Chayter

5 The Mughal Empire

S.1 Who werethe Mughals?
Vhe Mughals ruled India from the 1
century to the
Mddle of the 19h century. However,by the 18h century their
was much reduced. Now, India is a country of
authority
multiple
races.And to rule such a dountry
for so many years isindecd Word Notes
a challenge. The Mughals did so with great efficiency.
The
It is generally said thatthe Mughals were the descendants aai
5afavids were a

ofthe Mongol chicfSacnghis Khan on one side and the Turkish

dynastyoffran. They
despot Timurlane on the other side. In fact,the Mughals were
ruled from 16th
proud to be descendants of Timurlane. They regarded to 189
century
themselves as Timuride. They had rather lcss reverence for
centüry
henghis Khan. The first Mughal Emperor in India was
ytekaThe Uzbeks
Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur (c.1526-1530). Were a Turkish
speaking race of
Did yok (MOw?
Central Asia. From
Tenanlane and Babar 16 century to 1th
c1398 Timurlane invaded Northern India. So thecentury they

Mughals thought they had the right to rute North India. established kingdoms

Before their advent to India the Mughals ruled some areas in various regions of
Central Asia.
in Central Asia. Before that, in the l4th century, taking
advantage of the fall
Mongol dynasty Timur conquered
of

some regions in Central Asia and established his empire.

These regions belong to Eastern iran or Khorasan, Iran,
Iraq, and some areas in Turkey. In the 15h century the
dominance the Timuride rulers was at an ebb. The main
of

reason for this debacle yas their policy of dividing the

empire among the heirs) n,c.l494 Babur of the Timuride
dynasty was given chárge to rule Farghana province at the
age twelve. But at a later period, since he did not have
of

similar success like the Uzbeks and the Safavids, he

advanced towards Indi)

69
 Our ast

Picture 5.1:

The picture of

Timurlane (in the

centre) painted in

the 18h century.

He is surrounded

by his successors.

Among them are

the first six

Who was the Badshah ?
for the
Mughal emperors. the term Padshah or Badshah
OThe Mughals,used read about the
Delhi Sultanate
wh
You hve
ruler)
sOvercign the title Sultan'
the Mughals used
'Sultan.But
used the title name of Jahangi
royal prince. For instance, the other
for the called 'Sultan)
he became the Prince, he was
was Salim. When that
Badshah the Mughals indicated
the
Salim. By using
title
anyone else
did not depend on the recognition of
their reign

Word Notes

and Padishah are Persian

Badshah -Badshah, Padshah
Work forfun ruler or monarch. These
words. Pad means lord and Shah means
may rise why two
two words arc joined here. So the question
In fact, the two
synonymous words are joined together?
a very powerful ruler. In c. 1507
synonyms are used to indicate
the Padshah.
when Babur was in Kabul, he adopted
title of
The cleven
persons you find who has dominanceall over the
Sovereign Ruler ABerson
in the above

world is called a Sovereign ruler. But a person is not expected

picture were
alive at the
to rule theentire universe.
never

same time. Why Therefore ikiunderstoa that a person who dominates over a

was then such a huge are and rules with full authority is a sovereign ruler.
picture painted? But thisshould be accepted by al, Then only will his power

last long) 5
70
 4Foundation and Expansionof the
Mughal
Empire:Feud and Friends hto

The Mughal Empire in India was not based on

warfare alone.
the one hand, the
Mughals had conflicts with the
powerful
litical groups of India;on the
other hand, they made alliances
ith some. Earlier, we have read that Babar defeated the Afghans
in the First battle of Panipat (c.1526).
Besides them there was
another important politicalfaction theRajputs. They yere also
defeatcd by Babur. Later, the Rajputs also
showed aliegiance to
the Mughals)

2e ahategiea he aghala

rhewar strategy of Babur in the battle of Panipat and

Rhanua depended on the dual attack of the artillery on
one hand and the swift moving mounted archers on the
other hand. The cavalry attacked the enemy from the two
sides and also from behind while the artillery shelledfrom
the front. This dual aggression made the opponents

perplexed. Then a section of the cavalry would attack from

the front androuted the enemy. Using this war strategy the

Otoman of Turkey vanquished the Safavid royal

Turks
dynasty of Persiainthe battle of Chaldiran in 1514 Again
taking lessons from he Ottomans theSafavids defeated

the Uzbeks ysing the same strategy in the battle Jam of

iB1528.

