The Mansabdari and Jagirdari systems constituted the institutional and fiscal bedrock of the Mughal Empire. Together, they structured the military organization, administrative bureaucracy, and agrarian revenue collection of the state. However, by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, these systems faced structural choke points, culminating in the Jagirdari Crisis. Understanding this crisis from a UPSC perspective involves analyzing how institutional stagnation, fiscal imbalances, and administrative corruption combined to dismantle the empire from within, transitioning it from a centralized authority to a fragmented landscape of regional powers.
Mansabdari system
The Mansabdari System was the administrative-military hierarchy introduced by Emperor Akbar in 1571. It was a unique system that combined civil bureaucracy and military command into a single, unified imperial service.
Structure and Key Features
- Concept of Mansab: The word mansab denotes a rank, position, or status. It determined the holder's (mansabdar) place in the court hierarchy, their salary, and their military obligations.
- Zat and Sawar Ranks:
- Zat: The personal rank of the officer, indicating their status at court and their personal salary.
- Sawar: The military rank, representing the exact number of cavalrymen (tabinan) and horses the mansabdar was required to maintain for imperial service.
- Dual Classification: Mansabdars were divided into three classes based on the ratio between their Zat and Sawar ranks. If Zat and Sawar were equal, they were first class; if Sawar was half or more than half of Zat, they were second class; if Sawar was less than half of Zat, they were third class.
- Appointment and Tenure:
- All appointments, promotions, and dismissals were made directly by the Emperor via the recommendation (tajwiz) of the Mir Bakhshi.
- The position was non-hereditary. Upon the death of a mansabdar, his rank ceased, and his property was confiscated by the state under the law of escheat (zabti).
- Mansabdars were subject to frequent transfers to prevent them from building local bases of power.
Evolution and Stagnation
To maintain control over a vast empire, successive rulers introduced modifications that eventually strained the system:
- Du-aspah Si-aspah (Jahangir): Literally meaning "two-horse three-horse," this system allowed select mansabdars to maintain a larger cavalry contingent (Sawar rank) without increasing their Zat rank, saving the treasury from paying higher personal salaries.
- Month-Scale / Month-Ratio System (Shah Jahan): As the gap between assessed revenue (jama) and actual collections (hasil) widened, Shah Jahan adjusted salaries based on "month-scales" (e.g., a 10-month, 8-month, or 6-month jagir). A mansabdar holding a 6-month jagir was only paid half of his nominal annual salary and was allowed to reduce his military obligations proportionally.
- Mashrut (Aurangzeb): Conditional ranks granted for specific military campaigns or administrative duties, which artificially inflated the number of mansabdars.