Why had the raja failed to pay the revenue? Who were the purchasers at the auction? What does the story tell us about what was happening in the rural areas of eastern India at that time?
The raja had deliberately failed to pay the revenue as a strategic move. The revenue demand was deliberately withheld and unpaid balances were allowed to accumulate as part of a planned strategy to manipulate the auction system.
The purchasers at the auction were actually servants and agents of the raja who bought the lands on behalf of their master. Over 95 per cent of the sales were fictitious. The zamindar's men would outbid others, refuse to pay the purchase money, and force repeated auctions.
The story reveals that zamindars used ingenious methods to retain their zamindaris despite the Permanent Settlement. While over 75 per cent of zamindaris changed hands, zamindars were not easily displaced. They used strategies like fictitious sales, transferring property to women, and relied on the loyalty of ryots who resisted the entry of outsiders.
Explanation
This question from the chapter on colonial rural Bengal tests understanding of zamindari resistance strategies. The context shows how the Raja of Burdwan deliberately withheld revenue to trigger auctions, then had his agents manipulate the bidding process. This reveals that despite the Permanent Settlement's design to create a loyal landed class, traditional zamindars retained significant power through such manoeuvres and the continued loyalty of their ryots.