History - Chapter 3 Ruling the countryside

Social science

Mahal

In British revenue records, mahal is a revenue estate which may be a

village or a group of villages.

Plantation

A large farm operated by a planter employing various forms of forced

labour.

Slave

A person who is owned by someone else – the slave owner. A slave has no

freedom and is compelled to work for the master.

Bigha

A unit of measurement of land. Before British rule, the size of this area

varied. In Bengal the British standardized it to about one-third of an acre.

Vat

A fermenting or storage vessel