Parganaorparganah,also speltpergunnahduring the time of theDelhi Sultanate,Mughal Empiretimes andBritish Raj,[1]is a former administrative unit of theIndian subcontinent.Eachparganasmay or may not be subdivided intopirs.[2]Those revenue units are used primarily, but not exclusively, by Muslim kingdoms. After Indian independence the parganas became equivalent toBlock/Tahsiland pirs becameGrampanchayat.
Parganaswere introduced by theDelhi Sultanate.As a revenue unit, a pargana consists of severalmouzas,which are the smallest revenue units, consisting of one or more villages and the surrounding countryside.
Under the reign ofSher Shah Suri,administration of parganas was strengthened by the addition of other officers, including ashiqdar(police chief), anaminormunsif(an arbitrator who assessed and collected revenue) and akarkun(record keeper).
Mughal era
editIn the 16th century theMughalemperorAkbarorganised the empire intosubahs(roughly equivalent of state or province), which were further subdivided intosarkars(roughly the equivalent of districts), which were themselves organised intoparganas(roughly the equivalent of district subdivisions such as tehsil). In the Mughal system,parganasserved as the local administrative units of asarkar.Individual parganas observed common customs regarding land rights and responsibilities, which were known as thepargana dastur,and each pargana had its own customs regarding rent, fees, wages, and weights and measures, known as thepargana nirikh.[3]
Pargana consisted of severaltarafs,which in their turn consisted of several villages plus some uninhabited mountain and forest land.[4]During the reign of theBahmani Sultanatein theDeccan,tarafsrepresented the provinces of the sultanate and its main territorial division. Tarafs were ruled by atarafdar,the provincial governor, who held a significant amount of autonomy.[5][6][7]
British Raj
editAs theBritishexpanded into former Mughal provinces, starting withBengal,they at first retained theparganaadministration, but, under the Governorship ofCharles Cornwallis,enacted thePermanent Settlementof 1793, which abolished the pargana system in favour of thezamindarisystem, in whichzamindarswere made the absolute owners of rural lands, and abolished thepargana dasturandpargana nirikh.British administration consisted ofdistricts,which were divided intotehsilsortaluks.Parganas remained important as a geographical term, persisting in land surveys, village identification and court decrees.
Post independence
editTheparganasystem persisted in severalprincely states,includingTonkandGwalior.Parganas disappeared almost completely after the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, although the term lives on in place names, like the districts ofNorth 24 ParganasandSouth 24 Parganasin India'sWest Bengalstate.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^"A Catalogue of Manuscript and Printed Reports, Field Books, Memoirs, Maps..." Vol. iv, "Containing the treaties, etc., relating to the states within the Bombay presidency"
- ^Orissa District Gazetteers: Mayurbhanj.Orissa (India): Superintendent, Orissa Government Press. 1967. p. 347.
- ^Sirajul Islam;Miah, Sajahan;Khanam, Mahfuza;Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012)."Pargana".Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh(Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust,Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.ISBN984-32-0576-6.OCLC52727562.OL30677644M.Retrieved22 November2024.
- ^Ramsay Muir(2006).The Making Of British India - 1756-1858(Paperback).Read Books. p. 289.Retrieved27 July2024.
- ^Sherwani, Haroon Khan (1973).History of Medieval Deccan (1295–1724): Volume I.Government of Andhra Pradesh. p. 189.
- ^Sherwani, Haroon Khan (1973).History of Medieval Deccan (1295–1724): Volume II.Government of Andhra Pradesh. p. 509.
- ^Shyam, Radhey (1966).The Kingdom of Ahmadnagar.Motilal Banarsidass. p. 17.ISBN9788120826519.
References
edit- Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al. (1908).Imperial Gazetteer of India,Volume 12. 1908–1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford.
- Markovits, Claude (ed.) (2004).A History of Modern India: 1480-1950.Anthem Press, London.