Question

During the Mughal period, Polaj was a/an___
a. Annually cultivated land
b. Land left fallow
c. Uncultivated land
d. Barren land

Answer 1

Hint:
 During the Mughal period, the land was divided into four categories namely Polaj, Parati, Chachar and Banjar


Complete step by step solution:
During the Mughal period, Polaj was an annually cultivated land. It was annually cultivated for each crop in succession and was never allowed to lie fallow.
In Akbar’s reign, there were a lot of territorial divisions and subdivisions. He divided his empire into 15 Subhas, 187 Sarkars and 3367 Mahals. He made standardization of measurement units and the so-called Ilahi Gaj was made the definite unit of land measurement. It was equivalent to 29-32 inches.

He adopted standardization of land measurement to brush aside all kinds of vagueness in defining the extent of land and to reduce extortion and corruptions. Akbar then turned towards ascertainment of the amount of produce and the state’s share in it. Shershah Suri had originally divided the land into four different categories. Akbar followed the system and to make a comparative estimate of the production, he fixed different revenues for each category.

Polaj was the most ideal and best type of land in the entire empire. It was always cultivated and to regain its fertility. Chachar was the kind of land which was allowed to lie fallow for 3-4 years and then resumed cultivation. Banjar was the lowest category of land which was left out of cultivation for 5 years or more.


Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note:
 The best lands viz. Polaj and Parati were again subdivided into various categories. Peasants were given the option to pay land revenues either in cash or kind.