Consider the following statements about ‘Khudkasht’ during the Mughal period:

1. Khudkasht was the peasants who owned the land which they tilled.

2. The Khudkasht often belonged to a dominant caste, which dominated the village society.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• The peasants who owned the land they tilled were called Khudkasht. They paid land revenue at customary rates. Some of them had many ploughs and bullocks, which they let out to their poorer brethren, the tenants or muzarian, who generally paid land revenue at a higher rate. These two groups were the largest section among the cultivators in the village.

• Thus, the village society was highly unequal. The Khudkasht, who claimed to be the original settlers of the village, often belonged to a single dominant caste or castes. These castes not only dominated the village society, they exploited the other or weaker sections. In turn, they were often exploited by the zamindars.