Maarg Manthan · Topic 2.8

Administration of the Delhi Sultanate (Iqta System, Central and Provincial Administration)

Medieval History › The Delhi Sultanate · Topic 2.8

The Delhi Sultanate was a centralised monarchy in which the sultan held supreme civil, military and legal power. He was helped by the wazir, the ariz, the sadr and the insha department, and the empire was divided into iqtas held by muqtis, which became provinces, shiqs and parganas, with village officials such as the khut, muqaddam and patwari.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · The Delhi Sultanate

At a Glance

Head The sultan, with a moral link to the caliph
Chief minister Wazir
Key departments Diwan-i-wizarat, diwan-i-arz, diwan-i-risalat, diwan-i-insha
Local base Iqta, held by a muqti
Units Province (suba), shiq, pargana, village
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Medieval History: The Delhi Sultanate

Where Does It Fit?

This is the eighth topic of the category on the Delhi Sultanate. The previous topic described the Mongol threat that shaped the army and policies, and this topic describes the government as a whole. The next topic covers the economy and market control. Previous topic: Mongol Invasions and Other Turkish Attacks on the Delhi Sultanate.

What Was the Position of the Sultan?

In short: the sultan was the head of the state, with supreme civil, military and legal authority, and the sultanate was a highly centralised state that influenced later regional kingdoms and the Mughals.

Many sultans called themselves lieutenants of the faithful, meaning of the Abbasid caliph at Baghdad, and had his name in the khutba at Friday prayers. The caliph had only a moral position, and the claim showed that the Sultanate belonged to the Islamic world. The sultan was commander-in-chief, responsible for law and order, and acted as a court of appeal over the judges. Subjects could appeal directly to him against any official. Balban dispensed justice without sparing relatives, and Muhammad bin Tughlaq applied it even to the ulama, who had been exempt from harsh punishments.

There was no clear law of succession. The Islamic theory was election, but in practice any son of a successful ruler could succeed. Primogeniture was not fully accepted, and military strength decided succession. The Khaljis feared public opinion and did not enter Delhi for a long time after deposing Balban’s successors, building a new town called Siri.

Which Departments Ran the Central Government?

Office or department	Role
Wazir	Key minister, at first a military leader and later a revenue expert heading the income and expenditure department; an Auditor General and an Accountant General worked under him
Diwan-i-arz (ariz-i-mamalik)	Recruited, equipped and paid the army; the ariz was not the commander-in-chief; seen as a separate department from the time of Balban
Diwan-i-risalat (chief sadr)	Religious matters, pious foundations and stipends for scholars; the chief sadr was usually also the chief qazi
Diwan-i-insha	State correspondence with other rulers and officials
Barid	Intelligence agents posted in different parts; the chief barid enjoyed the ruler’s fullest confidence
Royal household and karkhanas	Personal needs of the sultan and the royal workshops under the wakil-i-dar; Firoz added a separate department of slaves and one of public works

The wazir Khan-i-Jahan, a converted Telugu Brahman who served Firoz Tughlaq for 18 years, marked the high point of the wazir’s influence. His son’s failed attempt to be kingmaker after Firoz’s death weakened the post until the Mughals.

How Was the Army Organised?

The sultan himself commanded the army, as no king could have kept the throne by handing over command. A strong contingent stayed at the capital and other troops were posted elsewhere. Alauddin insisted on a regular muster, introduced the branding of horses (dagh) to stop poor horses at muster and kept a descriptive roll of each soldier. Balban kept his army fit by long hunting marches. The army had elephants and a corps of sappers and miners, and Turks and Afghans filled the prestigious cavalry, while Hindus served mostly in the infantry. Barani’s figure of 3,00,000 for Alauddin’s army looks exaggerated. Alauddin paid soldiers in cash, at 238 tankas for a trooper and 78 more for a second horse, after abolishing the village assignments that soldiers treated as hereditary.

What Was the Iqta System?

