ,
14 -15 - 0
or l / l6
Company's n a z r a n a one month 0 - 1 - 7
and, a q u a r t e r
B a t t a , one a n n a p .R 0 - 0 - 14 8 - 1 2 - 2
T otal 22 - 1 2 - 1 0 - 2
K h i l a t a t 1 an n a and h a l f p*
e a c h r u p e e o f t h e above sum 2 - 2 - 1 - 2
T o t a l jama 24 - 14 -1 2 - 0

nuTitfur tliiT ii m m PMw n t w w w i

1, J . S h o r e ' s M i n u t e , June 1 8 , 1789, p a r a 393, W.K.Firminge:

( e d . ) , The F i—f11 t h R e p o r t
* 7
*11, 85
m n r , nni rair•t mr t irrr i u a Miim i na ~i» rM TIi > ir t n iu iib ii 7
 o o
rH 1—i
t 1
VD o>

H 4 9 /6 5
I
ca
rd o H
P
C
D f
o
<D A 1 A
&

1776,
( rH rH
43 O 1 1 1
CM O CM A
o
H 43 II 11 ■
1
ctf

12,
1 1 r
P 0 CD
O 0p, Ph

E n c l o s u r e , J3.K0C . , Hoy.
P CQ <P
0) 03 *P O Ctf
,d O O 0 fp 43
„p
*p ^ P A Ctf Ctf 0 0
0 *P •p 0 Ctf 0
(D <d -P rH Ct» P 0
,d Ctf 0 O fH
r|k) (iN PQ rH m
^H co
<H -p 1 H- <d" O ^1-
Q 0
C 0 Q 1 1 1
1 I I I
«p ctf CM tG «H~ O 00 0 A LA o tA
Pj p <tf 1 1 1 1 1 rH I H
•H 0 • I I
Q) to , CQ MO A H' CM O O* A CM
O e\ pH rH
C
D *> II II It If II
P m ea
ctf Ctf "H* O CO O i—1 o
C j_ j
0 a *
O 0 (“•I CQ | ! 1 1 1 t
•H Ph pH rH rH H CM (—I
CQ

U o v , ■12 , 1776,
0
0 CQ
O O 1 1 1 1 I I
S CQ
fclD 1 1 1 1 CM CM CM

CQ
i 1, 1 .1, I I I
CQ
PQ A A A CM LA A o
(D H pH
-P rP j
cq -J-3
0.)

H a s tin g s 1 Minute,
•P
rrf iH
O *H ro
<tf *H 0 <d
•p rd 0 rp
0 rp r~-N £
P
C
i
D
CD rH CM 0 CQ ctf
0 O d *H
prj nH -P O C\
CQ P P4 4> CD nd
<H ctf O 0 P CQ 0
O m rH 0 0 0 0 Ctf
OS O ■sV Ctf 0 rH
-P CD Q> rH rd
H QJ ctf CD OQ •r-3 Ctf
P rH P 1—1 0C1 *H P
o +3 r-l O ,A ctf •P | P O
o CQ Ctf O 0 Ph CQ Ctf O
o Ctf rP ,d O 0 ctf! ,d ,0
*=4 p! U) to f0 O m M to rH
Karar Kami ;
1 /»;'■ 1 - » ’ ■"
Deerease on the amount of
h i s a g r e e m e n t on a c c o u n t o f
th e S h a ile e lan d 4 as p higha 4 -
’ 1^ ’ ' ‘ 11 - 11 - 4
Bedhi.

I n c r e a s e from change i n t h e c r o p
i. ‘ ‘ ’V ' '

1 b i g h a f o r m e r l y c u p a s s now
c u l t i v a t e d i n two h a r v e s t s 8
' •

12 — 13 ■. 4
Abwabs ■'•-v ■';:

Sukdune©^;3 mo 3 ■ 0 - 15
J , '- ‘i f , '
15 -
-j, . • + '
4
C hau th a t 3 a h n a s p ru p e e 2 13 - 15
Mangna 1 month ‘ . 1 *—
* 4 6
B aarana month 10 - 3
■ ";i
■ j * ‘ "' ,
20 - 0 , 4
.rf-
B o o lee b a t t a 1 *4 4
V
21 .. 4 - ,4
' -R eceipts 19 _
9 10
'■ x ■ 1
1 mm
10 14
 Appendix - C

L i s t of th e Sadar o f f i c e r s of d i f f e r e n t is of th e
R a js h a h i zam indari : 1

Parganah R a jsh a h i
l i W W a t l t e l H i l K i W l 'l B W 'l l l I I i M W * — . . . . .

Liwan
Munahis 6 m u n s h is
W W I— W ftM H IH » T I

Amin d a f t a r 15 am ins
Shumar d a f t a r
u iw a iiim ^ w iM a h — t
7 -
B akhshigiri d a f ta r
W i n i ^ i * i« w « i ^ M ii 3 w ^ a \ i g w a i< 6 > g » * a * f c w s > g a a > m— ? i» g rtin a tw m m
1 Bakhshi
1 Peshkar
5 M uharrirs

W a k i l 1s o f f i c e 6 W a k ils
w m •mmj? 'c t j w i i w —

M rid a h a s &e. 2 M rid a h a s

23 p eons

L aftar-b u n d

Parganah R u ld i
i i i i m i m g i L i i M r f ii w u ip i in w w w '1 m i m M M ii i u p mtLt r i a — i n »

la ib 1
Peshkar
— — i i ■ !'> ! ■ im iu K U l> « n > i » n w m a
1
Wakil 1
Amin S a r r i s h t a 1 am i n
10 m u h a r r i r s

1* C.C.R-M. t o B . R . , Jun e 23, 1774, B .R .C . Ju ne 28, 1774,

R 4 9 /4 6 .
Jama Itharcha S a r r i s h t a 1 S a rrish ta d a r
6 m u h a rrirs

B a k h s h ig ir i s a r r i s h t a 1 b ak h sh i
2 m u h a rrirs
u im ii ii < i T m r i i i B T i » i r i f r l i i « ^ i i i i ii u n i

H ik a s i S a r r i s h t a 1 n ik a s - n a v i s
1 m u h a rr ir

ffau jih s a r r i s h t a 1
Munshis
P o td a r (P o ta d a r) 1

m±b 1
1 peshka,r
1 ta h sild a r

Amin d a f t a r 1 amin
4 m u h a rrirs

Shumar n a v is d a f t a r 1 shum ar-navis

H IM ia V tM H M M M IlM M M N M I M H H M if

4 m u h a rrirs

M u h arrirs o f th e muzkuri d a f t a r 2
T auji h -n a v is 1
Munshi 1
Bakhsh i 1
fa k il 1
P otd a# } 1
B aftar-bund 1
Mridaha 1

P a r g a n a h N ela n d a

Halb 1 ‘: ' ■
Amin d a t’t a r _ 1 amin
4 m uharrirs
fr

Shumar d a f t a r 1 s h u m n iw ia v is
inifim tnim m w rn n 'n n ir r n i nirn r

3 m uharrirs
T i w M T * ™ * in n w i.n p jm , j , j[jii ■ w r w i 'i i i j i —

1 /:
M rid ah a 1

P a r g a n a h B a n s d o le
* - T T T ,T , irN *re - - ^ r r i - T i f tm n r i t T i - m v t T' t T f i w i itf k ii <n m n * i i r t m »

Naib 1
Amin d a f t a r V , 1 amin
5 m u h a rrirs
iiiniiMiiin» ■ii i i>^i««MT>rniirrTiTiirri>riT‘nTrrrt

Shurnar~navia d a f t a r 1 sh u m a r-m v is
2 muh a r r i r s

P otflajj > 1 .

B aftar-buhd l ■■■* ' \

 313

Appendix - D

Average c h a r g e s a t t e n d i n g the c o l l e c t i o n o f r e v e n u e s i n
t h e D i s t r i c t o f B an g p u r 1

Sadar charges
I ill 11II* M lH BV ft«atritTgfiinV l'W /JlW M i iU
P .C . on t h e s a d a r Jama lH N H i.ia iM iiT * i’ ■ i M a M r j m ' *

Rs. a s . g s . c s .
I n t e r e s t on money borrow ed by
z a m in d a r s t o a n t i c i p a t e m u f a s s a l
co llectio n s 2 - 4 -1 2 - 0

A llo w a n c e s t o g u m a s h t a s , n a i b s ,
m u h a r r i r s and o t h e r s a d a r o f f i c e r s 5 - 4 - 1 - 0

M u f a s s a l peons p l a c e d o v e r t h e
z a m in d a r s a n d t h e i r o f f i c e r s t o
e n f o r c e payment and o b e d i e n c e t o
t h e o r d e r s o f G o v t.

O u t c h e r r y /, e x p e n s e s i n c l u d i n g
b u i l d i n g , p a p e r , i n k , p e n , m a t,
o il etc. 0 -1 5 -1 2 - 0

M ufassal charge

A llo w a n c e s to p atw aries 2- 6 - 2 - 2

A llo w a n c e s t o b u s s e y n i a h ( v i l l a g e
headman) .2 - 4 -1 9 - 0

1. B . G. G l a z i e r , A _R eport on t h e J D i s t r i c t o f _ R angjm r, I ,
i w i « < n i i w i w t m u i ijU p iu m i i i K i n i n n i w i n i — i i am i m n w n i i l n r a n » * > i U f J M t 'i r M » w i n M n m i w r r r n i h t i i w w - — ^ i w f r i i m m i i u j i — i i M i i T T i i T T ' w p h ip — i >■ iw

96-97. “ “ ................
 Rs. as? ./g s. o s .
A llo w a n c e s t o h a l m a n g e e s . 1 -14 - 5 0
A llo w a n c e s t o s a r d a r s wlio 'v_ .
an ted a s a tte n d a n ts to
patw arlee .0 - 5. -1 2 - 0
P aiks w ij m u u j a f
; ’ 0 -15 -1.. 5 - 0 ",
A rindahs (m essengers) 1 0 -7 -17 - 0
Tofcedars, o f f i c e r s s t a t i o n e d
"by zamindars- i n Mias l a n d s
• w— i— i i n i * '
• ,Q -15* - 1 5 O'

Amins 0 - 5 - 1 9 - ;0 ;

M u f a s s a l peo n s
n n + w iH d n m iw i
■ . .0 8 - 5 - 0

I n k , p a p e r , p en , o i l e t c . 0 - 3 -1 2 - 0

T o ta l m ufassal charges . R s.10- 8-2-0

T o talav erag e • R s.19-11-0-0

 3 fV

rH , ' • -■ /
' '-v!0
O H 0 rH O *' KS O O trs O , O1 o.
■fH 1 I ( i 1 • I-. ! I I
1
J- 1 1 C\J . . .' • ^ ■"*■. '..f
• . . --Q
; V P P in tn CO
pi
.0 0 tn 00- ■o* O rH - rH r~i in
- P< d r* t • rH rH‘ rH eg .V ,.V -'*;*
<H 1 I t 1
ywinj 1 r I I 8 1 1 1 .- .... - ..jy
p 0 O C*— P~ C\l . . tn tS H tn - rH* o ®v. ■h■‘ . - . =.;‘AjrA
0 , & ’■s r*4 pH rH H ■q / ,-aa.'-;,1
to . i 1 • 1 1 "i I 1 I t
d - sir’ 00 rH tn O rH 00 H VO rH c \]
k- 'i:
AA
vK y:,4'
:,A
/ JH . • tn
cn
O . rH VO t> -
^ 4-
to CO 00 C\J CQ O
’* - .-
GO CO rH rH to H *, ' "ft n " c-~ ' V y y ?AA
. ^ tfv es ■ ‘ c -.
‘ O ,; ' VO QVO O eg VO in
U pH tc \
O ■ • &
p , . > a- <\ *
00 ■y\: yysQ^
<Xi
- ’ *■ / d . w Jf» » | t ||( ^ „ 0 02
-■■.y Q y-
Q . -f '. 'y
•H .O *H {>5 0 ? 1' * 0 P - •V'* "H-v;
0 frQ ?H rH :0 CQ f 1 . Pi f>
■i
* 00 rd Ctf ■H 0) ■*/ o -a

i.?
. . Itf
O
■p jd ctf VI O’ ; S is; £V .
P o nd ' d ■>-u.rA
Q) _ O p C
D P r-l
,d rO«H- U Pr rtf' H Ctf
•• i

.p ctf 0 o O K 0. rH 0 -P .fc=rt
1=
4
E-C rcJ jd. 0 •ra Ctf > O s
; - ’■
■•-, !>s <TJ 0 .ctf rH |> .0 0- £-1 p4
• • ■'
,‘ • ’ 1
,£>
*
, O '3 ta *r*3 gtf
H U P 0 d ®
¥ '- ""
QA
O CQ O O U 00 rd ctf 0 \ 0 d 0 o
- '“C$ 04
&
P4 O d in p ■ tiO
0
ctf rP [3 0 •H
-p
0 ./;/ ■

?, s:Q/,:f;
t - ,r

CD 3 H Pi 0 00 Pi ctf P 0 a Q ■

‘H 3 *H, .tyo . rd 0 O
, -■• J ’• > v ^

<T3 P
ctf P -3 ctf
m ~> CQ’ ?H' Pi bh a rO pt ctf 0
" ' ^ ■' ■ ; 0 -P O d ctf rd
ctf
0 rH rd rH
PH
AAaA
I. rH cH CQ 0 .~p >
«H a?
0 no ctf P 4-1 p *1*3 pH ■ '■ ’-<■W. >■:
O Ctf 0 'O rQ 0 O O ctf ctf O O
; K CQ O -P d rcj 00 O s% O 1 O l> - '■ "V ■■.:
•rl -P nd P=l. O 0 P ntf 0
( rcS ^ j-
d -f
ctf
>s
ctf
0 c ' «p
ctf
C
D
fp
Hd rH 0
0 ' 3 d-’
■ P-i
0 *H
(tf
.0 Ctf = c ■,d d #
HH
0 ■ cd Ctf
P^ P . CQ (D 0 CD p -p ' ,
* rH8
r>M d Ctf -1
- CD 0
-P
0
ps.
. - 0
-jo
^ 3 ctf ‘H
* 0 " ' M
- <
-1 ctf 0 •I S ’ 0 ?d
H dv*.\
•p u u o,- P 0 0
0 taO Q3 ‘ h|*3 0 . P 03
jd cp fO' <d
'' 0 d *^ w d •H
O d •H U ) ,0 P vf
p
.p
1p ctf O
, ‘ *" ra cn
f . H-3 1 ctf ca H C
Q
W 0 4^> ; *H taO P i P3
O |xj ctf r-t 0 d rHj 0
P j »- . s I. P *rH Pi O
'a •rH •H d • , 0 0
*;
> 'v . -H }>» C
tf 0 0 ‘Hr “P o
’" S
P*1 rr^
P
P
4H
G) ra V’I I
• ;
©
0 <D •H #** C
D 0 ctf
O
0 CQ
o
•P
' -■ ltv
7- , O ■0 S ■ id ,d 0 d . P
m ■• a P rn -p - p •H ' .A' 0 fH ' <. i

0 ACtf 0 Ctf
Vt ;.0 B 0. 0 ■ -p P 0
0 0 O o O ■jd' ■ «p p<
-1 , ’ H .* S Lt
rn 3^ fH P 0 Ctf d 02 . z
P ch Cp C
h CH r& ’ 0 .p - 0
m M
ctf . nd. " •0 np nd 0 tap ctf . i-
rH 0 'A■ 0 0 . 0 rd rP d rd , ■'<s
p .p .p 40 -p 4-3 •H CQ
O - 0 O p o' 0 -p rd e}. ■ -it-

*rl .0 0 S2 0 0 H *H fH. - ;V ’^ ”

