Question

Which of the following types of land was cultivated every year without leaving it fallow during the reign of Akbar ?

• A. Chachar
• B. Parauti
• C. Polaj
• D. Banjar

Hint:

Mughal Land Classification Hierarchy (Best to Worst): 1. Polaj (Every year) $\rightarrow$ 2. Parauti (1–2 years fallow) $\rightarrow$ 3. Chachar (3–4 years fallow) $\rightarrow$ 4. Banjar (5+ years fallow).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: To maximize land revenue collections under the \textit{Ain-i-Akbari} and Raja Todar Mal's \textit{Dahshala} system, the Mughal state systematically classified agricultural land based on its continuity and intensity of cultivation rather than mere surface area. Step 1: Understanding Abu'l Fazl’s land classifications The Mughal administration grouped imperial agricultural tracts into four distinct categories:

• Polaj: This represented ideal, premium-quality soil that was continuously sown with crops every single year for successive harvests. It was never left fallow or uncultivated.
• Parauti: This land was left uncultivated or fallow for a brief duration of one or two years so that it could naturally recover its organic mineral fertility.
• Chachar: This land was left fallow for longer intervals of three to four years before being brought back under agricultural plow production.
• Banjar: This was highly degraded, low-yield terrain that lay uncultivated for five continuous years or even longer.

Step 2: Identifying the correct option The question asks for the specific category that was cultivated every year without intermission. This corresponds directly to the definition of Polaj.