The correct option is Adhiyars or Bargadars.
Explanation
Under the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, a distinct agrarian hierarchy emerged. While Zamindars were the revenue payers to the state, a class of rich peasants known as
Jotedars consolidated power within the villages. They held vast areas of land and controlled local trade and moneylending. The cultivation of their land was largely dependent on sharecroppers.
Detailed Analysis
- Adhiyars or Bargadars is Correct: The sharecroppers who cultivated the land of Jotedars were known as Adhiyars (derived from adhi, meaning half) or Bargadars. They brought their own ploughs and labour to the field and handed over half of the produce to the Jotedars after the harvest. This arrangement allowed Jotedars to exercise immense control over the rural society.
- Ryots or Under-ryots is Incorrect: Ryots is a general term for cultivators or peasants. Under-ryots refers to tenants who leased land from ryots. While related to the hierarchy, these terms do not specifically denote the sharecroppers of Jotedars.
- Mandals or Gantidars is Incorrect: Mandals were often village headmen, and Gantidars were a category of large landholders or intermediate tenure holders similar to Jotedars, not the sharecroppers working under them.
- Lathyals or Paiks is Incorrect: Lathyals were club-wielding retainers or musclemen employed by Zamindars and Jotedars to enforce their will and collect dues. Paiks were traditional foot soldiers or guards.
Key Takeaway
Bargadars or
Adhiyars were sharecroppers in Bengal who cultivated land for Jotedars, typically retaining only half the produce. Their exploitation later triggered the
Tebhaga Movement (1946-47).