Zaildar

Zaildar was the title of the grand jagirdars (landlords) of the area, who were in charge of a Zail which was an administrative unit of group of villages during the British Indian Empire. The Settlement Officer, with the advice of the Deputy Commissioner, was responsible for appointing Zaildars from amongst the men of the tribe or the area, thus reinforcing his preexisting social authority with the official sanction as the representative of the government. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 40 and 100 villages.^{: p xxv} Each village was headed by the Lambardar who was assisted by the Safedposh Zamindars (influential landlords or white collar gentry) of the village. Zaildars were the revenue-collecting officers and were also responsible for maintaining law and order. The Lambardar and Safedposh assisted the Zaildar. The Zaildar in turn assisted the Deputy Commissioner. The Zaildar was more influential than the Lambardar (village head) because a Zail included several villages.