In the Maratha revenue system, 'chauth' was a levy of what share of the land revenue?

Chauth (from the Marathi word for "one-fourth") was a levy of 25% of the land revenue (or produce) collected by the Marathas from territories that were not directly under their rule but lay within their sphere of influence, such as Mughal and Deccan Sultanate lands. It was started on a large scale by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Chauth was paid by local rulers or officials to the Marathas in return for protection, that is, to avoid Maratha raids on their territory and sometimes to receive protection from other invaders. Historians describe it variously as a military contribution, a tribute or "protection money". Shivaji used it to finance his army and to extend Maratha influence without directly annexing territory.

Sardeshmukhi was an additional levy of 10% of the land revenue. Shivaji claimed it as the hereditary right of the "Sardeshmukh", the head deshmukh (chief of revenue officials) of the region, a title he claimed for himself.

Together, chauth and sardeshmukhi became important sources of Maratha income, especially in the 18th century, when the Peshwas expanded Maratha power across much of India. In 1719, Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath obtained an imperial farman from the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar, through the Sayyid brothers, granting the Marathas the right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi from the six Mughal provinces of the Deccan. Peshwa Baji Rao I (1720-1740), the "fighting Peshwa", extended the collection into Malwa, Gujarat and Bundelkhand.

In Shivaji's own kingdom (swarajya), land revenue was assessed carefully on the basis of measurement of land and was generally fixed at about 33% of the produce, later raised to 40%. Revenue was collected directly through officials, without powerful intermediaries.

Other revenue terms of medieval India:

• Kharaj: land tax in the Delhi Sultanate.
• Jaziya: a tax on non-Muslims, abolished by Akbar (1564) and reimposed by Aurangzeb (1679).
• Zabti (Dahsala): the land revenue system of Todar Mal under Akbar.

Why not the other options?

• ✗One-tenth (10%) was sardeshmukhi.
• ✗One-third was roughly the land revenue in Shivaji's own territory, not chauth.
• ✗One-half was the land revenue demand under Alauddin Khalji.