A museum guide in Kolkata stops a group of college students before a painting of a Bengal village, made in 1820 by a British artist. Among the small huts, the students notice a large, solid house standing on the right of the scene. The guide explains that the painting is useful to historians because it shows the everyday life of the common people of the countryside, not only that of rulers. She asks the students to think about who in a Bengal village could have lived in such a house.
Which people in rural Bengal lived in houses like the large one on the right of this painting?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Jotedars and moneylenders
Option (1) European traders and their Indian agents — Incorrect. European traders lived in the towns and trading posts of Bengal.
Option (2) Zamindars and their amlah — Incorrect. Zamindars <strong>often lived in urban areas</strong>, away from the village; the amlah only came round at rent time.
Option (3) Collectors of the Company and their clerks — Incorrect. Collectors were Company officials posted at the district centre, away from the villages.
Option (4) Jotedars and moneylenders — Correct. The note with the painting places <strong>jotedars and moneylenders</strong> in such houses. Rich jotedars lived in the villages and controlled trade and moneylending.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.4 The rise of the jotedars … |