Which of the following terms are used for 'peasants' in Indo-Persian sources?
A. Raiyat
B. Muzarian
C. Do-Fasla
D. Jins-i-Kamil
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B only
A. Raiyat Correct. The term Indo-Persian sources of the Mughal period most frequently used to denote a peasant was raiyat (plural, riaya).
B. Muzarian Correct. Muzarian is the other term these sources used for a peasant; the terms kisan and asami are also found.
C. Do-Fasla Incorrect. Do-fasla is not a term for a peasant; it refers to producing a minimum of two crops a year, as most regions did.
D. Jins-i-Kamil Incorrect. Jins-i kamil, literally “perfect crops”, refers to crops such as cotton and sugarcane, which the Mughal state encouraged because they brought in more revenue; it is not a term for peasants.
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.…” |