Introduction:
The Mansabdari system was a Mughal Empire administration system instituted by Akbar in
1571. The word 'Mansab' comes from the Arabic word, which means rank or position. As a
result, Mansabdari was a system for ranking government officials and determining their civil
and military responsibilities as well as remuneration.
Under Jahangir and Shah Jahan, the administrative machinery and revenue structure built by
Akbar were retained with slight alterations. The mansabdari system, however, has undergone
significant adjustments.
Mansabdari system:
The Mughal Empire was split into Subas, which were subdivided further into Sarkars,
Parganas, and mandals, with villages serving as the lowest administrative level. During
Akbar's rule, there were 15 Subas (provinces). There were 12 provinces at first, which were
later divided into 15 provinces after the inclusion of three more provinces. Agra,
Ahmednagar, Allahabad, Ajmer, Awadh, Bihar, Bengal, Delhi, Kabul, Lahore, Multan,
Malwa, Berar, Khandesh, and Ahmedabad are some of the provinces.
Subedar was the Suba's executive officer, and he was nominated directly by the emperor for a
three-year term. Subedar was tasked with ensuring the people's and army's well-being. Diwan
was the chief of Suba's tax department, and he was selected by the emperor. The diwan kept a
Roznamcha (daily register) that had entries for the money put in the royal treasury by tax
officials and zamindars. The emperor appointed the Bakshi based on his mir Bakshi's advice.
He was in charge of inspecting and checking the horses and men maintained by
the mansabdars in the subas. A uniform postal service was established throughout the Empire
and at each Suba headquarters; dak-i-darogha was assigned to this task. The emperor's
confidential reports were given directly to him by Waqai navis and Waqai nigars. Faujdar
was the Sarkars' executive leader. He was tasked for protecting the lives and property of the
people who lived in the area under his control. Amalguzar was the most important revenue
collector. The Thana was a fortified area where the army was stationed to maintain law and
order. Thanedar was Thana's ruler.
The Shiqqdar served as the Pargana's executive officer and aided the amils in revenue
collection. At the Pargana level, the amil was in charge of income collection. All of the
records relating to the land in his area were held by the qanungos. The village was the lowest
level of government. The Muqaddam was the chief of the village. The Patwari was in charge
of keeping track of the village's revenue.
Prior to the Mansabdari system, during the reign of Babur, Wajahdari was a method of
governance in which all nobles were reasonable to the emperor. It was employed to manage
the state's affairs and was later modified as Mansabdari during Akbar's reign. The Mughal
rulers employed the Mansabdari grading system to determine a Mansabdar's position and
salary. They were nobility who held various posts in the Mughal Empire's administration.
The Mughal Emperor appointed and dismissed them. Akbar would not have been able to
expand his empire or maintain authority without a strong army. In order to accomplish this,
he needed to organise both his nobility and his army. Akbar was able to accomplish both of
these objectives because to the mansabdari system. Under this system, each officer was
assigned a rank (mansab). The lowest noble rank was ten, while the highest was 5000.
The Mansabdari system was a Mughal Empire administration system instituted by Akbar in
1571. The word 'Mansab' comes from the Arabic word, which means rank or position. As a
result, Mansabdari was a system for ranking government officials and determining their civil
and military responsibilities as well as remuneration.
Under Jahangir and Shah Jahan, the administrative machinery and revenue structure built by
Akbar were retained with slight alterations. The mansabdari system, however, has undergone
significant adjustments.
Mansabdari system:
The Mughal Empire was split into Subas, which were subdivided further into Sarkars,
Parganas, and mandals, with villages serving as the lowest administrative level. During
Akbar's rule, there were 15 Subas (provinces). There were 12 provinces at first, which were
later divided into 15 provinces after the inclusion of three more provinces. Agra,
Ahmednagar, Allahabad, Ajmer, Awadh, Bihar, Bengal, Delhi, Kabul, Lahore, Multan,
Malwa, Berar, Khandesh, and Ahmedabad are some of the provinces.
Subedar was the Suba's executive officer, and he was nominated directly by the emperor for a
three-year term. Subedar was tasked with ensuring the people's and army's well-being. Diwan
was the chief of Suba's tax department, and he was selected by the emperor. The diwan kept a
Roznamcha (daily register) that had entries for the money put in the royal treasury by tax
officials and zamindars. The emperor appointed the Bakshi based on his mir Bakshi's advice.
He was in charge of inspecting and checking the horses and men maintained by
the mansabdars in the subas. A uniform postal service was established throughout the Empire
and at each Suba headquarters; dak-i-darogha was assigned to this task. The emperor's
confidential reports were given directly to him by Waqai navis and Waqai nigars. Faujdar
was the Sarkars' executive leader. He was tasked for protecting the lives and property of the
people who lived in the area under his control. Amalguzar was the most important revenue
collector. The Thana was a fortified area where the army was stationed to maintain law and
order. Thanedar was Thana's ruler.
The Shiqqdar served as the Pargana's executive officer and aided the amils in revenue
collection. At the Pargana level, the amil was in charge of income collection. All of the
records relating to the land in his area were held by the qanungos. The village was the lowest
level of government. The Muqaddam was the chief of the village. The Patwari was in charge
of keeping track of the village's revenue.
Prior to the Mansabdari system, during the reign of Babur, Wajahdari was a method of
governance in which all nobles were reasonable to the emperor. It was employed to manage
the state's affairs and was later modified as Mansabdari during Akbar's reign. The Mughal
rulers employed the Mansabdari grading system to determine a Mansabdar's position and
salary. They were nobility who held various posts in the Mughal Empire's administration.
The Mughal Emperor appointed and dismissed them. Akbar would not have been able to
expand his empire or maintain authority without a strong army. In order to accomplish this,
he needed to organise both his nobility and his army. Akbar was able to accomplish both of
these objectives because to the mansabdari system. Under this system, each officer was
assigned a rank (mansab). The lowest noble rank was ten, while the highest was 5000.
