Question

Explain the Mahalwari system.

Answer 1

• The government of Lord William Bentinck, Governor-General of India (1828 to 1835) introduced the Mahalwari system of land revenue in 1833.
• This system was introduced in North-West Frontier, Agra, Central Province, Gangetic Valley, Punjab, etc.
• This had elements of both the Zamindari and the Ryotwari systems.
• This system divided the land into Mahals. Sometimes, a Mahal was constituted by one or more villages.
• The tax was assessed on the Mahal.
• Each individual farmer gave his share.
• Here also, ownership rights were with the peasants.
• Revenue was collected by the village headman or village leaders.
• It introduced the concept of average rents for different soil classes.
• The state share of the revenue was 66% of the rental value. The settlement was agreed upon for 30 years.
• This system was called the Modified Zamindari system because the village headman virtually became a Zamindar.