Abwab
Topic: Mughal Agrarian Society and Economy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Abwab were extra cesses (small additional taxes) taken from peasants and traders on top of the regular land revenue in medieval India. Local officials and landholders often collected them. They made life harder for cultivators. Mughal emperors banned many of these cesses several times, but they never fully stopped.
Example
Aurangzeb issued orders abolishing a long list of abwab across the Mughal empire. Even so, officials and zamindars went on collecting such cesses in many areas.
Don't confuse with
- Jama: Jama was the regular land revenue fixed (assessed) by the state. Abwab were extra charges on top of it.
- Begar: Begar was forced labour, not a payment in cash or kind.
Related concepts
- Mughal land revenue system
- Jama
- Hasil
- Amalguzar
- Kankut
- Batai
- Khet-batai
- Lang batai
- Classification of lands under Akbar
- Polaj