The battle of Khanua (I527)

Singh (Rana Sanga) led the
:
The Rana
Rajputs,
of Mewar, Sangram
Before the war Babur
Convincet the Mughal soldiers that it wasa fight fortheir

religion.They were the crusaders orGhazi. In fact, he tried to

unite themn, Some Mustim rulers tfomnorthern India joined
the Rajputs to drive awayBabur. As such, the battle was not a
religious conflict.

71
 :
Babur fought this battle
ao:
Bante af Gharghara (I529)
joined this he
Nusrat Shah,
the Afghans. The ruler of Bengal,
L
he could not establish
Though Babur won the battle,

Word Notes sovereignty over Bihar. 5

Military nobilio Succession policy ofthe Mughals
Those who relation with his mili
commanded on the Babur had ancestral and familial
rulcr and tha
batlefield by virtue of nobility. This connection between the sovereign
during the reion
heredity were called nobility is a feature of Mughal rule. However,
of Humavun (c. 1530-40; 1555-56), the son of Babur,
thi
military nobility.
bonding slackened.In his difficult times even his brotherS
dia
Besides, they were
appointed in not help him.
important posts. Humayun broke the Timuride tradition of distributing the
Often theyhad close
had nominated Humayun as his
empire among the heirs. Babur
relation withthe royal to himself He
successor. Humayun kept the control of power
family.
had only shared the onus of administeringsome regions to his
brothers.Since they did not get direct responsibility of
governance, they too did not feel the urge to safeguard
the

empire. Eventually, the Mughals though unified, could not

defeat the Afghans in battle.

 Did yoh now?
conklie.
phal-ohan
Ae opponents of the Mughals were not always unificd.The two main opponents
eche Mughals, the Rajputs and the Afghans, had cnmity among
themselves. Of
0theAfghans of Bihar led by Sher Khan was the most important
political rival
PHumayun. In fact,on two consecutive occasions Humavun had lost to Sher
on.After losing the battle of Chausa in Bihar in1539 and again at Bileran noar
anauj inl540 Humayun had to flee from the country,In this period Shah Tahmasp

Persia gaveshelter to FHunayun, It was during this period of his exile that Akba
Nas born (c. 1542) Meamwhile, Sher Khan became theemperor in Delhi-Agra and
Anted the title 'Shah'.Afer the death ofSher Shah, his son Islam Shah came to
oWer.Afier Islam Shah, political instability Humayun took the chance
broke out.

and returned to India. But he could not rule for lopg. He fell down from the stairs
afthe library in Delhi's Purana Qila and died.)

ulors o Sher Shak (1540-1545):

here was close similaritybetween the administrative system, revenue system and
welfareactiviticsof Sher Shah, Alauddin Khiljiand Akbar:Sher Shah introduced

some reforms in thegovcrmance and revenue system.

SherShah gave patta to the peasants. In these patas the name ofthePeasant,
his right in the land, amountofrevenue ete. were written. The peasant on the
other hand gave a kabuliyat to thegovernment indicating his consent (kabul)
to pay revenue.

SherShah developed theroadways to improve communication. Heconstructed

a road from Sonargaon in Bengal to Peshawar in theNorth West frontier. The

Toad was called Sarak-iAzam. This road was later known asGrand Trunk Road
Besides anotherroad was constructed from Agra to Jodhpur and also to Chitor.
Another road from Lahore to Multan was constructed.
Many inns were set up beside the roads to help the traders and the travellers.
Sher Shah devcloped the postal system by introducing
horses.

He also continued Dagand Hulia systern to keep

control
over the

army.

rre5. Mawetsnn t Sher Shh

aatao,Rihar

73
 WhenAkbar became the ruler M556-1605), he was
thurtcen) Which mean he was thenas old as you. Just rel

5 how dfiqlt it was to rule an cmpire at such a teneimaging

However.Akbr was assisted by his guardian Bairam Kh8

the age ot erghtcenAkbar took over full responsibilit
that was much latcrSoon after Akbar
ascended the thro
kin of SherShah was planning to
retrieve the Afghan nui

Delhi.He was Adil Shah, His prime minister, H

DelhYou have noticed that in those daysDelhiHemu.ocCupied
and Ao Pi

the rolin centres of power. Soto occupy Dcihi implicd to

control overthe empireIn 1556, with the hcip of
Akbar defeated the Afphans in the Sccond
Bairam Kh
Batle of Pant
Later. AKbar vccupted centratIndia and subjugated
the sma
states along the noth west frontier. Chittor. Gujarat,
etc. After this hehad conflict with
Bengal
Rana Pratap Singhof M

These warswith the Mughalscannot be regardcd aswarsaain

foreign invaders. The reason is, those who had challenged tha
Mughals bad not unified to fight for India.

