A History of Agriculture in India v2.c87.s6.1

v2.c87.s6.1

Chaos prevailed in the Punjab in the middle of the eighteenth century. Trade was disrupted by the plundering bands, and life and property were unsafe. The Khalsa were the only organized force in this chaos. As a price for protection against robbers, the villagers, who accepted the protection of the Dal Khalsa, paid one-fifth of their income twice a year, at the end of each harvest, in May and October. This system was called *Rakhi* or price for protection. In a short time large slices of the territory in four Doabs of the Punjab were taken under their protection by the Dal Khalsa.