The ‘Motorana’ and the ‘hathiana’ referred to :

The ‘Motorana’ and the ‘hathiana’ referred to :

markets where peasants brought their produce
taxes levied by zamindars on their peasants
rent paid by peasants for the use of the motorcar or the elephant of the zamindar
the nickname for those zamindars who possessed a motorcar or an elephant
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2009
‘Motorana’ and ‘hathiana’ were terms used in some regions, particularly in Eastern India, to refer to illegal cesses or taxes levied by zamindars on their tenants. These were types of *abwabs*, which were miscellaneous imposts collected by landlords in addition to the basic rent. ‘Hathiana’ literally relates to elephants and might have been a tax for processions or ceremonies involving elephants, while ‘motorana’ would be a later tax related to motor vehicles owned by tenants or entering the village. These were examples of the arbitrary burdens placed upon peasants by zamindars.
– Zamindars in colonial India often extracted various cesses (abwabs) from their tenants beyond the legally stipulated rent.
– These cesses could be arbitrary and were a source of peasant exploitation.
– ‘Motorana’ and ‘hathiana’ are examples of such illegal or customary taxes levied by zamindars.
The collection of abwabs was a persistent grievance of peasants against zamindars and contributed to agrarian unrest in different parts of India. These cesses varied widely in name and nature across regions and time periods.