ASSIGNMENT – History-I

SUBJECT CODE: BA LLB 107

TOPIC – Mughal Administration

Department of Law Trinity Institute of

Professional Studies

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Assistant Prof. Ms. Rashima Sharma Bhumika Bisht
Roll No. 70327903823 BA LLB 2023-2028
Semester: I Subject: History-I

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 ACCKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have contributed to the completion
of this assignment.

First and foremost, I extend my deepest appreciation to my professor, Ms. Rashima Sharma, for
her invaluable guidance and unwavering support throughout the duration of this project.

I am also grateful for the support and resources provided by Trinity Institute of Professional
Studies. The conducive academic environment has played a crucial role in the successful
completion of this assignment.

Finally, I am grateful to my family members, classmates and friends for proofreading my work
and catching several errors.

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 INDEX
S.No Particulars Page No.
1. Introduction to Mughal Dynasty 4
2. The Great Mughal Emperors 5-7
3. Administrative System Under The Akbar 8

4. Central Administration 8-10

5. Provincial Administration 10

6. Land Revenue Administration 11

7. Mansabdari system 12
8. 13
Jagirdari System
9. Religious Policies Of Akbar 13-14
10. Akbar’s Navratnas 14

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Mughal Dynasty [1526-1857]

The Mughals were a powerful and culturally rich dynasty that ruled over much of the Indian
subcontinent from the early 16th to the mid-19th century. The Mughal dynasty was notable for
its more than two centuries of effective rule over much of India; for the ability of its rulers, who
through seven generations maintained a record of unusual talent; and for its administrative
organization. A further distinction was the attempt of the Mughals, who were Muslims,
to integrate Hindus and Muslims into a united Indian state.

The empire was founded by the Mongol leader Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi,
the last of the Afghan Lodi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat, where they used gunpowder for
the first time in India.

Notable rulers like Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan contributed to its cultural, architectural, and
economic prosperity The Mughal Empire is known as a “gunpowder empire.” The word
"Mughal" is the Indo-Aryan version of "Mongol." Babur was a descendant of Chingis Khan. The
Mughals retained aspects of Mongol culture well into the sixteenth century, such as the
arrangement of tents around the royal camp during military maneuvers. The religion of Mughals
was Islam.

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 1. Babur (AD 1526-1530)
 The very first Mughal emperor and the founder of the Mughal emperor Babur brought
gunpowder to India
 He is known for defeating:
 Ibrahim Lodhi in the First Battle of Panipat (AD 1526)
 Rana Sanga (Sangram Singh) at battle of Khanwa
 Medini Rai of Chenderi at Battle of Chanderi (AD 1528)
 Mahmud Lodi at Battle of Ghagra (AD 1529)
 Babur wrote Tuzuk-i-Baburi in Turkish language
 The first Mughal emperor declared Jehad and adopted the title Ghazi
 Babur died in 1530 and was buried at Aram Bagh (Agra). Late, his body was taken to Bagh-e-
Babun (Kabul)

2. Humayun (AD 1530-1556)

 Babur’s son, Humayun, built Dinpanah at Delhi as his second capital
 Humayun fought two battles with Sher Shah Suri and was ultimately deafeated:
o Battle of Chausa (AD 1539)
o Battle of Kannauj (AD 1540)
 The second great Mughal emperor passed 15 years in exile and again invaded India in 1555 with
the help of his officer Bairam Khan
 Humayun died in AD 1556 falling from the stairs of his library building
 Humayun-nama was written by his half-sister Gulbadan Begum

3. Akbar (AD 1556-1605)

 Humayun’s officer Bairam Khan crowned 13-year-old Akbar as the third Mughal emperor
 He defeated Hemu at the Second Battle of Panipat (AD 1556) with the help of Bairam Khan
 Akbar conquered:
 Malwa (AD 1561) after defeating Baz Bahadur followed by Garh-Katanga (ruled by Rani
Durgawati)

