The Mughal village headman was called muqaddam or:

1. The panchayat was headed by the muqaddam or mandal. 2. Elders chose him, the zamindar ratified. 3. The patwari kept the accounts. _Source: syllabus Themes in Indian History Part II, Theme 8, Peasants, Zamindars and the State: Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire._