Which of the following terms were used in the Indo-Persian sources of the Mughal period to denote a peasant ? 1. Raiyat 2. Asami 3. Muzarian 4. Majur Select the correct answer using the code given below :

In the Indo-Persian sources of the Mughal period, several terms were employed to describe the peasantry. The most frequently used terms were 'raiyat' (plural: riaya) and 'muzarian' [1]. Additionally, sources from the seventeenth century also utilize the terms 'kisan' and 'asami' to denote cultivators [3]. These peasants were further classified into categories such as 'khud-kashta' (resident cultivators) and 'pahi-kashta' (non-resident cultivators) [2]. While 'raiyat', 'asami', and 'muzarian' are well-documented in agrarian records like the Ain-i-Akbari to represent peasants, the term 'majur' generally refers to a laborer or wage-worker rather than a land-holding peasant or tenant cultivator in this specific administrative context. Therefore, only terms 1, 2, and 3 are correct designations for a peasant in the primary Indo-Persian Mughal sources [3].

Sources

1. [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: Peasants, Zamindars and the State > 1.2 Peasants and their lands > p. 197
2. [3] https://cuet.iitk.ac.in/sathee-cuet/student-corner/ncert-books/class-12/themes-in-indian-history/chapter-08-peasants-zamindars-eight-and-the-state-agrarian-society-and-the-mughal-empire/