Did yo ow
7phal Eveoticae ta Meaat
The fort of Chittor was very important to the Rajputs on
security aspect.In I568Akbar conquered Chittor But befor
theconquest Rana Uday Singhleft Chittor Later Akbar had
developed good relations with the other Rajputs, but Uday
Singh 's son, Pratap Singh, refused to surrender to the
Mughals. In c.l576 Akbar defeuted Rana Pratap Singh in
the battle Haldighat. During that war
of
Akbar came to

Ajmer and sent Man Singh with 5000soldiers to fight

against Rana Pratap Singh. Now Raja Man Singh was also
a Rajpu. Thus the Rajputs were not united in thefight
against the Mughals. Rana Pratap Singh destroyed the
Crps
sola
o up to Chitor so thal the
the entire region

ldiers did nol gelood He narched

fonaml
capital Kumbhalgarh to the battlefield with 3000 soldiers
n
Some Afghans chieftains also supported the Rana. Bu th
Rana was defeated. Even after this defeat Rana Pratap Singh
continued to oppose the Mughals\
 The
Mughal empire

Did yon Qnow?

ae the áne gens of kbar'a csunt: Raja Binbat

Picture 5.4:

loe naty celebrities in the court

were collectively called the Navratna
of Akbar nine
(ninegems).
them
One of
Akbar's Chittor
fort expedition
The pictures are
.
them was Birbal. Many vou must have read the stories
of of taken from the
Birbals wit., Although much of it is legend, it is true that Akbaranama
Birbal was very intelligent.He was born in a Brahmin family

ofMadhya Pradesh. His name was Mahesh Das. He secured

u position in the court Akbar by his wit. Akbar renamed
of

kim as Birbal. Here the 'bir'and bal'were used to indicate

ihe power of intelligence, He was also endowed with the title

Raja'. During the reign of Akbar he became Waziri Azam

or the PrimveMinistan

75
 Past Our Herltage
Our (now?
DId yow
his
was a famous
tcI531-1602)
FazlAllami
He highlighted Ithe qualitie
Abul

during the
time of

Empemr khar
Akbar.
Br to know about a period
also have
,
not enOugh We
only praises are
history can be fo
problems. Such Critictsm
know about the
teIta
of Abdul Ouadir Badauni
in the writings Both cah
of the period.,
another hisorian
I615)).
ButAbul Fazl becante
court of Akbarin 1574.
the
the son
to the Emperor
Tvo diferent accols
foundin their work.
ncident can be
that we now
see was not the same
The map of India
Picture: 5.5
desh (country) mean
before. In those times the word
Abul Fazl And conflicts uctuall
confederation of some regions.
dedicating the These noblemen fought anon.
happened among the nobility.
Akbaranama to political pow
ambition and usurping
EmperorAkbar themselves forpersonal
He
2Akbar established his reign not by conquests alone.
important positions ofbi
wanted to place the local rulers in
to present himselfto
the local pennl
court. He did not want
Northern India, the
as a despotic invader. After conquering
Mughals moved over to the Deccan. Again, the North Westem
frontier provinces like
,Kashniis Kandahar, Sinéand an
Work forfun hbaDrue-Mestof
Baluchistan came under the lac (oreign

invasions took place along this route.

So Mughal controlin
Mughal
A
arca was imperative forstabilizingsecurity ofthe
this
ett
Empire. n those times the means ofcommunication was not
all good. So, the Mughal soldiers had to pass through D
at
Haveyou read of Ev
difficult terrains.
the tales of
Birbal? If so, ALthe time ofAkbar's death (1605) alargepart of India
But beyond his teeritory, the Mughals wi
write the story came under Mughal rule.

in your own could not establish theirdominance over avast area in the south in:

words. and in the north-cast. In Bengal the Mughals had military W

succcss but ther position was not so stable.It took some ycars
for the Mughals to overthrow the Afghans andestablish their
fo
dominance in Beng)|
76
 The Mughal
empire

Indiaatthe Map5.1:
begining ofthe
seventeenth century
A.D.

