Question

Who were the Pindaris?
A. Merchants.
B. Traders.
C. Robbers.
D. Priest.

Answer 1

Hint: Pindaris were a group of irregular plunderers and forages formed in the 17th century they accompanied initially the Muslim army after that Marathas army and finally got on their own. The Pindaris were completely eliminated by the early 19th century.

Complete answer:
It is asked in the problem who were Pindaris. The Pindaris were a partially armed group of people who used to help the army they accompanied. The Pindaris were the group of Hindu ascetics who turned into warriors most of the leaders in the Pindaris were Muslims but according to history, the Pindaris recruited all classes of people to fight along with them. The Pindaris used to loot small villages, take people and sell them as slaves. At the time of Marathas, there were several cases of abuse. The Maratha king Shivaji then issued serious regulations on the actions of the Pindaris. After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor started to fall and there was an open fight between the Nawabs and Hindu kingdoms and local landowners also organized their own armies to fight. The Pindaris dispersed throughout central India, the Deccan regions, and the regions that are today part of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha.
In 1800-1815 CE there were around 20,000 to 30,000 Pindaris military people who looped villages and made earnings from it; they also challenged the local authorities. Lord Hastings of the colonial British era led to the coalition of armies in the early 19th century to end the Pindaris. The British government used military acts against Pindaris also they used to offer the Pindaris employment with regular salaries and they were asked to give up their plundering habits. The Pindaris were robbers who looted small villages and took people as slaves.

So, the correct answer is Option C.

Note In the early 19th century the Pindaris became self-dependent and they used to attack the other kingdoms in order to establish their own emperor. Ultimately the British government became so frustrated that they formed a coalition from the armies of Gujarat, Deccan, and Bengal and around 120,000 troops surrounded the regions of Malwa and Gwalior to forcefully the outlawing Pindaris.