Zamindar

A Zamindar was a landowner or landlord in India during the Mughal and British periods. They held large estates and were responsible for collecting taxes from small farmers or tenant farmers working the land. Zamindars acted as intermediaries between the government and local peasants, often wielding significant social and economic influence in their regions. The system aimed to simplify tax collection, but it also led to social inequalities and sometimes exploitation of farmers. Today, the term is mostly historical, reflecting a class of landholders who played a key role in rural India’s agrarian economy.