InBangladesh,Pakistan and parts ofIndia, amouza ormauza (alsomouja) is a type of administrative district, corresponding to a specific land area within which there may be one or more settlements. Before the 20th century, the term referred to a revenue collection unit just underneath apargana orrevenue district.
The mauza system in the Indian Subcontinent is similar to themanorial system in Europe. The head of a mauza is styled as Mustajir, Pradhan or Mulraiyat, equivalent to Lord of the Manor in themanorial system.[1]
As populations increased and villages became more common and developed, the concept of the mouza declined in importance. Today it has become mostlysynonymous with thegram or village. Mostvoter lists, for example, now use the names of villages rather than mouzas.[2]
In contemporary Pakistan, a mouza is defined as "a territorial unit with a separate name, definite boundaries, and area precisely measured and divided into plots/khasras/survey numbers."[3] Each mouza has acadastral map maintained in the land revenue record and, except inSindh, each one has aHadabast Number.[3] A mouza may be either a compact or a scattered unit, and there may be one or more settlements (akaabadis, bastis,dhoks,goths, tola, turf, hundi etc.) in the mouza's territory.[3] A mouza may also be unpopulated.[3]
In Sindh, a mouza is known as adeh.[3]