BharatNotes Chauth
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
By institutionalising the collection of chauth and sardeshmukhi, Shivaji and his successors converted military pressure into a structured fiscal claim, financing the Maratha confederacy while steadily eroding the revenue base and sovereignty of the declining Mughal empire.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
chauth (n), chauthai (Sanskrit/Hindi adj — of a fourth part), chaturtha (Sanskrit ordinal — fourth)
Root
Sanskrit chaturtha (चतुर्थ) = one-fourth; reflects the exact 25% proportion of revenue demanded by the Marathas
Etymology
From Sanskrit chaturtha (चतुर्थ, "one-fourth"), reflecting the exact proportion of revenue demanded; the tax became a major source of Maratha income from the early 18th century and was formalised through a Mughal farman in 1719.
Memory Hook
"Chauth" echoes "fourth" — and that is exactly what it was: one-fourth of the revenue. Think CHAUTH = quarter cut taken by the Marathas.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
