MasteryExams
History • Medieval IndiaHard

Consider the following agrarian terms used in the Mughal administration: 1. 'Polaj' - Land that was annually cultivated for every harvest without ever being left fallow. 2. 'Parauti' - Land left fallow for a year or two to recover its nutritional fertility. 3. 'Banjar' - Fertile land that was cultivated only once in a decade. Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

A. 1 and 2 only✓ Correct Answer
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statements one and two are correctly matched, whereas statement three is inaccurate because 'Banjar' referred to wasteland that was uncultivated for five or more years, not fertile land farmed once a decade. Akbar's revenue minister Raja Todar Mal classified agricultural land based on its fertility and cultivation frequency, creating the dahsala system. Chachar was land left fallow for three to four years. Land revenue assessment formed the primary economic lifeline of the Mughal empire.

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