zamindari

Zamindari is a historical landholding system in the Indian subcontinent in which zamindars, or landowners, collected taxes from peasants on behalf of the state. The term derives from Persian zamīn-dār, meaning “landholder.” The system emerged in medieval and early modern times and was formalized in various forms under Mughal rule, becoming a central feature of revenue administration during British colonial rule.

Functioning and structure: Zamindars controlled large estates and acted as intermediaries between peasants and the state. They were responsible for assessing and collecting land revenue, mobilizing local labor, maintaining order, and sometimes overseeing local governance. In many regions, revenue settlements fixed the amount payable to the state, creating hereditary rights to collect rents from tenant farmers. As such, land prosperity and political influence tended to pass within families.

Regional variation and effects: The exact arrangement varied by region. In Bengal, the Permanent Settlement of 1793 formalized a hereditary zamindari and tied their fortunes to revenue collection, shaping social and economic power structures for decades. In other areas, different revenue practices produced similar landlord–tenant hierarchies. Overall, the system concentrated land in the hands of a landlord class and significantly influenced tenancy relations, rural social structure, and indebtedness.

Abolition and legacy: After independence, many Indian states enacted zamindari abolition laws during the 1950s–1970s and implemented tenancy reforms to redistribute land to tillers or long-tenanted peasants. The formal zamindari system largely declined, though large landowners and their political influence persisted in some regions. The zamindari era remains a focal point in studies of agrarian politics and rural society in South Asia.