Glossary

amani talav: artificial ponds not belonging to any specific village 

amildar: Indian officer in charge of a taluk, head of police, and revenue collection 

auda:               village headman, occasionally head of local police

Brahman:          person of priestly caste

buckshee:         administrative advisor, head of a department or an office 

candachar peons: soldiers and police recruited from specific castes 

cutcherry:        office, court, or department 

dana:               tool used by kings to bind support by distribution of wealth to high castes

dewan:            king’s closest advisor, Chief Minister or minister

durbar:            king’s court

foujdar:           head of a foujdari (district)

foujdari:          district

fusly/ fasli      revenue or financial year; add 590 to convert fusly year into Christian era. See N. Shyam Bhat, op. cit, p.xiii. 53. Bombay High .

hoozoor:         king’s administration, a ministerial office

jagir:                low or rent free land granted for services rendered to government

jangama:           Lingayat priest, spiritual advisor

karnam:           village accountant

katte:               tax, customs, duties, a station where duties were levied

kandayam:       fixed money rent on land rented from generation to generation

kayamgutta:     fixed rent for some period, usually lower than the average rent

kuttam:           gathering of people, usually demonstrating a will or opinion

maidan:            lowland Mysore plains on the Deccan plateau

Malnad:            (meaning: hill country) highland part of Karnataka 

musnad:           crowning ceremony, the throne, the rule

native states:    semi-independent states controlled by British

pagoda: monetary unit 

panchayat:        administrative unit, often a council of five elders 

peon:               farmer or servant, usually low-caste, i.e. candachar peons

poligar:            petty chief, warlord, military leader

potail (patel):   village headman

ryot:                farmer, cultivator

sunnud:           official document, diploma of privileges 

sarkar/sircar:   government or supreme authority

sayar:               tax, duties

shanbog:          village accountant

shraya:             reduced kandayam for a certain period of years 

sheristardar:     head of an office or department, a secretary, subordinate of the amildar

shist:                local land revenue

shurtee:           system of contract hiring

sowcar:            wealthy man, moneylender

taluk:            subdivision of a district, under the management of an Amildar.

waram:            arrangement with hired labour for cultivating the land in return for a share of produce.

zamindar:        person responsible for revenue collection 

zamindari:       revenue estate, supervised by a zamindar.