Question
Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856:
1. The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts.
2. A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the taluqdars were outsiders.
3. The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the taluqdars.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The British annexation of Awadh in 1856 brought major changes to its traditional landholding structure. The immediate settlement policy weakened the taluqdars and sought to establish a more direct relationship between the colonial state and cultivators.
Statement 1 — Incorrect: Before annexation, taluqdars maintained private armies and forts. After the British takeover, they were disarmed and dispossessed of many estates, but their forts were not completely destroyed as stated.
Statement 2 — Correct: The first British land revenue settlement in Awadh was the Summary Settlement of 1856. It treated the taluqdars as “interlopers” who were considered to have acquired control over land through force or fraud rather than through legitimate hereditary rights.
Statement 3 — Correct: The settlement aimed to bypass the taluqdars and settle revenue directly with cultivators (ryots). British officials believed this would reduce the exploitation of peasants while securing revenue more directly for the colonial state.