Question

The Patil was responsible for?
a. Tax saving
b. handling the revenue
c. protection of the village
d. None of the other

Answer 1

Hint: Maratha administration can be categorized into 3 types – Central administration, military administration and revenue administration. Shivaji abolished the previous jagirdari system and established a new system for administration and appointed officials called Deshmukhs, Deshpande, Kulkarni’s and Patils.

Complete answer: The Patil was responsible for the protection of the village.
a. The lowest administrative unit was the village.
b. The Patil was in charge of the welfare of the villagers and the village, he was also sometimes required to collect revenue from the farmers, he also kept a record of new settlers and new land being used for agriculture.
c. The Patil and Kulkarni worked together, the Kulkarni’s duty was to keep a record of revenue and settle revenue related disputes.
d. The Patil and Kulkarni were supervised by Deshpande, who was a senior officer and he reported to Deshmukh who was the senior-most in the administrative chain.
Thus, the correct option is (c).

Note: Patils were responsible for taking care of an entire village and that is why they also enjoyed a lot of privileges, it was common for a Patil family to own a significant amount of land in the village, they also presided over the village festivals and ceremonies.