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Question 102 of 108 · Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule
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The 'khuntkatti' system, a form of joint (clan-based) land tenure of the Mundas that was undermined during British rule, prevailed in the region of:

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Answer: Option A — Chota Nagpur

Detailed Solution

The "khuntkatti" system was a form of joint land tenure of the Mundas and some other tribes, which prevailed in the Chota Nagpur region (present-day Jharkhand) before and during British rule.

About the khuntkatti system:

  • The word "khuntkatti" comes from "khunt" (clan or lineage) and "katti" (clearing), meaning land cleared by the clan.
  • The land was originally cleared from the forests by the founders of a village and their descendants.
  • It was held jointly by the clan (khunt), not by individuals.
  • The original settlers (the khuntkattidars) had special rights over the land, and paid only a small rent or tribute.
  • The village headman (munda) and the village priest (pahan) played important roles.

How it was undermined:

  • During British rule, the land of Chota Nagpur was increasingly taken over by outsiders (dikus), such as zamindars, moneylenders, traders and contractors.
  • The British land revenue system treated land as private property, and the joint rights of the clans were not recognised.
  • The tribals were forced to pay higher rents and to work as forced labour (begar).
  • Many tribal families lost their land to the outsiders.
  • Christian missionaries also came into the area, and some tribals converted to Christianity in the hope of getting help to keep their land.

Tribal resistance:

  • The destruction of the khuntkatti system was one of the main causes of the movement led by Birsa Munda in the 1890s.
  • The Mundas called their struggle against the dikus and the British the "Sardari Larai" (the war of the chiefs) before Birsa.

Legal protection:

  • The Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act of 1908 gave some protection to the khuntkatti system and restricted the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals.
  • The Act is still in force in Jharkhand.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Malabar, Bastar and Khandesh had other systems of land tenure and other tribal or peasant movements.

Quick tip

Remember: khuntkatti (joint clan land tenure of the Mundas) = Chota Nagpur; protected by the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act (1908); a cause of Birsa Munda's Ulgulan.

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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