Mansabdari System

Mansabdari system was the system of providing ranks to the officials of the Mughal Empire.
The mansabdars governed the empire and commanded its armies in the emperor's name.
Though they were usually aristocrats, they did not form a feudal aristocracy, for neither the
offices nor the estates that supported them were hereditary. There were 33 categories of
mansabdars
The term is derived from Mansab, meaning 'rank'. Hence, Mansabdar literally means rank-holder.

History[edit]
Instituted by the Mughal emperor Akbar, mansabdari was a system common to both the military
and the Civil department. Basically the Mansabdari system was borrowed from Persia. It was
prevalent during the reign of Babur and Humayun.Akbar made some important changes to the
system and made it more efficient. Mansabdar was referred to as the official, rank, or the dignity.
Two grades delineated the mansabdars. Those mansabdars whose rank was one thousand
(hazari) or below were called the Amir. Those mansabdars whose rank was above 1000, were
called the Amiral Kabir(Great Amir). Some Great Amirs whose rank were above 5000 were also
given the title of Amir-al Umara (Amir of Amirs)
ZAT & SAWAR
The Mansabdars were differentiated by the Zat and the Sawar Rank. The Zat referred to rank
maintained by the mansabdar and the Sawar referred to the number of horseman maintained by
the mansabdar. It was dependent on whether the king ordered the mansabdar to maintain more
horses than his rank. The categories are shown below:
-No. of Sawar = No. of Zat => 1st Class Mansabdar
-No. of Sawar = 1/2 the No. of Zat => 2nd Class Mansabdar
-No. of Sawar < 1/2 the No. of Zat => 3rd Class Mansabdar
A Mansabdar was in the service of the state and was bound to render service when asked.
Additionally, they were graded on the number of armed cavalrymen, or sowars, which each had
to maintain for service in the imperial army. Thus all mansabdars had a zat, or personal ranking,
and a sowar, or a troop ranking. All servants of the empire, whether in the civil or military
departments were graded in this system. There were thirty-three grades of mansabdars ranging
from 'commanders of 10' to 'commanders of 10,000'. Till the middle of Akbar's reign, the highest
rank an ordinary officer could hold was that of a commander of 5000; the more exalted grades
between commanders of 7000 and 10,000 were reserved for the royal princes. During the period
following the reign of Akbar, the grades were increased up to 20,000 or even more generally
rs.20-25 per horse were paid to a mansabdar.
Appointment, promotion, suspension or dismissal of mansabdars rested entirely with the
emperor. No portion of a mansabdar's property was hereditary, a mansabdar's children had to
begin life anew. A mansabdar did not always begin at the lowest grade. The emperor, if satisfied,
could and did grant higher or even the highest grade to any person. There was no distinction
between civil and military departments. Both civil and military officers held mansabs and were
liable to be transferred from one branch of the administration to another. Each mansabdar was
expected to maintain prescribed number of horses, elephants, equipment, etc., according to his
rank and dignity. These rules, though initially strictly enforced, were later slackened.
Senior mansabdars were awarded a jagir (personal fief) rather than a salary. Rates of
remuneration, which included both the mansabdar's salary and so much per sowar, were
matched by jagirs affording a similar aggregate yield. If their specified yield came to more, the
surplus was due to the imperial treasury; if the jagirdar extracted more than the specified yield,
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