Mandali Tenures of Midnapore District: Analysis of their Socio-economic Condition during Colonial Period

Author(s): Rajib Bera

Abstract:

Medinipur, the most populous and second largest district of South-West Bengal. This district was a diverse district. On one hand, the geographical and natural environment and on the other hand, the presence of fertile land and several rivers had made this district particularly prosperous in terms of agricultural work. Except some parts of the north-western region of the district, the land of the entire district is particularly conducive to agricultural work. Like agricultural production, the presence of various land tenures could be observed in the land settlement of the district. The description of Babu Kali Prasanna Roy Chowdhury, the Deputy Collector of the district in 1873, told about the various types of land settlement in the district. One of the land settlements that was observed in this district is the Mandali system or land ownership. This system or land settlement was mainly observed in the north-western, that is, forest-dominated areas of this district. This practice was prevalent in the forest-dwelling areas of the district, mainly in Parganas Chiara, Jhargram and Kalyanpur. Therefore, the subject of this article is what the Mandali system was and how did the Mandali land system emerge in Medinipur district and what was the socio-economic status of the landowners.

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Pages: 59-62     |    32 View     |    3 Download