A field notebook from a farm outside Multan describes a seventeenth-century irrigation channel repaired by local workers under a jagirdar's supervision. Whe...
Question 1 Report
A field notebook from a farm outside Multan describes a seventeenth-century irrigation channel repaired by local workers under a jagirdar's supervision. Wheat and cotton were grown, and part of the harvest was sold in a nearby market to obtain cash for the imperial revenue demand. The notebook asks pupils to connect rural production with the power of the Mughal state, rather than treating farming as separate from politics.
(a) Identify the official who held a jagir. [1]
(b) Explain how trade in crops could help peasants meet a cash revenue demand. [2]
(c) Explain why a poor harvest could weaken both peasants and the Mughal government. [2]
Answer Details
(a) A jagirdar / mansabdar assigned a jagir [1] (b) Peasants could sell wheat, cotton or other produce [1]; the money received could be used to pay assessed revenue [1]. (c) Peasants had less food and less produce to sell [1]; revenue receipts fell or collection became harder, reducing state income [1].
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