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A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
land grant in the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...
at the foundation of its Jagirdar (
Zamindar A zamindar (Hindustani language, Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian language, Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous Raja, ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughal Em ...
) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, starting in the early 13th century, wherein the powers to govern and collect tax from an estate was granted to an appointee of the state.Jāgīrdār system: INDIAN TAX SYSTEM
Encyclopædia Britannica (2009)
The tenants were considered to be in the servitude of the jagirdar. There were two forms of jagir, one being conditional and the other unconditional. The conditional jagir required the governing family to maintain troops and provide their service to the state when asked. The land grant was called iqta, usually for a holder's lifetime, and the land reverted to the state upon the death of the jagirdar.'' The jagirdar system was introduced by the
Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).
, and continued during the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
, but with a difference. In the Mughal times, the jagirdar collected taxes which paid his salary and the rest to the Mughal treasury, while the administration and military authority was given to a separate Mughal appointee. After the collapse of Mughal Empire, the system of jagirs was retained by Marathas, Rajput, Jat, and Sikh jat kingdoms, and later in a form by the
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
.


Definition

''Jagir'' ( fa, ,
Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...
: जागीर, bn, জায়গীর) is a Persian word, and means "place holder". The
Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...
used the following definition of ''jagir'' ''Rajasthan Land Reforms and Resumption of Jagirs Act (Rajasthan Act VI of 1952)'' in its ''Thakur Amar Singhji vs State Of Rajasthan (And Other ...)'' in a 15 April 1955 judgement:


Succession

A jagir was technically a feudal life estate, as the grant reverted to the state upon the jagirdar's death. However, in practice, jagirs became hereditary to the male lineal heir of the jagirdar. The family was thus the ''de facto'' ruler of the territory, earned income from part of the tax revenues and delivered the rest to the treasury of the state during the Islamic rule period, and later in parts of India that came under Afghan, Sikh and Rajput rulers. The ''jagirdar'' did not act alone, but appointed administrative layers for revenue collection. These positions, according to Shakti Kak, were called'' patwari'', ''tahsildar'', ''amil'', ''fotedar'', '' munsif'', ''qanungo'', '' chaudhri'', '' dewan'', rao and others.


13th-century origin and successors

This
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
system of land ownership is referred to as the ''jagirdar'' system. The system was introduced by the
Sultans Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, i ...
of
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
from the 13th century onwards, was later adopted by the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
, and continued under the
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
. Some Hindu jagirdars were converted into Muslim vassal states under Mughal imperial sway, such as the nawwabs of
Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also s ...
. Most princely states of India during the colonial
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
era were jagirdars such as Mohrampur Jagir. Shortly following independence from the
British Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
in 1947, the ''jagirdar'' system was abolished by the
Indian government The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
in 1951.


See also

*
Indian honorifics Indian honorifics are honorific titles or appendices to names used in the Indian subcontinent, covering formal and informal social, commercial, and religious relationships. These may take the form of prefixes, suffixes or replacements. Native hon ...
* Desmukh * Indian feudalism * Feudalism in Pakistan * Kulkarni *
Lambardar Numbardar or Lambardar ( hi, नम्बरदार, pnb, ਲੰਬੜਦਾਰ, لمبردار, ur, لمبردار or نمبردار, bn, লম্বরদার/নম্বরদার, Lombordar/Nombordar) is a title in the Indian subco ...
*
Mankari Mankari (Mānkari or Maankari) is a hereditary title used by Maratha nobles and troops from the Indian subcontinent who held land grants, and cash allowances. They held an official position at the Darbar ( court) and were entitled to certain ce ...
*
Mansabdar The Mansabdar was a military unit within the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar. The word ''mansab'' is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system determined the rank and status of a government official an ...
* Patil *
Saranjamdar A Saranjam is a grant of land (initially non-hereditary) for maintenance of troops or for military service found among the Maratha, Rajput, Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu, Pathare Prabhu, and Kunbi communities in Maharashtra and the former Mara ...
*
Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also be ...
*
Zamindar A zamindar (Hindustani language, Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian language, Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous Raja, ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughal Em ...
*
Ghatwals and Mulraiyats Ghatwali was a feudal tenure/''jagir'' for quasi-military services, only found in the district of Santhal Parganas and some parts of Munger. The ruling chiefs of these ''jagir'' were known as Ghatwals. They were responsible for maintaining safety, ...


References

{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 * Feudalism in Bangladesh Feudalism in Pakistan Indian feudalism Indian words and phrases Administrative divisions of India Types of administrative division