HistoryMedieval India: Peasants, Zamindars and the State

Which of the following pairs relating to zamindaris in Mughal India i…

Which of the following pairs relating to zamindaris in Mughal India is correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Sadgops - peasant-pastoralists of Bengal

Option (1) Sanad - a market set up by zamindars — Incorrect. A sanad was an imperial order. A zamindar who expanded by force needed such an order to be confirmed.

Option (2) Haat - an imperial order confirming a zamindar — Incorrect. A haat was a market. Zamindars often set up haats, where peasants also came to sell their produce.

Option (3) Sadgops - peasant-pastoralists of Bengal — Correct. The Sadgops were peasant-pastoralists who carved out powerful zamindaris in central and south-western Bengal.

Option (4) Jats - peasant-pastoralists of Bengal — Incorrect. The Jats, with the Rajputs, built clan- or lineage-based zamindaris over vast areas of northern India.

NCERT (2026-27): “5. The Zamindars …
More important were the slow processes of zamindari consolidation, which are also documented in sources. These involved colonisation of new lands, by transfer of rights, by order of the state and by purchase. These were the processes which perhaps permitted people belonging to the relatively “lower” castes to enter the rank of zamindars as zamindaris were bought and sold quite briskly in this period. A combination of factors also allowed the consolidation of clan- or lineage-based zamindaris. For example, the Rajputs and Jats adopted these strategies to consolidate their control over vast swathes of territory in northern India. Likewise, peasant-pastoralists (like the Sadgops) carved out powerful zamindaris in areas of central and south-western Bengal.”