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Peasants, Zamindars And The State
What are the problems in using the Ain as a source for reconstructing agrarian history? How do historians deal with this situation?
(a) The Ain-i-Akbari had provided invaluable information for reconstructing the agrarian history of the Mughals. But the Ain has its own limitations.
(b) Numerous errors in totalling have been detected. These are however minor and do not detract from the overall quantitative accuracy of the manuals. Another limitation is the skewed nature of the data. Data was not collected uniformly from all provinces for example information regarding the caste composition of the zamindars is not available for Bengal and Orissa.
(c) Though the fiscal data from the subas is very detailed yet important parameters like wages and prices from these subas has not been properly documented. Moreover the detailed list of prices and wages found in the Ain have been acquired from data pertaining to the capital Agra and its surroudings. It is therefore of limited value for the rest of the country.
(d) Historians have dealt with the situation by supplementing the account of the Ain by information got from the provinces.
(e) These include detailed seventeenth-eighteenth century revenue records from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. These have been also supplemented by records of the East India Company.
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On an outline map of the world, mark the areas which had economic links with the Mughal Empire, and trace out possible routes of communication.
Visit a neighbouring village. Find out how many people live there, which crops are grown, which animals are raised, which artisanal groups reside
there, whether women own land, how the local panchayat functions. Compare this information with what you have learnt about the sixteenth-
seventeenth centuries, noting similarities and differences. Explain both the changes and the continuities that you find.
How were the village artisans compensated by the villagers for their services? Write about any one.
How did the zamindars derive their power during the Mughal period? Mention any two ways.
What was Jati Panchayat? State any two of its functions.
Why had an artificial system of irrigation to be devised in India during sixteenth and seventeenth centuries ? Mention one such system.
Define the following terms : Polaj and Parati lands.
Why were women considered an important resource in agrarian society? Mention two reasons.
Mention two factors for enjoying social and economic privileges by the zamindars in the Mughal India.
Define the following terms : Chachar and Banjar.
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