Thokdar
In in feudal India, Thokdar, also known as Sayana, was a hereditary title held by those responsible for revenue collection within administrative units called parganas. Thokdars acted as intermediaries between central authorities and local village-level administration, ensuring efficient collection of taxes and dues.{{cite book |last1=Rawat |first1=Ajay Singh |title=Garhwal Himalaya: A Study in Historical Perspective |date=2002 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=978-81-7387-136-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olP_A60L-CMC&q=negi&pg=PA69 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Linkenbach |first1=Antje |title=Forest Futures: Global Representations and Ground Realities in the Himalayas |date=2007 |publisher=Seagull |isbn=978-1-905422-52-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UVIeAQAAIAAJ&q=thokdar |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Division |first1=India Census |title=Himachal Pradesh |date=1961 |publisher=Office of the Registrar General |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9meaAAAAIAAJ&q=thokdar |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Linkenbach |first1=Antje |title=Forest Futures: Global Representations and Ground Realities in the Himalayas |date=2007 |publisher=Seagull |isbn=978-1-905422-52-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UVIeAQAAIAAJ&q=thokdar |language=en}}
System structure
Role and responsibilities
Thokdars were primarily responsible for:
- Revenue collection: They supervised and collected revenue from the villages under their jurisdiction, often through appointed village-level officers called Padhans.
- Offerings and entitlements: Thokdars received nazrana (offerings) from the villages during festivals, family ceremonies, and other occasions. They were also entitled to a portion of certain local resources, such as a leg of every goat killed during communal or religious festivals in their divisions.
- Land rights: Thokdars enjoyed portions of rent-free land in their own villages and exercised significant influence over local land-related matters.
- Hereditary status: The title of Thokdar was hereditary, passing down within families across generations.
Thokdar surnames
- Bisht
- Negi{{cite book |last1=Rawat |first1=Ajay Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olP_A60L-CMC&pg=PA69 |title=Garhwal Himalaya: A Study in Historical Perspective |date=2002 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=978-81-7387-136-8 |pages=69 |language=en}} {{cite book |last1=Atkinson |first1=Edwin Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3GZcJRD0dVcC&q=negi+ |title=The Himalayan Gazetteer |date=1998 |publisher=Bhavana Books & Prints |pages=563 |language=en}}
- Mahar{{cite book |last1=Atkinson |first1=Edwin Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3GZcJRD0dVcC&q=mahar |title=The Himalayan Gazetteer |date=1998 |publisher=Bhavana Books & Prints |language=en}}
References
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