An auction in Burdwan

The story of the 1797 auction in Burdwan (present-day Bardhaman) is not just about a sale of land — it is a window into how the Permanent Settlement actually worked on the ground, and how zamindars found ways to resist the new revenue system.

The auction was a major public event. Several mahals (estates) belonging to the Raja of Burdwan were being sold. Why? Because the Permanent Settlement, introduced in 1793, had fixed the revenue that each zamindar had to pay to the East India Company. If a zamindar failed to pay, the Company could auction off his estates to recover the arrears. The Raja had accumulated huge arrears, so his estates were put up for sale.

Numerous purchasers came to the auction, and the estates were sold to the highest bidder. But the Collector soon discovered a strange twist. Many of the purchasers turned out to be servants and agents of the Raja himself, who had bought the lands on behalf of their master. Over 95 per cent of the sale at the auction was fictitious. The Raja's estates had been publicly sold, but he remained in control of his zamindari.

This raises three key questions that the chapter will explore:

• Why had the Raja failed to pay the revenue?
• Who were the purchasers at the auction?
• What does this story tell us about what was happening in the rural areas of eastern India at that time? …