BharatNotes
Zabti System
/ˈzʌbti ˈsɪstəm/The standardised revenue assessment method introduced by Raja Todar Mal under Akbar (finalised 1580), in which land was measured using iron-ring bamboo rods, crops were classified, and revenue demand was fixed in cash based on the average produce and prices of the preceding ten years (Dahsala), applied across the Mughal heartland from Lahore to Allahabad.
Context & Background
Also known as the Dahsala system or Todar Mal's Bandobast; replaced earlier crop-sharing methods with a predictable cash demand, giving peasants certainty and the state a stable fiscal base — the most sophisticated pre-modern revenue system in Indian history.
UPSC Exam Relevance
GS1 (Medieval India). Prelims: frequently tested — Zabti = Dahsala = Todar Mal; iron-ring bamboo rods; land classification (Polaj, Parauti, Chachar, Banjar); 10-year average. Mains: asked to assess Akbar's land revenue system and its impact on the peasantry, often compared with British Permanent Settlement.