Kabul

Kandahr
Lahore
Sutle

Panipal
Multan
Delhi Sang-pu Brghpua)

Ajmer Gwalio Bihar

Varanast
Allahahad Patna

Gondwana
Bengat
Mahanadi
Tapti Berar
Godavay

Vahanaba Golronda
Kruhna
Goa Bijapur

1During the reign of Jahangir (1605-1627), the son and

ccessor of Akbar, the local Hindu zamindars (landlords)
and the Afghans revolted against the
Mughals timeand again.
The confederation ofthese rebels was called Baro-Bhuyans

Among them Pratapaditya, Chand Ray, KedarRay,Isa Khan

etc.deserve mention. Jahangir tricd to win over the landlords.
Picture 5.6 :
During his time Bengal became part of the Mughal empire. Two sides of a
Even the Rana of Mewar showedhis allegiance to theMughal
gold coin of
rule However, the Mughals were unable to maintain harnony Jahangir's reign
with all the rcligious and political factions of the time. For
instance, the Sikhs were not on good terms with the Mughals
We will know more about this in Chapter &.

(nthe beginning ofthe 17T century Jahangir moreor less

followedthe administrative system ofAkbar. Meanwhile, the

77
 the Deccan. So the
Mughal Empire began to expand in

with the M

began to get associated

mansabdars
there was the Kajputs. Apai
administrative system. Besides,
Ar
had rivalry among themselves,
Ddyou kroe? the court nobility also
court politics were h
those who played an important role in
s
(latef Badshah
Badakhshso Empress Nur Jahan, Prince Khurrum Shah
Balkh and
of Nur Jaharn,
Central Asia was Jahan) and family members
un
K
under the rale of Uzbek rule (1627-1658)
At the very outset of Shah Jahan's
nuler NazarMuharnmad. laln roivolted in theDeccan. However, he was defcated by tha

His .
son hdul Aziz
revolted and defeated
ol Mlitay expeditions were sent to Suppress revolts
planned
in Bundelkhand and in Ahmednagar. Shah Jahan
him Nazar Mubamntd
Uzbeks. But he was unsuccesSsfl
Sought help from conquer Balkh from the

During his time the Mughals also lost control over Kandahar
Emperor Shah Jahan
ater the Mughals
attacked Balkh even

though by then father

Son relations became
better It is to be noted

that the homeland ofthe

Mugbals
Samarkhand in Central

Asia So time and again

they wantcd 1o establish

their doninance in this

region.

Picture: 5.7

Mughal expedition
to Daulatabad. The
picture is taken
from the
Padshanama of
Abdul Hamid
Lahori.

78
 The Mughal
emplte
Rringthc closing years
of Shah
Jahan's reign his
fought
I
defeatedDara
:
among themselves to occupy
Shikhoh and his
other brothers
and
sons
thethrone.
Aurangzeb
becamethe
During the reign of
Emperor. Aurangzeb
(1658-1707) the
s conquered I Bijapur and
Mughals Golconda inthe Deccan after
As a result,
fight. the Marathas and
a long the Muslim nobility
Deccan joined hands with the
ofthe Mughals. This added
variety
to the Mughal mansabdariis
system. However, this also
asedrivalry among the
nobility over obtaining
lems arose in the agrarian mansabs.
system also. The Jat peasants
Mathura and theSatnami Plcture: 5.8
peasants in Haryana revolted
against
Mughals. Regional powers like the The Battle of
e Sikhs and the Marathas
opposed the Mughal rule.The conflict
with the Rajputs
Samuearh between
Aurangzeb and
and the incessant hghts in
the Deccan had expanded the Dara Shikoh.
ierritory of the empire but also created more problems.
The Aurangzeb won the
iancesthat the Mughals had with the battle.
nobility was a ffected
t0a greatextent. They used the Mughal Empire for
furthering
personal interest.
their

79
 tHer
Our
Our Pst
of
cxpandngthoughtt
hrs reign
of
Aurangreb
regions
Initiallybe co
outset frontier The
Atvery cast for long Mughal
empire
n
the north
Abom ruler but not
saved Bengal from t
port and
the
suppress trade widene
Chittagong scope ofmarnitime
conquered Thus,the could maintain peace
pirates Aurangzeb
Work for fun Porugese west frontier tthe policy of feuda
the north by adopting
In areas a large contingent
dominated However.
Afghan time They
fnendship
simultaneously.
herefor a long coe
was detained Marathas
Mughal
soldiers against the
in other arcas, Iike
notbe used polie
Prepare
a list of
and the Deccan
Thenatnre ofRajiput
from
ughal Emperors
Babur to From Akbr toAurangzeh
with the Mughals:
Aurangzeh relation
their dates. Mughal Rajput se
5.3.1.
The Mughal Emperor
Humayun realized that
it was imperative
in order to