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  Chittor (AD 1568)
 Ranthambhor and Kalinjar (AD 1569)
 Gujarat (AD 1672)
 Mewar (AD 1576) in the Battle of Haldighati after defeating Rana Pratap
 Kashmir (AD 1586)
 Sindh (AD 1593)
 Asirgarh (AD 1603)
 Buland Darwaza was contructed at Fatehpur Sikri after Akbar’s victory over Gujarat in AD 1572
 Akbar discouraged the practice of Sati and encouraged widow remarriage
 Akbar was married to Harkha Bai, daughter of Rajpur ruler Bharmal
 Ralph Fitch was the first Englishman to visit Akbar’s court in AD 1585
 The third Mughal emperor introduced a land revenue system called Todar Mal Bandobast or
Zabti system, through his finance minister Raja Todar Mal, wherein the classification of land and
fixation of rent was introduced
 He also introduced the Mansabdari System or the rank-holder system to organise the nobility and
army
 The Navratnas or the nine famous intellectuals of Akbar’s court were Todar Mal, Abul Fazal,
Faizi, Birbal, Tansen, Abdur Rahim Khana-i-Khana, Mullah-do-Pyaza, Raja Man Singh, and
Fakir Aziao-Din

4. Jahangir (AD 1605-1627)

 Akbar's son Jahangir executed the fifth Sikh Guru, Arjun Dev
 His greatest political failure was the loss of Kandahar to Persia in AD 1622
 The fourth Mughal emperor Mehr-un-Nisa in AD 1611 and conferred the titles of Nur Jahan on
her
 Jahangir established Zanjir-i-Adal at Agra Fort for those who sought royal justice
 Captain Hawkins and Sir Thomas Roe visited his court
 A few famous painters in Jahangir’s court were Abdul Hassan, Ustad Mansur, and Bishandas

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 5. Shah Jahan (AD 1628-1658)
 Jahangir’s son, Shah Jahan annexed Ahmednagar while Bijapur and Golconda accepted him as
their overlord
 Shah Jahan secured Kandahar in AD 1639
 Shah Jahan’s court was visited by two Frenchmen Bernier and Tavernier, and an Italian
adventurer Manucci
 Apart from the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan also built the Moti Mahal in Agra, and the Red Fort and
Jama Masjid in Delhi
 Shah Jahan’s reign is considered the Golden Age of the Mughal empire

6. Aurangzeb (Alamgir) (AD 1658-1707)

 Shah Jahan’s son and the last seriously notable Mughal emperor Aurangzeb secured the Mughal
throne after a brutal war of succession with his brothers Dara, Shuja and Murad
 Aurangzeb issued a Royal Firman against Sati (in AD 1664 or 1666) and also gave a death
penalty to those forcing widows to be burnt
 He was called Darvesh or a Zinda Pir
 He faced several rebellions during his rule, namely from the Jat Peasantry at Mathura, the
Satnami Peasantry in Punjab, and the Bundelas in Bundelkhand
 The annexation of Marwar in AD 1658 led to a serious rift between Rajput and Mughals after the
death of Raja Jaswant Singh
 Aurangzen conquered Bijapur (AD 1686) and Golconda (AD 1687) and re-imposed Jaziya in
AD 1679
 Aurangzeb built Biwi ka Makbara on the tomb of his queen Rabaud-Durani at Aurangbad, Moti
Mahal within Red Fort at Delhi, and the Jami or Badshahi Mosque at Lahore 1

1
https://www.indiatoday.in/

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Administrative System Under The Akbar

The Mughal administration was the most organized and long lasting and has even carried on to
the modern times. The reason for this stability was the long lasting (more than three centuries)
rule of the Mughal Sultanate. Akbar was the architect of this system. The Mughal administration
did carry forward a lot of traditions prevailing in the political and administrative life of the
Mauryan rulers. But, as compared to the Mauryan rulers, they preferred greater centralization
and a rigid structure and did not pay much attention to the social aspects like health and also
ethics in public life, which were areas of special concern for the Mauryan kings. The Mughal
emperor was all powerful and administration was much centralized. The king symbolized the
state and was the source and centre of all power and authority.

Central Administration

The kings or emperors were the central authority of the Mughal administration. The king had a
number of ministers to advice and assist in the discharge of functions. Out of them the four
important ones were the ‘Diwan,’ who was in charge of revenue and finance, ‘Mir Bakshi,’ as
the head of military department, ‘Mir Saman,’ who was in charge of factories and stores, and
‘Sadr-us-Sudhar,’ who was the head of the ecclesiastical and judicial departments. Though the
king was absolutely free to make laws for the country but this could not be sans the Quran law .

