Correct answer: A. Land whose revenue went directly to the royal treasury
Explanation: Direct answer: Option A is correct. In the Mughal period, Khalisa land was land whose revenue was collected for the Mughal emperor and went directly to the royal treasury. To understand this from the beginning, remember that the Mughal state needed income to pay soldiers, officials and other expenses. Land revenue was a major source of this income. Some lands were assigned as jagirs, and a jagirdar collected revenue from them for maintaining himself and his obligations. Khalisa lands were different: they remained under the direct control of the central government, and their revenue was sent to the imperial treasury. Option A is correct because it gives this exact meaning. Option B is wrong because the word Khalisa in this question does not refer to the Sikh Khalsa community; it is an administrative revenue term used in the Mughal land system. Option C is wrong because Khalisa land was not automatically free from tax; its revenue was an important source of state income. Option D is wrong because Khalisa land was not defined as land belonging only to temples. The key contrast is direct imperial revenue collection versus revenue assignment through a jagirdar. Memory cue: Khalisa means land kept for the Khalsa-like central treasury in this context—revenue goes directly to the ruler, not to a jagirdar. This explanation matches the supplied answer, so the decision is pass.