PART2 CH8 Peasants,Zamindars And The States (Important Question Answer)

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II

CH8 PEASANTS,ZAMINDARS AND THE STATES 

AGRRARIAN SOCIETY AND THE MUGHAL EMPIRE

(C.SIXTEENTH-SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES

IMPORTANT QUESTION ANSWER

Q1. Mention various duties performed by state officials in the 16th century? 

Ans. They collect land revenue, measure the lands and keep records etc. 

Q2. Who was the author of Ain-I Akbari? Ans. Abul Fazl, writer of Ain-I Akbari, he was a famous Persian author, gems of Akber’s court. 

Q3. Who were Raiyat? How many types of Raiyat? 

Ans. They were peasants. There are two types of Raiyat - Khud-khasta and Pahi-khasta. Khudkhasta - They were residents of the village in which they held their land. Pahi-khasta - They were non-resident cultivators who belonged to some other village, but cultivated lands were else were on a contractual basis. 

Q4. How many seasons of agriculture according to Ain? Ans. According to Ain-i-Akbari, agriculture was organized around the two major seasonal cycles. The kharif and the rabi. Kharif - rice and jawar. Rabi - wheat and gram.

Q5. What was Jins-i-Kamil? 

Ans. Literally perfect crops. Example - cotton and sugarcane.

Q6. Describe the functions of panchayat? 

Ans. (i). Community welfare - Construction of bund or digging the cannel which peasants usually could not afford to do on their own. 

(ii). Arrangements against natural calamities, like floods, famine, Droughts etc. 

(iii). Regulate rural societies, like marriage and caste. 

(iv). To ensure that caste boundaries among the various communities 

(v). Punishment - Example - to levy fines and inflict from the community.

Q7 Describe Ain-i-Akbari? 

Ans. (i). Vision of Akbar’s empire. 

(ii). Strong ruling class. 

(iii). The organization of the court, administration and the army. 

(iv). Included detailed revenue, records - with the help of Todarmal tried to reorganize the whole revenue system. 

(v). Useful description of agrarian society.

Q8. What was the role played by women in agrarian society? 

Ans. (i) Women worked shoulder to shoulder with men in fields. 

(ii) Women sowed, weeded, threshed and winnowed the harvest.

(iii). Craft production - such as spinning yarn, sifting and kneading clay for pottery and embroidery. (iv). Some restriction during some days of month - women were not allowed to touch the plough or the potter’s wheel in western India. 

(v). Produce children and look after them.

Q9. How land revenue was fixed? 

Ans.(i). It consisted of two stages - Jama and Hasil. Jama was the amount assessed and Hasil the amount collected. 

(ii). Both cultivated and cultivable land measured in each province. 

(iii). Prepared annual record of the number of cultivators in each village 

(iv). Officials were appointed to measure land revenue. 

(v). The Dewan, who was responsible for supervising the fiscal system of the empire.

Q10. Explain the salient features of zabti system? 

Ans. The salient features of zabti system are: (i). Measurement of land was compulsory. 

(ii). Classification of land: Polaj, Parauti, Chachar, Banjar. 

(iii). Calculation of the average products. 

(iv). Fixation of state share. 

(v). Commutation into cash. 

(vi). Collection of land revenue.