MAHALWARI SYSTEM:

WHO : Holt Mackenzie

WHEN : 1822.
WHERE: Introduced in the North-West Provinces of
Bengal Presidency[most of this area now
in Uttar Pradesh]
WHAT: Assessment of revenue was to be
made on the basis of the produce of
a Mahal or village.
Instead of the Zamindar , the Village
headman [Lambardar] was in charge of
collecting the revenue and paying it to the
company.
WHY: Mackenzie felt that the village was an
important social institution in north Indian
society and needed to be preserved.

RYOTWARI SYSTEM:
WHO : Thomas Munro and Captain Read
WHEN : 1820s.
WHERE: Extended all over South India.
WHAT: The rights of ownership was handed over
to the peasants. British government
collected taxes directly from the peasants.
The revenue was based on the basis of the
soil and the nature of the crop.
In this system, the revenue was directly
settled with the ryots. The position of the
cultivators became more secure.
WHY: Munro thought that the British should act
as a paternal father figures protecting the
ryots under their charge.
 CAUSES OF THE INDIGO REVOLT:
 Indigo was used as a dye especially by the European cloth
manufacturers.

 The British forced the Indian farmers to grow indigo in place of

food crops.

 Indigo plants required fertile land and the land reserved for
growing rice were utilized to grow indigo instead.

 Continuous cultivation of indigo plants made the land unfit for

growing rice or any other crop for several years.

 The British planters offered loans to the peasants to grow indigo

at very high rates of interest.

 They were also made to sign an agreement that no other crops

would be grown except indigo on their fields.

 Unfortunately the farmers did not make any profit and were
unable to repay the loan and always were neck deep in debt.

EFFECTS OF THE REVOLT:

 One aspect of the Indigo Revolt in Bengal
was that it enjoyed the support of the
intellectual class and other groups as well.
In the rural areas, peasants were supported
by their local zamindars.
In the Urban areas the educated middle class
supported the movement.

 In Bengal, the British government was forced

to appoint the Indigo commission to review
the corrupt practices relating to this system.
The commission held the planters guilty.
EFFECTS OF THE REVOLT:

 The commission asked the peasants to

fulfill their existing contracts.

 It also ensured that the ryots could not be

forced to grow indigo.

 Though the indigo production collapsed in

Bengal , the planters now turned their
attention towards Bihar.

NIJ SYSTEM RYOTI SYSTEM

Indigo was produced by the Ryots involved in the indigo
planters on the land controlled by production were forced by the
them. planters to sign the contract.

The planters hired labourers for
the indigo cultivation. The indigo
cultivation was found expensive
in this system as they had to
make all the arrangements on
their own.
In this, the planters provided the
seed and the drill and cultivators
prepared the soil, sowed the
seed and looked after the crops.

It was difficult for the planters to Could increase the area under
increase the area under cultivation.
cultivation as they were acquired
on rent.

No loans were provided. Loans were provided.