The Maratha claim of revenue for protection is known by what name? 1) Sardesh Mukhi 2) Chauth 3) Abwab 4) Jamadani

The answer is A (1 and 2): Sardeshmukhi and Chauth were both Maratha revenue claims, and they are the two that the Marathas levied on territories outside their direct administration.

• Chauth was one-fourth of the land revenue, demanded from neighbouring territories in return for not raiding them. It was essentially protection money.
• Sardeshmukhi was an additional 10 per cent over chauth, which Shivaji claimed as the hereditary right of the Bhonsle family as sardeshmukh of the Maratha region.
• Abwab is wrong as a Maratha term. It refers to miscellaneous cesses over the regular land revenue, found in the Sultanate and Mughal revenue system.
• Jamadani is wrong because it belongs to the Mughal-era revenue vocabulary, not to the Maratha claims.

The core concept is the Maratha fiscal system under Shivaji and the Peshwas, which was built on tributary claims rather than direct assessment. For Mains, this links to the decline of the Mughal fiscal machinery and to the consequences of the Maratha expansion.

Trap: Students often pick chauth alone, since it is the protection levy, and then choose option B because of the 2 and 3 pairing. The single-word definition of protection tax does not settle the question when two Maratha claims are listed.