Question – What is meant by Jajmani system?
Answer -
In Bengal, the landlords used to give daily allowance and cash for food to blacksmiths, carpenters, goldsmiths etc. in return for their services; this system was called Jajmani.
Question: Why was it difficult to differentiate between farmers and artisans in the rural society?
Answer -
- Because there were many groups that did both types of work
- Between sowing and ploughing, farmers also used to do handicraft work, that is why it was difficult to differentiate between farmers and artisans in the rural society
Question - How was land revenue determined during Mughal rule?
Answer -
It consisted of two phases-
- Deposit and gain.
- The amount in deposits was assessed and the realisation was the actual amount collected.
- In each province both cultivated and cultivable land was measured.
- An annual record of the number of cultivators in each village was prepared
- Officers were appointed to measure land revenue.
- The Diwan, who was responsible for overseeing the finances of the empire, was appointed.
Question - Examine the evidence that shows land revenue was important for the Mughal financial system?
Answer -
Importance of land revenue for the Mughal fiscal system:
- To control agricultural production and to collect revenue assessments across all areas of the rapidly expanding empire, it was necessary for the state to create an administrative machinery
- The Mughal state first emerged as a decisive power by attempting to accumulate specific knowledge about the extent of agricultural territory and agrarian relations.
- The Mughal state tried to collect specific information about land and its production before fixing the tax burden on the people
- There were two stages in the management of land revenue; first was assessment of tax and second was actual collection of tax plus the assessed amount and the actual amount collected.
- Akbar ordered that farmers should pay in cash and the option of paying in crops should also be kept open. While determining the revenue, the state tried to keep its share as high as possible, but due to local conditions, sometimes it was not possible to actually collect that much.
- In every province, both cultivated land and cultivable land were measured. During the reign of Akbar, Abul Fazal compiled all the data of such lands. Efforts to measure land continued during the reign of subsequent emperors. For example, in 1665 AD, Aurangzeb gave clear instructions to his revenue officials to keep an annual account of the number of farmers in every village. Despite this, not all areas were successfully measured. Many large parts of the subcontinent were surrounded by forests and these were not measured.
Question: What was the role of women in the agricultural society?
Answer -
- Women and men worked shoulder to shoulder in the fields.
- Men used to plough the fields and women used to sow, weed, harvest and take out grains from the ripe crops.
- In Western India, menstruating women were not allowed to touch the plough or the potter's wheel; in Bengal, women could not enter betel plantations during their menstruation.
- Handicraft work such as spinning yarn, cleaning and kneading clay for making utensils, and embroidery on clothes were done by women. These were the aspects of production that depended on women's labour.
- The more commercialized a product became, the more there was demand for women's labor to produce it.
- Peasant and artisan women not only worked in the fields when required but also went to their employers' homes and to markets.
Question - Who were the Zamindars? Tell us their functions?
Answer -
- Zamindars were a class whose income came from agriculture
- But those who did not directly contribute to agricultural production
- The zamindars were the owners of their land
- They had a high status in rural society
- Due to their high status, they received certain special social and economic facilities.
Functions of the Landlord -
- levy taxes on behalf of the state
- To establish mediation between the king and the farmer.
- To arrange the army.
- Developing agricultural land.
- Providing financial assistance to farmers for farming.
- Selling private agricultural produce.
- To arrange weekly or fortnightly markets in villages.
- Making arrangements for the repair of roads and water sources
Question: Discuss about Gram Panchayat in detail?
And
How did the Panchayat and the village head regulate the rural society? Explain?
Answer -
- The village Panchayat was a gathering of elders, usually important people of the village who had ancestral rights to their property.
- In villages where people of many castes lived, there was often diversity in the Panchayat as well. It was an oligarchy in which different communities and castes of the village were represented. Everyone in the village had to accept the decision of the Panchayat.
- The head of the Panchayat was a chief who was called Mukaddam or Mandal.
- From some sources it seems that the headman was elected by consensus of the village elders and after this election he had to get approval from the landlord.
- The chief remained in his position only as long as the village elders had confidence in him, otherwise the elders could dismiss him.
- The main work of the head was to get the accounts of income and expenditure of the village prepared under his supervision and the Patwari of the Panchayat used to help him in this.
- The expenses of the Panchayat were met from the common treasury of the village to which every person contributed.
- This treasury was also used to pay for the maintenance of tax officials who visited the village from time to time.
- This fund was also used to deal with natural calamities such as floods and for community work that farmers could not do themselves, such as building small earthen dams or digging canals.
- A major function of the Panchayat was to ensure that people of different communities living in the village remained within the boundaries of their caste.
- In Eastern India all marriages took place in the presence of a mandal.
- One of the responsibilities of the village headman was to monitor the conduct of the people "to prevent caste disrespect".
- Panchayats had the power to impose fines and more severe punishments such as expulsion from the community. Expulsion was a harsh measure that was imposed for a limited period of time.
- Under this, the punished person had to leave the village (for a given period of time). During this period, he lost his caste and profession. The purpose of such policies was to stop the disregard of caste customs.
- Apart from the Gram Panchayat, every caste in the village had its own Panchayat. These Panchayats were quite powerful in the society.
- In Rajasthan, caste panchayats settled disputes between people of different castes. They settled disputes over land claims, decided whether marriages were taking place according to caste norms, and also decided who would be given preference over whom in village functions.
- The documents compiled from western India, particularly from states like Rajasthan and Maharashtra, contain numerous complaints from panchayats against “upper” castes or state officials for exacting taxes or forced labour from people.
- Usually these applications were made by people from the lowest strata of the rural community. Often such applications were also made collectively.
- In these, people of a particular caste or community used to protest against the demands of the elite groups which they considered morally illegal.
Question: Discuss Ain-e-Akbari in detail?
And
Q. Ain-e-Akbari of Abul Fazl was the result of a very large historical and administrative project? Give details?
And
Question - The mirror shows that this is the view of the high corridors of power. Discuss?
And
Question – Describe Ain-e-Akbari?
Answer -
- Ain-e-Akbari was written by Akbar's court historian Abul Fazl.
- In this, detailed information about Akbar's period is available.
- Ain-e-Akbari was a major project
- Emperor Akbar had given this responsibility to Abul Fazal.
- It was completed in 1598 A.D., in the forty-second year of Akbar's reign, after five revisions.
- The Ain was part of a larger project of writing history initiated by Akbar.
- The result of this project was Akbarnama which was written in three volumes.
The first two volumes presented the historical story.
The third volume was Ain-e-Akbari
