Mughal Administration & Nobles
- Anupam Dixit
- Dec 7, 2018
- 2 min read
Imperial Officials at center:
The Mughal nobility :
The nobility was recruited from diverse ethnic and religious groups. Why? {Question}
This ensured that no faction was large enough to challenge the authority of the state. The officer corps of the Mughals was described as a bouquet of flowers (guldasta) held together by loyalty to the emperor.
In Akbar’s imperial service, Turani and Iranian nobles were present from the earliest phase of carving out a political domination. Many had accompanied Humayun, others migrated later to the Mughal court.
Two ruling groups of Indian origin entered the imperial service from 1560 onward:
The Rajputs : The first to join was a Rajput chief, Raja Bharmal Kachhwaha of Amber, to whose daughter Akbar got married.
The Indian Muslims (Shaikhzadas).
Members of Hindu castes : Hindus inclined towards education and accountancy were also promoted, a famous example being Akbar’s finance minister, Raja Todar Mal, who belonged to the Khatri caste.
Iranians gained high offices under Jahangir, whose politically influential queen, Nur Jahan (d. 1645), was an Iranian. Aurangzeb appointed Rajputs to high positions, and under him the Marathas accounted for a sizeable number within the body of officers.
Council of Ministers :
There were Three important ministers at the center: the diwan-i ala, (finance minister), The Mir Bakshi ( Military and Information ) and sadr-us sudur (minister of grants or madad-i maash, and in charge of appointing local judges or qazis).
The three ministers occasionally came together as an advisory body or the council of Ministers, but were independent of each other. Akbar with these and other advisers shaped the administrative, fiscal and monetary institutions of the empire.
Information and empire: office of the Mir Bakshi:
The keeping of exact and detailed records was a major concern of the Mughal administration. The Mir bakshi supervised the works of court writers (waqia nawis) who recorded all applications and documents presented to the court, and all imperial orders (farman). In addition, agents (wakil) of nobles and regional rulers recorded the entire proceedings of the court under the heading “News from the Exalted Court” (Akhbarat-i Darbar-i Mualla) with the date and time of the court session (pahar पहर).
News reports and important official documents travelled across the length and breadth of the regions under Mughal rule by imperial post. Round-the-clock relays of foot-runners (qasid or pathmar ) carried papers rolled up in bamboo containers.
The emperor received reports from even distant provincial capitals within a few days.
The empire was connected by a surprisingly rapid information loop for public news.
Beyond the Centre : Provincial Administration:
The division of functions established at the centre was replicated in the provinces (subas) where the ministers had their corresponding subordinates (provincial diwan, bakhshi and sadr).
The head of the provincial administration was the governor (subedar) who reported directly to the emperor.
The sarkars, into which each suba was divided, fell under the jurisdiction of faujdars (commandants) who were deployed with contingents of heavy cavalry and musketeers in districts.
The local administration : was looked after at the level of the pargana (sub-district) by three semi-hereditary officers, the qanungo (keeper of revenue records), the chaudhuri (in charge of revenue collection) and the qazi
Each department of administration maintained a large support staff of clerks, accountants, auditors, messengers,
Persian was made the language of administration throughout, but local languages were used for village accounts.
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