' *p rH rH H H 0 O
P rH rH rH .H T3 a 0 O ' - Ji:
Ctf O O O O d fH O
Ph 1 P /■ P P P 3 Ph ctf rH Jy^x
, \T. v-
>."■ ‘ Q :

•/,

■ • . ’ * ’■
 1 o o O O O o O o O
1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
o o o 1 VO o o o o o
' H rH
1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 CM CM •H* t- CM CM CM o rH
o rH rH H H H fH
00 s
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I
VO cd \o VO M" CM VO VO VO o H
rH CM CM H" O CM CM CM o 00
H cd in tn tn CO tn in tn o CTi
I pq *v *v ■^ 9\ *s •t
cr» rH tn H rH rH tn CM
tn CM CM CM rH . CM CM CM CM CH cr>
rH rH

R/A
fn
s
Pi
Ci

1769
O o O o O
H
c*<
1 * 1 1 1
H- o o o H*
m 1 1 1 1 1
*H -p
pq

25,
o l> * o o o O-
0 1 1 1 1 1
rci rH CM o o o CM
PS*.
cd
|H o o o

Sept.
O t> . o o o [>>
a Vs «v *N
in En““ o o CM
■'g tn t>" tn
0
I Pi rH

B.S.C.
Pi
*H
•a Eh
o O
O O O O o O o o O
P 1 1 I t 1 1 1 1 l t 1
a?
Q ,
, p

0
0 o o o o o O o O o o o
H fH
0,
r *1

rP &

1769,
1 1 I 1 \ 1 1 1 1 1 1
<£[ O cfl CM CM *M* CM CM CM o o o o
C0 rH rH rH rH rH rH rH
,p L j O 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1
o VD VO H* H- VO VO VO o o o tn
cH ■H 1 CM CM M* ■M* CM CM CM o o o CM
O

26,
0 ?& in m LT\ in in in in o Q • o c-
0 0 «% •s #>1 Vs Vs 9\ Vs W <x
EG O a3 rH H tn tn rH rH rH O O o H*
P 0 p CM CM CM CM CM CM CM tn tn tr-* O
O
to S.C. Aug,
<4
•H m
4-5
o
0
H
H CT\ O rH CM tn H* tn V0 o 00
O 0 m VO VO VD VO VO VO VO VO VO
O £*t C"~ t* - o- O" tr - D— £•— r - tr~“
a) fH rH rH rH fH H H rH rH rH
0 0 »
& t>z P. *n*
-P E E *u E c E E *<>
R.Becher

■. < if
9H H
JkH
O 0
U CD tH- 00 cn o rH CM tn in
-P
£f *p |
©
CH
VO
rH
VO
rH
VO
rH
VO
rH
t> -
H
C*-
(H
tH
rH
C“*“
rH
D—
fH
c*-
rH
0 0 4h rH rH H rH rH rH rH rH rH
O •H ■„ •
o o P m
o «* E E **
<4 P
 3 )7

O o O O O O 0 O

9-0
O O
I
LA oi A
I I
VO
I
VO
I
VO
1
CM A
1
O
1
O
1
rH rH H
I i I I I I t 1 1 1
<D CM o A O A A A . VD

13,29,563-14-
A CM •
O rH
I I I I 1 I 1 1 1 1
8
rH
LA
VD
A
CM
CM
CO
M*
rH
VO
A
A
A
H*
A
CM
A
O
O
H
A
03
pq
Oh *>.
MO
•v
rH rH
w
VD
*v
VO
#,
O A A CM
«\
A MO A MO O 00 CO 00 h—
O A 00 Gh CM Ch A O CM rH
*v
CM CM -

o O A O O O O O O
I

3,76 ,7 17 -1 4-1 4-3

I I I I 1 1 1 1
A o rH o o 00 O O O
rH rH rH rH i
0 I I I I I 1 *■ 1 1 I
G
A
rH
o H H”
fH
o CM A rH H" j
j
rH H
Q) I I I I 1 1 1 *
rH 4.
A rH H A CM 00
rH A O- H- o H* O Oh ■v}" j
O O A A o Ch rH H- IT—
O (S r\ «M #\ *x *v «V
CM rH £*- H' CM A 00
CM A CM A A A rH
«>
rH rH

O O A A O A O A O O

3-3
I I 1 I I I I t 1 1
0) o o VO VO VD VD O VO O O
r^l •P
•P IQ
H rH rH rH rH
I t I I I I 1 1 1 1
o o A A A

17,06,281-13-
Ctf A O A O O
<Hf9
o I I I I I I I 1 1 t 1
o o o VO VO VO VO O VO O O
-p I o o A A A A O A O O
d fd o o VO VD VD VO O VO O O
d d F\ #v «N CN *11 •V *s •V *v
o 00 CO o o O o A 00 A A
CM CM CM CM CM CM Ch 0 A A
*1 «s «h #1 «v *N
rH CM CM CM CM CM rH rH

d 0
T otal'

Ch O CM A A *H O 1 VD C"-" CO
ffi A M
O VO VO VD vo VO d CQ VO MO VO
P oH O- O- D- t> orH r- *H O CH O- O
rH rH rH rH H O f> P* H rH rH
•H O 0
a
I I fH ^ 0? Pi
s 0 rPipd *P • s* sn
<4 | Pi -P
"B CQ «H
0) 0 *H O O
SH MO 00 Ch O CM rd ,d *P A ^1* A
0) MO VO MO VD ir~ Pi O- •p -p 0 jd CH O" th-
g0 V» rH rH rH rH rH H rH • H o d rH rH rH
V! rH rH rH rH rH rH rH tiDjCi *M CO rH rH rH
Pi •H d O 0 CQ P i •
Pi pH m •H *H J3 CQ S3 CO
•H X 0 & 03 0 0 * x . >
EM pq ^ 0 (B 0 pq
 o

<N LA CM

tA VD
tA LT\ CA
CM

CM tA
CM CM CM

LA LA

LA

VO H* CM
tA LA
rH LA CM CA LA rH
CM t '* —
LA o CM
CM (A cn LA LA

CM

,d -P
*P CQ
O
LA

tA
•v
tA O LA LA
''th •H* VO
AJ CM CM CM tA Ch LA
CM CM LA

VD vo
tA LA VO c—
VO VO VO VD
t- O i>* jV- O-

Ch
VO VO

•H
 to to
•• lf
VO VO
m
(1765-1770), 0 U ! 1
o (sJ 00 00
id o>
U J I
H in in in
03 «3 o O
P3 to to
id «% *x
•H 00 co
VO VO
of Dacca

rO rH O H rH rH I—I rH
0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
■P in CM CO to 00 O- cn
O rH rH i—1 rH
G) 1 1 1 t 1 1 1
rH CD o to to CM H" H"
rH rH H rH rH rH
O 1 1 1 \ 1 1 i
Balances

O t- in 00 00 VD CM Ov
\ C-~ 00 tn to t> to H"
»p CM CM H- CM i—1
0 «S «s tx Os * ax ex
ps to CM rH rH to VO
o CT\ cn 00 00 C- VO
& es Os *x «x BX <K
< o o in in VO t> o*
CM CM CM CM CM CM H'
and

rH

«
S e t t l e m e n t 9 C o l le c t io n s

o o H H rH rH O H”
1 1 1 1 ! 1 1 in
nd CM CM to to 00 O VO
0 rH rH rH rH £>-
rH
«p
1 1 ! 1 1 1 s VO
O O to to CM n~
P rH rH rH I**) P
0 1 1 1 I 1 i i
m to in CD 00 VO CM in OS
00 00 to to t>- to in CM
P LO CM H- CM i> -
0 «x «v fix «s (IS [> -
0 i—1 CM (H rH to H" r"l
O VO OV 00 CO ’ O* H* to
a OS «s Cx Ox *s • ex Ox
<3$ 1—1 O m LO VO 0 “- 00 o
CM CM CM CM CM CM H* rH
rH
pH
to VO O- CO CD O •H
m VO VO vo VD VO U
?*) t- o- c— D- o* ft
o3 i—1 rH r-l H r~l rH •4^
the

0 •
>*> P Ox
t. - £
P Ph
of

id 0
0 Ph
P CM to H* in VO C" a
A bstract

0 C"- D- t>* o- a
CH rH rH r-l jH (H fH 0
cp r-1 i—1 rH i—1 rH rH o
*h «
P CQ
JXJ rH
 v,& p p S n d iic —' Gr

E a ^ d i , t r o o p s o f r t h e Raja, o f Burdwam d i s m i s s e d - i n 1767 ’V

'

T lace s statiom ed . : Horse l o o t (Total Pay p e r

month

’f ' v .Es a s . ps
. .

At t h e r a j a ’ s h o u se
* II ■■HIMwIiiTriMMi-----‘Tf*"1
31 ' 31 7 5 0 - 0 T0

At .M ohatugar 13 ‘ 49 62 , 619- 0 -0

At Amboavw i t h t h e r a j a ’ s
m other - ^7 7 160-0-0
At Amhoa w i t h R a j a C h i t r a
S i n g ’ s secon d w i f e 4 ■4;' 90- 0- 0.

At S e i n p a r r e e 10 50 60 481-12-0
At Chundercotina 28 112 ./ 140 1528- 0 -0

At B e l l a b g h u r 32 192 224 1692-4-0

At A r o r a g u r ' 9 43 ■' : 52 4Q4-0-0
At R a u j e g u r . 10 16 26 373-0-0
At S e i r g u r ^ ■: 1 6 7 49—0 —0
At Jamgong .: ; ; 1 17 i 18 , 99-0-0
A t ’ A ra a h 1 ,1 6 17 93-0-0

147 501 648 6,341-0-0

■ v e e is » !6f e t» r * s s e s »

1 . B.P.'C. , S e p t . 2 8 ,' 1767, R l / 4 1 , 757

Hagdl t r o o p s o f ; t h e ■E a j a o f .Burdwah, p r o p o s e d t o , be
. - i ■ •/ ■ \ . -' '' ^ ; ■V ' ,. . i!* ■ „ ; r;^.
retained- . 'Vv ' S...

P laces s ta tio n e d fibre e, Poof T o t a l Pa^ p e r

■ *■ ■ ■ month ^
•* .•
-*Rsvas*ps.

At t h e r a j a *s h o u se
V . m m mm Y m * * «*» * * -. . ^
119 426 547-16,077-4-0
' * , ■ y ' " ’ ’h ^
•■ ' v " .- . -

At Amboa w i t h t h e r a j a 1s. > v ^ _ L" . ‘

mother. v ^ -■ ,2 0 '; 152 172 1,410-8-0

J < . -f - "

At Amboa w i t h R a j a O h i t r a
S i n g Ts sebond w i f e <-\v 10 31 ' 41 436-4-0
S a g g u r vdepessah; ( p a i k s ? ) ,
a e p u t j (m u E a r r i r s , pe ohs
e t o v : ■' '• 79 79 736-0-0

149 . 690 839 8,660-0-0

1. B . R . C , , S e p t . 28, 1 7 6 7 , R l / 4 1 , 757
 Appendix - H

L i s t of th a n a d a r s , chau k ie s and ohaka ra n la n d s i n

Chaklah Burdwan 1

Barnes of Bo* o f Bo. of Q u an tity o f

th a n a s ch au k ies ch ak aran la n d s
i 'lhW iWfmmyainifr,*a» i in»V>< m l n >f [nit mT ■■nuat irXft i l l 11

Bs
Burdwan 19 2004 - 7
Shabad 1 5 488 ~ 0
Cundpore 4 16 1388 -
9
Somershy 7 11 1834 — 17
Bogah 1 1 250 «n» 0
S ilim pore 1 4 320 12
By r a h 3 12 1119 — 0
Jahanabad 10 35 4107 - 0
Ohitwa 2 14 1082 - 8
Bard a Cj
17 1917 7
M a n d a lg h a t 2 11 1312 10
B hursut 2 8 896 *~ 0
B alleah 6 21 2781 - 10
B alghara 1 2 386 - 0
H avillee 2 392 - 6
Singore 1 5 346 —
10
Ohawmawah 1 4 324 - 0
Purwah 2 14 686 —
0

1. W.Pye t o B . R . , A p r il 5, 1784, B.B.C. J u ly 8 , 1784,

R 5 0 /5 2 , 7 5 0 - 7 5 1 .
 Names o f . No* o f No. of Q uantity of
Parganahs thanas chaukies c h a k a r a n la n d £

H im h a tty 2 9 729 10

A rsah. 1 5 434 0

Amboa , 3 23 1593 — 0

N ullee '2 .. 13 608 - 11

Jahangirbad 1 17 926 - 11

P atu li .* 6 92 “ 14
Punya . 4 1803 ■ - 9
Enderannee 2 3 717 - 0

Asmuth Shay 1 3 444 — 0

Mop s uphe r s h ahy 2 14 1897 - 0

Ghumpu rn a g u r r e e 1 22 : 1088 16
M anebars h ahy 2 3 809 .Q,
Goopboommee 1 2 . 276 ; 0

Peb S a l l a 1 19 808 - - 4
S h u r Gur 1 6 ?55 - 0

Chandrakona. 12 \ 12 . 5344 . 14
Bramin Bootaee 7 2 % 3493 — 4
S heh an Ohauki 1 35 2830 - 5

100 422 46 , 488 ■,-4

 O m 1-3 M 1-3 Kfl }j»
P H* P P* o Pi £
CO Pi ►d £ Pi P a* hd
cot P *d p P P o* CD P
o H* P P. P P P . £ P P
CJ. •P Qt) o £ ca
bo o P bd 43 o ■isl 0Q CD p
& P P P o P
p H P p p
Pi
CD pi P. ip*
P H* 603
CD 1-3 B P
O
CD c+- P cp
I— J pa P £
|—-* P
ch c - j. te j
O ro P o
o H VJI H Q TCj .
bd ov —3 ro VJI ov vn Vrt . )_j 4^ H»'
o O o vrt ov
|3d o CSV " 00 -—3 P O
Pi Ha
P
P
ffi
m
vn H 4^ c4-
ao Vrt ro frM O £3 P
03 CD 00 o —3 o ro ro H i£ c+
£* ov ro ro •<3 o VO ro vn 1tt4 CD
ov
1 . ov vo ro o Vrt , (V) a H £P B
ro -1• 1
t-j |IJt '1 P crt- p
M ov M H H pJ £ H- P
ro 04 4^ KO CSV O c+
H i I | 1 t 1 •P
i
p i c +
*4
-4) ov • o O O O O ov o o O
VO M j
Vrt
U1 4^ c+
• ~4j , V«- , -3 ,• i—j H fO P*
bd . -f* . VJI
VO . : VJI
H ^ 00
: ro ■**0
o ”n ! VJI vn 1r*
33 4P3'diPl CD
l^d .p*. V1O vo ro
o
o VM
H
VJI
o
vn
It* .
■'•43'
CD P
H* c+ P 4 0.
I
1 1 ■ *i . 1 1 1 CDm p P
Ch .H H1 M • H G) Oft-
O
>0 o 0 H M VJI 0 0 00' c+- O H-
1 '■ 1 1 1 1 1 P P
5 J i-
o ° 00 -p* 4^h O o o P H
P
4Jte3» ov VJI
P
P j
!1 VJI • Vrt o>.* H1 H o o B P
C5v ro VJI ■<3 —o
H-
VO Vrt 4s* ■ VO ol £ P £
Vn (™
1~* I • 01
i
vrt
ii
. “-0
1i
o HJ OJ . vn O
■1 l 1
p Hi P j
H P P £ J3»
ro H H H g-
o at} 03 O H* 4d
t_ j
Vrt
| Oi1 01 ViJ3 ro 03 00 H o CD 03 c+ Pi 43
—■3
f 1 I-
|-j 1 1 1 c+ CD P £ CD
H H- M P £
VO yj ov o CO o 00 4v> O O O £•
V>3 P Hj £
... P M
M; vn 4^
l^j •d M
H* O H l-j P
ro VO
O
Vrt
ro
Vrt
-r^
-4
--3 VO
*vjO H
-J
ro
Vrt
-3
4^
vn
VO
ro
w
CD
o
ov
11 co OiV o ro VIO V1O ov B H-
-00 I 1a i■ 1 P
*;-ep
V

