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.
How were the estates of defaulting zamindars sold?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → By auction to the highest bidder
Option (1) As gifts to zamindars — Incorrect. The estates were sold to recover the revenue that was owed, so they could not be given away.
Option (2) By auction to the highest bidder — Correct. The estates of zamindars who failed to pay were auctioned. At the Burdwan auction, numerous purchasers came and the estates were sold to the highest bidder.
Option (3) By alienation to Zamindars — Incorrect. The estates were not handed over to other zamindars by a grant; they were sold at an auction open to all purchasers.
Option (4) In market sales — Incorrect. It was not ordinary buying and selling in a market. The auction was a big public event, where the estates went to whoever bid the most.
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.…” |