The Emperor
The Emperor was in charge of all governmental functions, including the military and the
judiciary. All officers in the Mughal administration owed the Emperor their authority and status.
The Emperor had the power to nominate, elevate, and dismiss officials as he pleased. The
Emperor was not under any institutional or other pressure. A few departments were established
to ensure the empire operated without a problem.

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Diwan
The Diwan was appointed by the Sultan and he assisted the Subedar in running the
administration of the provinces. During the initial period of the Mughal rule, this office was
considered, as parallel to that of Subedar. However, the former did not enjoy equal rights, as of
his counterpart. The Diwan looked after the income and expenditure part of the provincial
administration and made provisions for collection of revenue.

Wazir
The position of the wazir was revived under the mughals under whom various heads of
departments functioned. He was the principle link between the rulers and the administration. The
Wazir of Babur and Humayun held considerable authority. It was during Bairam Khan's (1556–
60) reign as Akbar's regent that the wakil–Wazir, a person with unrestricted power, rose to
prominence. Afterwards, Akbar removed Wazir's financial authority in an effort to limit his
power. This made a significant decline in Wazir's power.

Mir Bakshi
All administrative issues relating to the military were handled by Mir Bakshi. He was an
important officer under the Mughal administration. He approved and endorsed the mansabdar
appointment orders and their salary papers. He kept a close eye on the mansabdars' maintenance
of the authorised number of armed contingents and military equipment. The Mir Bakshi
introduced the new entrants seeking employment to the Emperor.

Mir Saman
The officer in command of the royal Karkhanas was known as the Mir Saman. For the royal
household, he was in charge of handling all kinds of purchases and their storage. He was also
tasked with overseeing the production of various items for the royal household.

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Sadr-us Sudur

The religious division in the Mughal administration was under the direction of Sadr-us Sudur.
His main responsibility was to uphold Sharia law. Distribution of allowances and stipends to
deserving individuals and religious organisations was handled by the office of the Sadr. The first
25 years of Akbar's rule made this job exceedingly lucrative. Mahzar was promulgated in 1580,
which limited his power. In disagreements among religious academics, Akbar's viewpoint was to
take precedence. The revenue-free grants made for religious and philanthropic reasons were
likewise governed by this officer. Eventually, a number of limitations were imposed on the
Sadr's ability to provide grants that were independent of revenue.2

Provincial Administration
The Province was further divided into districts, also known as ‘sarkars.’ The following were the
personnel, who were looking after different functions at the different levels:

2
https://testbook.com/

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Land Revenue Administration
In the beginning, Akbar followed the policy of land revenue initiated by Sher Shah. During the
reign of Sher Shah, average value was determined by measuring agricultural land. It was
determined on the average production of produce. Later on Akbar felt that it needed a lot of time
to fix market price. It was also a cause of worry for peasants. That’s why Akbar again started
policy of yearly assumption.
Determination of Tax : Akbar followed following policies for fixing land revenue:

(a) Zabti System : This policy was the creation of Raja Todar Mal. Under this system of
revenue, tax was fixed by measuring the land. This system was implemented in Gujarat, Lahore,
Malwa, Allahabad etc.
(b) Ten Years System : This system was a developed form of Zabti system. According to this,
average of last ten years of production of crops and their value was taken out. One third of that
average produce was taken as revenue. This revenue could have been taken in the form of cash
or produce.
(c) Batai or Galla Bakshi System: In this system whole of the total produce was divided in the
definite proportion among peasant and the state. Honest officials were required for the success of
this system.
(d) Nasak or Kankut System : Record of agriculture tax was kept in this system.
(ii) Measurement of Land : During the reign of Akbar, land was measured with a proper
method. With this state the peasant came to know about how much they will have to pay and
how much revenue will be collected for the state.
(iii) Keeping in mind the fertility of the soil : Fertility of the soil was always kept in mind
while determining land revenue. That land was called as ‘Polaj’ which was cultivated every year
and that land was called as ‘Parauti’ which was not cultivated every year. All in all tax was fixed
on the basis of the fertility and the produce.
(v) Facilities of Peasants : Special facilities were also given to peasants in case of famine or
drought. They were given certain facilities in paying taxes in case of natural calamity. They were
also given loans for tools, implements and animals.

