Who went around mobilising the headman and cultivators of Chaurasee des (eighty-four villages) in 1857?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Shah Mal
Shah Mal, of pargana Barout in Uttar Pradesh, belonged to a clan of Jat cultivators whose kinship ties extended over chaurasee des (eighty-four villages); in 1857 he mobilised the headmen and cultivators of these villages.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.3 Leaders and followers … Shah Mal lived in a large village in pargana Barout in Uttar Pradesh. He belonged to a clan of Jat cultivators whose kinship ties extended over chaurasee des (eighty-four villages). The lands in the region were irrigated and fertile, with rich dark loam soil. Many of the villagers were prosperous and saw the British land revenue system as oppressive: the revenue demand was high and its collection inflexible. Consequently cultivators were losing land to outsiders, to traders and moneylenders who were coming into the area. Shah Mal mobilised the headmen and cultivators of chaurasee des, moving at night from village to village, urging people to rebel against the British.…” |