In the Chola empire, the term 'Vetti' was related to:

In the Chola empire, "vetti" was a form of tax that was taken not in cash but in the form of forced labour.

About vetti:

• People were required to work for the state or for temples without payment, for public works such as building temples, tanks, canals and roads.
• NCERT mentions that the Chola inscriptions refer to more than 400 terms for different kinds of taxes, and that the most frequently mentioned tax is "vetti", which was taken in the form of forced labour.
• It was similar to "vishti" in north India.

Taxes in the Chola period:

• The Chola inscriptions mention a large number of taxes.
• Land revenue was the main source of income for the state.
• Other taxes included taxes on thatching houses, on using a ladder to climb palm trees, on succession to family property, and others.
• Taxes on trade, crafts, professions and goods were also collected.
• Payment in kind and in labour was common.

Land revenue:

• The Cholas carried out a detailed survey of land in order to assess land revenue.
• Rajaraja I and Kulottunga I ordered land surveys.
• The land revenue was generally about one-third of the produce.

Effects of forced labour:

• Forced labour was a burden on peasants and common people, especially on the poor.
• It was used to build the great temples and irrigation works of the Chola period.

Forced labour in later Indian history:

• "Begar" (forced unpaid labour) was common in the medieval and colonial periods.
• Article 23 of the Constitution of India prohibits "begar" and other forms of forced labour.
• The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act was passed in 1976.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Land revenue was called by other names.
• ✗Trade taxes and temple grants had different names.