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Glossary Terms
| Term (EN) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Subsidiary Alliance | Treaty system under Lord Wellesley where Indian rulers ceded foreign policy and military control to British in exchange for protection; Rajputana states signed 1817–18 | High |
| Instrument of Accession | Legal document under Indian Independence Act, 1947 by which princely states surrendered defence, foreign affairs, and communications to India | High |
| Jagirdari System | Feudal land-grant system where jagirdars held land from princes in exchange for military service and collected revenue from peasants without legal oversight | High |
| Begar | Unpaid forced labour compelled from peasants by jagirdars — carrying loads, tending horses, construction; a central grievance in all Rajasthan peasant movements | High |
| Lagaan | Land rent arbitrarily revised upward by jagirdars without notice or legal limit; primary form of agrarian exploitation | High |
| Lags-baags | Miscellaneous cesses levied on peasants for life events — births, marriages, deaths, festivals; at Bijolia, 84 such cesses were documented | High |
| Samp Sabha | Brotherhood Assembly founded by Govind Guru in 1883 to organise Bhil communities around social reform, anti-alcohol, literacy, and tribal unity | High |
| Mataji ki Araj | 21-point charter of Motilal Tejawat's Eki Movement (1921) demanding abolition of begar, reduction of lagaan, and forest rights for Bhil tribals | High |
| Praja Mandal | Political organisations in Rajputana's princely states demanding responsible government; first founded at Jaipur (1931), spread to 8 states by 1939 | High |
| Rajpramukh | Constitutional head of the integrated Rajasthan state (equivalent to Governor), drawn from the ruling families; post abolished when Rajasthan became a full state | Medium |
| Matsya Union | First stage of Rajasthan integration (18 March 1948): merger of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dhaulpur, and Karauli; capital at Alwar | High |
| Greater Rajasthan | Fourth integration stage (30 March 1949): addition of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer; the entity first named "Rajasthan"; Rajasthan Day commemorates this date | High |
| Privy Purse | Annual financial grant guaranteed to former rulers under original Article 291 of the Constitution as compensation for integration; abolished by 26th Amendment, 1971 | Medium |
| Paramountcy | British Crown's supreme authority over princely states' external relations and overall governance; lapsed on 15 August 1947 under Indian Independence Act | Medium |
| Responsible Government | System where the executive is answerable to an elected legislature; the central demand of all Praja Mandals in Rajputana's autocratic princely states | High |
| Indian States People's Conference | All-India platform founded 1927 for political movements in princely states; Gandhi endorsed it at Ludhiana Session 1939; Nehru led it from 1937 | Medium |
| Operation Polo | Indian Police Action (13–18 September 1948) to forcibly integrate Hyderabad after Nizam refused accession; ended Razakar paramilitary resistance | Medium |
| Razakars | Hyderabad's militant paramilitary under Qasim Razvi (MIM-affiliated) that violently opposed accession to India; defeated in Operation Polo, September 1948 | Medium |
| States Reorganisation Act, 1956 | Legislation based on S. Fazl Ali Commission report; reorganised Indian states on linguistic lines; merged Ajmer-Merwara with Rajasthan (1 November 1956) | High |
| Uppramal Panchayat Board | Coordinating body organised by Vijay Singh Pathik during Bijolia Movement's Phase 2 (1916) to unify peasant resistance across the Bijolia jagir | Medium |
| Chandawal Incident | 1942 event in Pali district where peasants resisting jagirdari oppression during Quit India period were confronted by state forces; asked in RPSC Mains 2024 | High |
| Thikana System | Sub-jagirdari layer in Jaipur state where thikanedars (sub-jagirdars) imposed heavy levies on Jat peasants; structural cause of Shekhawati movement | Medium |