A Village Accountant or Karanam (Andhra Pradesh), Patwari (Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana, West Bengal), Patowary (Assam), Talati (Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra), Lekhpal (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand) is a government role in rural areas of the Indian subcontinent. Introduced during the early 16th century, it was maintained by the British Raj. The official, as a representative of the state, is responsible for keeping land records, agricultural records and collecting taxes and acting as the revenue police in certain areas where they were given special jurisdiction.