Evaluate the impact of Mughal revenue administration on the agrarian structure of North India. To what extent did it bring continuity and change in the rural socio-economic fabric?
Verified Answer
The requirement of cash revenue pushed peasants into market monetization and cash-crop production (indigo, cotton). While it preserved traditional village headmen (muqaddams, patwaris) and stratified peasant classes (khud-kasht, pahi-kasht), heavy revenue extractions by transferable jagirdars frequently caused rural indebtedness, peasant flight, and agrarian unrest.