Question

Explain the jagirdari crisis?

Answer 1

Under the Mughal system the mansabdars were either paid their salary in cash or granted jagirs in lieu of that. But the treasury being exhausted the cash payment of salary was out of question the grant of jagir was also becoming increasingly difficult.

Under the Mughal system the mansabdars were either paid their salary in cash or granted jagirs in lieu of that. But the treasury being exhausted the cash payment of salary was out of question the grant of jagir was also becoming increasingly difficult.

For, though the number of mansabdars increased rapidly there was no increase in the availability of jagir in the same proportion. Thus there was the lack of sufficient jagirs required for the growing number of mansabdars awaiting grant of jagirs.

The jagirdari crisis that was quite apparent during the end of the reign of Aurangzeb became so acute under the later Mughal emperors that the system itself ultimately collapsed. Again, with the collapse of the jagirdari system the process of decline of the Mughal Empire was also complete.

Answer 2

The Institute of MANSABDARI was deveoped by Akbar and referred to the military organisation of the aristocracy. Due to its nature each aristrocract or mansabdar was personally loyal to the emperor. Each mansabdar had a dual numerical rank - jat that signified his personal rank and sawar which decided the number of horsemen he was required to maintain. The mansabdar was paid in cash but mostly grant of landed estate/jagir and out of its revenue, the mansabdar had to maintain his sawar himelf. The jagirs were usually non-transferable while other were transferable. Since the appointent, transference, dismissal or promotion of the jagirs was the sole prerogative of the emperor, there existed a patron-client relatioship between the emperor and the ruling classes. However, beginning with the last years of Aurangzeb’s reign there was a marked shrikage in the number of jagirs which could not meet the ever growing rank of mansabdars. Under the later Mughals, this crisis kept intensifying and weakened the position of the Emperor. The crisis meant that the emperor was not assured of support and loyalty of the ruling class and this in turn destabilized the military base of the Emperor.