Provincial Administration of the Mughal Rulers

Provincial Administration of the Mughal Rulers

Provincial Administration of the Mughal Rulers

As the Mughal empire was quite vast, it was divided into several provinces. Akbar divided his empire into fifteen provinces for the sake of convenience which went on increasing during the reign of his successors. The number of provinces reached twenty-one during the regime of Aurangzeb. The provincial administration of the Mughals was just like the central administration. Sir J. N. Sarkar observes, “The administrative agency in the provinces of the Mughal Empire was an exact miniature of that of the central government.”

The governor of the province was officially known as Nizam but he was popularly called Subedar or Sipahsalar who held his court at the capital of the province. Desides the Nizam, the subedar, the Diwan, the Bakhshi, the Sadr, the Qazi, the Kotwal and the Waqianavis were the significant officers in the province. Efficient bureaucracy also assisted these provincial officers in the smooth running of administration. Akbar was a diplomatic ruler, and in order to establish his control over provincial officers he acted very wisely and established a balance of power between Subedars and Diwans. Hence, neither of the two could dare revolt against the emperor.

Subedar :- The Subedar was in charge of provincial administration and had powers like those of king in the central administration. He was given high mansab and big jagirs for the maintenance of his Prize position in the province. His chief function was to maintain law and order in his province, to assist the collection of revenue and to execute the imperial farmans sent to him. Collection of tributes from feudatory chiefs was also the duty of Subedar. He also looked after the construction of roads, schools, hospitals, sarais, bridges and performed duties for the welfare of the people. Appointment, promotion and dismissal of the provincial employees were also his responsibility. The Subedar’s court was the highest court of appeal in criminal cases within the province but he was not empowered to award death punishments without the approval of the emperor. His powers were controlled to some extent by the financial powers of t he provincial Diwan.

Provincial Diwan :- He was the second significant officer of the provinces whose posting was made by the imperial Diwan with the consultation of the emperor. Both the Subedar and the Diwan kept Zealous and strict watch over each other. The Diwan was not subordinate to the Subedar. The Diwan often enjoyed better rank and high mansab in comparison to Subedar. His chief function was the collection of revenue and other taxes which he could do with the help of Subedar as he had no military power. To enhance agriculture and to look after the income and expenditure of the empire was also his duty. He settled civil cases and sent the information regarding the financial condition of the province to the central government every month. Normally both these officers worked in perfect harmony as the powers of the two were complementary to each other.

Bakhshi :- He was appointed by the Mir Bakhshi in consultation with the central government. He was a subordinate of the Subedar who assisted him in the maintenance of peace and the discharge of all his executive duties. He held all the military powers such as recruitment and training of soldiers and disbursement of their salaries. Construction and repair of the fort was also one of his significant duties. Sometimes he acted as a Wakiyanavis and in this capacity he used to send confidential reports of the province to Mir Bakhshi.

Kotwal :- The Kotwal was the most important of the local officers. He not only maintained law and order in the city but also looked after the cleanliness and public works. As he had to deal with the rebels and dacoits, he used to maintain a big contingent. Safety of roads and inspection of weights and measures was also his responsibility. He also kept a close eye on the activities of antisocial elements. Thus, Kotwal was the most significant local officer during the Mughal period.

Wakiyanavis (News Reporter) :- This was a significant post. His chief duty was to send regular reports to the governor regarding the position of the province at his earliest convenience. In case he failed to discharge his duties properly, he was penalized. Often discords emerged between the Subedar and the Wakiyanavis; however, the post of Wakiyanavis was quite important because, in case of maladministration, it was his duty to inform the imperial government for taking action against the irresponsible Subedar. Even his presence in the province set everything right and government officers dared not neglect their duties.

Sadr :- In the beginning there was one post of Chief Sadr at the centre but with the passage of time and extension of empire, Akbar created the posts of provincial Sadrs. His chief aim in the creation of these posts was to put a check on the rising power of the imperial Diwan. Generally, the post of Sadr and Qazi was given to one person at provincial level and he had to work under the subordinationof Chief Sadr and Chief Qazi. As Sadr he looked after the activities of the Muslims and asked them to follow the canons of Islam. He was also in charge of religious education and distributed royal charities, but as Qazi he dispensed justice to the provincial public. His recommendations for awards and grants to the scholars and learned men at the provincial level were forwarded to chief Sadr who finally awarded the grants.

Besides the above significant officers there were some other important officers who looked after the provincial administration and helped the governor in the smooth running of the provincial government. The post of Kotwal in the province and his duties as municipal commissioner helped a lot in the smooth functioning of the administration. Daroga-i-Dak-Chauki and Mir Bahr also worked in some of the provinces and discharged their duties efficiently.

Milan Tomic

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