Pargana (Bengali: পরগনা, parganā, Hindi: परगना, Urdu: پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj,[1] is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each parganas may or may not be subdivided into pirs.[2] Those revenue units are used primarily, but not exclusively, by the Muslim kingdoms. After independence the Parganas became equivalent to Block/ Tahsil and Pirs became Grampanchayat.
Parganas were introduced by the Delhi Sultanate. 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 of Sher Shah Suri, administration of parganas was strengthened by the addition of other officers, including a shiqdar (police chief), an amin or munsif (an arbitrator who assessed and collected revenue) and a karkun (record keeper).
In the 16th century the Mughal emperor Akbar organised the empire into subahs (roughly equivalent of state or province), which were further subdivided into sarkars (roughly the equivalent of districts), which were themselves organised into parganas (roughly the equivalent of district subdivisions such as tehsil). In the Mughal system, parganas served as the local administrative units of a sarkar. 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.[3]
Pargana consisted of several tarafs, which in their turn consisted of several villages plus some uninhabited mountain and forest land.[4]
British Raj
As the British expanded into former Mughal provinces, starting with Bengal, they at first retained the pargana administration, but, under the Governorship of Charles Cornwallis, enacted the Permanent Settlement of 1793, which abolished the pargana system in favour of the zamindari 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 into tehsils or taluks. Parganas remained important as a geographical term, persisting in land surveys, village identification and court decrees.
^"A Catalogue of Manuscript and Printed Reports, Field Books, Memoirs, Maps ..." Vol. iv, "Containing the treaties, etc., relating to the states within the Bombay presidency"
^Orissa District Gazetteers: Mayurbhanj. Orissa (India): Superintendent, Orissa Government Press. 1967. p. 347.
^Ramsay Muir, The making of British India, 1756-1858, University Press, 1915, p. 289
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.
April 09, 2023
pargana, bengali, পরগন, parganā, hindi, परगन, urdu, پرگنہ, parganah, also, spelt, pergunnah, during, time, sultanate, period, mughal, times, british, former, administrative, unit, indian, subcontinent, each, parganas, subdivided, into, pirs, those, revenue, un. Pargana Bengali পরগন pargana Hindi परगन Urdu پرگنہ or parganah also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period Mughal times and British Raj 1 is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each parganas may or may not be subdivided into pirs 2 Those revenue units are used primarily but not exclusively by the Muslim kingdoms After independence the Parganas became equivalent to Block Tahsil and Pirs became Grampanchayat Parganas were introduced by the Delhi Sultanate 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 of Sher Shah Suri administration of parganas was strengthened by the addition of other officers including a shiqdar police chief an amin or munsif an arbitrator who assessed and collected revenue and a karkun record keeper Contents 1 Mughal era 2 British Raj 3 Post independence 4 See also 5 Notes 6 ReferencesMughal era EditIn the 16th century the Mughal emperor Akbar organised the empire into subahs roughly equivalent of state or province which were further subdivided into sarkars roughly the equivalent of districts which were themselves organised into parganas roughly the equivalent of district subdivisions such as tehsil In the Mughal system parganas served as the local administrative units of a sarkar 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 3 Pargana consisted of several tarafs which in their turn consisted of several villages plus some uninhabited mountain and forest land 4 British Raj EditAs the British expanded into former Mughal provinces starting with Bengal they at first retained the pargana administration but under the Governorship of Charles Cornwallis enacted the Permanent Settlement of 1793 which abolished the pargana system in favour of the zamindari 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 into tehsils or taluks Parganas remained important as a geographical term persisting in land surveys village identification and court decrees Post independence EditThe pargana system persisted in several princely states including Tonk and Gwalior Parganas disappeared almost completely after the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947 although the term lives on in place names like the districts of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas in India s West Bengal state citation needed See also EditList of parganas of UttarakhandNotes Edit A Catalogue of Manuscript and Printed Reports Field Books Memoirs Maps Vol iv Containing the treaties etc relating to the states within the Bombay presidency Orissa District Gazetteers Mayurbhanj Orissa India Superintendent Orissa Government Press 1967 p 347 Islam Sirajul Miah Sajahan Khanam Mahfuza Ahmed Sabbir eds 2012 Pargana Banglapedia the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Online ed Dhaka Bangladesh Banglapedia Trust Asiatic Society of Bangladesh ISBN 984 32 0576 6 OCLC 52727562 Retrieved 26 March 2023 Ramsay Muir The making of British India 1756 1858 University Press 1915 p 289References EditHunter 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 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pargana amp oldid 1138140852, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
