117.225.113.212 at 20:51, 1 February 2022

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{{Short description|Regulated tax imposed by the Maratha Empire in the Indian subcontinent}}
'''Chauth''' (from [[Sanskrit]] meaning ''one-fourth'') was a regular tax or tribute imposed, from early 18th century, by the [[Maratha Empire]] in the [[Indian subcontinent]]. It was an annual tax nominally levied at 25% on revenue or produce, hence the name. It was levied on the lands which were under nominal Mughal rule. The '''sardeshmukhi''' was an additional 10% levy on top of the ''chauth''. It is a tribute paid to the king. It was started by [[Koli people|Koli]] [[Som Shah of Ramnagar|Maharaja Som Shah of Ramnagar]].<ref>S. A. A. Rizvi, p. 263 of ''A Cultural History of India'' (1975), edited by A. L. Basham</ref>

==Function==
Opinions on the function of the Chauth vary. According to [[M G Ranade]], the chauth was charged to provide armed security for a state by the Marathas and is thus comparable to the system of subsidiary alliances that was used by [[Lord Wellesley]] to bring [[Princely states|Indian state]] under [[British Raj|British control]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Chhabra|first=G S|title=Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-1: 1707-1803)|year=2005|publisher=Lotus Press|location=New Delhi|page=62|isbn=9788189093068|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkDi6rVbckoC&q=sardeshmukhi+tax&pg=PA62}}</ref>

The historian [[Jadunath Sarkar]] has argued that the chauth was essentially a tax paid by those states that did not want the Marathas to enter into their realm. The chauth thus served as [[protection money]] against Maratha invasions against the chauth paying state. The tax was levied at the rate of one fourth the annual revenues of the state and was levied at the cost of the revenue paid by the state to the [[Mughals]] or the Deccan kingdoms.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chauth and Sardeshmukhi|url=http://www.gktoday.in/chauth-and-sardeshmukhi/|publisher=General Knowledge Today|accessdate=8 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Pratiyogita Darpan - Medieval India|publisher=Upkar Prakashan|location=New Delhi|page=141|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K7ZZzk8cXh8C&q=sardeshmukhi+tax&pg=PA141}}</ref>

[[Chhatrapati Shivaji|Shivaji]] first demanded chauth in 1665 and the [[Deccan sultanates]] of [[Bijapur Sultanate|Bijapur]] and [[Golconda Sultanate|Golconda]] began to pay him a combined sum of {{INR}}800,000 after he became a [[raja]] in 1674. In 1719, the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] granted [[Shahuji|Shahu]] the chauth and sardeshmukhi rights over the six Deccan provinces in exchange for his maintaining a contingent of 15,000 troops for the emperor. The revenues from chauth were in turn divided into four parts that went to various functionaries of the Maratha empire.<ref name="Mehta 492-494">{{cite book|last=Mehta|first=Jaswant Lal|title=Advanced Study in the History of Modern India: 1707 - 1813|year=2005|publisher=New Dawn Press|location=New Delhi|pages=492–494|isbn=9781932705546|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC&q=chauth+and+sardeshmukhi&pg=PA492}}</ref>

25% of the levy, called ''babti'', went to the [[chhatrapati]] and he also had discretionary grant making authority over the ''nadgaunda'' proceeds which amounted to 3% of the total collection. 6% of the chauth collections was granted to the ''pant sachiv'', the officer in charge of the royal secretariat and was called the ''sahotra'' grant. Two-thirds of the collections however remained with the Maratha sardars who collected the taxes and they used it for maintaining their troops for the chhatrapati. This part of the levy was called ''mokasa''. The chauth along with sardeshmukhi levies ensured a steady and large stream of income for the Marathas and helped them expand their beyond the [[swaraj]]ya territories of Shivaji.<ref name="Mehta 492-494"/>

The right to assess and collect this tax was asserted first by [[Shivaji]] in the later 17th century, on grounds that his family were hereditary tax collectors in [[Maharashtra]].

Veer [[Durgadas Rathore]] harassed Mughal officers through guerrilla warfare and forced them to pay chauth, during his war with [[Aurangzeb]].<ref name=RC>{{Cite book|first=R.C.|last=Majumdar|title= an advanced hostory of Rajasthan|publisher=Trinity Press|year=2020|pages=494–497|url=|quote=Under the able leadership of Durgadas, the Rathors ceaselessly carried on a guerrilla warfare and harassed the Mughal outposts so that the Mughal officers were compelled to pay chauth}}</ref>

== See also==
*[[Sack of Surat]]
*[[Mahratta Sackings of Goa and Bombay-Bassein]]
*[[Mahratta Invasions of Bengal]]

==Notes==
<references/>

[[Category:History of taxation in India]]
[[Category:Maratha Empire]]

Chauth - Revision history

117.225.113.212 at 20:51, 1 February 2022