4=-
H
i l_j H
Vrt vo
1
-3 H
1
-3
[_ij H-
£
o
CD
i
VJI
1
o
1 I 1 1 |1 ' ■
I
vrt
i
P
CD
ov H H •d
Vrt -4j •P- 00 cyv -p.. —3 ro CSV O P
-3 o
*d
o
P H' fd td 01
ro ro CO p CD CD CD
ovj Vrt ai a CD P j Oi
!~ 00 VJI vn Vrt «{£2» ro ro CD H P p
VO o Ov 4^ Vrt VJI -3 M CD P o c4*
Vrt VJI ro O OA U1 vO 4=> CD 03 P cl- o
i 1 l 1 1 1 1 1 CO
H CD O iP a*
V1O V>1 ro 4* CT> ov 01 00 P CD
1 i■ i■ ■
E
|—l 11 11 1 1i c+ H'hd
H H p p P
vn o VJI vn vn o o o CO CD
03 CD
CD
5 1Pi)
ro H
-0
ro -O
VO ro vn ro
H
H 4** -3 ISb! <
bs
H* V>3 H vn H cn O vn H P p
VJ1 VjJ Vrt 4==* -j O vo ro H*
I 1 ii II 1 I 1 i
i i
i P P
H H |«J CD H*
VJI ro Vrt 00 ro 11 H|1 ~3 vn CD p
I i 1 i t I i £ Crt}
I-1 H H H H e
ro 4-** vrt H vo -3 ro OV o CD
Pi
ro H
-P* ro -V] M H c+ Ml
“3 4^ VO ro vn ro i—1 4V" -41 py d P CD
i V■
J3 H■ vn
i■ —■3 CSV o ViJI H CD CD pi
V i i i 1 1 i p Td P* P
H H p • P O
0011 CJi
1
CJ\
I
-41
1
cn
1
1—1 o
1 1
vn
i.
i
vrt
t
£ o
43 • P
pfct-
H H H O
(— * 4s* Vrt Vrt Vrt —4 vrt 4^ £ fO
Id H
ro
i\>
ro
H
cr«
H ro vn l\> vo 4^
H
VJI
ti.p
[popP
VO ro to i_j vo H -P- IB d -S
04 01 ro vo ot 01 V■rt H IP P
Il 1 ■
i I i•
i—i
1 1 ii H-
H 03 p
ro ■ era •1 H
ii H C■
SV H1 iI I—1 01
6 i 1 1 1 1
M»j
l< I-1 H t—1
O O CD CJV o VO H CSV

V rt
(V)
-M
 CM cn vo O
I 1 1 1 I 1
A' 00 rH m 00 .^*
Id rH HI iH %*
rH I l 1 1 I •' 1 H
0) CM CM O CO A m ty
Pd A rH 00 CA A rH
CM vo rH tA rH
P 0.:> A tn H* CM •t
rH H CM CM 00 , H

CO O O G~v O . A O
H H rH tv
I 1 1 1 1 1 £>■
£>* CTi A tA O H- rH
«p rH r-l H H
I 1 1 1 1 1 •n
0 A 00 in <yv A CM *A
O- O r<A H CO CM CM
J> - (J\ vo VO A A
rH rH ■st' to VO 00 •
CM rH rH cn
O
o

Pi
id CM N > M
CM *0 .: H- , tn *
CD Gy A F- o O 0 N
H* 00 CM r~- CM . A
CM rH cn
§
id
jD O
0 t—
rH O-
•rH O rH
3 pq (p

s.. •H 'N
R
03
*H
rH
O
rH
05 rO •H - >m
dr R ■a p
•H «L p p t O
- iwn ho! 0 *H % o 0 o
0 id rH & nd*
f§ id o $
&
4„"i
0 id
0 0 >
O £1 O id
*H
rH
.m ' fciCi 4^
p id
4^
fd © *
94 0 o H O '—'
*rl P »H £* p id m
R p ,- 0) O id P 03 © H ft
O "O. ." ,d pQ CD O p Id o
Pi 0 0 p 0 J>5 0 d 0 td 0 p
rR P m o OH P 0 © R
0 H
0 , >> H.H O P *0 tiD d
0 Pi rH £ l 1 Pi Q O H P o
rc *l1 O
JL3
ft id & O 0 0 H 0 .0
o 17 ,
to 3 0 0 r° Q JM
H •

rH 0 (u Hr
ijsj 0 rO d o •H
Pi 03 R
S o> vd <D.p‘rl cP fciD
0 * |+ 3
jd - 0 ra o rd rH *P-, »■
Pi . •
rH R 0 tiO
0
9
P 3 P 0 pO P) P . *H
0 H.'O 0 jq o Ro o R o © m
0 Q =H £1 O’0 id •rH © O P 0 o d &: *.
rH Pm „ 0 O R M £H pq PM*H 0 C|™| HP
Pi
0
CD ✓“s rs
Ph rH CM A LA
 3p-fc»:
o A CM A A A CM
00. O 00 l>> A A CM
si r*l H rH rH rH
rH VO LA tA A A A A
0 rH |« t a ^
rH r*H rH

12, 1793, E127/88, 628.

<D
'rj rH LT\ VO 00 O- A CO 00
0 / UP LA CTi CM
0 O
H
VO CM A [A
EA
0
0 0
P 0
0 Pi 0
*rl 0 0
m •rl
<4 0 0 0
•H &
0
0 v3 8 <4
0
0
1
to
rd
0
B
0 JH 0 0
0
'H 0
o 4H

B.Eefifearn to B.E. le t. 5, 1793, B.B.J.C., April

O VO
CQ Cp
0 0 0 O
0 O r0
*0 *H -P
0 m P
0
W
I
•H
0 t
■H
O
0
rQ 03 0
M 0 p-»
*H
s0 0 0
j§ -rH
0 •P 0 0 0 0
fl3 0 •H <4
Pi O 0 A Hi« h |N CM
Pi
<
^4
a\ O VO 0N Ti
0
CM CM
rH ©
0 0 0 0 •to ss
0 r0 40
-P *3
0 0§
so ,0 1
rH Cp 0 O W)
rH O o ^ 0O
0 0
A CM
ofctO
0 0 0
03 0 0 O d
0
O 0
*d
0
<0
0
■8 0 0
*H
©
fl
*H i5 *p *H 0 © 0
P 0 fd
0
PH iH 0 cp
Q
0
0 0
W
0
N (0 «H
oq N O
© >z
{>3 O 0 > J>a
© 03 0 >5 O P4 0 *rH
ref
O t>v t>a* >» O
0 0
0 .p
O
P4
pcj
*0 d
P4 0
P4
O
P4
0
Pi
P3
O
,0 0 nd 0 0 0 rd rC3
0 0 0 0 0 0 rH 1 03 0
P 0 0 si 0 © •rH
Cp Si 8 © 01 00 m P0
0
5
Cp O 0 i O Pt O m O
O © *d i>> G t> Pi 0 0) 0 d0
43 nd d 0 rH 0 fcU
D
c©d 1 0 0 H 0 0 ‘S 0 0 0 2
0 0 0 O P Xi 0 0 0 0
0 ,0 {Sq <4
rw
O m -p 1& W m fl
O
.O ©
o si * » • • •
<4 p H CM A A vo r— 00 CT\ H
 GLOSSARY

Abwab t M iscellan eo u s c e s s , im post l e v i e d in , j

a d d i t i o n t o the r e g u l a r a s s e s s m e n ts . y-,i
A d alat : . C ourt of j u s tic e * ‘ ' ^. 1
Amil l C o l l e c t o r o f r e v e n u e a p p o i n t e d on
b e h a l f ‘ o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t, the c h i e f 'v
re v e n u e o f f i c e r o f a s a r k a r .
Amin ; A s u r v e y o r , an o f f i c e r s e n t by t h e y
gov ernm en t t o c o l l e c t r e v e n u e due. V 'l
from a z a m i n d a f i o r to i n v e s t i g a t e y y.
and r e p o r t th e s t a t e o f r e v e n u e . "-' I
Amla ; Here t h e te rm h a s b e e n u s e d t o s i g n i f y y.
zam indari o f f i c i a l s , o r agents* .
A m la-i-haw ara: The c o l l e c t i v e o f f i c e r s o f t h e f l e e t ✓
of b o ats; a l s o the. a s s i g n m e n t o f
r e v e n u e o r l a n d f o r th e .m aintenan ce 1
of the f l o t i l l a . ' , .
Anna % One s i x t e e n t h o f a r u p e e . .. I t a l s o , ;;
d e n o t e s t h e d i v i s i o n o f v i l l a g e la n d s . - , , f
a p o rtio n expressed in annas o r s i x t e e n t h s .
Annaprashan s A ceremony t o mark t h e f i r s t r i c e - e a t i h g ;■
of the c h i l d . ^
A rzi $ A p e t i t i o n , m em orial. - *. ,, V.,.

A sal jama ; The o r i g i n a l re venu e o r r e n t c h a r g e d

upon a z a m i n d a r i o r p a r g a n a H o r v i l l a g e .
e x c l u s i v e o f abwab.s o r c e s s e s ; th e >1
amount t a k e n a s t h e b a s i s of. a re v e n u e . ; -S
settlem en t. : ' . , “ „■ t y f
f. ’,

Aurung s A p l a c e where, an a r t i c l e o f t r a d e was , .

m anufactured f o r w holesale d i s p o s a l
or e x p o rt.. L u r i n g Companj^s t r a d e ' 1 *J
i t a l s o s i g n i f i e d a f a c t o r y o f piece™ -s 13
!goods. ‘ 3
• . • ■ ■ ( ■ , . . ■■

Bakhshl t A p a y m a s t e r ; he a l s o a c t e d as t h e ,■ f
c a p t a i n of the f o r c e s . . ,■* 1
B an d -o -b ast s L i t e r a l l y t y i n g an d b i n d i n g , u s u a l l y
i t s i g n i f i e d th e y e a r l y s e t t l e m e n t o f
re v e n u e t o be r e m i t t e d t o th e governm ent*
B a rq u n d a z : A m ato h lo ck m an , g u ard o r watchman
b e l o n g i n g t o I n d i a and arm ed w i t h
s h i e l d and sw o rd.
B a tta : A d i s c o u n t on u n c u r r e n t o r i m p e r f e c t
w e ig h t c o i n s .
B azar s A m a rk e t p l a c e .
B a z i-ta lu k : T a lu k s c r e a t e d t o s e r v e m i s c e l l a n e o u s
p u rp o ses.
B a z i- s a tn in s M i s c e l l a n e o u s _l a n d s , r e n t - f r e e l a n d s
of v a rio u s d e n o m in a tio n s.
B eshi ; In c re a se , su rp lu s.
Biobar s Ju stic e , t r i a l .
B igh a : A s t a n d a r d o f m easurem ent o f l a n d , 20
k a t h a s make one b i g b a , a b o u t i * o f a n
E n g lish a c r e . $
B irt s G rant o r endowment f o r r e l i g i o u s o r
c h a r i t a b l e p u rp o s e 's .
B itik c h i ; A s c r i b e , a p e r s o n a t t a c h e d t o th e
a m il a s a w r i t e r and a c c o u n t a n t .
O hakaran : H ere s i g n i f i e s g r a n t o f l a n d s i n l i e u
o f wages t o th e s e r v i c e , h o l d e r s o f
v a rio u s d e n o m in a tio n s•
O h aklah ; A la rg e a d m in is tr a tiv e d iv is io n of th e '
c o im tr y c o m p r is in g a number o f p a r g a n a h s .
C h a k la h d a r ; A s u p e r i n t e n d o f th e f i n a n c e s of a
o h a k la h .
C h a tu ra n g a : P o u r members o r d i v i s i o n s . A ll fo u r
com ponents o f an arm y.
Cb.au d h u r i 2 L i t e r a l l y a h o ld e r of f o u r , perhaps
s h a r e of p r o f i t . A revenue o f f i c e r ,
th e h e a d o f a p arg an ah *
G hauth z L i t e r a l l y a n am ount o f o n e - f o u r t h , ,
p a r t i c u l a r l y o n e - f o u r th - o f th e a c t u a l
g ov ern m en t c o l l e c t i o n s demanded by
th e M a r a t h a s .
C o s sa e s : P l a i n m u s lin , u s u a l l y o f f i n e q u a l i t y . '
Out c h e r r y s An o f f i c e f o r t r a n s a c t i n g b u s i n e s s ,
a ls o a c o u rt.
B a fta r or d a fta r
khana s A r e c o r d o r r e g i s t e r , a n o f f i c e where
p u b lic reco rd s a re k e p t.
B af t a r h u n d ; R ecord o r of f i c e - k e e p e r . .
B aro g h a ; A su p e rin te n d , a c h ie f o f f ic e r of a .
d e p a r tm e n t u n d e r t h e M u g h a ls .
B a ro g h a -i-a d a la t : A judge o r d e p u ty p r e s i d i n g o v e r a
c o u r t i n th e a b s e n c e o f the s u p e r i o r
o ffic e r.
B esai % The c h i e f re v e n u e o f f i c e r o f a d i s t r i c t ,
a h e r e d i t a r y headm an. ...
B ih % A v illa g e .
Biwan o r
B iw an -i-su b a h s The c h i e f o f th e re v e n u e d e p a r tm e n t
i n a Mugha1 p r o v i n c e ; a l s o th e
p r i n c i p a l o f f i c e r o f a z a m in d a r.
Biwarii a d a l a t : The c i v i l c o u r t o f th e d i w a n - i - s u b a h .
B u rb ar : 'A r o y a l c o u r t , a c o u r t , a l e v e e .
P a q u ir % A Muslim r e l i g i o u s m e n d i c a n t , a l s o a
p o o r man.
Parman : An i m p e r i a l o r d e r , a p a t e n t .
P a u jd a ri a d a la t ; The s u b o r d i n a t e o r d i s t r i c t c r i m i n a l
c o u rt.
Ganda 2 A money o f a c c o u n t , e q u i v a l e n t i n
r e c k o n in g t o 4 caw ras (c o w rie s h e l l s ) .
Gan 2 s A m a rt where g r a i n and o t h e r n e c e s s a r i e s
o f l i f e a r e s o l d , u s u a l l y w h o le s a le .
Ghat s A l a n d i n g p l a c e on t h e h an k o f a r i v e r
w here t o l l s a r e c o l l e c t e d 5 a m ountain
p a s s i s som etim es d e n o m in a te d a s g h a t .
Goyenda s A d e te c tiv e .
Gram % A v illa g e .
Gumashta s An a g e n t , a s t e w a r d .
H aqq; J u s t , p r e s c r ip t iv e r i g h t or c la im .
H a la lk h o r : L i t e r a l l y a man who l i v e s on w hat i s
w e l l - e a r n e d , gene r a l l y a man o f th e
s w e e p e r community a c t i n g a s sp y t o
th e p o lic e .
H ast-o -b u d s A c o m p a r a tiv e amount p r e p a r e d on t h e
b a s i s o f th e p a s t an d p r e s e n t p ro d u c e
o f a z a m in d a r i o r any f i s c a l d i v i s i o n ;
a n e v a l u a t i o n of a s s e s s t s on th e
e x a m in a tio n o f th e s t a n d i n g c r o p s .
H at s A m a rt h e l d on a f i x e d day o r d a y s o f
a w eek.
H issa z a t z I t was a p p l i e d t o s i g n i f y g r a n t o f la n d
t o a n i n d i v i d u a l e ith e r a s a p e r s o n a l
f a v o u r o r on c o n d i t i o n o f p e r s o n a l
s e r v i c e to th e s t a t e .
H uzuri ; R e l a t i n g t o th e c h ie f a u th o rity . U nder
th e M ughals th e te r m was som etim es u s e d
t o d e n o te l a n d , th e re v e n u e o f w h ich
was p a i d d i r e c t t o t h e d iw a n - r i- s u b a h .
Ih tim a m d a r t The h o l d e r o f a t r u s t , * per son
c o lle c tin g re v e n u e fro m a c e r t a i n
d i s t r i c t on b e h a l f of t h e governmehb;
a l s o a d e p u ty o r a n a g e n t o f th e
z a m in d a r.
Ija ra 5 A l e a s e o r fa rm o f l a n d h e l d a t a
d e f i n i t e re v en u e o r r e n t w h e th e r from
th e go vern m en t o r from t h e f a r m e r s o f
th e p u b l i c r e v e n u e s .
Ija ra d a r ; A h o ld e r of a le a s e .
Izaf a t I n c re a s e o r a u g m e n ta tio n .
Ja g ir s A t e n u r e i n w h ich th e c o l l e c t i o n o f
th e re v e n u e s and a d m i n i s t r a t i v e power
o f a g i v e n t r a c t o f t h e c o u n t r y were
g i v e n to a s e r v a n t o f 1% s t a t e m o s tly
in r e tu r n f o r f u r n is h in g tro o p s o r
some o t h e r se rv ic e s to th e Mughal
g o v e rn m e n t,
Ja g ird a r % The h o l d e r o f a j a g i r »
Jama : Amount, a g g r e g a t e , t o t a l am ount o f
re v e n u e o r r e n t f i x e d upon a za m in d ar
or a ra iy a t.
Jama-»tumar i The amount o f re v e n u e a c c o r d i n g t o th e
re n t-ro ll,
th e
Jama da r : An o f f i c e r o f /a r m y , p o l i c e o r c u s to m s ,
s u b o r d i n a t e t o t h e d aro g h a „
J a r im a n a s F in e , p e n a lty .
Ja tim a la -
c u tc h e rry % The c o u r t f o r d e a l i n g w i t h c a s t e d i s p u t e s ,
Jh il : A m arsh o r a s h a llo w l a k e .
Kami t L ittle n e s s , lo ss,
K ani s A s t a n d a r d of la n d m e a su re m e n t, 6 ,4 0 0
sq. y a rd s,
K arar 5 fix e d n e ss, s t a b i l i t y .
K a rc h a 1 E xpense, d isb u rse m e n t.
K a rc h a -h isa b : An a n n u a l a c c o u n t o f a v i l l a g e showing
th e am ount o f th e r e n t p a y a b le by ea c h
r a i y a t , th e amount p a i d and th e b a l a n c e ,
K a th a : A m easu re o f la n d ,, u s u a l l y a s q u a r e o f
4 c u b i t s 5 16 gan d as make one k a t h a .

