Analyze the condition of forest dwellers in the Mughal agrarian society.

OR

Examine the role of the village Panchayats in the Mughal period.

Forest dwellers in the Mughal agrarian society were known as jangli. The word jangli did not mean the absence of civilization rather it connoted the livelihood of those coming from the gathering of forest produce, hunting and shifting agriculture. These activities were season specific and thus perpetuated mobility in search of employment. For instance, Bhils collected forest produce during spring, practiced fishing in summer, cultivated in monsoon and practiced hunting in autumn and winter.

For the state, the forest was a place of refuge. It provided a good defense to those who did not pay taxes. Even, external forces also maintained contacts with the forest dwellers. They levied peshkash from them which included the supply of elephants required for the army. Hunting expeditions were also conducted by the state to establish contacts with the subjects. This enabled the emperor to travel across the extensive territories of his empire and personally attend to the grievances of its inhabitants.

The spread of commercial agriculture brought change in the lives of forest dwellers. Major items such as gum lac, honey were exported from India. Thus, trade began to take place in the parts of sub continent.

Even the social structure of the village community had an effect on the lives of forest dwellers. Each tribe had a chieftain which eventually becomes a zamindar and built his own army. The members of their tribes were recruited to provide military service. For instance, the armies of Tribes in the Sind region comprised 6,000 cavalries and 7,000 infantry.

Thus, the forested zones were no longer kept away from the influence of other cultures. Gradually the tribal kingdom acquired a monarchical system.

OR

The village panchayat was an assembly of elders, who enjoyed hereditary rights over their property. It was an oligarchy which consisted of a few important people of the village community. However, it represented various castes and communities in the village except for the menial cum agricultural workers. The decisions taken by the panchayat were binding on its members.

• The village panchayat was headed by a headman known as muqaddam or mandal. His chief function was to supervise the preparation of village accounts, assisted by the accountant or patwari of the panchayat.

• There was a common financial pool from which the panchayat derived its funds from the contributions made by the individuals. These funds were used for covering the expenses of entertaining revenue officials and for community welfare activities.

• One of the major roles performed by the panchayat was to maintain the caste boundaries among the various communities of the village, so as to prevent any offense against their caste. The social practices and traditions associated with each caste were upheld.

• Panchayat also had the authority to punish those who committed any serious crime and levy fines. It can even expel the member from the community.

• The village panchayat acted as the court of appeal which ensured that the state carried out its moral obligations and guaranteed justice. It settled conflicts between “lower -caste” peasants and state officials or the local zamindar.

Thus, the village panchayat performed several responsibilities and was an integral part of the Mughal state.