Mridha

A mridha (Bengali: মৃধা) is a first class commander of armed men under the employ of a zamindar (landlord) in pre British period, used as security guards, against uncooperative tenants, and against the forces of other zamindars in land disputes. During the mughal era it is considered that a part of Mridha were the elite class archers of mughal archery unit who lived around and within the parts of Dhaka , Tangail , Bikrampur and Pirojpur.^[1]^[2]

^ Chatterjee, Partha (2002). A Princely Impostor?: The Strange and Universal History of the Kumar of Bhawal. Princeton University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-691-09031-3. Most of the larger zamindari establishments consisted of a considerable number—sometimes half or more of all estate employees—of armed men, called jamadar, mridha, peyada, paik, and so on, who were used against recalcitrant tenants.
^ Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Lathial". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

[1] Chatterjee, Partha (2002). A Princely Impostor?: The Strange and Universal History of the Kumar of Bhawal. Princeton University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-691-09031-3. Most of the larger zamindari establishments consisted of a considerable number—sometimes half or more of all estate employees—of armed men, called jamadar, mridha, peyada, paik, and so on, who were used against recalcitrant tenants.

[2] Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Lathial". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

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