Feudalism in India in the context of Burdwan (feudal estate)

Samanta (Sanskrit: सामंत, IAST: Sāmanta) was a title or position used in the Indian subcontinent primarily from the 4th to the 12th century CE to denote a feudal lord, vassal, or tributary chief. The Sankrit root roughly translates to "neighbor". The institution is considered to be closely associated with the origin and growth of feudalism in ancient and medieval India. Such offices as zamindar, jagirdar, and mansabdar, among others, may be considered rough equivalents to the Samanta in the latter history of India.

The institution is known to have existed prior to the Gupta period, though details are vague. A Pallava inscription dating to the time of Santivarman (455–470 CE) uses the term Sāmanta-Chudamanayaha ("best among feudatories"). The term "Samanta" in South India usually referred to a vassal to a king or emperor. In North India, the earliest use of the term in a similar sense was in Bengal in the Barabar Hill Cave Inscription of the Maukhari Chief, Anantavarman (dated 6th century CE).

The Varendra rebellion (also known as the Kaivarta revolt) was the revolt against King Mahipala II led by Kaivarta chieftain Divya (Dibyak), a feudal lord of Northern Bengal. The Kaivartas were able to capture Varendra by this rebellion. The revolt might have been the first peasant revolt in Indian history. However, the first phase of the revolt would more appropriately be described as a rebellion of feudal lords (samantas), who would have mobilized the peasants, and the last phase of the revolt was a spontaneous mass uprising.