When the Turks conquered the country, they divided it into tracts called iqtas, which they gave to leading Turkish nobles known as muqtis or walis. These iqtas later became provinces or subas, and Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s empire had 24 of them, reaching Mabar. At first the muqtis were almost independent. They kept law and order, collected land revenue and paid their soldiers from it, keeping the balance. As the centre grew stronger it tried to learn the true income, fix the salaries of soldiers and the muqti in cash, and make the muqti send the balance to the centre. Accounts were audited after a couple of years, often with harshness, including torture and prison, which Firoz Tughlaq relaxed. The grant was not hereditary in theory.

How Did Local Administration and Justice Work?

Below the provinces came the shiqs and then the pargana, which probably grew from groups of 84 villages known as chaurasi. The pargana was headed by the amil. In the village the main persons were the khut, or landowner, the muqaddam, or headman, and the patwari, or accountant. At first hardly any change was made at the local level, and revenue continued to be collected by the same people in the same way, which helped the Turks establish themselves quickly. The changes began with Alauddin and led to conflicts, including peasant rebellions.

Qazis administered civil law based on the sharia in places with a sizeable Muslim population. Hindus were governed by their own personal laws applied by village panchayats and caste leaders, while criminal law followed regulations framed by the rulers.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Base of later systems Influenced regional kingdoms and Mughal administration
Exam terms Iqta, muqti, wazir and diwan-i-arz are frequent
Link Connects the army, revenue and land systems

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the economy, market control and land revenue under the Sultanate. Next topic: Economy of the Delhi Sultanate (Market Control Policies, Land Revenue System).

Key People and Terms

Muqti Holder of an iqta
Wazir Chief minister
Ariz-i-mamalik Head of the military department
Chief sadr Head of religious endowments
Barid Intelligence agent
Amil Head of a pargana

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

24 provinces under Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
Dagh: branding of horses, by Alauddin.
The chief sadr was usually also the chief qazi.
Khan-i-Jahan: wazir of Firoz for 18 years.
Unit order: suba, shiq, pargana.

Do Not Confuse With

Ariz and commander-in-chief Army recruiter and paymaster versus the sultan
Iqta and jagir Sultanate assignment versus a later Mughal assignment
Sadr and qazi Head of religious endowments versus judge

Memory Hook

Wazir counts, ariz musters, sadr gives, insha writes, barid spies, muqti collects.

Mains Angle

Questions on Sultanate administration ask about centralisation and the iqta. These points add depth.

Centralisation Control of muqtis through audit
Military base Standing army and branding of horses
Local continuity Same village officials as before

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Describe the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate and how the centre controlled the muqtis.”

How to Answer

Origin Iqtas given to Turkish nobles.
Duties Law, revenue and troops.
Control Audit and cash salaries.
Limit Harshness and hereditary claims.

GS Relevance

Prelims: Delhi Sultanate administration, iqta system and departments. GS Paper 1: government and administration in medieval India.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the iqta system?

The iqta system divided the Sultanate into tracts, iqtas, given to leading Turkish nobles called muqtis. A muqti kept law and order and collected land revenue, paid his troops from it and sent the balance to the centre, and the grant was in principle not hereditary.

What did the diwan-i-arz do?

The diwan-i-arz was the military department, headed by the ariz-i-mamalik. It recruited, equipped and paid the army, but the ariz was not the commander-in-chief, because the sultan himself commanded all the armed forces of the state.

What was the role of the wazir?

The wazir was the key minister of the Sultanate. In the early period he was mostly a military leader, but in the fourteenth century he became an expert in revenue affairs, heading the department of income and expenditure with an Auditor General and Accountant General under him.

How did the Sultanate divide its territory?

The empire was divided into iqtas that became provinces called subas, with 24 under Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Below them were shiqs and parganas, headed by an amil, and in villages the khut, muqaddam and patwari played the key roles.

How was law applied in the Sultanate?

Qazis applied civil law based on the sharia where Muslims lived in numbers, while Hindus were governed by their personal laws applied by village panchayats and caste leaders. Criminal law was based on regulations framed by the rulers, and the sultan acted as a court of appeal.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The muqti held an iqta and collected land revenue from it.

True

He met his troops' salaries and sent the balance to the centre.

2 The ariz-i-mamalik was the commander-in-chief of the army.

False

The sultan commanded the army; the ariz recruited and paid it.

3 Alauddin Khalji introduced the branding (dagh) of horses.