to maintain harnony
a
ofHindustan
power were the chieftaine
The reason was theRajputs
the Rajputs.
as areas ofNorth lIndia. LatertmpeoA orle
of
mansabdari system by his policy
Rajputs into the were married to
Many Rajput daughters
and friendship. Akbar did not
Shahzadas (Prince).
the
Mughal emperor and
the daughters ofRai
Even before hisreign
anything innovative
Muslim rulers. Akbar recognjs
roval houses were marricd
of his
to

perform their individual

wives to
rituals T
the right
and Jizva
paying thepilgrimage tax
Hindus were exempted from
prisoners of war into Islam
He also banned the conversion of the
Ran
Muslim people happy. However,
Did yeu bnow? Thus Akbar made the non- tto
to submit to
Akbar. have We re
PratapSingh of Mewar refused

The word watar about this carlier.

means one's native

Asaresult
ofAkbar the valiant Rajput
of the liberal policy
land or homeland or
also went bevond
(swadesh)joined hands with the Mughals. The Rajputs
country the Empire witt
watan and got the opportunity to serve
For instance, the watan their
ove
of Raja Bharmal loyalty and bravery. The Rajputs could maintain their right
Bhagavantdas and their waters by showing their allegiance to the sovereign nuler.
Man Singh wasAmber When the problem of succession arose in a Rajput state, the
er Amer arca nean Mughals used to take temporary control administration. Afte of

present aipur city

that, a new nuler was crowned according to the wish of the

Mughal emperor.

80
 The
Mughal empire

Picture :5.9
Reception of

Rajput nobility in
the Mughal court

by Emperor AAkbar.
The picture is
taken from the
Akbarnama.

In the 17h century both Jahangir and Shah Jahan folowed

the policy of Akbar. LDuring the rcign ofEmperor Jahangir, the
Mughals established their control over Mewar.Anmar Singh,
the son of Rana Pratap Singh was awarded a high mansab.
During the reign Emperor Shah Jahan, the Rajput chieftains
went to fight even in distant Central Asia. They continued to
be awarded high positions.

During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, the largest

number Rajputs came within the
of Mughal mansabdari
system. Mirza Raja Jaisingh, the king of Amber, was one of
 O Pt O Heitage
Augeb Rana leen S

he oyalnobleof
a avmrof
Raer chiefsin of Misrw ally
Eeere R
le he received handoe n
anse m
Empere Afer his
Mrwr, ahet he scoecn
our
deh contovey
to he throne 1
Rao
ok fllcoetrol over he sate Se theMary
Mohalk
(c69tned is wr Mear potod
In

Rathor wa dd not yield any ga to the ghals Bo

Akhc hadwhram jryaAu

gge the t ndedvears afher
the

policy
Rajput

Mar t retmposed
hrtAangmeh.
i (1679) In short Maghal
hdmchsmandtenceal
512he Mughat Iperial pawer snd the Dercan

abou the nse sonhe Dem

res We have already read
Sultanates after the break up of the Bahman kingdo The

happened before the advent of the Mughals Duning the re

ofAkhar when the Mughals were engaged in incessant warsi

northen India, the Deocan Sultanates were fightingagainst cack

other. In fact, after Vijaynagar was vanquished. the Sultanates

had much opportunity to expand their teritory

In that peiod the Maratha chieftains and soldiers, whe

were holding huge landed property in the Deccan, rose to

prominence. But the relation between the old and the ne
aristocaracy was not very good Meanwhile. the Porturuee

had set foot on the westerm coast of India

SotheMughals decided toextend their influence in the

Deccan. But the Deccan was very far from Delhi or Agra

Akbar thought that the Deccan states would also become

friendly statesoftheMughals, just like theRajputs But that

did not happen

In the second half of the 16 century the Deccan states

were Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar, Berar, Bidar and

Khandesh Betwecn 1596-1601 AD,theMughals conquerad
Berar,Ahmednagar and Khandesh The mportant fort of
Asirgarh in Khandesh was also occupicd by thc Mughals.
Under theinitiativeofthe Malik Ambar, the Prime Miniser
 The Mughal
empite
hmednagar , the Deccan statcs put up a
stiff resistance
against the Mughals.
lahangir realized the importance of
Maratha power. He
swantedto have them ashis ally. He
also wanted to maintain the
situation in the Deccan as it was under Akbar. In 1636
the
Mughals occupicdAhmednagar. In the same year Shah
Jahan
vanted to ally with Bijapur and Golconda and resolve the
problem. However, the Mughals themselves broke this treaty.
Hence, the Deccan states lost faith in the Mughals.
A Imperalrule 3
Administrative ideology
rhe basic
administrative principle ofthe Mughal
empire
toinclude all thedifferent Work for fun
W2s factions in order to make an
Itcan be saidthat
Indianempire. Akbar's
e almost a synthesis of
administrative
Timuride, Persian
policy

