Ask a Teacher

Search



What is Holt Mackenzie?
An Englishman of North Western Provinces of the Bengal Presidency named Holt Mackenzie introduced the new system of revenue which came into effect in 1822. He felt that the village was an important social institution in North
Indian society and needed to be preserved. Under his directions, collectors went from village to village, inspecting the land, measuring the fields, and recording the customs and rights of different groups. The estimated revenue of each plot within a village was added up to calculate the revenue that each village or mahal had to pay. This demand was to be revised periodically, not permanently fixed. The charge of collecting the revenue and paying it to the Company was given to the village headman, rather than the zamindar. This system came to be known as the mahalwari settlement.


comments powered by Disqus