What were the main features of Mansabdari System?
Answers
Main Features of mansabdari system
- The king himself appointed the mansabdars.
- A mansabdar could be asked to perform any civil or military service.
- There were 33 categories of the mansabdars.
- A mansabdar was paid his salary in cash.
- The salary due to the soldiers was added to the personal salary of the mansabdar.
answer -
The most important feature of army administration was the mansabdari system. The term 'mansab' means a rank or position. A mansabdar was a person who held a particular rank. His rank determined his salary and his military responsibilities.
A mansabdar's rank was divided into two - zat and sawar. The former determined the number of soldiers under him and the latter the number of horses he was expected to maintain. The zat ranks ranged from 10 to 10,000. Generally, those above 5000 were reserved for princes.
The salary of a mansabdar was fixed in cash. However, it was paid by assigning him a jagir, (a piece of land), taxes from which would be equal to his salary. He was expected to collect revenue from his jagir, and with the money collected, maintain his household and pay his troops. Mansabdars were promoted, demoted or transferred according to the wishes of the emperor. A mansabdar's rank was not hereditary. When a mansabdar died, his jagir was taken away and given to someone else.
Akbar also maintained a group of special soldiers called the ahadis and a strong artillery. The Mughal army, under Akbar, was an efficient fighting machine.