This paper attempts a comparative analysis of agricultural wages in various Indian states from the agricultural year 1970-71 to 1984-85. The author first discusses the data sources and the methodology followed. Thereafter he proceeds to the main findings on the movement of wages over time, their dispersion across states and gender groups within the agricultural labour force. In the second part of the study there is an attempt to explain temporal movements and spatial and gender disparities observed in the wage rates.