K liaisa s The e x c h e q u e r , th e o f f i c e o f th e Mughal

go vern m ent where th e re v e n u e b u s i n e s s
was t r a n s a c t e d ,
Khamar 5 A th re sh in g f lo o r . G -e n era lly a p p l i e d
t o l a n d s th e p ro d u c e o f w h ic h was
d i v i d e d betw een t h e f a r m e r an d th e
p e a s a n t s 5 a l s o l a n d s w hich was o r i g i n a l l y
w a ste b u t s u b s e q u e n t l y b r o u g h t u n d e r
c u l t i v a t i o n by th e z a m in d a r and l e t o u t
a t a g ra in r e n t.
K h a rij % E x c lu d e d o r s e p a r a t e d fro m .
Khas : C o l l e c t i o n o f re v e n u e o r management o f
a z a m in d a r i by th e o f f i c e r s o f th e
g overnm en t w i t h o u t a n y i n t e r m e d i a t e
re v e n u e f a r m e r .
K h as-b ard ar z An a t t e n d a n t c a r r y i n g t h e arms o f h i s l o r d
K h ila t : A d r e s s o f h o n o u r p r e s e n t e d by t h e r u l i n g
a u th o rity . I t m ig h t a l s o i n c l u d e a rm s,
a h o r s e o r an e l e p h a n t ,
K hot s A h e r e d ita r y o r ap p o in te d fa rm er of
revenue.
K h u d k ash t ; Sowing or c u l t i v a t i n g o n e ’ s own l a n d ,
a re sid e n t c u l t i v a t o r .
K ifa y a t : S u rp lu s, p r o f i t o r in c r e a s e .
Kos z A m easure o f d i s t a n c e i n I n d i a ; one
k o s i s e q u i v a l e n t to a b o u t 2 m i l e s .
K o tw a li : The o f f i c e , o f a k o tw a l o r a n y t h i n g
r e la ti n g to i t ; a v a r i e t y o f town
d u tie s.
M adad-maash : G ra n t o f means o f s u b s ta n c e t o l e a r n e d
o r r e l i g i o u s M uslims o r f o r the m ain ­
ten an ce of a n i n s t i t u t i o n .
M ahal ; A re v e n u e d i v i s i o n o f a p a rg a n a h o r
a z a m i n d a r i.
Mai s' P r o p e r t y o f any d e s c r i p t i o n .
M alkhana : A tre a s u ry , a sto re -h o u se .
M a l-w a jib 2 f i x e d o r p r o p e r re v e n u e t o be p a i d t o
t h e g o v e rn m e n t.
Mulmuls s A k in d o f f i n e m u s l i n .
Mangna % Im p o st l e v i e d on th e t e n a n t s by t h e
.governm ent o f f i c e r s or z a m in d a rs t o
d e f r a y some p u b l i c o r p r i v a t e e x p e n s e s .
Mansab % A m i l i t a r y t i t l e o r ran k c o n fe rre d
on t h e o f f i c e r s o f th e M u g h a ls • It
was r e g u l a t e d by th e s u p p o se d number
o f h o r s e th e h o l d e r o f th e r a n k c o u ld
b r i n g i n t o th e f i e l d .
M ansab dar s A n o b le h o l d i n g a m ansab.
M a th a u t % C a p i t a t i o n - t a x , c e s s l e v i e d on th e
ra iy a ts ,
M a u la v i z A l e a r n e d M uslim , a j u d g e .
Mohur t A s e a l , a go ld c o i n .
M ridaha s A head p eo n ; i n some p a r t s o f B engal
t h e m rid a h a s a l s o form ed p a r t o f th e
m i l i t i a o f th e z a m in d a rs.
M uchulka ; Bond, a w r i t t e n o b l i g a t i o n .
Muf a s s a l ; S e p a r a t e , d i s t i n c t , a s e p a r a t e o r su b ­
o rd in a te d i s t r i c t ; th e r u r a l l o c a l i t i e s
a s d i s t i n c t from t h e s a d a r o r p r i n c i p a l
town o r s t a t i o n .
Muf t i % A Muslim l a w - o f f i c e r .
M u h a lla z A d i v i s i o n o f a tow n, a w a r d .
M u h a rrir s A w r i t e r of a c c o u n ts , a c le r k ,
M u h ta sib s A su p e rin te n d of m a rk e ts ; an o f f i c e r
f o r t a k i n g c o g n iz a n c e o f im p ro p e r ,
b e h a v io u r of th e p e o p le .
M u k arrari ; R e l a t i n g t o f i x e d re v e n u e o r r e n t , a
t e n u r e h e l d a t a f i x e d o r p erm an en t
re v e n u e o r r e n t .
Munshi ; A w rite r, a se c re ta ry .
M unsif t A ju d g e ,
M ushahara t M onthly p a y , p e n s i o n g r a n te d to th e
z a m in d a r s ,
SFaib s A d ep u ty .
.N a ja i s L i t e r a l l y d e f ic ie n c y in p ro d u ce, h e re
a t a x on th e p e a s a n t s t o c o v e r th e
l o s s i n r e n t s c a u s e d by t h e d e s e r t i o n
of o th e rs.
N ala s A w a te r c o u rse , a ra v in e .
Nawara-mahal s The e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f p u b l i c b o a t s
u n d e r th e M u g h a ls ; a l s o th e a s s ig n m e n t
o f re v e n u e o r la n d f o r th e u p k eep o f
th e f l o t i l l a .
Nazrana : A p r e s e n t from a n i n f e r i o r , f e e s f o r
an o f f i c e .
N az ran a m u k a r r a r i s A p erm a n en t p r e s e n t . I n th e e i g h t e e n t h
c e n t u r y B e n g a l i t s i g n i f i e d a p erm a n en t
t a x im posed by Nawab S h u ja Khan.
N iab a t i D e p u ty s h ip , th e o f f i c e o f th e d e p u ty
g o v e r n o r u n d e r th e M u g h a ls .
Hi j- ja m a : The amount o f re v e n u e t o be p a i d f o r
th e la n d c u l t i v a t e d o r managed by th e
z a m in d a r h i m s e l f .
N ik a si d a f t a r z O f f i c e f o r k e e p in g th e a c c o u n t s of t h e
re v e n u e a s s e s s e d on a z a m i n d a r i.
P a ik a sh t t A n o n - r e s i d e n t o r te m p o r a r y c u l t i v a t o r .
P an ch ak t A t a x ofL a f i f t h l e v i e d by th e z a m in d a r s .
Panchayat : An I n d i a n c o u r t o f a r b i t r a t i o n o f 5
o r more members c h o s e n by th e p a r t i e s
t h e m s e lv e s f o r s e t t l i n g some p e t t y
d isp u te s.
P a n d it : One l e a r n e d i n S a n s k r i t l o r e .
Paramanik : P r in c ip a l person o f a p a r t i c u l a r c a s t e .
P a rg a n a h t A d i s t r i c t , a t r a c t o f c o u n t r y c o m p ris in g
a number o f v i l l a g e s .
Parwan a ; An o r d e r from a p e r s o n i n a u t h o r i t y to
a su b o rd in a te . .
P a th sa la s A s m a ll s c h o o l i n a v i l l a g e .
 Peshkash % T r i b u t e , / f i n e o r . p r e s e n t t o t h e Mughal ^
/* , y 7' i '« r
g o v e rn m e n t by",-the z a m in d a rs 4o r o t h e r s ,!
e s p e c i a l l y on f i r s t r e c e i v i n g a n
a p p o in tm e n t f ' > / t
JPiada s; ■/ A p eon, a>, p o l i c e o r m i l i t i a s e r v i n g on f o o t !
:'Po61'bandy K ee p in g th e - b r i d g e s i n r e p a i r , a t a x .
im posed f o r t h i s p u rp o s e • /
! P o td a r s A m o n e y -c h a n g e r, a w e ig h e r o r a s s a y e r ‘V
o f Odoihs'r. ‘ r- :/f
■ P r a ja ; - S u b je c ts, te n a n ts , , .
tP u sh ta b a n d y R e p a i r i n g em bankm ents, a l s o a c e s s l e v i e d >.
on, the. re v e n u e p a y e r s f o r th e e x p e n s e of
th e upkeep o f t h e embankments* , •:
: Qanungq, i An e x p o u n d e r o f th e laws' o r a n i n t e r - / Vg
p r e t e r o f t h e cu sto m s o f t h e C o u n try , ■ t
a r e g i s t r a r of lan d sv \ \ -
■QaSjX s A m uslim j u d g e .
Ra i s A "title,;>.denoting a. p r i n c e , a l s o a t i t l e t /
c o n f e r r e d upon t h e H indu c u v i l o f f i c e r
o f h i g h , r a n k by th e .M u g h a l E m p e ro rs ; 3
R a i y a t i ' -" I n . i t s w id e r se n se , a r a i y a t s i g n i f i e d a , v ^
s u b j e c t *» e i t h e r a t i l l e r of ;th e C o il
o r l a b o u r f a r t i s a n , m e c h a n ic , m e rc h a n t 3 #3
and some o t h e r s , ; U s u a l l y i t d e n o te d a ■.;!!
c u l t i v a t o r o r a fa rm e r,! , it
■
<R a iy a tw a ri : A sy s te m u n d e r ,w hich ,the re v e n u e s e t t l e - :'"f_
ment"; was made by th e g o v ern m e n t d i r e c t l y
w i t h th e • i n d i v i d u a l p e a s a n t s f o r a* g i v e n
p e r i o d o f .t i m e , = ■%
A k i n g , a p iin c e ., a t i t l e b esto w e d by th e
Muslim r u l e r s on th e 'H in d u s - o f rank? a ls o 3 3.
a t i t l e assumed by th e z a m in d a r s .
R a j b a r i :• The abode o f th e r a j a * .
R ani s The w i f e - o f a r a j a . r: ,■ ^
S ad ar-: C h i e f , su p re m e , th e p r i n c i p a l o f f i c e ,
th e c h i e f s e a t o f a g o v e rn m e n t.
Sadar c u tc h e rry % The p r i n c i p a l re v e n u e o f f i c e o f a
d i s t r i c t o r a za m in d a ri*
S a la m i : A f e e p a id t o a s u p e r i o r a s a mark of
re sp e c t.
S a lis s An a r b i t r a t i o n .
Sam aja ; A comm unity.
S annoes t P la in c o tto n p ie c e -g o o d s of o rd in a ry
q u a lity .
Sannyasi s A H indu r e l i g i o u s m e n d i c a n t ,
S ark ar : An e x t e n s i v e d i v i s i o n o f a ..pro v in c e
u n d e r t h e Mughal g o v e rn m e n t.
S a w a n i h - n ig a r ; A news w r i t e r , a n i n t e l l i g e n c e r .
Sa zaw al : A l a n d s t e w a r d , a n o f f i c e r d e p u te d by
th e g o vernm ent o c c a s i o n a l l y t o e n f o r c e
th e due payment o f t h e r e v e n u e .
S h ik d a r i An o f f i c e r a p p o i n t e d to c o l l e c t re v e n u e
from a s m a l l d i v i s i o n .
S io c a j A s i l v e r c u r r e n c y i s s u e d by t h e Mughal
E m perors and a d o p te d by t h e E a s t I n d i a
0 ompany•
Subah s A p r o v i n c e , th e l a r g e s t a d m i n i s t r a t i v e
d i v i s i o n o f th e Mughal E m p ire .
Subahdar s V ic e r o y , g o v e r n o r o f a s u b a h .
T a h sild a r 2 A c o l l e c t o r of rev en u e.
T alu k : A d e p e n d e n c y , a d i v i s i o n o f a re v e n u e
u n it? a la n d h o ld in g u s u a lly i n t e r ­
m e d ia te b e tw e e n a z a m in d a r and t h e
ra iy a ts •
T a lu k d a r s The h o l d e r o f a t a l u k .
Tanj@|bs 2 A v a r ie ty of f in e m u slin s.
Tappa s A s m a l l d i v i s i o n o f th e c o u n t r y , a
s u b -d iv is io n o f a parganah.
Taqavi s Advance made t o th e p e a s a n t s a t th e
tim e o f sow ing on c o n d i t i o n o f r e p a y i n g
th e am ount a t h a r v e s t t i m e .
Taqsim 2 A p p o rtio n m e n t o f t h e a s s e s s e d re v en u e
upon t h e s e v e r a l s u b - d i v i s i o n s of a
z a m in d a ri.
T araf ; l i t e r a l l y s id e , p a r t, here s ig n ifie s
a d iv is io n o fa^p arg an ah . I t a lso
d e n o te s th e la n d o r e s t a t e b e lo n g in g
t o an i n d i v i d u a l and o f t e n named
a f t e r him .
T arafd ar 2 A re v e n u e o f f i c e r i n c h a r g e o f a t a r a f .
T a u jih -n a v is t An a c c o u n t a n t k e e p in g d e t a i l e d r e c o r d s
o f d u e s , paym ents and b a l a n c e s o f
m o n th ly i n s t a l m e n t s o f th e r a i y a t s .
Tol 2 A s c h o o l ru n by a p a n d i t , e s p e c i a l l y
f o r im p a rtin g S a n s k r it le a r n in g .
T o p -k h a n a : An a r s e n a l , a f a c t o r y f o r c a n n o n s «
Thug : A c h e a t , a c l a s s of r o b b e r s and
a s s a s s i n s found i n I n d i a .
V arna s A t r i b e , a c a s te , a c l a s s . A d iv is io n
o f th e H indu com m unity.
W a k a i- n ig a r 2 A re c o rd e r of e v e n ts .
W akil ; An a g e n t , a p e r s o n i n v e s t e d w it h th e
a u t h o r i t y t o a c t f o r th e p e r s o n he
re p re se n te d .
Watan % Hom eland, o n e 's h e r e d i t a r y t e r r i t o r i a l
p o sse ssio n .
W a zir t Revenue and f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r of th e
Mughal g o v e rn m e n t.
Y a tra % A s o r t o f drama t i c p e r f o r m a n c e .
 BIBLIOGRAPHY*

