Consider the following terms related to the local administration and land systems in medieval India: Term Region / Meaning 1. Mahattara Village headman or representative in the Gangetic plains. 2. Pattakila Hereditary owner of land/village chief in the Deccan region. How many of the above pairs are correctly matched? |ForumIAS

[A] Only one pair

[B] Only two pairs

[C] Neither one nor two

[D] Cannot be determined under Akbar’s administration

Answer: A

Notes:

Explanation:

Pair 1: Incorrect. Mahattara is an ancient term (Sanskrit origin) for a village chief, primarily associated with the Deccan (Maratha/Chalukya/Rashtrakuta) and Western India, similar to the Patil. The corresponding headman in the Gangetic plains under the Mughals was the Muqaddam or Chaudhari.
Pair 2: Correct. Pattakila (or Patil), derived from pattakila in Sanskrit, was indeed the hereditary village headman or landholder/chief, especially prominent in the Deccan region, wielding significant local power.