A research scholar studies Bengal auction records from the years just after the Permanent Settlement. In one big estate, the same parts come up for sale again and again for unpaid revenue. Each time a man linked to the old raja makes the highest bid, but he fails to pay, so the sale is held once more. Other bidders slowly lose interest. The scholar also finds that, before these sales began, the raja had made one quiet move to keep a share of his zamindari safe from auction.
Which move fits the strategy such a raja used before the sales began?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → He transferred part of it to his mother, as women's property would not be taken over.
Option (1) He transferred part of it to his mother, as women's property would not be taken over. — Correct. This was the first step of a fictitious sale. The Raja of Burdwan gave part of his zamindari to his mother, because the Company had decreed that women's property would not be taken over.
Option (2) He handed part of it to a temple trust, as religious land could not be sold. — Incorrect. No temple trust appears in this strategy. The first move used a Company rule about women's property.
Option (3) He divided part of it among his sons, as smaller estates paid a lower rate. — Incorrect. Dividing the estate among sons is not part of the strategy. The revenue demand was fixed, and the shield came from transfer to the mother.
Option (4) He leased part of it to a jotedar, who then paid its revenue in his place. — Incorrect. Jotedars were rich ryots who often defied the zamindar. The raja did not lease land to them; he transferred it to his mother.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.5 The zamindars resist … |