Glossary

Glossary

ʻAlam: The ‘alam or standard could be awarded to a noble who had the
rank of 1000 and upwards. The „alam was conferred by being
placed on the shoulder of recipient and had to perform Kurnish
(or kneeling salutation), The Mughal Nobility Under
Aurangzeb, 141.
‘Āmil: Official incharge of both the assessment and collection of the
revenue, The Mughals and the Jogis of Jakhbār, 63.
‘Arzdāsht: Supplication, a petition or an official communication addressed
by a subordinate to his superiors, Land Revenue Administration
Under the Mughals, 5.
‘Arz-i-mukarrar: Confirmation of an order (for appointment, promotion etc.), by
reporting the order to the Emperor a second time, The Army of
Indian Moghals, 13&18.
‘Asa: A long stick or mace coated with thin plate of silver carried by
a personal attendant as a mark of rank,Wilson Glossary, 34.
Abwābs: Taxes imposed in addition to the regular assessment on the
land, Mughal Administration, 68-69.
Āhadi: Gentleman trooper, or soldier on a higher pay and status than
the ordinary and serving directly under the Emperor, The Later
Mughals, Vol. I, 259.
Amīn: Amīn literally means an umpire or arbitrator or trustee for
others. The essence of his office was to be an imperial umpire
between the state demanding revenue and individual ryots
paying it, Mughal Administration, 75.
Asnad-i-Ahkami diwani: Their purpose is supplement or confirms and verify royal
orders. They were issued by mujib-i-farmān of muvāfiqi farmān
(in accordance with the previous order of the Emperor), S.A.I.
Tirmizī, Medieval Indian Diplomatic, P.I.H.C, 1982, 215.

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Bakhshi-ul-Mamālik: Incharge of awarding mansab and checking mansabdārs‟
contingents through the dāgh system; and controller of
intelligence, Apparatus, XXV.
Bayutāt: Short for „dīwān-i-bayutāt’, an officer who registered the
property of deceased persons, in order to secure the payment of
dues of the state as to safeguard the property for their heirs,
Mughal Administration, 44-45.
Bigha: Bigha was equal to 60X60 yards, Land Revenue Administration
Under the Mughals, 56.
Chabutrā Kotwāli: Police office or station or platform, where criminals or their
severed heads were exposed to the public view, Mughal
Administration, 66-71.
Chaklā: A large division of a country, comprehending a number of
pargana, Wilson Glossary, 98.
Chauth: Maratha levy of ¼ exacted from the territories of the Mughal
provinces, Mughal Administration in Golconda, 218.
Dām: A small coin, the 40th part of a rupee, A comprehensive
Persian-English Dictionary, 499.
Dārogha: Superintendent of any department, A comprehensive Persian-
English Dictionary, 497.
Dārogha-i-dāk chauki: Superintendent of posts and intelligent, Selected Waqāʼīʻ of
the Deccan, III.
Dārogha-i-Peshkash: Officer incharge of receiving peshkash (gifts) made to
Emperor. The term peshkash included ceremonial offerings as
well as the levy of or annual tribute paid by the chiefs and
subordinate rulers, Cf. Apparatus, XXV.
Dārogh-i Topkhāna: Corresponding to Mīr Ātish chief of the Artillery, Apparatus,
XXV.
Dastur-ul-‘Amal: Schedule of cash revenue rates. Shireen Moosvi, „The
Evolution of the mansab‟ J.A.R.S, 1981, 173.
Diwān or Wazīr Wazir-i-Kul or Diwan-i Kul: Minister in charge of Imperial finance,
jāgīr assignment and revenue collection, Apparatus, XXV.
Faqīr: Mendicant, any poor or indigent person, Wilson Glossary, 155.

