Akbar’s Central and Provincial Administration
Medieval History › Mughal Period · Topic 6.16
Akbar built on the Delhi Sultanat structure but divided power among departments with checks and balances: a decorative wakil, a revenue diwan, a mir bakhshi for the army and intelligence, a mir saman for the household and a chief qazi or sadr for justice and charity. In 1580 he divided the empire into twelve subas, each with a governor, diwan, bakhshi, sadr, qazi and waqia-navis.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Mughal Period
At a Glance
- Principle Division of power and checks and balances
- Revenue head Diwan or diwan-i-ala
- Military head Mir bakhshi
- Provinces Twelve subas in 1580
- Local units Sarkar and pargana
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Medieval History: Mughal Period
Where Does It Fit?
This is the sixteenth topic of the category on the Mughal period. The previous topic described the Rajput alliance, and this topic describes the machinery of government. The next topic covers the mansabdari and revenue systems in depth. Previous topic: Akbar’s Relations with the Rajputs and the Growth of a Composite Ruling Class.
How Was the Central Government Organised?
In short: Akbar reorganised the central offices so that no one minister held all power and each checked the other.
His central government was based on the structure evolved under the Delhi Sultanat, but the functions of the departments were carefully reorganised with meticulous rules. The Central Asian and Timurid tradition was an all-powerful wazir with department heads under him, but in practice that concept had been given up as a military department and separate judiciary developed. Bairam Khan, as wakil, had exercised the powers of an all-powerful wazir. Akbar reorganised on the basis of division of power and checks and balances.
| Office | Role |
|---|---|
| Wakil | Not abolished but stripped of all power and largely decorative; given to important nobles from time to time |
| Diwan or diwan-i-ala | Head of revenue, usually without a high mansab, an expert in revenue affairs and no longer the principal adviser; responsible for all income and expenditure and controlled khalisa, jagir and inam lands; sometimes several persons shared the post |
| Mir bakhshi | Head of the military department and regarded as head of the nobility; recommendations for mansabs and promotions went through him to the emperor and then to the diwan for confirmation and jagir; also head of intelligence, with barids and waqia-navis posted across the empire |
| Mir saman | In charge of the imperial household, supplies, karkhanas, court etiquette and the bodyguard; a noble who enjoyed full confidence |
| Chief qazi | Head of the judicial department; sometimes combined with the chief sadr for charitable and religious endowments; the post fell into bad odour due to the corruption of Akbar’s chief qazi, jizyah Hall Ibadat Khana, Fatehpur Sikri, 1575 Fall of Chief sadr…">Abdun Nabi |
The diwan and the mir bakhshi were almost on par and checked each other.
How Was Land Organised?
The territories were divided into jagir, khalisa and inam. Khalisa income went directly to the royal exchequer, inam lands were for learned and religious men, and jagirs went to nobles and members of the royal family, including queens. After scrutinising the grants held by various persons, Akbar separated inam lands from jagir and khalisa lands and divided the empire into six circles for inam grants. Two features stand out: inam lands were granted to all persons irrespective of religion, and sanads to various Hindu maths survive; and half the inam land had to be cultivable wasteland, so holders had to extend cultivation. The amalguzar supervised all types of holdings to ensure uniform imperial rules. Only autonomous rajas kept their own land revenue system, though Akbar encouraged them to follow the imperial one.
How Was the Provincial and Local Government Arranged?
| Unit | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subas | Twelve in 1580: Bengal, Bihar, Allahabad, Awadh, Agra, Delhi, Lahore, Multan, Kabul, Ajmer, Malwa and Gujarat |
| Provincial officers | A governor (subedar), diwan, bakhshi, sadr, qazi and waqia-navis in each province |
| Sarkar | Chief officers were the faujdar for law and order and the amalguzar for assessment and collection of land revenue |
| Pargana | Continued as before; little change in local government |
This extended orderly government with checks and balances to the provinces.
How Did Akbar Make Himself Accessible?
He divided his time carefully. The day began with the emperor’s appearance at the jharoka of the palace, where crowds gathered to see him and present petitions. These were attended to at once or in the open darbar (diwan-i-am) which lasted till midday. Ministers had separate time, usually in a chamber near the bathing apartment, which came to be called the ghusal khana.
As an analytical point, the system rested on rules, records and rival officers instead of on a single powerful minister, and it served the emperor’s wish to keep final control. The rank system that linked the officers is in Mansabdari System and the Dahsala (Land Revenue) System Under Akbar, and the earlier Sultanate set-up is in Administration of the Delhi Sultanate (Iqta System, Central and Provincial Administration).
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Standard Prelims Names of offices and subas
- Principle Checks and balances
- Link Prepares mansabdari
What Came Next?
The next topic describes the mansabdari system and the dahsala land revenue system. Next topic: Mansabdari System and the Dahsala (Land Revenue) System Under Akbar.
Key People and Terms
- Wakil Chief minister, later decorative
- Diwan Revenue head
- Mir bakhshi Military and intelligence head
- Mir saman Household head
- Subedar Provincial governor
- Waqia-navis News reporter
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Twelve subas in 1580.
- Wakil became decorative.
- Mir bakhshi headed the nobility and intelligence.
- Inam lands: half was wasteland.
- Abdun Nabi: corrupt chief qazi.
Do Not Confuse With
- Diwan and mir bakhshi Revenue head versus military head
- Khalisa, jagir and inam Crown land versus nobles’ land versus religious grants
- Faujdar and amalguzar Law and order versus revenue
Memory Hook
Wakil honoured, diwan counts, bakhshi commands, saman serves, qazi judges.
Mains Angle
Questions on Akbar’s administration ask about its principles. These points add depth.
- Principle Division of powers
- Provinces Parallel officers
- Land Types of land and grants
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the central and provincial administration of Akbar.”
How to Answer
- Centre Wakil, diwan, bakhshi, saman, qazi.
- Land Khalisa, jagir, inam.
- Provinces Twelve subas.
- Principle Checks and balances.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the main central offices under Akbar?
The main central offices were the wakil, who became largely decorative, the diwan for revenue, the mir bakhshi for the army and intelligence, the mir saman for the household, and the chief qazi, sometimes combined with the chief sadr.
How many subas did Akbar create?
Akbar divided the empire into twelve subas in 1580: Bengal, Bihar, Allahabad, Awadh, Agra, Delhi, Lahore, Multan, Kabul, Ajmer, Malwa and Gujarat. Each province had a governor, diwan, bakhshi, sadr, qazi and news reporter, modelled on the central offices.
What did the mir bakhshi do?
The mir bakhshi headed the military department and was regarded as head of the nobility. Recommendations for mansabs went through him to the emperor, and he also headed the intelligence and news agencies of the empire.
What were khalisa, jagir and inam?
Khalisa land paid revenue to the royal exchequer, jagir land was assigned to nobles and the royal family, and inam land was granted to learned and religious men, including Hindu maths, with half the grant in cultivable wasteland.
What was the principle of Akbar's administration?
Akbar based it on division of power between departments with checks and balances. The diwan and mir bakhshi were almost equal and checked each other, and the same idea was extended to the provinces through parallel officers.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Akbar divided the empire into twelve subas in 1580.
Each province had a governor, diwan, bakhshi, sadr, qazi and news reporter, modelled on the central offices.
2 The mir bakhshi was the head of the revenue department.
He headed the military department; the diwan headed revenue.
3 The wakil under Akbar kept the powers of an all-powerful wazir.
The post became largely decorative.
4 Inam lands were granted only to Muslims.
They were granted irrespective of religion.
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