Chapter 4: The Mughal Empire (16th–17th Century)
मुगल साम्राज्य (मनसबदारी व्यवस्था, ज़ब्त और ज़मींदार, सुलह-ए कुल, अकबरनामा एवं आइन-ए-अकबरी)
Don't Let a 20-Minute Bubbling Delay Cost You CTET Qualification
In offline CTET exams, bubbling 150 bubbles takes 18 to 22 minutes of mechanical time. A single misaligned row can trigger an 8-question domino error. Practice bubble-filling this chapter's solved MCQs inside Mentora's official OMR simulator.
- Mughal Dynasty Genealogy: Paternal side descendants of Timur (ruler of Iran, Iraq, Turkey); maternal side descendants of Genghis Khan (Mongol ruler). They preferred being called Timurids rather than Mongols (due to Genghis Khan's brutal massacre memory).
- Key Rulers: Babur (founded empire in 1526 by defeating Ibrahim Lodi at First Battle of Panipat using cannons/artillery), Humayun, Akbar (1556-1605, Golden Age), Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb.
- Mansabdari System (CTET Master Concept):
- - An administrative grading system used to fix: (1) Rank, (2) Salary, and (3) Military responsibilities.
- - Numerical value called ZAT (जात) determined noble's rank and salary. Higher the Zat, more prestigious the noble's position.
- - SAWAR (सवार) indicated the specific number of cavalrymen (horsemen) the Mansabdar was required to maintain.
- - Mansabdars received salaries as revenue assignments called JAGIRS (similar to Iqtas in Delhi Sultanate). Unlike Muqtis, Mansabdars did not live in or administer their jagirs; they merely enjoyed revenue collected by their revenue servants.
- Zabt and Zamindars (Todar Mal's Revenue System):
- - Akbar's revenue minister, Todar Mal, conducted a careful survey of crop yields, prices, and cultivated areas over a 10-year period (1570–1580).
- - On this empirical data, cash tax rates were fixed for each crop. This revenue system was termed ZABT (ज़ब्त).
- Akbar's Religious Policy & Sulh-i Kul:
- - Akbar held discussions with religious scholars (Ulemas, Brahmanas, Jesuit priests, Zoroastrians) in the IBADAT KHANA at Fatehpur Sikri.
- - Formulated the doctrine of SULH-I KUL (सुलह-ए कुल) meaning 'universal peace' or tolerance, which focused on ethics, honesty, and justice rather than discrimination among religions.
- Abul Fazl wrote AKBAR NAMA in 3 volumes. The 3rd volume is the famous AIN-I AKBARI (आइन-ए-अकबरी), providing rich statistical details on administration, revenue, army, geography, and crops.
- Trap: What did Zat indicate in the Mansabdari system? Correct: The military RANK and SALARY of the noble. Sawar indicated cavalrymen maintained.
- Trap: Who conducted the 10-year agricultural survey for the Zabt revenue system? Correct: TODAR MAL (Akbar's finance minister).
- Trap: Which volume of Akbar Nama is the Ain-i Akbari? Correct: THE THIRD VOLUME.
NCERT Core Facts: Mughal Administrative Institutions & Cultural Pluralism
The Mansabdari hierarchy, Todar Mal's Zabt, and Sulh-i Kul are perennial CTET Paper 2 questions:
1. The Mansabdari Framework (मनसबदारी व्यवस्था)
[ MANSABDAR (Rank Holder) ]
│
├──> ZAT (जात) ── Numerical index fixing Rank & Royal Salary
│
└──> SAWAR (सवार) ── Number of equipped cavalrymen to be maintained- Jagir vs. Iqta: Mansabdars were frequently transferred and did not reside in their Jagirs; revenue was remitted to them by collectors while the noble served elsewhere on military campaigns.
2. Todar Mal's Zabt Revenue System (1570–1580)
- Detailed 10-year empirical assessment of crop yields, market prices, and arable land acreage.
- Each province was divided into revenue circles with its own schedule of revenue rates for individual crops.
- Prevalent in areas where Mughal administrators could survey the land and maintain meticulous records (not applicable in Bengal or Gujarat peripheries).
3. Sulh-i Kul & Ibadat Khana
- In 1570 at Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar constructed the Ibadat Khana for philosophical debates with theologians of all faiths.
- Synthesized the universal ethos of Sulh-i Kul (Universal Peace), drafted into an administrative manual by Abul Fazl.
Test Your Mastery: The Mughal Empire (16th–17th Century)
Authentic CBSE exam questions tested directly from this NCERT chapter.
In the Mughal administrative system, what did the numerical rank termed 'ZAT' determine?
मुगल प्रशासनिक व्यवस्था में, 'जात' नामक संख्यात्मक पद क्या निर्धारित करता था?
The revenue system developed under Akbar where land was surveyed over a 10-year period (1570–1580) and cash tax was fixed for each crop was known as:
अकबर के शासनकाल में विकसित वह राजस्व प्रणाली जिसमें 10 वर्षों (1570-1580) की अवधि में भूमि का सर्वेक्षण किया गया और प्रत्येक फसल के लिए नकद कर तय किया गया, क्या कहलाती थी?
What was the difference between Zat and Sawar in the Mughal Mansabdari system?
Zat was a numerical ranking determining the noble's official status, precedence at court, and personal salary. Sawar specified the required quota of cavalrymen and horses the noble had to maintain.
Which volume of Abul Fazl's Akbar Nama deals with administration, household, army, and statistical surveys?
The third volume, entitled Ain-i Akbari (आइन-ए-अकबरी).