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 Mansabdari system
The Mansabdari system was the administrative system introduced by Akbar in Mughal Empire
during 1571. The word ‘Mansab’ is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. Hence,
Mansabdari was a system of ranking the government officials and determined their civil &
military duties, along with their renumerations.

There were three broad categories of the division of the Mansabdars:

 Mansabdar: Official allotted a zat of mansab less than 500

 Amir: Official allotted a mansab of 500-2500
 Amir-i-umda: Official allotted a mansab higher than 2500

During Akbar’s reign, the lowest rank allotted was 10, and the highest was that of 10,000. The
highest rank was exclusively for prince Jahangir. Later, Akbar raised the mansab to 12,000.
Under the Mughals after Akbar, the highest mansab rose gradually to 40,000 and lasted up to
50,000 during the rule of Aurangzeb.

Two subdivisions of the mansab

1. Zat: Personal rank. The salary was based on the zat assigned to the mansabdar.
2. Sawar: Cavalry rank. Required the mansabdar to maintain the cavalry according to the rank
assigned, including the horses as well.

Akbar had recruited around 1,803 mansabdars, which rose to 14,499 by the time of Aurangzeb.
Akbar had 29 mansabdars with a mansab of 5,000 zat, whereas Aurangzeb had 79 mansabdars of
the same mansab and zat.

Now, based on the zat and sawar, there were three categories of the mansabdars:

 First-class Mansabdar: No. of zat = No. of sawar

 Second-class Mansabdar: ½ the no. of zat = No.of sawar
 Third-class Mansabdar: ½ the no. of zat > No.of sawar

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 There were two methods of salary payment of the mansabdars are:

1. Naqdi: Salary when received directly through cash payments ‘Naqd’.

2. Jagir: Salaries were based on the revenue collections from the ‘Jagirs’ (land areas). The
mansabdars who were assigned jagirs were known as ‘Jagirdars’. It is also called the Jagirdari
system.

Jagirdari System
The jagirs were the fixed pieces of land allotted to the jagirdars, from which they were entitled to
collect revenue and other taxes imposed by the authorities, which were appointed by the
emperor. The revenue collection from a jagir was handed over to the assigned jagirdar, however,
with the deduction of the same amount from his salary.

The jagir was not hereditary in nature, and after the death or dismissal of a mansabdar, his assets,
including the jagirs and wealth, were taken over by the state. The mansabdars were liable for
transfers, as no mansabdar was entitled to hold on a jagir for a long time period.

It needs to be kept in mind that the jagirdars were only entitled to collect revenues from the
assigned jagir. They had no rights over the land allotted to them.

Religious Policies Of Akbar

Akbar pursued a policy of religious tolerance and is remembered as the ruler who brought
patients from different walks of life together and kept all faiths in high esteem. He wanted to
bridge that gap amongst hindus and muslims, so he created “din-i-ilahi,” a completely new
religion that combined elements from both religions. Some of the reasons for Akbar’s popularity
as a “secular ruler” include:

 His instructor Abdul Latif’s thoughts, and also Sufi economic ideology, inspired Akbar
greatly. He became accepting of Hinduism and other cultures and religion as a consequence of
his union to Hindu princesses.
 He treated all of his subject’s topics fairly without any prejudice, and he also gave hindus
higher-ranking positions.

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 He repealed the “jizya,” a levy imposed on non-Muslims.
 Each and every subject in his kingdom was granted the right to choose the religious belief of
their own choice during his rule. He also put an end to the tradition of forcing non-Muslims to
convert to Islam.
 He created a new religion named “din-i-ilahi,” which combined elements from all religions.
 The Ibadat Khana, built by Akbar in Fatehpur Sikri in 1575, was a meeting place where people
of various faiths were invited and welcomed.
 Akbar also founded “Sulh-i-kul” as the emperor’s stated doctrine. This policy advocated fair
justice for all subjects and prohibited religious discrimination.

Akbar’s Navratnas
Navratnas is a group of nine extraordinary people. The Navratnas or the nine famous
intellectuals of Akbar’s court and their details are tabled below:

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 Bibliography

 www.testbook.com
 www.jagranjosh.com
 www.unacademy.com
 www.medium.com
 www.byjus.com
 Ancient and Medieval History by Poonam Dalal

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