EE RSI AH MANUSCRIPTS

B.M. Add.MSS. O r. No. .1779 ( D a s t u r - a l - a m a l )

B.M .Add.M SS.Or.Ho. 6586 ( a p o r t i o n i s t r a n s l a t e d i n

*
E x t r a c t fro m H a r i n g t o n 1s A n a l y s i s
■ w i d d i ' i l i i n M in n r -iw n - n w iv r w u t M iitiin u j T f r r w ui i i , w p i » 'M it - U h ' j h i t i i i i - w ^ n T n n - r - f r K i r t r r r r jl‘* r i r J^ — ■r “ « r ..........

i
o f t h e B e n g a l R e g u l a t i o n s , 1 1 5 -1 6 8 )
i M U * I— 11 i m ll.i> r ' ■ i n H M iiii B > T r w r i - r i M i i v n n f m t r T T r i i i i r f T M > n i i T ^ i i i i w i i i i n r r n - » r i r ~ i - r ' . n - i » " i n iir *

B.M .Add.M SS.Or.Ho. 6592

B.M.Add .M SS.Or.Ho. 19504
B.M .Add.M SS.Or.Ho. 19505
B.M.Add.MSS. 0 r . Ho. 24059

HEAR CONTEMPORARY AND CONTEMPORARY PERSIAN BOOKS

A bul E a z l : A in -i-A k b a rl, 5 v o l s .,

V o l . I H.Bloclcmann T r . , C a l c u t t a ,

19 2 7 ,
V o ls .I I & I I I H .S .J a r r e t t T r.
C a l c u t t a , 194 9, 1948

A k bam am ah , 5 v o l s . ,
T r . H .B e v e r id g e , C a l c u t t a , 1899,
1 9 0 4 , 1939
 340

Abdul Hamid Khan L ah ori Padshahnaraah ,

P o r t i o n s t r a n s l a t e d i n H.M. E l l i o t
& J.Dowson* s H i s t o r y o f I n d i a a s
t o l d by i t s own h i s t o r i a n s , v o l .
¥ 1 1 , London, 1877

A l l Muhammad Khan : M irat-l-A hm adi ,

T r . I .E .L o k h a n d w a l a , B a ro d a , 1965

E e r is h ta h , M.K. 5 H i s t o r y o f D ekkan, v o l 2
T r. J . S o o t t , Shrew sbury, 1794

H i s t o r y o f I n d ia ,
T r , A.Low, The H i s t o i y o f n w i i m w n n i i n W i r r n n w r i H " r 'w ti r 'i l w lf i I i i l i i l i i i T t m w 11im ii il

H in d o sta n , 3 v o l s , , London, 1812

H is t o iy o f the Mahomedan power

— j i w i t o i i i i w l U i > > w , > i u W B i w i f i i w i i w r i i i a a p 'm u t t O t . t r w i n a f r i i i n n i i M W w t i M U M r j n w r ^ i n r w * l a a b w i M M a w

i n I n d ia , 2 v o l e , , T r. J . B r i g g s ,
L ondon, 1909

Cholam A l i Khan : Shah Alamnamah, E a se . 1 - 2 ,

B ib lio t h e c a I n d ic a , C a lc u tta , 1912

Grhulam H u s a in S a lim : B ia d -a l-S a la tin ,

T r. Abdus Salam , C a lc u t t a , 1904
 341

Ja h a n g ir : Tu z u k - i - J a h a n g i r i , 2 v o l s . ,
T r . A .R o g e r, L on don, 1 9 09, 1914-

K h a f i Khan (Muhammad
H ashim ) : Mhnt akhab-uL - L u b a b ,
P o r t i o n s t r a n s l a t e d i n H.M.
E l l i o t & J.D o w so n ’ s H i s t o r y o f
I n d i a a s t o l d by i t s
— w * w w — ■ r ■ u rn jw w iiiw m ii— n m m m m u U M i
own
T r m i i 'a ^ w t f r M s m , u n w * w a w n

h i s t o r i a n s , v o l . V I I , London, 1877— ■

M irz a H a t t o n s B a h a rista n -i-G h a y b i, 2 v o le ,

T r . M .I .B o r a h , G a u h a t i , 1936

M unshi Muhammad Qazim A lam gi m am ah ,

E d . Mawlawi Khadim H u s a in &
A bdul H a i, B i b l i o t h e c a I n d i c a ,
O a l o u t t a , 1868

R u k a 'a t - i - J T r . Ja m sh id H . B i l i m o r i a ,
( L e t t e r s o f A u ra n g z e b ) Bombay, 1908

S a lim A l l a h : T a w a rik h -i-B a n g a la h ,

m i laniiiit ff iw iifi n n r^ imimtiwi ' ihriiiiti'U iri»i uiWwy 'w Mi»wr;j

T r . E .G la d w in , C a l c u t t a , 1788

S ay y ld Ghulam H u s a in
T a b a ta b a i : The S e i r - a 1-M u tak h k h e r i n , 4 v o l s •,
T r . H a j i M u s t a f a , C a l c u t t a , 1902-1903
S a q i Mustad IChan s Maa e i r -i-A la m g i r i ,
» h p i < i> i i i <w i i ^mii—w i)i> iim (w n iiiiin iii— n m n in iiiim n in m u m m iT iTi m O h m 'i iru.i■mil

T r . J .H .S a r k a r , O a l o u t t a , 1947

Shah Hawaz Khan

& Abdul Haqq s The M a a s i r - u l - U m a r a , 3 v o l s . ,
T r . H .B everid ge & B a in i P ra sa d ,

C a l c u t t a , 1 9 1 1 -1 9 1 4

TRAVELLERS ’ ACCOOTTS

B e r n ie r , F ; T ra v els i n th e Mogul Empire

( 1636 - 1 6 6 8 ) ,
T r. A .C on stab le W e stm in iste r , 1891

F o rb es, J : O r i e n t a l M em oir, 2 v o l s . ,
London, 1834

F o r s te r ,G 2 A J o u r n e y from B e n g a l t o E n g la n d
2 v o l s . , London, 1808

G r o s e ,J .H 2 Voyafees to t h e E a s t I n d i e s , 2
v o l s . , London, 1772

H a m ilto n ,A s A Hew A cco u n t o f t h e E a s t I n d i e s

London, 1930
I v e s ,E ': A Voyage from E n g la n d t o I n d i a
i n t h e y e a r MDCQLIV,
London, 1773

M anueei,H s B t o r i a Do M ogor, 4 v o l s ,
T r . W . I r v i n e , L ondon, 190 6 -1 9 0 8

M anriqne,S : T r a v e l s o f F ra y S e b a s t i a n , 2 v o l s
T r . L u a rd & H o s te n ,
O x fo rd , 1927

S ta v o r in u s , J .S s Voyages $ 0 E a s t I n d i e s , 3 v o l s ,
London, 1798

T a v e r n ie r , J .B s T ra v e ls in I n d i a , 2 v o ls ,
E d . V. B a l l , L ondon, 1889

T h ev en o t, M.De
& C a r e r i,J .F .G ’ : I n d i a n T ra v e l s o f T h e v e n o t &
O a re ri,
E d . S .H .B en , Hew D e l h i , 1949

Y u le , H. ( E d . ) : The D ia r y o f W illia m H e d g e s ,
3 v o l s , London, 1887-1 889
EUROPEAN MANUSCRIPTS

B.M.Add.MBS. ( H a s t i n g s P a p e r s ) Ho. 2 9 ,0 7 9
B.M. Add .MSS. Ho. 2 9 ,0 8 6
t h e s e 3 volum es
B.M. Add .MSS. Ho. 2 9 ,0 8 7 ) c o n t a i n t h e
) Amini R e p o rt
B.M. Add.MSS. Ho. 2 9 ,0 8 8 )
B.M. Add.MSS. Ho. 2 9 ,0 9 6
B.M.Add .MSS. Ho. 2 9 ,2 0 9

F r a n c i s MSS. I . O . I i . ( I n d ia O ffic e L i b r a r y )
George V a n s it t a r t P a p e r , Dep. b . 66*75 ( B o d l e i a n L i b r a r y ,
O x fo rd )

Orme MSS. I . O . L . ( I n d i a O f f i c e L i b r a r y )

UNPUBLISHED RECORDS
(P re s e rv e d i n th e I n d i a O ffic e L ib ra r y )

Bengal P u b lic C o n s u lta tio n s

B en g al Revenue C o n s u l t a t i o n s

B e n g a l B oard o f Revenue P r o c e e d in g s

B e n g a l B oard o f Revenue M i s c e l l a n e o u s P r o c e e d i n g s

B e n g a l R evenue J u d i c i a l C o n s u l t a t i o n s

Bengal S e c r e t C o n s u lta tio n s

D e s p a tc h e s t o B e n g a l ( L e t t e r fro m C o u r t)
D e s p a tc h e s from B e n g a l ( l e t t e r t o C o u r t)

D utch R e c o rd s

F a c t o r y R e c o rd s

F r e n c h R e c o rd s

Home M i s c e l l a n e o u s S e r i e s

M ayor C o u rt P r o c e e d i n g s

S e l e c t C om m ittee C o n s u l t a t i o n s

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS
( P r e s e r v e d i n t h e B r i t i s h Museum)

R e p o r t s , House o f Commons s F o u rth R e p o r t from t h e C om m ittee

o f S e c r e c y , 1 7 7 5 , v o l . IV

S e v e n th R e p o r t fro m t h e
Com m ittee o f S e c r e c y , 1 773,
v o l . IV

R e p o r ts on t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
o f J u s t i c e , 1 7 8 0 -1 7 8 1 , v o l . V
PUBLISHED RECORDS

A itc h is o n ,C .U
*
% A C o lle c tio n
m m
of T re a tie s
m m i-n frr-iniTiniii iin t 1 ir r ^ r t i r - r r r m n r r t m T f

E ngagem ents and S a n a d s , v o l . I I ,

C a l c u t t a , 1930

A s c o l i , P.D t P in a l R eport on t h e S u rv ey and

S e ttle m e n t o p e r a tio n s i n th e
MM* 1*1lll|l|mp I HI ml |ll 11* 1' ■"—I* 1IWI ■»■ .*11 ttmll, IlflWtouM— ll.miHUHnillMBMHHlllMW

D i s t r i c t of D acca,
C a l c u t t a , 1917

C a l e n d a r o f P e r s i a n C o r r e s p o n d e n c e, v o l s . I--V,
C a l c u t t a , 1911-1930

F i r m i n g e r , W .K .(Ed. ) : B engal D i s t r i c t R e c o r d s , D i n a j p u r , I
C a lc u tta ,
1914 ,
" ” n M id n ap u r,
v o l s « I-IV
C a lc u tta
1914-1926

C a lc u tta

S y lh e t,

S h illo n g
 347

L e t t e r Copy Book o f t h e R e s id e n t
a t th e D u rb a r a t M u rs h id a b a d ,
2 v o ls,
C a l c u t t a , 1919

P r o c e e d in g s o f t h e C o n t r o l l i n g w ..

Council of Revenue1a t M u rs h id a h a d ,
12 v o l s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1919*»1924

P r o c e e d in g s o f t h e C om m ittee
o f C i r c u i t a t D ac ca, D ina 3p u r ,
m r, Pum ea,
- — " ■ '■ — — i ■ in ji.i r.u.m imu,*ar7i6Gr&2S!V=Vv*wt-i3*r~ *

and R a n g p u r, 3 v o l s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1926, 192?

The F i f t h R e p o r t from t h e S e l e c t
“ (•“ •W in i t i 111 M t'iT i i l n i . i ' i f m 111 ill dh miiifcii 1 1 1.1 m 'lH 'm i m u n i i ffii 1r v i ~ * i o n r '* - T T - r f ^ 1 » T r i ~ 'W r i m riM 'tV i r r i tfir — *— •

C om mittee o f th e House o f Commons

on t h e A f f a i r s o f th e E a s t I n d i a
Company, J u l y 28, 1 812, 3 v o l s ,
i T T i T i ii iiiiu m n J jT m m i ith hmi. rfin i t iw fc T t^ m m n m T r m w M m iT p f e m ^urn t* •«■»■*«* ■ w im n i n ~ ir u n i i m n i it i *

C a l c u t t a , 1917, 1918
H a m ilto n ,C T h e Hedaya ( o f G u id e ) , a com m entary
on t h e M ussulman Laws, 4 v o l s ,
L ondon, 1791

H a r i n g t o n , J •H * E x t r a c t from H a r i n g t o n 1s A n a l y s i s
o f t h e B en g al R e g u l a t i o n s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1866

H ill,K .A .L : F i n a l R e p o r t on t h e S u rv ey and
S e t t l e m e n t O p e r a t i o n s i n th e
D i s t r i c t o f B urdw an, v o l . I ,
C a l c u t t a , 1940

H ill,S .0 : B e n g a l i n 1 7 9 6 -1 7 9 7 » 2 v o l s ,
London, 1905

An A b s t r a c t o f t h e E a r l y R e c o rd s
of th e F o re ig n D e p t t . , P a r t 1,
C a l c u t t a , 1901

H u n t e r , W.W : A S t a t i s t i c a l A cc o u n t of B e n g a l ,
20 v o l s , London, 1875 -187 7

B e n g a l MS R e c o r d s , v o l . I ,
L ondon, 1894
 549

J a c k , J .0 5 F i n a l R e p o r t on t h e S u rv e y and
S e ttle m e n t O p e ra tio n s i n th e
D i s t r i c t o f B a k a rg a n j,
C a l c u t t a , 1915

Long, J : S e l e c t i o n s fro m t h e u n p u b l i s h e d
R e c o rd s o f th e G o v t. o f B e n g a l ,
v o l. I,
C a l c u t t a , 1869

M it r a ,A : West B en g al D i s t r i c t R e c o r d s , B irbhum ,
C a lc u tta ,
1954
M 11 ” r* Burdwan,
C a lc u tta ,
1955

Momen,M.A z F i n a l R e p o rt on t h e S u rv e y and
S e ttle m e n t O p e ra tio n s i n th e
Di s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e ,
C a l c u t t a , 1925

M u k h e rji,B .B : F i n a l R e p o rt on t h e S u rv e y and
S e ttle m e n t O p e ra tio n s i n th e
D i s t r i c t o f M u rs h id a b a d ,
C a l c u t t a , 1958
N elson,W .H 5 F i n a l R e p o rt on t h e S u rv e y and
S e ttle m e n t O p e ra tio n s in th e
D i e t r i o t o f R a j 8h a h i ,
C a l c u t t a , 1922

Q'Malley,L S .S : -
C ensus o f I n d i a 1911> v o l . V, P a r t 1 ,
in r ^ n r r iir r i ■ii-nr«nmiii — mrp ^nwrr r.nr~'"Ti i tt— r •:

