Dahasala System

Akbar introduced the Dahasala or Zabati system of land revenue collection in 1580-82 to alleviate the problems arising due to fixing prices every year and doing settlements of revenues of previous years.

In this system, average produce of ten years was derived. One third of this average produce was fixed in Rupees per Bigha and fixed as share of the state (Mal). Rest two third share was left to the cultivators (Kharaj).

The state demand in kind was given in maunds; but for the conversion of the state demand from kind to cash, a separate schedule of cash revenue rates for various crops was fixed, which were called as Dastur-i-amal. Each revenue circle had a separate schedule of dastur-i-amal for various crops. Thus the peasant was required to pay on the basis of local produce as well as local prices.

Dahsala System or Zabti System was introduced by Raja Todarmal, the able finance minister of Akbar, who had honed his skills under his first master Shershah Suri. This system prevailed from Lahore to Allahabad and in the provinces of Malwa  and Gujarat. This  remained a standard system of revenue assessment during the greater part of the Mughal empire.

During Shahjahan’s era,  it was introduced in the Deccan by Murshid  Quli khan.