The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c22.13

v4.c22.13

The nature of the peasants' tenure cannot be described accurately in the precise legal terms now in use. When a peasant not belonging to the brotherhood was allowed by the headmen to cultivate land in the village, the conditions of his tenure were primarily matters for agreement between the two parties, and anything like uniformity cannot be postulated; but it is probable that, while such agreements were ordinarily made for a single year, the terms tended to be repeated until they became customary in the eyes of both parties, so that arbitrary ejectment or enhancement would have been viewed with disfavour, provided always that the tenant paid the stipulated sums. The amount of a tenant's payment was not usually fixed in the lump, but was made up of the revenue due on his cultivation, together with a proportionate addition representing the profit of the brotherhood; and consequently it would vary with any alteration made in the assessment of the village.