The term Upari refers to which one of the following?
- A.A category of proprietary tenure under the Mughal rule
- B.A category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule
- C.A soldier in the Maratha army
- D.A village headman in the Mughal period
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, a category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule. In the Maratha villages of the Deccan, an upari was a tenant who cultivated land without any hereditary right to it.
Maratha revenue records divided cultivators into two main groups. The mirasdars, also called thalkaris, held land by hereditary right, could not be easily evicted, and had a say in village affairs. The uparis were outsiders or temporary tenants who tilled land on terms settled for a period, often at a lower rate to draw them to vacant land, and they could leave or be moved. This difference shaped village society and revenue collection in the Maratha territories.
Option A is wrong because the term belongs to the Maratha land system, not to Mughal proprietary rights such as those of the zamindars. Option C is wrong because an upari was a cultivator, not a soldier. Option D is wrong because the village headman in the Deccan was the patil, and in Mughal north India the muqaddam.
Exam tip: Maratha village = mirasdar (hereditary cultivator) vs upari (tenant-at-will); patil = headman, kulkarni = accountant.
Practice Questions
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