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Farmān: A royal order. This term is applied to every royal missive that
issued from the sovereign on the chancellery bearing the
imperial tughra and seal, S.A.I. Tirmizī, Medieval Indian
Diplomatic, P.I.H.C, 1982, 213.
Fasl: Section, division of book, A comprehensive Persian-English
Dictionary, 931.
Faujdār: Commandant of territory. Incharge of law and order,
Apparatus, XXI, XXV.
Faujdārī: Military command, Agrarian System of Mughal India, 181.
Fuzalā: Learned man, accomplished person, A comprehensive Persian-
English Dictionary, 932.
Gumashta: An agent of jagīrdār, specially appointed by Marathas for
collecting Chauth, Mughal Administration, 56.
Haft chauki: The patrol conducted by noblemen round the Emperor‟s
residence, one on each day of the week. The Army of Indian
Moghals, 189.
Hākim: A government officials; more especially it referred to the
Faujdār who combined the executive and judicial power in his
office, Land Revenue Administration Under the Mughals, 37.
Hāl-i-Hāsil: The actual realization of the revenues, Agrarian System of
Mughal India, 178.
Harkārā: Postal runner, a carrier of news, but really spy, who generally
brought oral news and at times also newsletters, Mughal
Administration, 61.
Hasbul hukms: Imperial orders issued through court officials or Minister,
S.A.I. Tirmizī, Medieval Indian Diplomatic, P.I.H.C, 1982,
215.
Hazārīs: A commander of thousand of gunmen and the name of the
captain of artillery, The later Mughals, Vol I, 410.
Humā: Phonix bird, a bird of fable, supposed to fly constantly in the air
without touching the ground, and looked upon as bird of happy
omen, A comprehensive Persian-Enghlish Dictionary, 1507.
Ijāra: Contract revenue farming to a person for specified period of
time or Ijāra constituted a sort of contract and implied the

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 farming out of the revenues of a mahal or more than mahal,
Land Revenue Administration Under Mughals, 92.
Ijāradār/Mustājir: Revenue farmer/contractor, Agrarian System of Mughal India,
234.
Inā‘m: Any payment, not linked to military obligation, often in the
form of a revenue free grant, is called inā‘m. Inā‘m grant, like
other similar grants, ordinary neither transferable nor
presumable, but Sultan/King/Emperor had right to cancel them.
„Imad-ul-Mulk Basir, Historical Dictionary of Medieval India,
78.
Jāgīrdār: Holder of any assignment of revenue, The Mughals and the
Jogis of Jakhbār, 69.
Jama: Literal meaning „gather together, aggregate, total. The
estimation of tax, income from all the sources income or the
expected net revenue, Land Revenue Administration Under
Mughals, 105.
Jizia: A payment by which the non-Muslims get exemption from
compulsory military service in the Islamic state. Originally this
applied to Christians and Jews, but later Zoroastrians in Iran
and Hindus in Sind were included, Historical Dictionary of
Medieval India, 82.
Julūs: Sitting, accession to the throne, Yasin‟s Glossary, f.84a.
Kalimāt: Akin to the proceeding one, the Kalimāt cannot note taken
down by the sovereign chiefly relating to some public affairs in
his own hand. They were later expanded into official orders,
S.A.I. Tirmizī, Medieval Indian Diplomatic, P.I.H.C, 1982,
215.
Kārkhāna: Workshop and store establishment, which produced articles
required for the royal household and court as well as for the use
of the armed retainer, Some Cultural Aspects of Muslim Rule in
India, 88.
Karkun: A clerk, a writer, manager of financial and revenue collection,
The Mughal nobility Under Aurangzeb, 82.

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Karoh: A measure of distance nearly equal to two miles, A Dictionary
of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English, 830.
Karori: Executive officer collector of revenue at khalisa, the Imperial
revenue establishment, Agrarian System of Mughal India, 275.
Khalisā/ Khalisā sharīfa: Land and sources of revenue reserved for the Imperial
treasury, Agrarian System of Mughal India, 259.
Khānazād: Literal meaning; those born of persons already slaves of the
Emperor, a primary claim on mansab was thought to vest in the
sons and close kinsman (khānazād) of those already in service,
Apparatus, XXI.
Khān-i-Sāmān: He was the head of Emperor‟s house hold department and
accompanied him during his journeys and campaigns. All the
personal servants of the Emperor were under this officer‟s
control, and he also supervised the Emperor‟s daily
expenditures, food, tent store etc, Mughal Administration, 22.
Khānqāh: A hospice or monastery where Sufis belonging to particular
order used to reside or assemble, Historical Dictionary of
Medieval India, 88.
Kharita: In the original Persian meaning a bag in which a letter was
kept, when sent to great person is enclosed, The later Mughals,
Vol I, 55.
Khatīb: A public speaker, an orator, a preacher, A comprehensive
Persian-English Dictionary, 439.
Khātimat: The end of anything, A comprehensive Persian-English
Dictionary, 437.
Khawāsī: A domestic servant, a page, attendants, usually the favourite or
confidential attendant on a person of rank, the place where one
sits behind a great man upon an elephant, Wilson Glossary,
284.
Khurāk-i-Dawwāb: This comprised a number of items, grouped together
collectively under khurāk-i-dawwāb (fodder for the beast)
originally it seems to have been merely an obligation to
maintain certain number of elephants, horses, camels and carts
belonging to the Emperor. The number was regulated according

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 to the zāt rank of the officer, The Mughal Nobility Under
Aurangzeb, 50.
Khush-manzil: An officer whose duty was to select good places for the
Emperor‟s halt during the marches; he fixed the limits of each
stage of the journey, Ma‘asir-i-ʻĀlamgīrī, Trs. Jadunath Sarkār,
327.
Khwāja Sarā: A domestic, a eunuch in the service of the king or princess who
has free ingress to all parts of the palace, A Dictionary of Urdu,
Classical Hindi and English, 494.