C a l c u t t a , 1915

Records of t h e Governm ent

of Bengal L e t t e r Copy Book o f t h e S u p e r v i s o r
m n>miiMnmailin>*iii n«ii'iiu«'*Tj»T*iiiginrtfti»rrg mi ifrir niffr’ftTii1f rr i tirnr-Fr-v^-frr^r

o f R a jsh a h i a t N a to r,
m u — i n m i i V i i i i i w t w n n m iii’L a tm t r .o K — u m m — w ii— m m i <r m i— f

E d . B e n g a l R eoord Room,
C a l c u t t a , 1925

R o b ertso n , ^.W 5 F i n a l R e p o r t on t h e S u rv e y and

—
S e ttle m e n t O p e ra tio n s i n th e
I— I niy* II i-|tlnsa»^0— .1— J J MUT— w W

D i s t r i c t of B an k u ra,
C a l c u t t a , 1926

Wilson,C.R : Old F o r t W illia m i n B4*e1 n g a l, 2 v o l s . ,

— — 6— W J — S— — IT. i l — »ll« « l — — .wum . ■ | mVC, a* 1.1— I B f t l j , j — '

London, 1906

The E a r l y A n n a ls o f t h e E n g l i s h
— ir t— inrtrai imift iiinim r w iT r n i n «■ — ii t i i ,T frrmr~ iw i nyn—- n i i nr— .....— »>.............n » n » m r i i i » i i w t r i hri— i in

i n B e n g al, 3 v o l s . ,
L o ndon , C a l c u t t a , 1 8 9 5 -1 9 1 0
CONTEMPORARY BENGALI LITERATURE

Bha r a t a c h a n d r a Bay a s B h a r a ta o h a n d r e r G ra n th a v a i l ,
C a l c u t t a , 1889

J a y n a r a y a n Sena j H a ri-11l a ,
n— mu— — in^ni r ■ 'naiTMM i i r t i r i *

E d , B .C .S e n & V .R .R a y a ,
C a l c u t t a , 1928

Madhaba D v ig a ; M angala C h a n d i r G i t a ,
—i— mwiiimoiirwi^ii wnitwii w— mm—mwii— i.i.wnniwiiiiniHiHiii w'hmi iiiwhmwi *

E d . S . B h a t t a c h a r y a , C a l c u t t a , 1952

Manikram G a n g u li :
Ed. B .B a tta & S .D a tta ,
C a l c u t t a , I9 6 0

Mukunda Bama C h a k r a v a r t i : K av lk an k an a C h a n d i, 2 v o l s ,
E d . B .C .S en & o t h e r s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1924 -192 6

Baines w a r B h a t t a c h a r y a : S iv a y a n a ,
E d . Y u g al H a i d a r , C a l c u t t a , 1957

Ram prasad Sena ; Y i& y a -S u n d a ra ,

C a l c u t t a , 1907

S am ser G hazi S am ser G h a z i r P u n t h i ,

P a r t p u b lis b e d i n B .C .S e n ,
Vanga S a h i t y a P a r i o h a y a , P a r t I I

U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l c u t t a , 1914
0 0OTEMPORARY ENGLISH WORKS

B o lts ,W s C o n s i d e r a t i o n s on I n d i a A f f a i r s ,
v o l. I ,
London, 1772

C o le b ro o k e ,H .rf .& Remarks on t h e p r e s e n t s t a t e and

— ........................... " \"i i i 1— i— — v ^-.— . — -

L am b ert,A : h u s b a n d ry o f B e n g a l,
uniUfit iwn** m
uMhWinil#n—
>frfctanur-Ji r

C a l c u t t a , 1795

G allo w ay ,A s O b s e r v a t i o n s on t h e Law & C o n s ti-

t u t i o n and P r e s e n t Governm ent o f
w i i i i i u i ^ w * i irn m n H iu n i' a — i< w ■ w i i m n n n 111111' 1 in — i— M fcm w i m n » n m — n m i* u M ii w i m W iirM ii— w 1— im w t u m i 11m in " I T m

In d ia ,
London, 1832

G ra n t, J : An E n q u ir y i n t o th e n a t u r e o f
— w a v j u u j w M & afed SfrbttM fc'tiM i m r 'T T i r i n n i r rf - rin i n tr w r n i T n t i r i r i t iir u n m a n — ■ v n m n iir m iM — i —

>
Zem indary t e n u r e s i n t h e Landed
iiiinu!iwjjM
Bsrm n m n m -niir<
> rmtT
hmiwiv n w r r am m
Im n■* i—imiiiiniiwiiwi m i1m .m— —m
u—n
IM

P ro p e rty of B e n g a l,
London, 1791

H i s t o r l o a l an d C o m p a ra tiv e
A n a l y s i s o f th e F i n a n c e s o f B en g al w i H i 'i w L i i i ' u ^ i g a a a ^ g w t T w m d M i w w 11i w iw r ■ > i m t — - i n

P u b l i s h e d i n W .K .F irm in g e r ( e d . )
te n o r c..................I I ,
C a l c u t t a , 1917

H o lw e ll,J .Z : In d ia T r a c ts ,
& F rie n d s London, 1764
H o lw e ll,J .Z : I n t e r e s t i n g H i s t o r i c a l E v e n ts
r e l a t i v e to th e P ro v in c e s of
B e n g a l & t h e E m pire o f H i n d o s t a n ,
1 iHiiMKiii m i'IHltijiiiKmiiiii i nmrinn n;n»ii i i» ■iiW miPi-iTa>i ia»lnn n Ma n " r i r . !■! am nini i n ■if inriTn w w m itt ■ •inrri- t i f c f 1j iih1« ii-wr- .m ai

London, 1766

Orme,R ; H i s t o r i c a l P ra g m e n ts o f th e Mogul
a w — n m m a n n i B r m i n u f K m m aiiM i i n * * i m a i w i W i i i i i i * ■ — n l h i m u — m f ' m ■■ n w n m W i u n i i i i i i w — n V j

E m p ire ,
London, 1805

A H is to ry o f th e M i l it a r y T ra n s-
i ^ »aiiiiiij MiBaaiiig rrinTai)a»twyr^wtaiir»aW iiiifiM Jiii< i ■ain annrfir a hf fr i w nriii"inirinin'iitnnw <i— m iff r u\i ■ mnff im m i n i 'h iiiii w taiiwimi l

a c t i o n s of t h e B r i t i s h R a t i o n s
in In d o sta n , 2 v o ls,
M a d ra s , 1861

R e n n e ll,J 2 A B en g al A t l a s ,
London, 1780

Memoir o f a Map o f H i n d o s t a n ,
—m m w n i—m il— h i b ih i i ii nai i m ■■■iiiHM »iaM*»iriMn I m a w m m tm rn n m nimitnuMi i wu '

London, 1787

The J o u r n a l o f M a jo r J . R e n n e l ,
i i— 'illlljai.i r f L
-IW
MMl— >)i
IIW i i t IlH ............ IIW.WU—*■. WI I# ,111.11 ,m IIIII■ "

E d . T .H .D .L a T o u ch e, C a l c u t t a , 1910

Rous ,0 .W.B :
* *1 D i s s e r t a t i o n c o n c e r n i n g t h e Landed
ir i r r v r r i inin f Tfliir m m -r w r- in r iip -iniiK Kiir ni?i ihip- n i wnmwuiiiiwiii n— m n i M n^ i iin irnTXTirnr n O i trtHmnJi i O iidii

P r o p e r t y o f B e n g a l,
L ondon, 1791

S c ra fto n ,L : R e f l e c t i o n s on t h e G overnm ent o f

K ttA s A ttH a

In d o sta n ,

London, 1763
Stewart 9C s H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l from t h e f i r s t
Mohammedan I n v a s i o n u n t i l t h e
v i r t u a l C o n q u e st o f B en g al hy
= 27e e y e * A n n o u i t f f

th e E n g l i s h i n 1 8 5 7 ,
London, 1813

V a n s itta rt,H % R a r r a t iv e o f t h e T r a n s a c t i o n s o f
, 3 v o l s , London, 1766

V e re ls t,H i A View o f th e R is e and P r o g r e s s

o f th e P r e s e n t S t a t e o f th e
E n g l i s h Governm ent in. Bengal ,
London, 1772

SECONDARY WORKS IN ENGLISH

A h m e d jA .P .S a la h u d d in s S o c i a l I d e a s and C hanges i n
1 8 1 8 -1 8 3 5 , L e i d e n , B r i l l , 1965

Ahmed,M*B s The A d m i n i s t r a t io n o f J u s t i c e i n
M ed iev al I n d i a ,
A l i g a r h , 1941

A ll ,M .A t h a r
London, 1966

A s c o li.P .D ; E a r l y Revenue H i s t o r y o f B engal

and the F i f t h R e p o r t ,
O x fo rd , 1917
 355

A ziz, A s The M a n sa b d a ri s y s te m and th e

M ughal Axray,
L a h o r e , 1945

B a d e n -P o w e ll,B .H : The Land Bystem s o f B r i t i s h I n d i a ,

ni - w m w h w w iw m — ■»*— — hi« > i aw— >— ■>

3 v o l s , O x fo rd , 1892

The I n d i a n T i l l a g e Community,
— — ■*» i — —i i H ' —t ri — t i f n — vmm h — t— i m w w o — — J B — wwi — m —>uii— w m giif— Hi— n w a ■ w n w m J l j —i

London, 1896

A S h o r t A cco unt o f t h e Land Revenue

and i t s A d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n B r i t i s h
In d ia
......

O x fo rd , 1907

B a n e rje e ,D * H : E a r l y Land Revenue system i n B e n g a l

—■—t—Hum— .min<nl!iiiarmf*-na>i — iiim iii m n iim i n — p— y iwiTiiniiiii—n u —m — m— nrr nr ~mr~T— m—gi n r

an d B i h a r , C a l c u t t a , 1936

B ayley,H *Y : H i s t o r y o f M id napore ( a l s o
a w — —— a i r w u r — r i « r r < E n < i i a w j H » j r a — w— j m r

Memoranda on M id n a p o re ) ,
C a l c u t t a , 1902 .

B e v e r id g e ,H : The D i s t r i c t o f B a k a r g a n j , m m — 1 r “ T i— r r n r n n r 1 • iv — 1n n ~ ir^ " ~ rti~ n — u tlrT a

London, 1876

B h a tta c h a ry a ,S : The E a s t I n d i a Company an d t h e

w w m m n u i w ■ m m n m i -v b m M m w a i i H M * ~ i - w r - n ‘i f f T T - i m r ' r r ' i r - i m r r r m » n f i r f , l — -~ m | n — J l W i r n n i i — in — i i M m m n n t i iir a n

Economy o f B e n g a l ( 1 7 0 4 - 1 7 4 0 ) ,
London, 1954
B h a tta c h a r y a , B*H : Mughal H o rth E a s t e r n F r o n t i e r
P o l i c y , C a l c u t t a , 1929

B o se , S . 0 s □Lnaus ae
C a l c u t t a , 1883

Broom,A s H i s t o r y o f th e R is e and
in mwiiiim— — i-iiw iipVimi ii— inii—» p wiiiww<iiin—mw»— n i m i i— i^ w n w g in m g i w i b w

■I *r, v o l . I ,9
C a l c u t t a , 1851

B r o o m fie ld ,J .H E l i t e C o n flic t i n a P lu r a l S o c ie ty
London, 1968

Buehanan,P s A g e o g ra p h ic a l, S t a t i s t i c a l &
H i s t o r i c a l D e s c rip tio n o f th e
D i s t r i c t of D in a jp u r i n th e
P r o v in c e o f B e n g a l , C a l c u t t a , 1833

C a re y , W.H The good Ol d Days of Jo h n Company,

C a l c u t t a , 1906

C h a tte rje e ,A : B e n g a l i n t h e r e i g n o f A u ra n g z e b ,
iiw M n iw i i w n — m— ui w u n — f n ' j ^ m m r w w im m i t w i M h a — r i ' n iaih i w i i ■ ■ ■ i f c i t m i* i h t h p f

C a l c u t t a , 1967

C h a tte rje e ,H ; V e r e l s t f s R u le i n I n d i a ,
A lla tib a d , 1739

C o t to n ,H .J * S : Memorandum on th e Revenue H i s t o r y
o f C h i t t a g o n g , C a l c u t t a , 1880
miiiwiw i n i M m m utiW ium * w m m # * '

C raw fo rd ,D * 0 s A b r i e f H i s t o r y o f th e H u g li
D i s t r i c t , C a l c u t t a , 1903
 35

C u rry ,J * C : The I n d i a n P o l i c e ,
L ondon, 1932

Das G u p ta , T.N : Bengal i n t h e S i x t e e n t h C e n t u r y , A .D .,

C a l c u t t a U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1914

I n d i a i n t h e S e v e n t e e n t h C e n tu ry
iiiiiwiiin iw iii— ■■■ ni in—ii—M
r>in

a s D e p ic te d by E u r o p e a n T r a v e l l e r s ,
C a l c u t t a U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1916

Das G u p ta , 1*0 :
o ld B e n g ali L i t e r a t u r e ,
C a l c u t t a , 1935

D a tta ,K „ K 5 S t u d i e s i n t h e H i s t o r y o f the
B e n g a l Subah ( 1 7 4 0 - 1 7 7 0 ) . vol.- I ,
C a l c u t t a , 1936

A l i v a r d i and H is T im e s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1939

S u rv e y o f I n d i a 1s S o c i a l l i f e and
Economic c o n d i t i o n i n the 1 8 th
c ei min t u r y ,
iiw C a l c u t t a ,7 1961

D ey,S .C : The B a n s b e r ia R a,i,

C a l c u t t a , 1917

B im ock,E.C • ( E d . ) : B en g al L i t e r a t u r e a n d H i s t o r y ,7
------------- ........ n . | | ] n ^ T T f IIIHIIII Mil I I I ! !■ ! !!■ > ITU I 'I II IM IIIIB « m " M T H llir

M ic h ig a n , 1967
D o d w e tl ,H .H .( E d .) : The Cam bridge H i s t o r y o f I n d i a ,
v o l . Y, C am b rid g e, 1929

D u b o is ,J .A s H indu Manners;, Customs and

C e re m o n ie s , 2 v o l s . ,
O x fo rd , 1897

D u tt,R .C : The Economic H i s t o r y o f - B r i t i s h

I n d i a , London, 1906

E dw ardes.S .M : The Bombay C i t y P o l i c e (1672-

London, 1923

E n c y c l o p a e d i a o f th e S o c i a l S c i e n c e s , v o l . IX-X
Few Y o rk , 1963

F ie ld ,C .D : Land h o l d i n g and r e l a t i o n s o f
iwiInin mim-imiwmmccniiiiininiiWiiiiiliimwiiiiiiiiiiMwiim>iii¥WiiMim i—ihhwmwi —mii ■■imw—■

L a n d lo rd and T e n a n t i n v a r i o u s
c o u n t r i e s , C a l c u t t a , 1883

I n tr o d u c tio n to th e R e g u la tio n s
o f B engal C o d e, C a l c u t t a , 1884

F r y k e n b e r g ,R .E . (E d . ) : Land C o n t r o l a n d S o c i a l S t r u c t u r e
in
M adison, 1969

G h o sh ,J.M : S a n n a y a s i and F a k i r r a i d e r s i n
W M I W a — I I B H 11 W i fc1 M— J * — * liM ■*r m l*M rf

, C a l c u t t a , 1930
Ghcise ,L : The Modern H is to r y o f In d ia n
C h i e f s , R ajah s, Zemindars, e t c . ,
2 v o l s , C a l c u t t a , 1879, 1881

