Village artisans
Topic: Mughal Agrarian Society and Economy · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Peasants, Zamindars and the State"
Meaning
Village artisans were craftsmen such as potters, blacksmiths, carpenters, barbers and goldsmiths. They made up as much as 25 per cent of village households. Villagers paid them with a share of the harvest, a plot of land, or goods given in exchange for services. Cash payment was also known. The line between artisan and peasant was blurred. Cultivators also dyed and printed cloth, fired pots and repaired tools when there was little farm work.
Example
In Bengal, zamindars paid blacksmiths, carpenters and goldsmiths "a small daily allowance and diet money" for their work. In Maharashtra, artisans received hereditary land called miras or watan.
Don't confuse with
- Jajmani system: this was a later name for these goods-for-services arrangements. The term was not used in the 16th–17th centuries.