A History of the Mahrattas v1.c7.151

v1.c7.151

A Hindoo village in the Deccan is termed *Gaom*; when not a market-town, it is called *Mouza*; and when it enjoys that distinction, it is styled *Kusba*. Every village is a small state in miniature, and all the land in the country, with the exception of inaccessible mountains, or places wholly unfrequented, is attached to some one village. The boundaries of its lands are defined, and encroachments carefully resisted; the arable land is divided into fields; each field has a name, which, together with the name of the owner or occupant is registered. The inhabitants are principally cultivators, and are now either Meerasdars,¹ or Ooprees.² These names serve to distinguish the tenure by which they hold their lands. The Oopree is a mere tenant at will, but the Meerasdar is a hereditary occupant, whom the government cannot displace as long as he pays the assessment on his field. With various privileges and distinctions in his village, of minor consequence, the Meerasdar has the important power of selling or transferring his right of occupancy at pleasure. To render this right saleable, of course, infers a low rate of assessment, and much discussion as to his being the proprietor of the soil has, in consequence, arisen in different parts of British India. It is a current opinion in the Mahratta country that all the lands were originally of this description.