The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c19.s2.t7.1

c19.s2.t7.1

Along with these four ordinances the Sultan devised special regulations to put down Hindus and prevent them from rebelling against his tyranny. He rigorously enhanced the land revenue, fixing it at one-half of the gross produce. Besides the land tax, he also imposed other burdens, such as, grazing tax on cattle, sheep and goats. Other taxes, such as, *jizya*, customs and excise taxes, were retained as before. The result was that the Hindus, who were mainly connected with land in one form or the other, were hit hard and reduced to extreme poverty. They were closely watched, and if any one of them made an attempt to evade any of the taxes, he was severely punished. Hitherto the upper class of Hindu officers in the revenue department, such as, headmen, farmers of revenue and chaudharis, were leniently treated in matters of fixing the State demand of the land given to them and in that of collection of revenue. Ala-ud-din withdrew this concession and compelled the hereditary assessors and collectors of revenue to continue to work as before without any special remuneration. These regulations were very strictly enforced by the minister of finance, named Sharaf Qai, and the band of Muslim officers under him. The officers earned the hatred of the public for the rigour with which they enforced them. Writes Sir Woolseley Haig, “Hindus throughout the kingdom were reduced to one dead level of poverty and misery, or, if there were one class more to be pitied than another, it was that which had formerly enjoyed the most esteem, the hereditary assessors and collectors of the revenue.” The contemporary historian, Zia-ud-din Barani, in summing up the effects of the measures observes: “*the chaudharis, khuts and muqaddams* were not able to ride on horseback, to find weapons, get fine clothes, or to indulge in *betel*.” Their wives were obliged, owing to poverty, to work as maid-servants in the houses of their Muslim neighbours.