CLASS-7

Ch.4 – THE MUGHAL EMPIRE

* Flow chart representation of Mughal dynasties in notebook

1. Flow chart
Babur

Humayun

Akbar

Jahangir

Shah Jahan

Aurangzeb

Q1. Which central provinces were under the control of the Mughals?

Ans. The central provinces under the control of the Mughals were Delhi and Agra.

Q2. Why did the Mughals emphasise their Timurid and not their Mongol descent?

Ans. The Mughals emphasized their Timurid descent as :

i. Genghis Khan’s memory was associated with the killing of innumerable people.

ii. It was also linked with the Uzbegs, their Mongol competitors.

iii. On the other hand, the Mughals were proud of their Timurid ancestry as their great ancestors
had captured Delhi in 1398.

Q3. What was the relationship between the mansabdar and the jagir?

Ans i. The people who joined Mughal service with high ranks were known as mansabdars.

ii. They were given land called jagir from which they collected revenue to meet out their
expenditure.
Q4. What was the role of zamindar in Mughal administration?

Ans. The zamindars were either the village headmen or the local chieftains who used to collect
revenue from the peasants on behalf of the Mughal rulers.

Q5. Why was it important for the Mughals to recruit mansabdars from diverse
backgrounds and not just Turanis and Iranis?

Ans. It was important for Mughals to recruit mansabdars from diverse backgrounds because:

i. They had expanded their empire in different regions of the country.

ii. It was also helpful to keep an effective control over the diverse regions.

Q6. How important was the income from land revenue to the stability of the Mughal
empire?

Ans. i. The main source of income of the Mughal empire was tax on the produce of the peasants.

ii. The land revenue was, in fact, considered to be the backbone of the vast Mughal empire.

iii. It was used to pay salaries to soldiers, artisans, courtiers, workers and to do all welfare works.

iv. Its importance can be easily assessed that Todar Mal, Akbar’s revenue minister, took ten
years period to carry out proper calculation of land revenue.

v. Thus, income from land revenue was very important for the stability of the Mughal empire.

Q7. Explain the Mughal administration.

OR

Explain the work done by different officers under Mughals.

Ans.i. Under Mughal administration, the king was all powerful.

ii. The empire was divided into provinces called ‘subas’ governed by a subadar. He carried out
both political and military functions.

iv. The subadar was supported by other officers like:

 Diwan- He was the financial officer.

 Bakhshi- He was the military paymaster.
 Sadr- He was the incharge of religious and charitable patronage.
 Faujdar- He was the military commander.
 Kotwal- He was the town police commander.

Q8. How were the debates with religious scholars important in the formation of Akbar’s
ideas on governance?
Ans. i. The debates with the religious scholars led Akbar to the idea of Sulh-i-Kul or ‘universal
peace’.

ii. This idea of tolerance did not discriminate between people of different religions in the
kingdom.

iii. It focused on a system of ethics like honesty, justice, peace , that was universally applicable.

Q9. New Terms:

i. Dogma- A fixed belief or set of beliefs (especially religious), that people are expected to accept
without any doubts.

ii. Bigot- An individual who is intolerant of another person’s religious beliefs or culture.

Q10. Map work:

i. Capital of Mirza Hakim- Kabul

ii. Babur fought a battle with Ibrahim Lodi here- Panipat

iii. Central provinces under the control of Mughals-Agra and Delhi

iv. Akbar built Ibadatkhana here- Fatehpur Sikri

v. Places annexed by Aurangzeb in Deccan- Golconda and Bijapur

vii. Amber

viii. Ajmer

ix. Hyderabad

x. Bengal

xi. Awad