Detailed Summary
The rise of the jotedars marked a significant shift in the rural social structure of Bengal during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. As zamindars faced challenges in meeting revenue demands imposed by the East India Company due to high taxation and agricultural crises, a new class of wealthy peasantry known as jotedars began to consolidate their power.
Jotedars, often wealthy landowners, controlled large tracts of land and engaged in local trade and moneylending. Many of their lands were farmed by sharecroppers (adhiyars), who contributed a portion of their harvest to the jotedars. Jotedars were key players in the villages as they were often more accessible than zamindars, who tended to live in urban areas.
This section emphasizes the jotedars' increasing autonomy and influence, particularly in North Bengal, where they resisted the authority of zamindars both financially and socially. Notably, they often sought to prevent zamindaris from enforcing revenue collection, mobilizing ryots to delay payments. In instances where zamindaris were auctioned due to failure to meet revenue demands, jotedars were frequently among the purchasers, further consolidating their control in rural society. The rise of this new class ultimately weakened the traditional zamindari system, showcasing the fluidity of power dynamics in colonial Bengal.