Q. With reference to Mughal India, what is/are the difference/differences between Jagirdar and Zamindar?

1. Jagirdars were holders of land assignments in lieu of judicial and police duties, whereas Zamindars were holders of revenue rights without obligation to perform any duty other than revenue collection.
2. Land assignments to Jagirdars were hereditary and revenue rights of Zamindars were not hereditary.

Select the correct answer using the code given below. (UPSC Prelims 2019)
Answer: Neither 1 nor 2
Notes: The correct answer is [D] Neither 1 nor 2. In the Mughal administrative system, Jagirdars and Zamindars represented two distinct types of landed interests with specific rights and obligations.

• Statement 1 (Incorrect): Jagirdars were military officers (Mansabdars) who were granted land assignments (Jagirs) primarily in lieu of cash salaries. Their main duty was military service, not judicial or police duties. Conversely, Zamindars were local elites who held superior rights in land. While their primary role was revenue collection, they often held significant social and judicial authority in their localities and were frequently required to maintain small contingents of troops to assist the state.
• Statement 2 (Incorrect): Jagirdar rights were non-hereditary and the holders were frequently transferred from one region to another to prevent them from developing local roots or challenging imperial authority. In contrast, Zamindari rights were generally hereditary (Malikana). Zamindars had a claim to a share of the produce based on long-standing traditional and hereditary associations with the land.

The Mughal state successfully maintained a balance of power between the transferable, state-appointed Jagirdars and the rooted, hereditary Zamindars to ensure stable revenue collection and political control across the empire.