Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation
The term Upari refers to:
Solution & Analysis
Answer: B
Concept
Land rights in medieval India were divided into those who owned the land (proprietary) and those who cultivated it on lease (tenancy). In Maharashtra, these categories were clearly defined for revenue purposes.Explanation
In the Maratha administrative system, Upari refers to a tenant or a holder of a tenancy tenure. Unlike the 'Mirasidars' (who had hereditary ownership), Uparis were temporary cultivators who were often outsiders to the village, working the land on a lease basis.Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Mirasidar = Owner; Upari = Tenant. This binary is the key to Maratha agrarian society.
Logic 2: Uparis paid a fixed share to the government and did not have the permanent hereditary rights associated with the village's original landowning families.