In respect to Balutedars, which of the statements given below are correct? 1. They were village servants and artisans. 2. They were employed by individual peasant family. 3. They existed in the Medieval Deccan and Maharashtra. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Balutedars were a group of village servants and artisans who played a crucial role in the rural economy of Medieval Deccan and Maharashtra [4]. They provided essential services such as carpentry, blacksmithing, and pottery to the village community [1]. While they were integral to the village structure, they were not employed by individual peasant families; instead, they served the village as a single territorial unit [1]. In return for their communal services, they were compensated with a share of the harvest (baluta) or hereditary land grants known as watan or miras, which were sanctioned by the village panchayat rather than individual contracts. This system emphasized socio-economic interdependence within the Maratha administrative and social framework [4]. Therefore, statements 1 and 3 are correct, while statement 2 is incorrect as their service was communal, not individual.

Sources

1. [2] https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/103502/1/Unit-18.pdf
2. [4] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The Marathas > Village Administration > p. 235
3. [1] https://hit-u.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2048341/files/HJeco0120200140.pdf