SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In this thesis an attempt has been made to describe and analyse some main features in the development of the administration and economy of the Banaras region during the period 1738 to 1795. The introductory chapter discusses earlier work done in this field, the purpose of the study and the sources used. The second chapter is devoted to examining the changing status of the raja of Banaras first under the nawabs of Awadh and then under the English East India Company, the types of officials who served the raja in the revenue and judicial departments and the changes made in the administrative structure of the region under the British. Chapter three deals with the system of land control under the rajas of Banaras, with special reference to the changing position of the landed classes and notes the changes introduced by the British in the land system. Chapter four reviews the organization of the village economy - the main elements composing the village - and the impact of the fiscal policies both of the rajas and of the British upon the villagers and cultivators. Chapter five concentrates attention on the trade and commerce of the region, paying particular attention to the merchants, the internal customs system, and the patterns of Banaras trade, export, import and transit. The sixth chapter is devoted to a study of the banking and currency systems of the region with special reference to the role of the Banaras bankers in the economy. The conclusion briefly reviews the changing political and economic structures of the region and ends with a picture of the position of the Banaras region at the turn of the century.