Kotwāl: Literally meaning the “portal of fort”, the term applied in

medieval India to the commandant or magistrate of township,
Historical Dictionary of Medieval India, 92.
Madad-i-Ma٬āsh: It is grant of means of subsistence in general, also assignment
of revenue for the support of learned or religious Muslim or the
benevolent institutions by the government, Wilson Glossary,
314.
Mahi marātib: Mahi-o-marātib, or fish standard, was introduced in the time of
Shāhjahān. The practice was borrowed from the rulers of
Deccan. The Mughal rulers confer it to person whom he
regarded worthy of highest honour. The mahi-marātib seems to
have become the highest honour of the Mughal Empire also,
and was not to be awarded to any noble below the rank of
7,000, The Army of Indian Moghals, 31.
Mansab: Numerical rank, the number assigned to a man during the
Mughal period; basic unit for determining status, pay, and
Military obligations. Cf. Shireen Moosvi, „The Evolution of
Mansab‟, J.R.A.S, No. 2, 1981, 173.
Mauzā/Deh: The primary unit of land revenue administration was the mauza
or village, Land Revenue Administration Under the Mughals, 9.
Mīr Tuzūk: Chief Marshal, an officer whose duty it is to preserve order in a
march or procession, The Reign of Muhammad Shāh, 287
Muchalka: A bond, promise, agreement, a note of hand, A Dictionary of
Urdu, Classical Hindi and English, 1005.

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Muftī: Muftī is urged to spend his days and night in reading books on
jurisprudence and reports of cases from which one can learn
precedents. The Muftī should train himself during his leisure
hours by copying learned legal decisions and discussion of
judicial principles from the authoritive text book, Mughal
Administration, 23-24.
Muhtasib: According to Muslim law, it is the King‟s duty to appoint an
inspector or censor of public morals, for regulating the lives of
the people in strict accordance with scriptural rules, Mughal
Administration, 25.
Muqaddama: Preface to a book, A comprehensive Persian-English
Dictionary,1292.
Mutasaddī: Clerk or general designation for official, but specially applied
to the customer of Ports of Cambay and Surat, Apparatus,
XXV.
Naubat: The naubat could be granted to a noble as a special favour. But
the recipient had to be a man of the rank of 2000 or above. It
was presumed that the recipient would never play the naqqarah
(kettle drum) when the Emperor was present, or within a
certain distance from the Emperor‟s residence, The Mughal
Nobility Under Aurangzeb, 141.
Nisār: Gift offered by the nobles to the Emperor, The Mughal Nobility
Under Aurangzeb, 144.
Nishān: It denotes a missive of a prince or princess or wife of a prince
and usually bears the tughra the sovereign in addition to that of
the grantor as against hukm which was crowned by the
trughra/unwan of the grantor only. S.A.I. Tirmizi, Medieval
Indian Diplomatic, P.I.H.C, 1982, 214.
Pargana: A district, a province a tract of country comprising many
villages, but of which several constitutes a Chakla or Zila; the
actual extent varies but the distinction is permanent, Wilson
Glossary, 402.

