Faujdar ,Kotwal

Faujdar was a title awarded by Mughal and other Muslim rulers in South Asia to garrison commanders.

In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but did not refer to a specific rank. With the administrative reforms performed by Mughalemperor Akbar, this rank was systemised. The empire as a whole was divided into provinces known as subah, which were further divided into sarkars, and then parganas. One of the names used to describe the officer posted to act as the administrator of the sarkar was faujdar.

Faujdar is mostly used as a title by Jat gotras such as Sogarwar, Chahar, Sinsinwar, Kuntal throughout Northern India and Pakistan. Fouzder title is also found in Bangladesh specially in the Hindu Kshatriya community of Khulna division. Varman/Barman/Varma was their main title.Some say that they are descendant of the General of army of Nawab Alivardi Khan. There is still many example of Varman dynasty in Sylhet division.There is also a cadet college,Fouzderhat Cadet College in Chittagong.

Kotwal was a title used in medieval India for the leader of a Kot or fort. Kotwals often controlled the fort of a major town or an area of smaller towns on behalf of another ruler. It was similar in function to a British India Zaildar  From Mughal times the title was given to the local ruler of a large town and the surrounding area. However, the title is also used for leaders in small villages as well. Kotwal has also been translated as Chief police officer.



 Zaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages. 

A Zaildar was more influential than a lambardar (village headman) because a Zail included many villages under it. Zaildars represented the Chaudharis of the former times and were hand picked by the deputy commissioner only after consideration of 'caste' or 'tribe', local influence, extent of landholding, services rendered to the state by him or his family, and lastly personal character and ability. 

Zaildars were essentially revenue collectors and village level representatives of the colonial state who enjoyed remuneration for their duties, life grants equal to one per cent, of the revenue of their zails from the assessment of any single village that they chose. 

In addition to these life inams, or grants, there were some safedposhi grants of a semi-hereditary nature enjoyed by some of the leading agricultural families. They were semi-hereditary because one of the conditions of the grant was that on the death of an incumbent, his successor should, if possible, be a member of the same family.  If, however, there was no fit member of the same family, the grant could be awarded to some deserving lambardar of the same tribe, who was not already in the enjoyment of such a grant. 

The position was quite important as it extended the influence of the colonial state right into the villages.