Mughal Empire

Mughal administration

The Mughal Empire originated from Central Asia and controlled most of the Indian subcontinent lasting from the reign of Babur beginning in 1526 to the exile of Bahadur Shah II in 1857. FIBIS records contain many references to Mughal administration and officials so a brief description is given below.

Territory

At its zenith in the 17th century under Aurangzeb the empire was divided as follows:

Suba

The Suba (province) was the largest unit and there were 29 governed by a Subedar (governor) - not to be confused the Indian army rank Subadar. The Suba was subdivided in two ways - for revenue collection and for militaryadministration.

Sarkar

The Sarkar (tax district) was a revenue subdivision of the Suba which contained a number of Parganas (sub-districts). The "Purgunnah" battalions in the Bengal Native Infantry were formed for revenue collecting duty. Sarkar was also a term used to denote the British Indian administration.

Faujdari

The Faujdari (military district) was a subdivision of the Suba, It was administered by a Faujdar and contained a number of Thanas overseen by a Thanedar.

External links

Mughal Empire Wikipedia