The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c22.10

v4.c22.10

The face of the country was divided into villages in the Indian sense of the word, which is very nearly that of the English “civil parish”, denoting a specific area of land, usually but not necessarily inhabited, originating probably more or less at haphazard, but defined and recognised for administrative purposes. Most villages, though not all, were occupied and managed by what appears to be a very old institution, a brotherhood or community of peasants, acknowledging, and united by, the tie of common ancestry. Each member of the brotherhood held in separate possession the land which he cultivated, and enjoyed the fruits of his labour; but in the management of the affairs of the village the members acted as a body, their agents being the headmen, chosen from among themselves according to the custom of the locality. The headmen could let to tenants the land not required by members of the brotherhood, and they represented the village in its dealings with the administration; the extent of their powers varied in different regions, but they were everywhere important; and in those villages where a brotherhood did not exist, headmen were usually appointed by external authority for the discharge of similar functions. Each village had a hereditary registrar or accountant,¹ who maintained records of cultivation, receipts, and payments, and assisted the headmen in the performance of the duties which have just been described.