Meera, a history student, is reading Company papers from Bengal written in the 1790s. One bundle holds lists for several districts, with long columns of names, places and figures. She notices that several names carry the title Raja before them, although these men did not rule kingdoms of their own and lived under Company rule. A Collector has written short remarks in the margin beside some of these names. Meera wants to understand what kind of men these were in the rural society of Bengal at that time.
In the Bengal records of this period, the title raja given to such men was often used to designate whom?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Powerful zamindars
Option (1) Powerful zamindars — Correct. Raja literally means king, but in Bengal at this time the title was <strong>often used for powerful zamindars</strong>, such as the Raja of Burdwan, who held many estates.
Option (2) Rich jotedars — Incorrect. Jotedars were rich peasants who controlled large areas of land in the villages. They were not the men called raja.
Option (3) Village mandals — Incorrect. Mandal was a local name, in some parts of Bengal, for rich peasants and village headmen, the same group as the jotedars. The title raja was kept for the big landholders above them, so it did not mark mandals.
Option (4) Wealthy moneylenders — Incorrect. Moneylenders lent money to peasants and gained power over them, but the title raja was not their name.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.2 The problem of unpaid revenue … |