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Parwāna: An order issued by departmental heads such as dīwān-i-ʻāla or
Sadr-us-sudur endorsing a grant of Jāgīr or Madad-i-maʻash
land, an order issued by an officer to his subordinate, Land
Revenue Administration Under the Mughals, 5.
Peshkash: Fixed annual tribute; large present or cash offering, additional
to any revenues which the chief might have to pay to the court,
Agrarian System of Mughal India, 181, 184, 185, 289.
Qaulnāma and ahadnāma: A qaulnāma in the form of preliminary engagement seem
to be instrument to an „ahadnāma (treaty). S.A.I. Tirmizi,
Medieval Indian Diplomatic, P.I.H.C, 1982, 214.
Qāzī: A judicial officer, Qāzī was the judge in religious suits only and
tried them according to law, Mughal Administration, 22.
Rāhdārī: Transit duties, tolls and cesses exacted by the various
authorities controlling the routes, Agrarian System of Mughal
India, 67.
Sadr-us-sadur: The chief Civil Judge and Almoner, i.e., supervisor of the
religious endowments of the Emperor, Mughal Administration,
24.
Sarpech: An ornament of gold and silver or jewels generally placed in
front of turban, A comprehensive Persian-English Dictionary,
671.
Sazāwal: Persons deputed by the central government for the execution of
the orders, Yasin’s Glossary, f. 67b.
Sehbandi: Militia or irregular troops enlisted for the assisting in revenue
collection, Maʻasir-i-ʻĀlamgīrī, Trs. Jadunath Sarkār, 329.
Shāgird-pesha: Apprentice, Siyah Tasiha Mukam Lahore VS1733/1676
Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner.
Siyāh: An account book, The Mughals and the Jogis of Jakhbār, 138.
Subedār: This is and other designations such as nazim, hakim, sipahsālar
and sahib-i-suba were used for the Governor of suba,
Apparatus, XXVI.
Suwār: Trooper, additional men assigned to a mansabdār as a mark
distinction, The Army of Indian Moghals, 5 & 8.

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Swanih Nigars: Those who are called khufiya navises were appointed to reside
secretly in the subas and report news. They sent their reports
direct to the court without any communication with local
authorities, Selected Waqāʼīʻ of the Deccan, III.
Tabaqāt: Degrees or steps, stories, A comprehensive Persian-English
Dictionary, 809.
Takht-i-rawān: A travelling bed, a litter with poles like sedan chairs but borne
by mules, A comprehensive Persian-English Dictionary, 286.
Talab: The annual total pay claim, Habib Irfan, „Mansab Salary Scales
Under Jahangir and Shāhjahān‟, Islāmic Culture, July 1985,
Vol I. IX No.3. 203.
Tankhwāh-i- Jāgīr: A jagir assigned in lieu of the salary due to a mansabdār, The
Mughal Nobility Under Aurangzeb, 75.
Taqavi: Literal meaning; strength giving, loans made by the
government to cultivators, a term used in the Mughal
administration for advance for the cattle and for sinking wells,
The Mughals and the Jogis of Jakhbār, 97.
Tark: The pages are not marked numerically, but the last word of the
page is put at the beginning of the next page to mark the
continuity. This system was used in manuscripts as well as in
some of the old published work, Early Urdū Historiography,
93.
Thana: A military or police post, Mughal Administration in Golconda,
93.
Thanadār: An officer incharge of thana, an officer under the Faujdar
employed with small irregular force in protecting the country
and enforcing payment of the revenue, The Mughals and the
Jogis of Jakhbār, 179.
Topkhāna: The artillery department which included not only fire arms but
also muskets and rockets whether handled by horsemen or
infantry, Ma‘asir-i-Alamgiri, Trs. Jadunath Sarkar, 329.
Tuman: A unit of 10,000 was called a tuman, The Mughal Nobility
Under Aurangzeb, 38.

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‘Ulamā: Learned man, scholars, Mughal Administration in Golconda,
57.
Wālā-shāhī: The household troops or men raised and paid by the Emperor
out of his privy purse, The Army of Indian Moghals, 40.
Waqainavis: News reporter/writer or official entrusted with sending reports
of all public business and other news. Usually the provincial
waqainavis sent his report to an officer of the court named the
Dārogha of dāk chauki who handed them unopened to Mir
Bakhshi for submission to the Emperor. The reports drafted by
the waqainavis were first communicated to the subedār before
being despatched to the Dārogha of Dāk Chauki, Selected
Waqāʼīʻ of the Deccan, III.
Watan Jāgīr: The chiefs who obtained mansabs or ranks in their ancestral
dominions were known as their watan where they remained
with their family, The Mughal Nobility Under Aurangzeb, 79.
Wujuhāt: Cess, tax other than land revenue, The Mughals and Jogis of
Jakhbār, 69.
Yāddāsht: A note or memorandum, memorial, Wilson Glossary, 558.
Yarāq: Arms, weapons, A Dictionary of Urdu Classical Hindi and
English, 1250.
Zamīndār: Persian compound meaning holder of land used for any person
with any hereditary claims to a direct share in the peasants‟
produce, Land Revenue Administration Under the Mughals, 30.
Zāt: Personal rank of the mansabdār, as distinct from his suwār or
trooper rank, The Army of Indian Moghals, 5.

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