Zaildar

Zaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages.

A Zaildar was more influential than a lambardar (village headman) because a Zail included many villages under it. Zaildars represented the Chaudharis of the former times and were hand picked by the deputy commissioner only after consideration of 'caste' or 'tribe' , local influence, extent of landholding, services rendered to the state by him or his family, and lastly personal character and ability.

Zaildars were essentially revenue collectors and village level representatives of the colonial state who enjoyed remuneration for their duties, life grants equal to one per cent, of the revenue of their zails from the assessment of any single village that they chose.

In addition to these life inams, or grants, there were some safedposhi grants of a semi-hereditary nature enjoyed by some of the leading agricultural families. They were semi-hereditary because one of the conditions of the grant was that on the death of an incumbent, his successor should , if possible, be a member of the same family. If, however, there was no fit member of the same family, the grant could be awarded to some deserving lambardar of the same tribe, who was not already in the enjoyment of such a grant.

The position was quite important as it extended the influence of the colonial state right into the villages.

List of Zaildars

• S. Jagat Singh Mangat ji Zaildar Lall Kalan, (Ludhiana)
• Nawab Muhammad Amin Khan FaridPur Jagir, also enjoyed the privilege of Provincial Drabari
• Rai Inayat Khan Bhatti Kot Hussain, Zaildar of three Zails
• Rai Ahmad Khan Bhatti Thatta Issa

References

Rai Bular Bhatti