Historical and Legislative Context

1.1 Pre-1956 Revenue Systems in Rajasthan

Before the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956, Rajasthan's 22 former princely states operated under varied revenue codes:

• Jaipur: Jaipur Land Revenue Act 1945 and Maalguzari system
• Jodhpur: Marwari Revenue Regulations
• Bikaner: Bikaner State Land Revenue Act and canal-area rules
• Mewar (Udaipur): Mewar Revenue Regulations

Each system had different assessment methods, different survey numbers, different land classification terminology, and different revenue officer hierarchies. This created administrative chaos in the unified Rajasthan state.

1.2 Need for Unified Legislation

The Central Government's revenue reform committee recommended:

1. A uniform land record system across all former states
2. Standardised survey numbers (khasra) replacing varied local nomenclature
3. A single revenue officer hierarchy with defined powers
4. Uniform land revenue assessment replacing different states' systems
5. Protection of cultivators' rights through standardised Records of Rights

The Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956 achieved this consolidation, providing the administrative backbone that the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955 built upon for tenure rights.

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