Question

In the Ahom state those who were forced to work for the state were called as
A) Bhuiyans
B) Paiks
C) Khels
D) None

Answer 1

Hint: The Ahom, also known as the Tai-Ahom, are a tribal people from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in India. They are the admixed descendants of the Tai people who arrived in Assam's Brahmaputra Valley in 1228 and the local indigenous people who later joined them.

Complete answer:
A paik was a male between the ages of sixteen and fifty who was not a noble, a priest, a member of a high caste, or a slave in the Ahom kingdom. The paiks were divided into four-person groups known as gots. Each team had to send one member for public service on a rotating basis.

Let us look at the given options:
A) Bhuiyans: This option is incorrect because they were not forced to work for Ahom state. The Bhuiyans are an indigenous community in the Kamarupa Kingdom that rose to prominence during Balavarman III of the Mlechchha dynasty's reign in the Indian Subcontinent in the 9th century. Later, in several parts of the Indian Subcontinent, he established transitory Bhuiyan Chieftains confederacies.
B) Paiks: This is the correct answer. The Ahom state was reliant on forced labour. Paiks were those who were forced to work for the government. A population census was conducted. Each hamlet was required to send a certain quantity of paiks on a regular basis.
C) Khels: This option is incorrect because clans or khels were used to separate Ahom society. Because there were few castes in the artisan community, artisans in the Ahom territories came from neighbouring kingdoms. A Khel was generally in charge of a large number of villages. They were not forced to work for Ahom state.
D) None: This option is incorrect because the correct answer is Option B.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (B) i.e, Paiks.

Note: The current Ahom people and their culture are a blend of the original Tai people and their culture, as well as the indigenous Tibeto-Burman people and cultures that they acquired in Assam. Local people from various ethnic groups in Assam who adopted the Tai way of life and politics were absorbed into their fold, which became known as Ahom as a result of the Ahomisation process.