In the 17th century, Indo-Persian sources, the term for non-resident cultivators, who belonged to some other village but cultivated land elsewhere on contractual basis, were known as ______.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Pahi-Kashta
Sources of the seventeenth century refer to two kinds of peasants: khud-kashta, who were residents of the village where they held their lands, and pahi-kashta, who were non-resident cultivators belonging to some other village but cultivating lands elsewhere on a contractual basis.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| – | 30-05 S1* | – | 22-05 S2* 22-06 S3 | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.2 Peasants and their lands … The term which Indo-Persian sources of the Mughal period most frequently used to denote a peasant was raiyat (plural, riaya) or muzarian. In addition, we also encounter the terms kisan or asami. Sources of the seventeenth century refer to two kinds of peasants – khud-kashta and pahi-kashta. The former …were residents of the village in which they held their lands. The latter were non-resident cultivators who belonged to some other village, but cultivated lands elsewhere on a contractual basis. People became pahi-kashta either out of choice – for example, when terms of revenue in a distant village were more favourable – or out of compulsion – for example, forced by economic distress after a famine.…” |