The Vatandar, or Watandar (

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

: वतनदार) is an Indian term meaning "landholder". The title was given to landowners, particularly in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. The vatandar generally owned a plot of land or ''vatan/watan'' worked by the local people, who were dependent on the vatandar for their subsistence. In some cases, ''vatan'' land and the title ''vatandar'' were awarded to an individual by a higher ruler as reward for meritorious service. The grant of a watan plot differed from the grant of an '' inam'' and a person might hold either or both. While a watan was a hereditary rent-free grant to a village resident in lieu of services that the resident was expected to perform for the village on an ongoing basis, an inam was granted in recognition of past service to the state, usually but not always in relation to the military. A watan grant continued for as long as its holder had the confidence of the village community, whilst an inam grant, which might also take the form of a share of village land revenues, was held in perpetuity.

As a title

* Koli: Vatandar, or Watandar is a

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

of the Kolis who were ''Vatandar'' in

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

and "landholder Kolis". *

Mahar Mahar is one of the Indian caste found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas. Most of the Mahar community followed B. R. Ambedkar in converting to Buddhism in the middle of the 20th century. As of 2017 the Mahar caste w ...

: the Vatandar title also used by Mahars of Maharashtra but they received the payments from chief for their services as Vatandar. *

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

: the Brahmins were Vatandar under rulers but they were hereditary priest for their rulers and received the Vatan for their duties as Family priest.

References

*The State and the Village Community in Medieval Maharashtra (Seventeenth-Eighteenth Century AD)/Mily Roy Anand. New Delhi, Rajat, 2005, vii, 119 p., . *http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Ahmadnagar/gen_admin_collector.html *''Medieval Indian History''. Krishnaji Nageshrao Chitnis. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2003 {{ISBN, 81-7156-062-8, 978-81-7156-062-2

*''Administrative System of the Marathas''. Surendra Nath Sen, Published by K. P. Bagchi, 1976 Pg. 18,21,141 Social history of India Indian feudalism Titles of national or ethnic leadership

As a title

See also

References