and Indian
Lingship. According to this principle, the
emperor would rule
divine right and would
love his subjects as his
children. In Compare maps 5.1
herwords, his right to rule was not
granted by anyother ruler.
and 5.2. Now say
The rightto rule was his own.He which area Was
would have no partialityfor
under the Mughal
anybody or any group. This principle of mutual respect
andRule in the early
neace with was known as Sulh-i kul,On the basis of
all of 18th
this part
orinciple Akbar introduccd a new century'?
personal way of thought
called Din-i lahi.

Military campaignshad taken up most of Babur's reign.

He could hardly devote his time
governance. The
to

administrative policy of the Afghan ruler Sher Shah was

introduced between the Mughal rule and was also later adopted
by Akbar to a great extent. In fact, Akbar divided his
empire
into several provinces. Theseprovinces were called Suba. The
Subas were further divided into Sarkars, And the Sarkars
were further divided into Parganas.

Akbarmade a significant addition to the military system.

This was his mansabdari system. During Akbar's rule,

administrative posts were called mansabs. Those who held

mansabs werc called mansabdars. Their duty was to maintain
army, and to provide soldierS in times of war for the

Emperor. The mansabdars had difterentranks accordingto their

positions. The high ranking

mansabdarswere called Amirs.
Sometimes the war horses ofthe mansabdars had to be taken

to the capital for physical verification.

a5
 Our Past Our Herltage
d yo 4OW

waysin casho
were paid in two
assignment of
The mansabdars reven
of revenue. The
assignments held the jagir
was ca
The person who
called Jagir. Jagirdari svEt
And the system was called
Jagindar. used hy
collected revenue was
One part of the
for maintaininp
th
livelihood and
jagindars for their
land. Jagirdars werc assigne
cavalry. Jagir did not mean
cultivated lands
revenues from
jagirs to collect
ctc.
arcas, markets
himsele
• The mansabdars were appointed by the Emperor

depended upon him.

Their promotion also
from time to time.
• Jagirs were transferred
the jagirdari systems were not
• The mansabdari and

hereditary.

Revenuesystem and Zabti.

India was dependent upon agricultural production. So for
system
good governance it was necessary to control revenue
efficientiy. The system of measurement of land for revenye
assessment was prevalent since the time of Alauddin
Shah ALt
Lan was measured during the reign of Sher
and
measured and assessed the lands afresh.This system ofrevenue
calculation on the basis of measurement and assessment is

called Zabti. In fact, Zabat means calculation. Sher Shah made

a price of different crops. Akbar noticed the problem of
list

this price-list. The price ofcrops available in the capital did

not always match with crops ofother regions. In fact,prices

where higher in the capital. So by followingthe price index of
the capital thepeasants would have to pay more revenue. So
Akbarintroduced thesystem of keeping separate accounts fot
cach region and foreach year. The Qanungos had to infom the
Emperor about the annual production and market rates of
various food grains. The officials who collected the revenue
and tallicd the accounts of the Qanungoswere called Karori.
86
 the
Mughal
empire
system based on the data
This ofthe
Dahsala
system. Daha meanspreviousten years
known
e systeminc.151580.He ten. Akbar w5
was introduccd
and assistedby his
Todarmal other RevenueMirister
Raja officials. The system
Todarmal system was
after the name called
the. Zabti
of the Raja
However, system was not Todarrmal.
eofficials prevalentall over
who collected the the empire.
the revcnue wereinstructed
not to oppress epeasants, The
in distress. government granted
the farmers At
times,revenue loansto
was alsoo
In the revenue system of Akbar not exempted.
care ofbut also only was
the exchequer
the nceds ofthe
famers. However.
ebellious peasant was the
punished severely.

Picture: 5.11

Shah Jahan on
horseback (the
original
coioured picture
was painted by
artist Pravag)

87