Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation
Supreme rural officials of land revenue in Sultanate period
Solution & Analysis
Answer: A
Concept
While the Sultanate introduced Persian administrative layers, the village level remained under the control of local traditional elites who were incorporated into the state machinery.Explanation
Satish Chandra notes that at the village level, the 'Chaudhary' or 'Muqaddam' were the primary intermediaries responsible for tax collection.Logical Breakup
Logic 1: A 'Chaudhary' was generally a Hindu local chief or head of a group of villages (Pargana level) who assisted the state in revenue collection.
Logic 2: 'Patwari' was the village accountant, 'Rawat' was a local military title, and 'Malik' was a high-ranking noble title at the court.