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Home / IAS Preparation / Ryotwari System and Mahalwari System NCERT Notes

Ryotwari System and Mahalwari System NCERT Notes

Last Updated on Apr 21, 2021
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Ryotwari and Mahalwari Systems were the land revenue System introduced in India by the British. Under the Ryotwari and Mahalwari Systems, the Indian peasants were forced to pay part of their produce as land taxes. India was holding a prominent place in the fields of agriculture and cottage industries. With the coming of the British, the entire trade and agrarian sectors lost their prominence and were destroyed. British levied heavy taxes on Indians to meet their administrative and war expenses.

The Ryotwari and Mahalwari Systems NCERT is a crucial topic in modern history for UPSC.

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Land Revenue System Before British India
  • Though Ryotwari System and Mahalwari Systems were introduced later, the collection of land revenue existed from ancient times.
  • Revenue made out of the land was an important source of income for the kings.
  • Mostly the lands were divided into Jagirs and Jagirdars were allotted these Jagirs.
  • These Jagirdars in turn divided the land further and allocated them to Zamindars.
  • These Zamindars were responsible for collecting the land revenue from the peasants which was mostly a part of their produce.
  • The land revenue System of the Mughals was widely followed in the country. They had three types of Systems – Ghalla Bakshi, Kankut and Zabti System.

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Land Revenue System in British India

The British adopted three types of land revenue Systems. They are:

  1. Zamindari System
  2. Ryotwari System
  3. Mahalwari System

Zamindari System

  • This System was introduced in India by Lord Cornwallis through a Permanent Settlement Act.
  • In the Zamindari System, the Zamindar was recognised as the land owner and this ownership was made hereditary.
  • Zamindar acted as an intermediate between the King and the peasants.
  • The sum to be paid by the Zamindar to the King was fixed in perpetuity.
  • Zamindar had to give 10/11 of the revenue collected from the peasants to the King and 1/11 was his share.
  • Even in the case of crop failure, the revenue had to be paid to the King by Zamindar. If the tax was not paid on time, then the Zamindar’s property was confiscated by the King.
  • It was practised in the provinces of Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Varanasi.
  • Later the Zamindari System was abolished and the British opted for the Ryotwari System.

If you are reading Ryotwari System and Mahalwari System article, you may also be interested in learning more about NCERT Notes on Charter Act Of 1813

Issues with Zamindari System

  • Zamindars were free to set the rent. They made use of this provision and levied heavy taxes on peasants.
  • Zamindars even employed subordinates to collect the rent. This in turn increased the number of intermediaries.
  • These intermediaries too began to levy taxes and made their profit. This pushed the peasants to further distress.
  • The peasants were reduced to mere tenants and their ownership was deprived.
  • The cultivators borrowed money from money lenders to pay their taxes.
  • The Zamindari System created a class of landless agriculturists and money lenders.

Ryotwari System

  • The Ryotwari System was devised by Sir Thomas Munro and Captain Alexander Reed.
  • However, the Ryotwari System was introduced by Sir Thomas Munro in India.
  • Unlike the Zamindari System, there was no intermediary between the king and the peasants.
  • A direct settlement link was established between the king and the cultivator.
  • The peasants were recognised as sole proprietors of the land and they had complete right to sell, cultivate or lease the land.
  • Under the Ryotwari System the cultivators were known as the ryots.
  • The tax rates were fixed high. It was 50% for dry lands and 60% for wetlands.
  • Ryotwari settlement was not a permanent system and the rates were revised periodically after every 20 or 30 years
  • This system was practised mostly in Bombay and Madras.

If you are reading this article, also read about NCERT Notes on Regulating Act 1773 here.

Issues with Ryotwari System

  • In the Ryotwari System, the tax rate was very high and only a bare minimum was left in the hands of the Ryots.
  • The cultivators depended on the money lenders to pay their tax.
  • The money lenders levied high-interest rates and exploited the cultivators. In case of loan default, the land was confiscated.
  • Assessment of the crops was one of the major drawbacks.
  • Peasants were forced to pay taxes even during times of crop failure.
  • The tax rate was periodically revised and increased as per the demands.

Also read: Self Help Groups For UPSC here.

Mahalwari System

  • The Mahalwari System was devised by Holt Mackenzie and was introduced under William Benthick.
  • This system was a modified form of the Zamindari System.
  • This system was introduced in the parts of North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Gangetic valley and Central Province.
  • In the Mahalwari settlement, the land in the entire village belonged jointly to the village community.
  • The Mahal was either a single village or group of villages and the village headman of that particular Mahal was responsible for collecting and settling the land revenue.
  • The village headman divided the tax among the villagers who made their share in land revenue.
  • The individual peasants had the ownership right over their land.

If you have mastered Ryotwari System and Mahalwari System, you can also learn about NCERT Notes on Rise of Gandhi in Indian freedom struggle in detail here!

Issues with Mahalwari System

Comparison of the Land Revenue Systems

Get a quick comparison between the Zamindari, Ryotwari, and Mahalwari Systems in the table mentioned below:

Zamindari System  Ryotwari System Mahalwari System
The Zamindari System was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793. The Ryotwari System was introduced by Thomas Munro in 1820. The Mahalwari System was devised by Holt Mackenzie in 1822 and introduced in India by Lord William Benthick in 1833.
The land revenue was collected by the intermediaries known as Zamindars from the peasants. The land revenue was paid directly by the peasants. The land revenue was collected by the village headman from all the peasants in that village.
Zamindars were made the owners of the land. Peasants had the ownership over the land. Peasants had the ownership over the land.
The revenue to be collected was fixed permanently. The revenue to be collected was revised periodically. The revenue to be collected was revised periodically.
This system was prevalent in the provinces of Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Varanasi This system was prevalent in Madras, Bombay and in some part of Assam and Coorg This system was prevalent in the North west frontier province, Punjab, Gangetic valley and central province

Apart from the Ryotwari, Mahalwari and Zamindari Systems, the British also introduced Talukdari and Malguzari Systems. Thus it is evident that the British levied taxes at a high rate on the natives in order to run their administration. As a result of British land revenue systems, the land became a commodity resulting in a class of labourers known as bonded labourers. Bound to their land till the end, the peasants struggled to make ends meet under these land revenue systems imposed by the British.

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Ryotwari and Mahalwari Systems UPSC FAQs

The land revenue systems adopted by the British in India are the Zamindari System, the Ryotwari System and the Mahalwari System.

The Ryotwari System was devised by Thomas Munro and Captain Alexander Reed. But it was Thomas Munro who introduced this System in India.

The main feature of the Ryotwari System is that in this System there was no intermediary between the King and the cultivators as in the zamindari System. The peasants were recognised as the owner of the land. The tax was levied at a rate of 50% for drylands and 60% for wetlands. The tax was revised periodically every twenty to thirty years.

The main features of the Mahalwari System are as follows: was merely a replica of the zamindari System, lands in the village were considered as a single unit and the village headman was responsible for collecting the taxes and paying the king.

The disadvantages of the Ryotwari System are as follows: High tax rate, assessment of crops, compulsion to pay the tax even in case of crop failure, the money lenders exploited the cultivators and confiscated their lands, the tax rate was increased periodically as per the demand.

The zamindari System was implemented by Lord Cornwallis under the permanent settlement act. It was introduced in the provinces of Bengal, Varanasi, Bihar and Orissa.

In the Ryotwari System, the cultivators were known as the Ryots

In the Mahalwari System, the term Mahal means either a village or group of villages. Taxes were collected and settled mahal by mahal by the respective village headman.
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