Definition of Zamindari

Zamindar (Devnagari: ज़मींदार), also known as Zemindar, Zamindari, Jomidar or the Zamindari System (Persian: زمیندار) were employed by the Mughals to collect taxes from peasants. The practice was continued under British rule. After independence, however, the system was abolished in India and East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh), but is still current in Pakistan. Jamindar is a common irregularity in this name, a popular pronunciation using only the original Indo-Aryan sound system (Devnagari: जमींदार). Other terms were used in various provinces. For example, Sindh zamindars were (and still are) known as Wadera, while in Punjab, different terms occur such as Chauhdari, Lambardar, Sardar and Malik (the last being an Arabic word originally meaning "king" but sometimes as here used also for "chieftain" or "leader").