Zamindars and the Zamindari System

" 'After your Zamindari Abolition Bill goes through, you will become a hero throughout the countryside.' " (p. 19)

Zamindar literally means a “landowner”, and comes from the Persian words, "zamin" meaning land and "dar" meaning holder.

In British Colonial India, zamindars were landlords and tax collectors. They paid taxes directly to the British authorities while keeping a portion for themselves. This system, the Zamindari system, for collecting taxes from peasants began during the Mughal Era, and is similar to feudalism in Medieval Europe.

The Zamindari system was mostly abolished in India after it became independent.

References:

• Zamindar and Zamindari system on Wikipedia
• Zamindars in Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• Mughal Era on Wikipedia