G la z ie r ,E .G : A Report on th e D i s t r i c t o f
h m w — wKtw imtTiitnw m m mm i itw in o n l im r — T^wrmmniwuu n w i tw ihw iiihihhiw m iw ii im i 'm> i r*m aiinf«i i>

R ang pur, v o l . 1, C a l c u t t a , 1873

mammrnm m wl i B i w fn in,, miw w

F u rth e r F o te a on t h e P i s t r i o t
o f Ran g p u r , v o l . I I ,
C a l c u t t a , 1876

Ghu]tye,O.S : C a s t and Race i n I n d i a ,

London, 1932

Guha,R : A Rule o f P r o p e r t y f o r B e n g a l,
M a n c h e s te r, 1962

H abib, I : The A g r a r i a n S ystem o f Mughal

I n d i a ( 1 5 5 6 - 1 7 0 7 ) , L ondon, 1963

H asa n ,.! : The C e n t r a l S t r u c t u r e o f th e

M ughal E m p ire , O x fo rd , 1936

H iclcs,J : A Theory o f Economic H i s t o r y ,

O xford U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1969

H o llin g b u r y ,R .H : The Zamindary S e t t le m e n t o f B en g a l,

*~“ r - r " " i l r r 'i T i T T r w n — i i m i w i i w n n . i i n i T i r n n n Y h n r i a m n i f n n i r i ~ i i i > m i i w m h i i i m i h i i m i h > in i h i m m b m w i m wwi i J M i m iim w <

M & o IS , London, 1 8 6 8 , 1879-

Huq.,M : The E a s t I n d i a Company1® Land
P o l i c y and Commerce i n B en g al
, > (1 6 9 3 -1 7 8 4 ) , D a c c a , 1964
■■w>>ww>i>i>wiWM*iiiiwm>i>wuiinimwii w m im u w u ii ,

Hunter,W .W : The A n n als o f R u r a l B e n g a l,

, London, 1897'

A Histoayr o f O r i s s a ,
— K * w w M i M d < * i w m w i ii i'M n i ii w i ir w M M i n iW M r t n — rtM iiiM iiiiiifiH iiniin — i m m n i m i i r t

C a l c u t t a , 1956

I r v in e ,W : - The Army o f th e I n d i a n M ughals,

2 v o l s , London, 1922

Karim,A. : .M urshid Q u li Khan a n d h l s v T im e s,, •

* v, D acca, 1963

Daccas th e Mughal C a p i t a l ,
D a c c a , 1964

K ay e, J,W s The A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f the E a s t

I n d i a Company, L ondon, 1853

K e ith ,A .B : A C o n s titu tio n a l H isto iy of I n d ia ,

1 6 0 0 -1 9 3 5 , L ondon,1 9 3 6

KhanyA.M:; The T r a n s i t i o n i n B en g al (1 7 5 6 -1 7 7 5 )
C am bridge, .1969 s

K h a n ,8 . A : John M a rsh a ll in I n d ia (1 6 6 8 -1 6 7 2 ),
O xford U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1927
Lee,W.L.M : A H isto ry of P o lic e in ,E n g la n d ,
London, 1901 .

L e ith b rid g e ,H , : The Golden Book o f I n d i a ,

London, 1893

M a in e ,H .8 s. V i l l a g e C om m unities i n the E a s t
n M i a w w r i iii w ^ i 'f in w iw w J i n T W i— !■■»— in iiiiim n n r iw n H M iiir w lir iM M iw w iiifT n M i i r d f l i n T i n 'n w iim i M i m « — m m w i W n w i W » i i i n i i i i i > i W

an d,.W est, L o n d o n 1876

M a;jum dar,ir : J u s t i c e and PoliG© i n B e n g a l,

C a l c u t t a , I9 6 0

H a l I i c k ,A .R : B r i t i s h P o l i c y and t h e M uslim s
, > i i i i i w i i w h i i i i ' h h w i w ,iiiiiiiiiii< Iw iiiiiii i i i n i i i i i B i i i i i i i i — iM iif iiiw n ' T w i r in ir > w » W iii n i it w in r ii i|iii in w i ii i i h h ^ i i i i w u in m i i m m iiim h w h iiiiiiim i i'Wwhth r n

in /B e n g a l, (1 7 5 7 -1 8 5 6 ),
D acca, 1961

M a rs h a ll,P .J : The im peachm ent o f W arren

iiw w iiii i r m — i> n~i i i . i i w ) r i i i g iT ?iii i i m n w in i » i r n . i i i im f i j ii iii w iiiiiiiiiT i* H ii r f i . m i m i i iW iii f i urm w — n w i'i i i w u M

L ondon, 1965

Marshman,J*C : A n .O u t l i n e o f t h e H i s t o r y o f , t h in i n i i i n iw ii ii w iiiiiw iiiiir iw H M w iii,M » M W iiiw w i|B M i> iiiii i l r 'iiiim i n i>n w i i « i ,

B engal,. S e ra m p o re , 1844

la itin ,R .M : The H i s t o r y , A n t i u u i t i e s , T opography iib iiii I ' l i i l f i i w w i n i i i i i‘ m i it — — jii 1 ft in r iW r i— * ’1111111 n V i r

and S t a t i s t i c s .o f E a s t e r n I n d i a , ;
3 v o l s , London, 1838

M
>,.CVa kt t h a l , J : V i l l a g e G overnm ent i n . B r i t i s h I n d i a ,
' I M lW'ilijiWilWili I m W W 'UfcW H il l' I W M ill IWH HW W liW iii ' IWHI I W I I I I I H I I H — I i W h M M I ■ H i' I ■■HI I 1111111 I .I U lJ I m l W > lW .lJ illB H l m J l_ J I .H l

London, 1915
• '.-J ’-1 ' '' :
M c U e il,D .J.: R e p o r t on th e V i l l a g e Watch o f th e
Lower P r o v i n c e s o f B e n g a l ,
C a l c u t t a , 1866
 362

M ill, J : The H i s t o i y o f B r i t i s h I n d i a ,
London, 1848

Mimgay,Gr.E : E n g l i s h Landed S o c i e t y i n th e
E i g h t e e n t h C e n t u r y , London, 1963

M is r a ,B .B : The C e n t r a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f
t h e E a s t I n d i a Company 1 7 7 3 -1 8 3 4 *
M a n c h e s te r U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1959

The I n d i a n M id d le C l a s s e s ,
London, 1961

The J u d i c i a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f
i h iw w i u mi

th e E a s t I n d i a Company i n B e n g a l
( 1 7 6 5 - 1 7 8 2 ) , D e l h i , 1961

4M o n ek to n -Jo n e s,M .E : W arren H a s ti n g s i n B e n g a l ,

Oxf o r d , 1918

‘ More l a n d , W.H : Prom A kbar t o A u ra n g g e b ,

London, 1923

The A g r a r i a n S y stem o f Moslem

I n d i a , C am b ridg e, 1929

Mo r e I a n d , W*H. & A S h o rt H isto ry of I n d i a ,

C h a tte rje e ,A .C : London, 1936

M ukher;Ji,A.C : U aldan g a and JEFald a n g a Raj f a m i l y ,

1 1 iTM fiiifc— * * * * * * * * — « - i.. .. [ ■n i T " — I -1 n m n rn r m y t r J" i m i m n n t - L i

C a l c u t t a , 1911
O’M alle y ,L .S .S : I n d i a n P a s t e C u s to m s ,
Camb r i d g e , 1932

Rahim,M.A : S o c i a l and C u l t u r a l H i s t o r y o f
r r Tr — a n m mm M iir»i i i n 1 1 mi i i n i T i ■■ m i ni

, 2 v o l s , K a r a c h i , 1 963 , 1967

Ramsbotham,R.B : S tu d ie s i n th e Land Revenue H is to r y

Oxford U n iv e r s ity P r e s s , 1962

Ray,L.M : D eg red atio n of Bengal Zamindars,

C a l c u tta , 1893

R ay chaudhuri, T : Bengal under Akbar and J a h a n g ir ,

■H i H W M .i i w ^ M M u » i i i . j . < i i M H m i i i > M i i M < w i i i '. » i w . i i i i ' m i M i n i HI I — . i» i» i n> '

D e lh i, 1969

R e tz la f f ,R .H : T i l l a g e Government i n I n d i a ,
London, 1962

R isley ,H .H s The T rib e s and C a ste s o f B en g al,

2 v o l s , C a l c u t t a , 1891

Roy,K.U : The Law of Rent and Revenue of

B engal, C a l c u t t a , 1888

Rubbe,K.P s The O rig in of th e Musulmans of

B en g al, C a l c u t t a , 1895

S a n g a r,S .P : Crime and Punishment i n Mughal

I n d ia , D e lh i, 1967
S a ra n ,P z The P r o v in e i a l Gove rnrae n t o f th e
M ughal&, A ll a h b a d , 1941 '

S a r k a r , J-..U :: The L i f e o f M ir J u m l a ,
. C a l c u t t a , 1951

S a rk a r,S ir J . I ; I n d i a o f A u ran g& ib,/C om pared w i t h

iwii — impiii>Tn^^ m i ia>iiwni»wMiriiP*rtf¥Wri>arr~wiiBiiiiiinT?irfci irim p r i m r ' ^ *" c

t h e I n d i a o f A k b a r, w i t h e x t r a c t s
0 ^ K hula a a t u - 1 -Tavm r i k h atid t h e
C h ah ar G u ls h a n , t r a n s l a t e d and
a n n o t a t e d , C a l c u t t a , 1901

H is to z y o f A u r a n g z l b , 5.,,v o l s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1912-1 924

A n e c d o te s o f A u r a n g g i b ,
C a lc u t t a , . 1§25

Mughal A d m in is t r a t i on , ■,
C a l c u t t a , 1935

B en g al Kawabs, :
C a l c u t t a , 1952-
! . rrv . r ' ,, • x -
, ,

S a r k a r , S i r J.U ,(E d * ) H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l , v o 1• IX,

Dacca U n i y e r a i t y , ;1948

S a ti e h Chandra : P a r t i e s and P o l i t i c s a t t h e Mughal

Cou r t 1 7 0 7 -1 7 4 0 >
mm— nuTm imuii— mmwwaiwiiiiiiKi^wwii’
n — ih im w i j u m i i

A l i g a r h , 1959^
 36

Sen,D .C : H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l i L anguage and

L i t e r a t u r e , C a l c u t t a , 1911

C a l c u t t a , 1920

G lim pses o f B en g al L i f e ,
C a l c u t t a , 1925

E a s t e r n B en g al B a l l a d s , ^ v o l s ♦,
C a l c u t t a , 1923-1932

S e n a r t ,E : C a s te i n I n d i a ,
L ondon, 1930

S h a r if ,A : A D e s c r ip tiv e C atalo g u e o f B en g ali

MS i n Munshi A bdul K a rim 1s C o l l e c t i o n ,
by Munshi A bdul K arim a n d Ahmad
S h a r i f , E n g l i s h t r a n s l a t i o n w it h
a n i n t r o d u c t i o n , by S .S .H u s a i n ,
D acca, I9 6 0

S i d d i q i , 5*.A : Land Revenue A d m i n i s t r a t i o n u n d e r

th e Mughals ( 1 7 0 0 - 1 7 3 0 ) ,
Bombay, 1970

S in h a ,U . " : f h e Economic H i s t o r y o f B e n g a l ,
3 v o l s , C a l c u t t a , 1962, 1970

S in h a ,N . [ . ( E d . ) : (The H i s t o r y o f B en g al
l a i w i w u i i i y u f iw iiirnM artiii iB — *>a i » ■ iiiww 'M i M i rw i riJWi«iii w .i>i<wiaiii'> i» h M » itf ta ia iia M iw f tij «iiBMM'i'Lit

U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l c u t t a , 1967
 3 66

S le e m a n ,M a jo r : R e p o rt on th e D e p r e d a t i o n s Committed
hy t h e Thug Gangs o f U pper and
C e n tra l I n d i a ,
C a l c u t t a , 1840

Spear,T*O .P : T w i l i g h t o f t h e M u g h a ls ,
C am h ridg e, 1951

The Oxford H i s t o r y o f Modern I n d i a

1740-1947 (The O xford H is to x y o f
I n d i a , P a r t I I I ) , O x fo rd , 1965

S te in g a s s ,F : A C om prehensive P e r s i a n - E n g l i s h
D i c t i o n a i y , London, 1892

T a y l o r ,J : A S k e tc h o f th e T opography a n d

S t a t i s t i c s of D acca,
C a l c u t t a , 1850

W a ls h ,J .H .T s A H i s t o r y o f M u rsh id a h a d D i s t r i c t ,
London, 1902

W eitzm an,S : W arren H a s t i n g s and P h i l i p F r a n c i s ,

M a n c h e s te r, 1929

W e s t l a n d ,J s A R e p o rt on t h e D i s t r i c t o f J e s s o r e ,
C a l c u t t a , 1871

W ilso n ,H .H s A G-lossary o f J u d i c i a l and Revenue

Term
nii lirtww s,
i London,7 1855
W is e ,J s R o te s on t h e R a c e s , C a s t e s and
T ra d e s o f E a s t e r n B e n g a l ,
London, 1883

GAZETTEERS, JOURNALS AM) ’ PAMPHLETS

A rcydae s " The P e a s a n t r y o f B e n g a l" ,

The B en g al M ag a zin e, 1872, V o l. I m ii *« w g i S P w w w MJ vamm m m am*

"The A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f J u s t i c e
*v*
in B e n g a l",
The B en g al M a g a z in e , 18 72, V o l. I ,

"The B en g al Z em indars a n d ,R y o t s " ,

The B e n g a l M a g a z in e , 18 73, V o l. 2

B a d e n -P o w e ll,B .H s " I s th e S t a t e t h e Owner o f a l l

Land i n I n d i a " ,
A s i a t i c Q u a r t e r l y R eview , J u l y , 1894,

" O r i g i n o f 1he Z a m in d a ri E s t a t e s r:
i n B e n g a l” ,
Th e Qu a r t e r l y J o u r n a l o f E co n o m ics,
n infM iiiMiu W f iT iiiTiiiin if ii iiinmnnii—ii i hmiim mOfciw nirw m ■■■mnw m m w n i i i ^ b ^ h ■ U M W im iim tm iiU i— -U—u -u x l—ujj u iu .

