Begar

History glossary

Topic: Mughal Agrarian Society and Economy · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 2 "Nationalism in India"; Class 12, Ch 4 "Peasants, Zamindars and the State"

Meaning

Begar was forced labour, usually unpaid. People were made to do this work against their will. In Mughal villages, "superior" castes or state officials demanded it from people at the bottom of rural society. Villagers saw it as unjust, along with taxes that were too heavy. They believed custom gave every family the right to enough to survive.

Example

Archives from Rajasthan and Maharashtra keep group petitions sent to village panchayats by the lowest groups in the village. These petitions complain about too much tax and about begar. The panchayat tried to work out a compromise. If that failed, peasants sometimes simply left the village. This worked as pressure because land was plentiful and landlords competed for workers.

Don't confuse with

  • Bonded labour: here a person works to pay off a debt. Many over-taxed peasants fell into it in the late 1600s. Begar was labour demanded by people with power, not repayment of a loan.

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