- Pargana
A "pargana" is a former administrative unit of the
Indian subcontinent , used primarily, but not exclusively, by the Muslim kingdoms."Parganas" were introduced by the
Delhi Sultanate , and the word is of Persian origin. As a revenue unit, a pargana consists of several "mouzas", which are the smallest revenue units, consisting of one or more villages and the surrounding countryside. Under the reign ofSher Shah Suri , administration of parganas was strengthened by the addition of other officers, including a "shiqdar" (police chief), an "amin" or "munsif" (a civil arbitrator and revenue official who assessed and collected revenue) and a "karkun" (record keeper).The Mughal emperor
Akbar organized the empire into "sarkar s", roughly the equivalent of districts, and "sarkars" were organized into "subah s", or provinces. In the Mughal system, "parganas" served as the local administrative units of a "sarkar". The chief administrator of a "pargana" was a "parganait" or "parganadar"; other "pargana" officials were the "shiqdar" (magistrate), "amil" (assessor and collector of revenue), "bitikchi" (chief accountant and registrar), "qanungo" (keeper of revenue records), and the "fotahdar" or "khazinadhar" (treasurer). Individual parganas observed common customs regarding land rights and responsibilities, which were known as the "pargana dastur", and each pargana had its own customs regarding rent, fees, wages, and weights and measures, known as the "pargana nirikh".As the British expanded into former Mughal provinces, starting with
Bengal , they at first retained the "pargana" administration, but, under the Governorship ofCharles Cornwallis , enacted thePermanent Settlement of 1793, which abolished the "pargana" system in favor of the "zamindar i" system, in which "zamindars" were made the absolute owners of rural lands, and abolished the "pargana dastur" and "pargana nirikh". British administration consisted of districts, which were divided intotehsil s ortaluk s. "Parganas" remained important as a geographical term, persisting in land surveys, village identification, court decrees, etc.The "pargana" system persisted in several
princely states , including Tonk and Gwalior. Parganas disappeared almost completely after the independence ofIndia andPakistan in 1947, although the term lives on in place names, like the districts ofNorth 24 Parganas andSouth 24 Parganas in India'sWest Bengal state.References
* Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al (1908). "Imperial Gazetteer of India", Volume 12. 1908-1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford.
* Markovits, Claude (ed.) (2004). "A History of Modern India: 1480-1950". Anthem Press, London.External links
* [http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/P_0091.htm "Pargana" article on Banglapedia]
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