A historical district or administrative division in India, particularly during British colonial rule, used for tax collection and governance.
From Hindi/Urdu sircar, derived from Persian sarkar, meaning 'chief, leader, or government.' The term became standardized in British colonial India to describe territorial administrative units.
The British took an Indian administrative concept and formalized it into a rigid system—the circar became a way to reorganize Indian governance into geometric boxes on a map, which actually changed how Indians thought about territory and belonging.
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