Origin and Connotation of Jagirdar System
A jagir is a type of feudatory territory that the ruler grants to an army chieftain in recognition of his military service and the system was started in the 13th century. The power to collect tax from a particular estate was accorded to an appointee of the state and the grant of land to an individual for purpose of collection of revenue against cash salary is practiced in India for a long.
During the period of the Delhi Sultanate, the land grants came to be known as the iqtas and the holders as iqtadars. This system was passed on to the Mughals and during their rule, the land grants came to be known as jagirs and holders as jagirdars. It was not the assignment of the land but the right to collect revenue from the piece of land.
Two forms of Jagirs existed mostly; the Conditional jagir and the unconditional jagir. Conditional jagir is where the governing family to whom the land is granted had provided services to the state when required. So, the family had to maintain troops. The land was usually for life and the rule was jagir would be reverted to the stated on the occasion of the death of its holder.
What was the role of Jagirdars in Mughal India?
The jagirdari system during the Mughal period is considered an institution which mainly used to preserve the surplus from the class of peasants. The Jagirdari system was a form of land tenancy in which the collection of revenues from an estate and the power of governing it was bestowed on an official of the state.
It is derived from two Persian words: jagir, which means “holding land” and dar, which means “official”. The system was an adaptation of an existing agrarian system by the Delhi sultanate.