Administrative System Under Mughals

The government of the Mughal Empire was a highly centralised bureaucracy, most of which
was instituted during the rule of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar. The Mughals kept many
features of the administrative system of Shershah and Sultanate.

Central Administration of the Mughal Empire

Emperor (Badshah):
The emperors were the head of the Mughal administration, who had absolute authority over
the Empire. The emperor's word was law, and all major decisions, whether political, military,
or administrative, ultimately rested with him.
The emperor's court, known as the darbar, served as the administrative and ceremonial
center where important decisions were made, audiences were held, and diplomatic relations
were conducted.

Officials:
Within the emperor, the state had mainly four departments/ ministries and four ministers
were incharge of it - Mir Bakshi; Sadr; diwan; and Mir saman.

Diwan- The Diwan was also recognised as chief minister or Wazir who was responsible for
controlling revenues from the empire's territories, calculating tax revenues, and using this
information to distribute assignments.

Mir Bakhshi - The ministry of the military (army/intelligence) was headed by an official titled
mir bakhshi, who was in charge of military organisation, messenger service, and the
mansabdari system.

Sadr as-sudr - It was a religious authority. Sadr as-Sudr was responsible for the ministry in
charge of law/religious patronage. He appointed judges and managed charities and
stipends.

Mir Saman - He was dedicated to the imperial household and public works. Mir Saman was
responsible to manage the day-to-day affairs of the imperial household, including the
supervision of servants, attendants, and other domestic staff.
Mir Saman was responsible for organizing the emperor's daily schedule, ensuring that his
meals were prepared, his clothing was attended to, and his personal needs were met.
Mir Saman also played a role in facilitating communication between the emperor and other
members of the court, relaying messages, petitions, and requests to the appropriate officials.

Provincial Administrative System of Mughals

Subahs (Provinces):
The Mughal Empire was divided into administrative units called subahs, each governed by a
governor known as a subahdar or nawab. The structure of the central government was
mirrored at the provincial level; each subah had its own bakhshi, sadr as-sudr, and finance
minister that reported directly to the central government rather than the subahdar.
Subahs were subdivided into administrative units known as sarkars,each governed by a
faujdar or shiqdar. And they were further divided into groups of villages known as
parganas. The government at the pargana level consisted of a Muslim judge and a local tax
collector.

Mansabdari System:
The mansabdari system was a hierarchical system of military ranking and administration that
extended to the provincial level. It was introduced by Akbar in 1571. Under this system,
provincial governors and other officials were appointed as mansabdars, with ranks and
salaries determined by the emperor based on their military service and administrative
responsibilities.

Revenue Administration:
Revenue administration was crucial for the functioning of the provincial government, with
revenue officers (diwans or amals) responsible for collecting taxes and managing finances.
The primary source of revenue was the land tax, assessed based on the productivity of the
land and collected in cash or kind. Under Mughal administration, there were mainly three
methods of the collection of revenue - Zabti, Rai, and Kankut.

Judicial System:
The Mughals established a system of judicial administration in each province to ensure the
fair and efficient dispensation of justice.
Various kinds of courts existed in the Mughal empire. One such court was that of the qadi.
The Mughal qadi was responsible for dispensing justice; this included settling disputes,
judging people for crimes, and dealing with inheritances and orphans.The qadi also had
additional importance with regards to documents, as the seal of the qadi was required to
validate deeds and tax records. Qadis did not constitute a single position, but made up a
hierarchy.
The most basic kind was the pargana (district) qadi.
More prestigious positions were those of the qadi al-quddat (judge of judges) who
accompanied the mobile imperial camp, and the qadi-yi lashkar (judge of the army). Qadis
were usually appointed by the emperor or the sadr-us-sudr (chief of charities).The
jurisdiction of the qadi was availed by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
The jagirdar (local tax collector) was another kind of official approached, especially for
high-stakes cases. Subjects of the Mughal Empire also took their grievances to the courts of
superior officials who held more authority and punitive power than the local qadi. Such
officials included the kotwal (local police), the faujdar (an officer controlling multiple districts
and troops of soldiers), and the most powerful, the subahdar (provincial governor). In some
cases, the emperor themself dispensed justice directly. Jahangir was known to have
installed a "chain of justice" in the Agra fort that any aggrieved subject could shake to get
the attention of the emperor and bypass the inefficacy of officials.

Overall, the Mughal administrative system combined centralized authority with provincial
autonomy, allowing for efficient governance and effective control over the vast and diverse
territories of the empire.