Shaping of Peasant Economy: Classification of Land and Agricultural Technology in Kashmir during Dogra’s 1885-1925 A.D.

Abstract

The colonial critique of Dogra state’s control over rural landscape of Kashmir and ‘rural deprivation’ executed through a wide variety of modes, prepared the ground for colonial intervention especially in agrarian domain. The colonial intervention in the capacity of Wingate and Lawrence’s agrarian reforms could not save the system from its disease. The reforms did not altogether purify the evils in the agriculture; only the surface level changes were ensured. The Kashmiri peasant economy during the 2^nd half of the 19^th century provides us with a classic illustration of the elite in a backward society holding back the society’s progress lest the change undermines its position. The present work is an endeavour to study the peasant economy of Kashmir during the period of high colonial intervention. It is difficult, if not impossible to study the different aspects of peasant economy of Jammu & Kashmir state as a single entity, owing to its physical, geo-climatic, social and economic distinctions, so this study had tried capture the aspect of “Land classification and Agricultural Technology of given period. The study covers time period between 1885-1925 A.D. as this period has been labelled as Dawn of Modernism.

Keywords: Heterogeneous, Dogra, Kerewas, Cultivation, Agricultural Technology