Mughal Revenue System
Key Pointers
- Land revenue was the main source of income, typically one-third to one-half of the produce.
- Sher Shah's system: Measurement of land, rai (crop rate table), patta and qabuliyat.
- Akbar's early reforms: Karori experiment (1573); Asaf Khan and Muzaffar Khan involvement; Gaz-i-Ilahi (standard measure); bamboo tanab for measurement.
- Dahsala (Zabt) system (1580): Under Raja Todar Mal, average of 10 years' production and prices; revenue fixed in cash per bigha for each crop; mostly in Lahore, Multan, Allahabad, Agra, Delhi, Awadh, Malwa.
- Land classification (Ain-i-Akbari): Polaj (cultivated every year), Parauti (left fallow a year), Chachar (fallow 3–4 years), Banjar (uncultivated 5+ years). Graded as good, middle, bad.
- Other methods: Batai/Ghallabakhshi (crop sharing), Kankut (estimate of standing crop), Nasaq (group assessment; Bengal, Kashmir).
- Revenue officials: Amil/Amalguzar (assessor and collector), Qanungo (local records), Karori, Amin, Patwari, Chaudhari.
- Types of land: Khalisa (crown land), Jagir, Paibaqi (reserved for jagirs).
- Intermediaries: Zamindars (hereditary revenue collectors), Peshkash from tributary chiefs.
- Terms: Jama (assessed revenue) vs Hasil (actual collection).
- Later developments: Ijarah (revenue farming) and rising oppression under later Mughals.
MCQs
Q1. The Dahsala system was devised under Akbar by: (a) Abul Fazl (b) Raja Todar Mal (c) Raja Man Singh (d) Bairam Khan Answer: (b). Introduced c. 1580.
Q2. In Akbar's land classification, 'Polaj' land refers to: (a) Land lying fallow for 5 years (b) Land cultivated annually (c) Waste land (d) Land under forest Answer: (b).
Q3. The crown land of the Mughal Empire was called: (a) Jagir (b) Khalisa (c) Paibaqi (d) Inam Answer: (b).