The Collaborative International Dictionary
Zamindar \Zam`in*dar"\, n. [Hind. zem[=i]nd[=a]r, zam[=i]nd[=a]r, a landholder, Per. zam[=i]nd[=a]r; zam[=i]n land d[=a]r holding.] A landowner; also, a collector of land revenue; now, usually, a kind of feudatory recognized as an actual proprietor so long as he pays to the government a certain fixed revenue.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context historical English) a landowner, especially on the Indian subcontinent, one paying tax directly to the British government 2 (context historical English) an official tax-collector
Wikipedia
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, holding enormous tracts of land and held control over his peasants, from whom the zamindars reserved the right to collect tax often for military purposes. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja (Great King), Raja (King), Nawab (Lord), Mirza (Prince), Chowdhury (Lord)," Reddy"," Naidu","Gounder", and many others.
Often zamindars were Indian princes who lost their sovereignty due to British Rule for example Madras Zamindari. The Sivaganga Zamindari and Ramnad Zamindari were the lesser and greater Kingdom of Marava ruled by the Royal family till 1803, ever since then they were the Zamindars of Marava. During the Mughal Empire, zamindars belonged to the nobility and formed the ruling class. Emperor Akbar granted them mansabs and their ancestral domains were treated as jagirs. Zamindars were considered to be equivalent to lords and barons in some cases they were seen as independent, sovereign princes. Often zamindars were Indian princes who lost their sovereignty due to British Rule. For example, the Sivaganga Zamindari and Ramnad Zamindari were the lesser and greater Kingdom of Marava ruled by the royal family till 1803; ever since then they were the Zamindars of Marava.
There is no clear distinction between royal zamindars, such as Raja Venkata Ranga Rao, or merely aristocratic zamindars. Many kings were former zamindars, such as the Royal House of Benares; conversely many new zamindars were old kings. As a result, there is some confusion about the Indian kingdoms about who is a king and who is a zamindar, as there were as many as 568 kingdoms and, according to some other sources, 572 princely states in India before independence. During the Mughal Empire, zamindars belonged to the nobility and formed the ruling class. Emperor Akbar granted them mansabs and their ancestral domains were treated as jagirs.
The practice took structural footholds before the Mughal Era and was solidified by the indirect system of taxation in the Mughal Empire and British Raj. After the British withdrew, the system was legally abolished with the creation of India, Pakistan and (after independence in 1971) Bangladesh; however, it is current in some areas of modern Pakistan. Zamindars built lavish palaces, lush gardens, schools, temples and other venues of philanthropy. Several families were of ancient lineage and had been independent rulers in earlier periods. In most cases, zamindar families were descendants of cadet branches of earlier royal families. Zamindars held considerable powers in their territories: magisterial, army recruitment (as lathials), revenue collection and taxation, among others.
Other terms for zamindar were and are used. For example, a zamindar is known as a Wadera or Wadero in Sindh and as a thakur in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar. In the Punjab and Haryana, there are multiple variations, such as chaudhary - ancient land holders from pre Muslim era and (which often became lambardar or zaildaar during the British Empire's occupation of North India), Sardar and Malik (an Arabic term which literally means "King"). The word zamindar is derived ultimately from the Persian زمین Zamīn, "earth/land", and the common suffix دار -dār, "-holder" (also found in many of the terms above). The term means, in Persian, 'land owner.'
Zamindar is a taxation system in India and Pakistan.
Zamindar may also refer to:
- Zamindar (newspaper), a popular and influential Muslim newspaper in the Indian subcontinent run by Zafar Ali Khan
- Zamindar (1955 film), a 1955 Tamil film
- Zamindar (1965 film), a 1965 Telugu film
- Zamindar, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran
- Zamindar Mina, a tribe in Rajasthan state, India
- Manyam Zamindar, Zamindars from the family of Manyam, belonging to the Komati Arya Vysya Caste
- Fine-Leaf Wadara, a woody plant found in South America
Zamindar is a 1965 Telugu thriller film directed by V. Madhusudhan Rao and produced by Tammareddy Krishna Murthy of Ravindra Art Pictures.
is a 1952 Family - Tamil black-and-white film was directed by P. V. Krishnan and produced by joint production of the Jupiter Pictures and Sangeetha Pictures and distributor by Central Studio. The film script was written by Jalakantapuram Pa. Kannan. Music by G. Ramanathan assets to the movie. The film starring S. A. Nadadarajan, M. V. Rajamma , Madhuri Devi D. Balasubramaniam and T. P. Muthulakshmi played lead role to protagonist. M. M. A. Chinnappa(late Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar) was played the minor role the film. The movie did not meet with success.
Zamindar was an Indian Muslim newspaper in the Urdu language. The founding editor of this newspaper was Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, a poet, intellectual, writer, Muslim nationalist and a supporter of All India Muslim League's Pakistan Movement.
Zamindar newspaper was the mouthpiece of Indian Muslims, Muslim Nationalists and the Pakistan Movement during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. It was the most popular newspaper of Muslims of India and played a key role in crafting the journalistic traditions of Pakistan and the Urdu language. Zafar Ali Khan is named 'Baba e Sahafet' (Father of Journalism) in Pakistan. This newspaper was headquartered at Lahore and continued to publish from there after the independence of Pakistan in 1947.
Usage examples of "zamindar".
As was his right, the zamindar had taken Meena to be a servant in his household.
In truth, she had come to respect and even to like the zamindar, who was a fine man when not opposed.
Lord Krishna, who in his wisdom has seen fit to deliver the zamindar to the distant palace of the rajah that our Lord may be worshipped in splendor, it is only appropriate that I too should give Krishna thanks and do him homage through the traditional means of self-sacrifice.
So he attempted to dissuade her from issuing the invitation by hinting that the zamindar might be displeased.
She was the youngest daughter of a local landowner who was financially in debt to the zamindar, and whose debt was erased from the ledgers upon the arrangement of the marriage.
But, after all, Balu had told himself, the zamindar was a lonely widower approaching his middle years, and Leela was a voluptuous beauty less than half his age and no doubt well schooled in the art of pleasing men.
It would have been better had the zamindar married a woman of known qualities, such as Meena, who was of royal lineage herself.
He had little doubt that the zamindarini was capable of lying to the zamindar about the transgressions of a stranger in their midst, and she would surely be believed over him, assuming he would even be given the chance to explain.
Take yourself as far from the palace as you can before the zamindar returns.
He took solace in the knowledge that the zamindar would be making a tax collection trip before too long.
The rajah had been so delighted that he asked the zamindar to invite this clever lad to visit him and perhaps verbally joust with the court advisors, whom, the rajah felt, could well use the competition.
What he did wish was that the goddess of good fortune would continue to journey by his side, but the zamindar had no power to command that.
He hurriedly pulled the zamindar aside and whispered anxiously in his ear.
Hari heard only snatches of the conversation, but he surmised that Balu was urging the zamindar not to give up the charm and to offer something else instead.
The zamindar and Balu gave Hari their blessings and kept watch until he disappeared into the western foothills.