{"id":5698,"date":"2026-01-04T14:02:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T08:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/?p=5698"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T06:31:39","slug":"chauth-and-sardeshmukhi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/chauth-and-sardeshmukhi\/","title":{"rendered":"Chauth and Sardeshmukhi, Background, Chauth and Sardeshmukhi Under Shivaji"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chauth and Sardeshmukhi functioned in the Mughal provinces of the Deccan, establishing a <strong>dual land revenue administration,<\/strong> and were levied by the Maratha Empire in the early 18th century. <strong>Chauth<\/strong> was an <strong>annual tax<\/strong> amounting to<strong> one-fourth<\/strong> of the total revenue while <strong>Sardeshmukhi<\/strong>, collected by Shivaji at a rate of <strong>one-tenth <\/strong>of the total revenue, was a levy assessed in addition to the Chauth.<\/p>\r\n<p>Together, these taxes provided the Marathas with a reliable and substantial source of income. This financial support enabled them to expand their influence beyond Shivaji\u2019s realm, strengthening their position in the region.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Chauth and Sardeshmukhi Background<\/h2>\r\n<p>Chhatrapati Shivaji conducted two raiding expeditions in Surat, a city within Mughal territory between 1664 and 1670. These attacks gave rise to a unique source of revenue known as \"<strong>Mulkgiri<\/strong>\" (<strong>looting expedition into the foreign land<\/strong> ).<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The concept of <strong>Mulkgiri<\/strong> was initially brought to India by<strong> invaders<\/strong> like Muhammad bin Qasim, <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/mahmud-of-ghazni\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Mahmud Ghazni<\/strong><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/muhammad-ghori\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Muhammad Ghori.<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li>For the <strong>Marathas,<\/strong> it served as a way to generate revenue from outside their territories.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Chhatrapati Shivaji<\/strong> recognized that relying on plunder was not a sustainable approach for his governance. He replaced this method with two established taxes known as Chauth and Sardeshmukhi.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Moreover, the <strong>Portuguese<\/strong> also paid these taxes to the neighbouring kings in their regions to prevent disputes.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Chauth and Sardeshmukhi Under Shivaji<\/h2>\r\n<p>Following Shivaji's escape in <strong>1666<\/strong>, tensions with the Mughals diminished, with Mughal Sardar <strong>Jaswant Singh<\/strong> facilitating <strong>peace negotiations <\/strong>between <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/chhatrapati-shivaji-maharaj\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chhatrapati Shivaji<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/aurangzeb-and-fall-of-mughals\/\" target=\"_blank\">Aurangzeb<\/a><\/strong>. During this time, Aurangzeb permitted Shivaji to attack Bijapur, which was under the weakening <strong>Adil Shahi dynasty<\/strong>. <strong>Sultan Ali Adil Shah II,<\/strong> recognizing his vulnerable position, sought peace and subsequently granted Chhatrapati Shivaji the rights of Sardeshmukhi and Chauth.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The Chhatrapati Shivaji received <strong>one-fourth of the levy<\/strong> and also had authority over the <strong>Nadgauda,<\/strong> which accounted for<strong> 3% of the total revenue<\/strong> collected.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Further, Pant Sachiv ( chief of the royal secretariat ) received <strong>6% of the Chauth<\/strong> collections.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>The Chauth along with Sardeshmukhi provided a consistent and substantial source of income for the Marathas and helped raise enough funds to pay troops.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>This <strong>dual land revenue administration<\/strong> had <strong>major political effects <\/strong>and caused widespread economic changes in the Mughal Deccan provinces.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>In the late <strong>17th century<\/strong>, Shivaji asserted his right to assess and collect the Sardeshmukhi tax, contending that his family had a longstanding tradition as hereditary tax collectors in Maharashtra.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Chauth and Sardeshmukhi Under Later Marathas<\/h2>\r\n<p>Mughal emperor <strong>Rafi-ud-Darajat<\/strong> granted <strong>Raja Shahu<\/strong> the right to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from the <strong>six Mughal provinces (Subhas) of the Deccan<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Shahu pledged to provide <strong>15,000 Maratha soldiers<\/strong> to protect the emperor in exchange for the Chauth.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>For the Sardeshmukhi, the Marathas took on the responsibility of ensuring peace and order in these provinces, preventing robberies and uprisings.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%;height: 200px\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 25px\">\r\n<td class=\"tb-color\" style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center;height: 25px\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Other Related Posts<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 25px\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/battle-of-plassey\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Battle of Plassey<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/robert-clive\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Robert Clive <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 25px\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/battle-of-buxar\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Battle of Buxar<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/anglo-mysore-wars\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Anglo Mysore Wars<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 25px\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/dual-government-in-bengal\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Dual Government in Bengal<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/tipu-sultan\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Tipu Sultan <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 25px\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/anglo-maratha-wars\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Anglo Maratha Wars<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/maratha-empire\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Maratha Empire<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 25px\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/third-battle-of-panipat\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Third Battle of Panipat<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;height: 25px;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/chhatrapati-shivaji-maharaj\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 25px\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center;height: 25px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/battle-of-bhima-koregaon\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Battel of Bhima Koregaon<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center;height: 25px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/anglo-burmese-war\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Anglo Burmese War<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 25px\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center;height: 25px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/maharaja-ranjit-singh\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Maharaja Ranjit Singh<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center;height: 25px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/anglo-nepal-war\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Anglo Nepal War<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chauth was an annual tax amounting to one-fourth of the total revenue while Sardeshmukhi, collected by Shivaji at a rate of one-tenth of the total revenue, was a levy assessed in addition to the Chauth<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[860,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-5698","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-quest-level-4","8":"tag-chauth-and-sardeshmukhi","9":"tag-quest"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19023,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698\/revisions\/19023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}