Mansabdari System Explained in Laymans Terms
Mansabdari System Explained in Laymans Terms
Mansabdari System Explained in Laymans Terms
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Table of Contents
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Iqtadari vs Mansabdari (Jagirdari)
The number of Mansabdars during Mugal Rule
The fall of Manasabdari System
Mansabdari System: Terms which you should understand
Mansabdari System: Summary
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For ease of learning, let’s start with a quick comparison – which will help you understand
the concept.
You know about the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in independent India. One
of their postings is as collectors. They are in charge of revenue administration at the
district level.
You can compare the collectors of the modern era with the Mansabdars of the Mughal
era.
Both IAS officers and Mansabdars are government officials – part of the administrative
(bureaucratic) framework.
However, the functions of Mansabdars not only include civil work but also military work.
A person wishing to join the royal service had to petition through a noble, who presented
a tajwiz to the emperor.
If the applicant was found suitable a mansab (rank) was granted to him.
Higher mansabs were given to princes and Rajput rulers who accepted the suzerainty of
the emperor.
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What does the term ‘Mansab’ denote?
The term ‘Mansab’ denotes the rank (position) of a Mughal military officer.
Higher the Mansab, higher the salary, status, and position of the officer.
However later, the rank of mansabdar came to be denoted by two numbers – Zat and
Sawar.
The ‘Sawar’ refered to cavalary men Mansabdar had to maintain. Mansabdar also had to
keep horses ready.
Zat vs Sawar
Zat — Denote the rank in the administration
Zat — Denote the Salary of the Mansabdar
Sawar — Denote the number of cavalry men Mansabdar had to maintain.
Note: Even if the Sawar rank was higher, the mansabdar’s position in the official hierarchy
would not be affected. It will be decided only by the Zat rank.
For example, a mansabdar with 5000 Zat and 2000 Sawar was higher in rank than a
Mansabdar of 4000 Zat and 3000 Sawar.
However, there were exceptions to this rule particularly when the mansabdar was serving
in a difficult terrain.
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Amir: Those mansabdars whose rank was 1000 or below were called Amir.
Great Amir: Those mansabdars above 1,000 were called Amir-al Kabir (Great Amir).
Amir of Amirs: Some great Amirs whose ranks were above 5,000 were also given
the title of Amir-al Umara (Amir of Amirs).
Those Mansabdars who were paid through land (Jagirs) were called Jagirdars.
It is to be remembered that it is not land that was assigned but only the right to collect
revenue or income from the piece of land.
No mansabdar could hold on to the said Jagir for a long term as they were liable for
transfer. Mansabdars were not supposed to accumulate their salaries and wealth. After
the death of a mansabdar, all his jagirs and wealth was confiscated. As a result,
Mansabders used to spend lavishly. In short, they had no option but to spoil their earning.
It was under the regime of Akbar when Mansabdari system became the basis of military
and civil administration.
Note: The Delhi Sultanate (The Khalji and the Tughlaq monarchs) too appointed military
commanders as governers of territories. These land were called the Iqta and the
landholders were called Iqtadars or the muqti. Most of the Muqti stayed in their Iqta unlike
Jagirdars.
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The Iqtadari system was used by the Delhi Sultans, while Mansabdari was used by
Mughal rulers.
While Iqtedari system was in force, the whole land of the Empire was divided into
two parts – one which belonged to Iqtedars and the other which belonged to the
emperor. But in Jagirdari, the whole land belonged to the Emperor.
Itqadar was the officer in charge of the revenue collection and distribution. Jagirdar
had law and order responsibility in addition to the revenue collection.
Most of the Muqti stayed in their Iqta, unlike Jagirdars.
Initially, ‘Iqta’ was a revenue-yielding piece of land which was assigned in lieu of
salary – just like ‘Jagir’. However, Iqtadari system became hereditary in its later
days whereas the Mansabdari system was never hereditary.
Mansabdar was a royal officer in charge of revenue collection and law and order
duties – who was paid salary either as cash or as land. He used to deduct his own
cut before sending the remaining share to the emperor.
In Akbar’s reign, there were 29 mansabdars with a rank of 5,000 zat; by Aurangzeb’s
reign the number of mansabdars with a zat of 5000 had increased to 79.
The increase of the number of Mansabdars during the reign of Aurangzeb led to the
Jagirdari and agrarian crisis which led to the collapse of the Mansabdari system.
These jagirs, in the initial days, were carefully assessed so that their revenues were
roughly equal to the salary of the mansabdar.
However, in the later stage, there was a shortage of jagirs. Also the size of the jagirs
started to shrink.
In the Aurengazeb era, the revenue collected by Mansabdars for the government was not
enough to pay the salary assigned to them.
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3. Du-aspah and Sih-aspah: These were features added later to the Mansabdari
system by Jahangir. This is a system whereby the selected nobles could be allowed
to maintain a larger quota of troopers, without raising their Zat rank. The system
was popular as ‘du-aspah’ (a trooper with two horses) or ‘sih-aspah’ (a trooper with
three horses) system. As you can understand, this was related to the sawar rank.
The mansabdars were nobles who acted as military commanders, high civil and military
officers, and provincial governors.
There was no distinction between the civil and military departments. Both civil and military
officers held mansabs and were liable to be transferred from one branch of the
administration to another.
The rank of a Mansabdar was determined by the number of horses and cavalrymen he
maintained.
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