A closer look: Administration and consolidation under the Khaljis and Tughlaqs

A closer look: Administration and consolidation under the Khaljis and Tughlaqs

by Shreya and Nitya

​The consolidation of a Kingdom

​The consolidation of a kingdom as vast as the Delhi Sultanate needed reliable governors and administration. Rather than appointing aristocrats and landed chieftains as governors, the early Delhi Sultans, especilly Iltutmish, favoured their special slaves purchased for miliatary service, called bhanagan in Persian they were trained carefully trained to man some of the most important political offices in the kingdom. Since they were totally dependent upon their master. the sultan could trust and rely upon them.

​Slaves Rather than Sons

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​The Khaljis and Tughluqs

​The Khaljis and Tughlaqs continued to use bandagan and also raised people of humble birth, who were often their clients, to high political positions. They were appointed as generals and governors. However this also introduced an element of political instability.

Slaves and clients were loyal to their masters and patrons, but not to their heirs . New Sultans had their own servants. As a result the accession of a new Monarch often saw conflict between the old and new nobility.

​The Patronage of these humble people by the Delhi Sultans also shocked many elites and the authors of Persian tawarikh critised Delhi Sultans for appointing the low and base born to high offices. Like the earlier Sultans

​The Khaljis and Tuqluqs

​The Khalji and Tughluq monarchs appointed military commanders as governors of territories of varying sizes. These lands were called iqta and their holder was called iqtadar or muqti . The duty of Muqtis was to lead military campaigns and maintain law and order in their iqtas. In exchange for their military service, the muqtis collected he revenues of their assignments of their assignments and salary. The also paid their soldiers from these revenues.Control over muqtis was most effective if their office was not most effective if their office was not inheritable and if they waere assigned iqtas for a short period of time before being shifted. These harshconditions of service were rigorously imposed during the

​The Khaljis and Tuqluqs

​reigns of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Tuqhluq. Accountants were appointed by the state to check the amount of revenue collected by the muqtis. Care was taken that the muqti collected only the taxes prescribed by the state and that he kept the required number of soldiers.

As the Delhi Sultans brought the hinterland of the cities under their control, they forced the landed chieftains - the samanta aristocrats- and rich landlords to accept their authority. Under Alauddi Khalji the state brought the assessment ad collection of land revenue under its own control. The rights of the local chieftains to levy taxes were cancelled and they wee also forced to pay taxes. The Sultan's administrators measured

​The Khaljis and Tuqluqs

​the land and kept accounts carefully . Some of the old chieftains and landlords served the Sultanate as revenue collectors and assessors. There were three types of taxes:

1) on cultivation called kharaj and amounting about 50 per cent of the peasant's produce.

2) on cattle

3)on houses

It is important to remember that large parts of the Subcontinent remained outside the control of the Delhi Sultans. It was difficult to control distant provinces like Bengal from Delhi and soon after annexing southern India, the entire region became independent. even in the Gangetic

The Khaljis and Tuqluqs

​plain there were forested areas that sultanate forces could not penetrate.

​local chieftains established their rule in these regions. Sometimes rulers like Alauddin Khalji and muhammad Tuqhluq could force their control in these areas but only for a short duration.

​The Mongols

​The Mongols under Genghis Khan invaded Transoxiana in the north- wast Iran in 1219 and the Delhi Sultanate faced their onslaught son after. Mongol attacks on the Delhi Sultanate increased during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and in the early years of Muhammad Tuqhluq's rule. This forced the two rules to mobilise a large standing army in Delhi which posed a huge administrative challenge.

Thank You​

Presented by Shreya and Nitya​