History · Ch 9 — Colonialism and the Countryside — Exploring Official Archives
The problem of unpaid revenue
The problem of unpaid revenue
The central problem that drove the British to redesign Bengal's land revenue system was simple: they could not get the zamindars to pay up. By the closing years of the eighteenth century, the crisis had become acute. Over 75 per cent of zamindaris changed hands after the Permanent Settlement was introduced — the estates of the Burdwan raj were only the most famous among many that were sold off.
Why the British wanted a permanent settlement
When the Company conquered Bengal, the rural economy was already in deep trouble. By the 1770s, recurrent famines and falling agricultural output had created a crisis. British officials believed that the only way to revive agriculture, trade, and the state's own revenue was to encourage investment in farming. That required two things: secure property rights, and a revenue demand that would never increase.
If the state's claim was fixed forever, the reasoning went, then entrepreneurs could invest confidently — they would know that any profit they earned would not be taken away by a higher tax demand later. The Company, in turn, would get a steady, predictable flow of revenue. Officials hoped this would create a class of yeomen farmers and rich landowners who had both the capital and the enterprise to improve agriculture. And because the British would have nurtured this class, it would also remain loyal to the Company.
Who would pay the fixed revenue?
The difficulty was in finding the right people — individuals who could both improve agriculture and reliably pay the fixed sum to the state. After long debate among Company officials, the Permanent Settlement was made with the rajas and taluqdars of Bengal. These men were now reclassified as zamindars, and they were bound to pay a revenue demand that was fixed in perpetuity.
Under this system, the zamindar was not a landowner in the village. He was a revenue collector of the state.
How the system worked on the ground
Each zamindar controlled several villages — sometimes as many as 400. In the Company's calculations, all the villages within one zamindari formed a single revenue estate. The Company fixed the total revenue demand for the entire estate, and the zamindar contracted to pay that amount. …
The photograph shows the Burdwan raja’s city palace on Diamond Harbour Road in Calcutta. The building is a large, grand structure typical of the late nineteenth century. Its entrance is marked by tall Corinthian columns — the kind with fluted shafts and ornate capitals — that support a porch. Behind them, the palace rises with multiple storeys and large windows, suggesting spacious interiors. The caption mentions ballrooms and extensive grounds, so the palace was designed for lavish social events and displays of wealth.
What matters for the chapter is what this photograph represents. By the late 1800s, many rich zamindars of Bengal — like the Burdwan raja — had built such city palaces in Calcutta. These were not just homes; they were statements of power and status. The Corinthian columns and ballrooms show that these zamindars adopted European architectural styles, blending them with their own traditions. This was a direct result of the Permanent Settlement of 1793. …