Question

examine the administration under the delhi sultanate​

Answer 1

Answer:

Administration during the Delhi Sultanate was based on the laws of the Shariat or the laws of Islam. Political, legal and military authority was vested in the Sultan. Thus military strength was the main factor in succession of throne. Administrative units were, Iqta, Shiq, Paraganaa and Gram.

Answer 2

☯Administration under the Delhi Sultanate

The following played important roles in the administration of the Delhi Sultanate.

★The Sultan

• The most important person in the empire was the sultan who maintained law and order and protected his empire againstexternal invasions,

• He was also the commander-in-chief of the army as well as the chief justice

★The Nobles

• The nobles played a very powerful role in the courts of the sultans of Delhi and there were continuous power struggles between them and the sultans. The nobles held both civilian and military posts.

• During the rule of the Slave dynasty the nobility played a major role in selecting the sultan and were quite powerful. For instance Raziya Sultan faced tremendous opposition from the nobles even though she was an efficient and able ruler and was ultimately murdered by them.

• When Balban ascended the throne, he introduced various measures to reduce the power of the nobility and to keep all the power and authority in his own hands.

• Iltutmish introduced the iqta system to pay the salaries of the nobles and officers in the army. Under the iqtadari system pieces of land were allotted to the nobles and officers for the iqtadars) according to their ranks. The land revenue collected from these lands was to be treated as their salaries. In return, they were expected to take part in the military campaigns of the sultan by providing him with a certain number of horses and soldiers.

★Army

• The army was an essential part of the Sultanate. It helped the sultans to stay in power and to expand and protect the extent of their kingdom

• The army comprised the infantry, archers, cavalry and elephants. It was stationed not only in the capital of the Sultanate, but in other parts of the empire as well.

• In the early years of the Delhi Sultanate, Iltutmish used the army to defeat the Rajput chiefs of Ujjain and Ranthambore, to occupy Lahore, Punjab, Sind and Bengal, and to strengthen the north-western frontiers of his empire against the Mongols.

• Similarly, Alauddin Khalji used the Sultanate army to extend his control up to the Deccan. He also maintained a large standing army in Delhi in order to protect the empire against repeated Mongol attacks.

★Economy

• The Delhi sultans depended heavily on a regular flow of land revenue in order to pay the salaries of their officials, maintain the army and construct buildings and forts to strengthen the boundaries of their empire.

• As more land was brought under cultivation to increase the amount of land revenue collected, the sultans appointed revenue officials to measure the land, assess the amount of revenue to be collected and maintain records of the revenue collection.

• Steps were also taken to improve agriculture Firuz Shah Tughlaq, for example, repaired and dug many canals for the purpose of irrigation

• One of the most important economic measures introduced during this period were those introduced by Alauddin Khalji. He fixed the prices of all essential commodities from food grains, sugar and cooking oil to imported cloth, horses, cattle and slaves and standardised the weights and measures used by the traders in the markets of Delhi.

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