O c to b e r , 1896

Bengal. D i s t r i c t G a z e t t e e r s

B h a tta s a li,H .K : "B en g a l C h i e f s 1 s t r u g g l e f o r I n d e -

p en d en ce i n t h e R e ig n o f AEbar and
J a h a n g i r " , B en g al P a s t and P r e s e n t , 1928
Blochm ann,H s !,Kooh B ih a r,K o c h H a jo , and Assam
i n t h e 1 6 th and 1 7 t h c e n t u r i e s ,
a c c o r d i n g t o t h e A kbarnam ah, t h e ^ IW | I ir-n n -T W .a — * WIJM UiBW>U

P a d ish a h n a m a h , and t h e P a t h i y a h
w m *tam ctz*ss^rm K tm m - a r r — i r n r w r t f t-iTT~ iV - r m r n r r r m r—w

i Ib riy a h ” ,
J o u r n a l A s i a t i1c1 S o c i e t y o f B e n g a l,
w i i i fii m ■ip 11i i 1 i i ■>> bMh iH 'i 1'it ri hfa> nt 'WTT'r^vfflE ttrnrti-^ - t f * ~«««1 ■■ » i ■ ■

1872,

MC o n t r i b u t i o n s t o t h e G eography
and H i s t o i y o f B e n g a l” , P a r t I ,
Jo u rn al A—
s<<1i1a t i c S o c i e t y o f B e n g a l,
« * * — —M U M M w f T ' ir* mm 1M i— iiW iH r w p >*■ » i f n art »w »

1873, V o l. XXiII

C a lk in s ,P .B s ” The f o r m a t i o n o f a R e g i o n a l l y
O r i e n te d R u lin g Group i n B e n g a l,
1 7 0 0 -1 7 4 0 ” ,
The J o u r n a l o f S o u th A s ia n S t u d i e s
1970

C ohn,B .S : ” P o l i t i c a l S ystem s i n E i g h t e e n t h
C entuxy I n d i a , The B a n a ra s R e g io n ” ,
J o u r n a l o f th e A m erican O r i e n t a l
u t « . w i n > iM a i» » jP » ^ n T > iiii*1 m u tf i-if i i l j ■11n w m t j m vrt#A-i~m\sm r ii w i ii n m w i.i* - - n - i r n i i m ijn — _ c riM irrr« iu n r

S o c i e t y , 1 9 6 2 , DXXXII

”A n t h r o p o l o g i c a l E o te s on t h e
D i s p u t e s and law o f I n d i a ” ,
A m1erican A n t h r o p o lrntfHl
I M « If F
o g i s t , 1965 ||M ll -UT I IPX— f
 369

Chowdhury,B : "Borne A s p e c ts o f P e a s ant-E conom y

o f B en gal a f t e r t h e P e r m a n e n t .
S e ttle m e n t" ,
B en g al P a s t an d P r e s e n t , 1957
i w m ir— ■■■—^ ^ " w r gTffiTririrrffliirtitirl,iniBfBiTiihiim T -tfirn«~ iM i ii » ihhim i*

fir m in g e r ,W .K 5 "A Rote on B a n s b e r i a , "

B en g al P a s t a n d P r e s e n t , 1908,

"The o ld D i s t r i c t R e c o rd s o f B e n g a l" ,
J o u r n a l o f t h e R o y al S o c i e t y o f
A r t s , 1912, V o l. LX,
1 . 0 . L . P a m p h le t Ho. 607 « M « m w w i m — 1ir m r m r n * m o * w p n a w w u r w i n i i W

Granguly ,R s "A peep i n t o th e S o c i a l l i f e of

B engal i n th e E ig h te e n th C e n tu ry " , -
B e n g a l P a s t an d P r e s e n t , 1950,
V o l. LX1X

C h o sh ,J.M s . " S e l e c t C h a p te r s on M ym ensingh",

1 . 0 . D . P am p h let Ho. 528 limn M
gi.UMrifaHftHlWi 1
1Hi XrnO

" H i s t o r i c a l R e c o rd s i n t h e
Mymensingh C o l l e c t o r a t e " ,
B en g al P a s t an d P r e s e n t , 1923

G -rover,B.R s "R atu.re o f Land R i g h t s i n Mughal

In d ia ",
The I n d i a n Econom ic and S o c i a l
1' * ' — "**’ ' T I 'l ‘i“ 11 1 1 m il r it“ ‘■t,‘ ' - i^- it f- r T iB tTTnTnni-r-^ iu-|iiiarM.it>riiiitn ingrrnrjnrirmrao iiniiM iiwniiiinn

H i s t o r y R eview , 1 963 , I
 37C

" N a tu re o f D eh a t-i-T aal uqa ( Z am in d ari

v i l l a g e s ) and t h e E v o l u t i o n o f th e
T a a l u q d a r i s y s te m d u r i n g t h e Mughal
Age" ,
The I n d i a n Economic and S o c i a l
H i s t o r y R eview , 1965

H a b ib ,! : "The Zam indars i n t h e A in ” ,

I n d i a n H i s t o r y C o n g r e s s , 1958 m n— p ^ V * i m m m n i i i * N < b > h w » iih m a ^ u u ii

H o ste n ,H : 11The Twelve Bhuyas o r l o r d s o f

B e n g a l” ,
J o u r n a l A s i a t i c Soci e t y
1913

I m p e r i a l G a z e t t e e r s o f I n d i a , B e n g a l, I I ,
in ■ it T w iw n-nT i i t h i - t i i f t n r i - i r t i —m u T im r n T T irn inwonifc m m im m ■>>■■ ja p , h t -rrmm »*r~rwT ~‘~*

C a l c u t t a , 1909

Jam eson,A .K : "Jam es R e n n e l l " ,

B e n g a l P a s t and P r e s e n t , 1924
w * * a « m » » ^ M T 1W n n a i - r H [ ■ ■ i n ^ n — n i M m i i * — m f i im iiw i m T n n m * m n r . “- i m i i i T f " T T

J o s e p h ,C : "H o te s on t h e R i g h t Bank o f th e
H u g h ly " ,
The C a l c u t t a R eview , 1845
w — w m w u a m w a ^ ij hk u i u m

K.H.Re (A J u d i c i a l "The K h u d k ash t R yot o f B e n g a l" ,

O ffic e r) : The 0 a l c u t t a Re v i e w, 1883
K s h itis a v a n s a v a li "The C h r o n i c l e o f K r i s h n a g h u r " ,

O h a rita m : The C a l c u t t a R eview , 1855

little ,J .H : "The House o f J a g a t S e t h " ,

B en g al P a s t and P r e s e n t , 1920

M a rs h a ll,P .J : " In d ia n O f f i c i a l s u n d er th e E a s t
I n d i a Company i n E i g h t e e n t h
C e n tu ry B e n g a l " ,
B e n g a l P a s t and P r e s e n t , 1965
1 ■■■! .iimn^t.mnmrtu nm— innrimr miwnirii>wMiw^i>ii<fif«— iimniinari nMiiniirr

M itra ,K .C : "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f
B en g al - The R a ja s o f R a j s h a h i" ,
The C a l c u t t a R eview , 1873, V o l.I V I

M o o k erje a,A : The A n n als o f t h e B r i t i s h l a n d -

re v e n u e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n B en g al

from 1 6 9 8 -1 7 9 3 ,
I . 0 . 1 . P am p h let Ho. 1273

M oreland,W .H s "The P a rg a n a Headman (Chaudhj£r&)

i n th e Mqgh^l E m pire" ,
J o u r n a l o f t h e R o y al A s i a t i c
■■ii* wili.iiMiii*WJWiiiiH ii I 'll i<. 11 nn m u limn iiii— i i w iih (<» m n u n ■iT M 11 w~«in>iini« iaim iiin mimf ir<g i n m m 'iing

S o c i e t y , 1938

M ukher j i ,D.K s "The A nnals o f Burdwan R a j " ,

The C a l c u t t a R e v ie w , 1910

M u k h e r ji,S x "A n o te on la k h ir a j l a n d s " ,

I n d i a n H i s t o r y5 C o n g r e s s , 1958
MamaMnrMssatttMeviaafoTrwg^iuiWifli'ra■.imwt ji— tin— £ — ii— w m— ta wA -wa?*
R a y c h a u d h u r i, T : "Some o ld Documents i n B a r i s a l ,
E a s t B e n g a l” ,
I n d i a n H i s t o r y Q u a r t e r l y , 1948,
V o l . XXIV

Sanya 1,H : " C a s te M o b i l i t y i n B e n g a l”

The J o u r n a l o f S o u t h A s ia n S t u d i e s
1971, XXX

S a r k a r ,S ir J .B : " S h a i s t a Khan i n B e n g a l (1 6 6 4 -1 6 6 6 )” ,
J o u r n a l A s i a t i c S o c i e t y o f B e n g a l,
1906, H .S . I I

” The Revenue R e g u l a t i o n s o f
A u ra n g z ib ” ,
J o u r n a l A s i a t i c S o c i e t y o f B e n g a l,
1 9 0 6 , R .S . I I

” The C o n q u est o f C h a tg a o n , 1666

A .D .” ,
J o u r n a l A s i a t i c S o c ie ty o f B e n g a l,
1 907 , U .S. I l l

S in h a ,H .K : ”The S ystem of M uslim J u s t i c e ” ,

and P r e s e n t , 1949
LXVIII

”An A c c o u n t G e o g r a p h i c a l , S t a t i s t i c a l
and H i s t o r i c a l of. O r i s s a P r o p e r
o r C u t t a c k ” , A s i a t i c R e s e a r c h e s , 1 9 2 5 ,XV
"The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B en g al - The Burdwan R a j " ,
The C a l c u t t a R eview , 1872, LIY

"The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f B en g al - The N ad ia R a j " ,

The C a lou11a R evie w, 1872, LY

W e s tm a c o tt,E .Y : "The T e r r i t o r i a l A r i s t o c r a c y o f
B en g al - The D ina j p u r R a j " ,
The C a l c u t t a R e v ie w , 1872, LY

W i s e ,J : "On t h e B ara Bhuyas o f E a s t e r n

B e n g a l" ,
J o u r n a l A s i a t i c S o c i e t y of
1874

MODERN BENGALI BOOKS

B an d o p ad h y a y a, K • P : Madhya Yuge B an g a,
C a l c u t t a , 1330

B a n g la r I t i h a s a .(Nawahi A tnal), 'i ■ n 11 mu ii mff -----1—------- J~ i iiiittt nm r i i in r n m fririi iim iMiiiAfi

C a l c u t t a , 1315

B asu,B .K ; S r i ram p u r Mahakuinar I t i h a s a ,

iir» ry>iifwIMTlO IM l ^ r i i l l « i n iI n i V 11Ml I HMI H i— IM1 mm i.HW I IU j> li W 1|M liM I H > I f * —

S era m p u r, 1917

B asu ,N .N ; Y an g er J a t i .y a I t i h a s a ,
""............ i n in mi i ' - m r i < - - i iiw r ^ liii wi^ w n 11— o t itiw iiw i iii h i « n ibi

C a l c u t t a , 1 9 0 5 -1 9 1 1
Ch a k r a v a r t i , M . N Birbhura R ajvam sa
Kwnri rin—iht*«iipmiiii<wi mifitrii'iWiwri'MnriiWrrr ■-i—n-—
rmir '

B irbhum , 1316

C h a k r a v a r t i , R aj Kumar
and Das,A*M : S a n d w ip e r I t i h a s a ,
C a l c u t t a , 1924

C h a t t a p a d h y a y a ,: 3 : A n a n d a -m a th a ,
C a l c u t t a , 1886

B h ab an i B a t h a k a ,
C a l c u t t a , 1900

C h a u d h u ri,K : R a j s h a h i r S a m k s h ip ta I t i h 7a s a190,
W W W IIlM hW BW l lW M H 11<I 1<M1IMII1I<I III >n Ilgf c i a l W t o — l l l l ^ H I IIWi i W rW il ilWW*ii« rt* ga m .L —i»MMl *

C a l c u t t a , 1901

Ghosa,Y : P asch im a Y an g e r S a m s k r i t i ,
C a l c u t t a , 1957

Sam aik P a t r e B a n g l a r Bamaj C h i t r a ,

2 v o l s , C a l c u t t a , 1963

G u p ta ,J .M s V ik ra m p u re r I t i h a s a ,
11— i t w u w r ’W ' i H W B M i k a i i h M M l f c M i i i a i a g a M i —

C a l c u t t a , 1909

G upta,Y i H a j i Muhammad M ohsin,

D ac ca, 1917

Khan C h a u d h u ri, i.A .A : A H i s t o r y o f Kuch B i h a r I ,

Kuch B i b a r , 1936
 375

Kumara , J : Vamea P a r i c h a y a , 4 v o l s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1 3 28, 1330

Ma3uradar,K : Dhaka r V iv a r a n a ,
Mymensing'h, 1910

M itr a ,S .C : J e s s o r e K h u ln e r I t i h a s a , 2 v o l s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1329

M ukhopadhyaya, R . D : Burdwan Ra 3vamsac ha r i t a ,

Burdwan, 1915

P a l, I .R s A n n als o f M id n a p u r, v o l . I ,
M id n ap u r, 1888

P u ta tu n d a ,B .C : C h a n d ra d w ip e r I t i h a s a ,
w w . ■ y i « i » m w . n w . m ^ iw ia w ijA h iiiiw iiiiw i— m i ^ i ^ r i i i i i i m h i w i i mt 7

B a r i s a l , 1320

R ay,A .R : P a rid p u re r I t i h a s a , 2 v o ls ,
C a l c u t t a , 1 3 1 6 , 1328

Raya,IC : K s h itisa v a m s a v a lic h a rita ,

C a l c u t t a , 1875

Ray,S.C : An A n c ie n t and M odem H i s t o r y

o f S o n arg o n g , C a l c u t t a , 1891

Ray C h a u d h u r i, S .K : M aym ansinher V a re n d ra Brahm ina

Z am in d ar, 2 v o l s , C a l c u t t a , 1 9 1 1 , 1917
Sen,D.C s Yanga S a h i t y a P a r i c h a y a , 2 P a r t s
U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l c u t t a , 1914

S e n ,P .C ; B ag u rar I t i h a s a , 2 v o l s ,
C a l c u t t a , 1912-1913

S in h a ,K :
T i p p e r a , 1303

Y ad ra,N .C s Y a o a le r I t i h a s a ,
D acca, 1875

Y a s u fS.M : B h a ra t-g a u ra v a , v o l . I ,
C a l c u t t a , 1916

UIPUBLISHED THESES Of lOBDOT UNIVERSITY

Barua,jA.C ; A s p e c ts o f t h e Economic D evelopm ent

■ m ra iw u V rin iTii 11m * .■null i i n m i mnmww.iun, ■ p m—i.iniim n w n n^ m rri n n^ mi m ww wa n w ■■rtM*rw^mni«ii-nMMii—lumn

o f th e Assam T a l l e y 1 8 5 8 -1 8 8 4 ,
M.A. 1960

C h a u d h u ri,S ; T ra d e and C om m ercial O r g a n i z a t i o n

i n B e n g a l, w i t h s p e c i a l r e f e r e n c e
t o th e E n g l i s h E a s t I n d i a Company
‘nrmr^TTfTrrf—tittrn rr• m vw iir-iir n i ii iVn raw^-iw^iimii-iri'm-afTririimiinrifaTTniT—n*iii'TiirT^imi-flnrrMifnfnintt1iniTiHTr-7—f W f ——1—mflftT*

( 1 6 5 0 - 1 7 2 0 ) , P h . D . , 1969

Isla m ,M .S ; The P erm an en t S e t t l e m e n t and th e

Landed I n t e r e s t i n B e n g a l, from
II— ■■■! II (I l i m i t ■—»!. — Iiininm w ~ ^i w m m — kNII***■— • * * « MS— MM— ■Mu v » u « iW D I

1 7 9 3 -1 8 1 9 , P h .D ., 1972'
 577«

Karim,K.M : The P rovince o f B ih a r and Bengal

un d er S h ah jah an ,
Ph.D ., 1965

Hahmood,A.B.M : The Land Reyenue H is to ry of the

R ajsh ah i Zamindari 1 7 6 5 - 1 7 9 5 /
mini im Wurtflili m il I|H InWmliW iiiniiPn i HiH ii^il m l iWIWII >■> i Mlii'i Iin i .Hfmi i.Miwf ' n if

P h .D ., 1966

M ishra, K.P : The A d m in is tr a tio n and Economy

of the Banaras r e g io n , 1 1 7 5 8 -1 7 9 5 ,
MiW IH IIH IIIH IIIIW ■WI'IH Hh»m» Wm a tm HIM >'i iWilill—H1!H»MI. H it rtl MhHI ■iiUOlii'illl 1 HI] ii !■! milTUlMiiiM IIIB m i ill tw n w m iw

P h .D ., 1970

Mohsin,K.M : A s tu d y of M u rsh id ab a d D i s t r i c t ,
mUihimi— laawi awffi »ti w w mu w m I'l u.wHli mu MHliiwm l'.iWfll i.—ygMnnaB i am

1 7 6 5 -1 7 9 3 ,
P h .D ., 1966

S e ra ju d d in ,A .M : The Revenue A d m in is tr a tio n of

C h itta g o n g , 1 7 6 1 -1 7 8 5 ,
P h .D ., 1964