Zamindari consolidation
Topic: Mughal Agrarian Society and Economy · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Peasants, Zamindars and the State"
Meaning
Zamindari consolidation means the ways zamindars, landholders who lived off the land without farming it themselves, built up their rights in Mughal India. A few gained land by conquest or by pushing others out. This lasted only if the emperor approved it through an imperial sanad (official order). Slower methods mattered more: settling new land, transfer of rights, state orders and purchase. Because zamindaris were bought and sold actively, even some "lower" castes could become zamindars.
Example
In northern India, Rajputs and Jats built lineage zamindaris, held by a whole family line or clan. In central and south-west Bengal, the Sadgops, who were both peasants and herders, did the same. Zamindars also founded haats (rural markets) and gave cash loans to settlers. This helped spread the use of money in the countryside.
Don't confuse with
- Jagir: A jagir was a revenue assignment given to a mansabdar (a ranked Mughal officer) and was transferred from time to time. A zamindari was a hereditary right that could be bought and sold.