Read the passage and answer the question:
In 1797 there was an auction in Burdwan (present-day Bardhaman). It was a big public event. A number of mahals (estates) held by the Raja of Burdwan were being sold. The Permanent Settlement had come into operation in 1793. The East India Company had fixed the revenue that each zamindar had to pay. The estates of those who failed to pay were to be auctioned to recover the revenue. Since the raja had accumulated huge arrears, his estates had been put up for auction. Numerous purchasers came to the auction and the estates were sold to the highest bidder.
The estates of the Raja of Burdwan were sold because
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Failure to pay revenue
Option (1) Revenue was paid on time — Incorrect. An estate was sold only when the revenue was not paid; the raja had run up huge arrears.
Option (2) Failure to pay revenue — Correct. Under the Permanent Settlement, the East India Company had fixed the revenue each zamindar had to pay, and the estates of those who failed to pay were to be auctioned to recover the revenue. Since the Raja of Burdwan had accumulated huge arrears, his estates were put up for auction.
Option (3) He was the highest bidder — Incorrect. The highest bidder was the person who bought an estate at the auction, not the owner whose estates were being sold.
Option (4) He was a big zamindar — Incorrect. The size of a zamindari did not decide the sale; non-payment of revenue did.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 An auction in Burdwan … In 1797 there was an auction in Burdwan (present-day Bardhaman). It was a big public event. A number of mahals (estates) held by the Raja of Burdwan were being sold. The Permanent Settlement had come into operation in 1793. The East India Company had fixed the revenue that each zamindar had to pay. The estates of those who failed to pay were to be auctioned to recover the revenue. Since the raja had accumulated huge arrears, his estates had been put up for auction. Numerous purchasers came to the auction and the estates were sold to the highest bidder. But the Collector soon discovered a strange twist to the tale. Many of the purchasers turned out to be servants and agents of the raja who had bought the lands on behalf of their master. Over 95 per cent of the sale at the auction was fictitious. The raja’s estates had been publicly sold, but he remained in control of his zamindari.…” |