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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2017}}
'''Zails''' were a revenue and administrative unit, extending between two to hundred villages, under an officer in charge [[Zaildar]] in the colonial, rural administration of [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]] in [[British India]].<ref name="Rajit Zaildar" />{{rp|at=p xxv}} The system was abolished in 1952.<ref name=gaz1/>

==Demarcation of Zail==
Each [[Tehsil]] was subdivided in to several Zails.<ref name=hisarrevset1>C.A.H. Townsend, [http://revenueharyana.gov.in/Portals/0/revised_settlement_hisar.pdf Final report of thirds revised revenue settlement of Hisar district from 1905-1910], Gazetteer of [[Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, Haryana]].</ref><ref name=hsrher1>[https://hisar.gov.in/culture-heritage/ Culture and heritage of Hisar]</ref> A Zail was a grouping of villages.<ref name=hsrher1/> Tehsils, zails and villages were headed by the [[tehsildar]], [[zaildar]], muqaddam,[[lambardar]], or numberdars.<ref name=hsrher1/> Muqaddam was usually a prominent [[chowdhury]] who was appointed as [[lambardar|numbardar]] of the village, villages with large revenue land had more than one numberdar. Zail were established and demarcated by the [[District collector]] during the land revenue settlement exercise.<ref name = "Rajit Zaildar"/> A [[Permanent Settlement|settlement officer]], with advice from the District collector and by the final approval of the state's Financial Commissioner,<ref name=zaildarapp1/> appointed a ''Zaildar'' to each ''Zail'',<ref name=zaildarapp1>1930, [https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.36124/2015.36124.Punjab-Settlement-Manual_djvu.txt Punjab Settlement Manual, 4th Edition], Punjab Government publications, point 235 and 578-282 on page 115, 272-273.</ref> who were equivalent to the [[Chowdhury|Chaudharis]] (feudal [[zamindars]]) of earlier times and were hand-picked by the deputy-commissioner, who based his decision on issues such as caste or tribe, local influence, extent of landholding, services rendered to the state by him or his family, and personal character and ability.<ref name = "Rajit Zaildar">The Indian Army and the Making of Punjab, Rajit K. Mazumder, Permanent Black</ref>{{rp|pages=97–98}}<ref name=zailbook1>[[Tan Tai Yong]], 2005, [https://books.google.com/books?id=d5ZiMV7rqWUC&dq=zaildar&pg=PA1919-IA1 "The Garrison State: The military, government and society in Colonial Punjab, 1849 - 1947."], [[SAGE Publications]], page 118-119, {{ISBN|0761933360}}.</ref>

{{Quote
| text = ''"The introduction of the zaildari agency into any district must be approved by the local Government [Deputy Commissioner]. Any subsequent increase or decrease in the number of zaildars can be made under the orders of the Financial Commissioner, provided the percentage of the land revenue assigned for their emoluments is not exceeded. If the appointment of zaildars has not already been considered and negatived, a Settlement Officer, as soon as he feels that he has a sufficient acquaintance with the circumstances of his district, should draw up a preliminary report on the whole subject. In it he should explain why no such agency has yet been appointed, and submit rough proposals for its organization. No attempt should be made to fix the limits of zails, but the tribal organization and other important families of the tract should be explained in such detail as is necessary to enable Government to judge whether the agency should be introduced. Any proposals to appoint inamdars [also called safedposh] may be made in the same report. The opinions both of the Settlement Officer and of the Deputy Commissioner should be given. The report should be submitted to Government through the Commissioner and the Financial Commissioner, each of whom should record his views on the proposal made in it."''
| source = Punjab Settlement Manual, 1930 (point 578, page 272).<ref name=zaildarapp1/>
}}

==Revenue==
Zaildar collected the revenue from the cluster of villages under him and passed it to the [[British Raj]] district collectors, Zaildars were remunerated for their duties with life grants of either fixed amount<ref name = "HisarRevSet">[http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/revised_settlement_hisar.pdf Revised Settlement of Hisar District, p37-40]</ref> or grant equal to one per cent of the revenue of their zails from the assessment of any single village that they chose.<ref name = "Montgomery">Final Report of Revised Settlement, Hoshiarpur District, 1879-84 By J. A. L. Montgomery</ref>

==Impact and Legacy of Zaildari System==
Zails and Zaildari system extended the influence of the colonial state right into the villages.<ref name = "Rajit Zaildar"/>
[[File:Zaildar.jpg|thumb|Mr. Zaildar Pir Muhammad Yar Chishti (District Bahawalnagar - Punjab (Southern Region) Pakistan).]]

==Abolition==
Post [[Independence Day (India)|Indian independence]] in 1947, the system of Zails, Zaildars and Safedposh continued to exist till 1948 but were finally abolished in 1952 by the [[Government of India]].<ref name=gaz1>{{cite web| url= http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/gazetteer_india_hisar.pdf| title=Gazetteer of India: Haryana, Hisar, pp.168| author=Haryana Gazetteers Organization| publisher=Controller of Printing and Stationery| location=Chandigarh| date=1987}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col}}
* [[List of Zaildars by Zail]]
* [[Indian feudalism]]
* [[Indian honorifics]]
* [[Gram panchayat]]
* [[Jagirdar]]
* [[Mankari]]
* [[Lambardar]]
* [[Sarpanch]]
* [[Zaildar]]
* [[Zamindar]]
* [[Jat]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Punjab Province (British India)]]

Zail (British India) - Revision history

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