HistoryMedieval India: Peasants, Zamindars and the State

In the Mughal period, many tribal chiefs became zamindars, and some e…

In the Mughal period, many tribal chiefs became zamindars, and some even became kings. What did this change require them to do?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Build up an army, recruiting from their lineage groups

Option (1) Pay peshkash to the Mughal state in elephants — Incorrect. Peshkash was a tribute the Mughal state took from forest people, often in elephants. It was a demand made by the state on them.

Option (2) Clear forests and set up markets for outsiders — Incorrect. Clearing forests and setting up markets is what the hero Kalaketu does in the poem Chandimangala.

Option (3) Take up overland trade between India and Afghanistan — Incorrect. Overland trade with Afghanistan was the work of tribes like the Lohanis in the Punjab.

Option (4) Build up an army, recruiting from their lineage groups — Correct. To become zamindars or kings, chiefs needed an army. They recruited people from their lineage groups or asked their fraternity for military service.

NCERT (2026-27): “4.2 Inroads into forests …
Social factors too wrought changes in the lives of forest dwellers. Like the “big men” of the village community, tribes also had their chieftains. Many tribal chiefs had become zamindars, some even became kings. For this they required to build up an army. They recruited people from their lineage groups or demanded that their fraternity provide military service. Tribes in the Sind region had armies comprising 6,000 cavalry and 7,000 infantry. In Assam, the Ahom kings had their paiks, people who were obliged to render military service in exchange for land. The capture of wild elephants was declared a royal monopoly by the Ahom kings.”