Mansabdar - A Military Unit of Mughal Empire

Akbar established the "Mansabdar" as a military unit within the Mughal Empire's administrative system. Mansab comes from the Arabic term mansab, which means rank or position. A government official's and military general's rank and standing were defined under the system. Every military and the civil officer was awarded a mansab, which dictated their pay and benefits. The phrase Mansabdar refers to someone who has a mansab. (Which denotes a function) The Mansabdar were:

• Military commanders,
• High civil and military officers, and
• Provincial governors in Akbar's mansabdari system.

Amir was given to mansabdari with a rank of 1,000 or less, while Amir-al Kabir was given to those with a rank of 1,000 or more (Great Amir). Amir-al Umara was also given to some great Amirs with ranks exceeding 5,000. (Amir of Amirs). It was a system in which nobles were awarded the privilege to retain a jagir, or revenue assignment (not the land itself), in exchange for services done. The king had direct authority over these nobles. Asad Yar Jung reported 66 Mansabdar grades, but in reality, there were only about 33 mansabs. The lowest grade was 10, while the highest was 5,000 during Akbar's early rule (later raised to 7,000). Princes and Rajput kings who acknowledged the emperor's suzerainty were awarded higher mansabs.

It was also common during the reigns of Babur and Humayun. Akbar made significant improvements to the system, making it more efficient.

Zat and Sawar: Akbar added zat and sawar to the system in the final years of his reign. Various points of view have been voiced on these concepts. According to Blochmann, every mansabdar was required to keep as many soldiers as his zat rank showed, while his sawar rank indicated the number of horse riders among them. Irlos IV believed that zat denoted the quantity of cavalry and other men under a mansabdar, whereas sawar was an additional honour. According to I W Butlar, mansabdars were granted the rank of sawar to settle their supplementary allowances. A mansabdar received two rupees for each horse. As a result, if a mansabdar was promoted to 500 sawar, he was awarded an extra allowance of rupees one thousand. While the rank of zat determined the number of other troops under a mansabdar, Abdul Aziz believes the rank of sawar determined the number of his riders. While the rank of zat denoted the overall number of troops under a mansabdar, the rank of sawar denoted the number of horsemen under him, according to A K Mathur. During Akbar's rule, the mansabdars were instructed to retain as many horsemen as the numbers of their sawar ranks suggested. Other Mughal rulers, however, did not continue the practice.

• If the number of Sawars is equal to the number of Zats, then the mansabdar is classified as 1st Class. Expressed as: Number of Sawar = Number of Zat. => Mansabdar (1st Class)

• If the number of Sawars is greater than half the number of Zats, then the mansabdar is classified as 2nd Class. Expressed as: Number of Sawar > ½ Number of Zat. => Mansabdar (2nd Class)

• If the number of Sawars is less than half the number of Zats, then the mansabdar is classified as 3rd Class. Expressed as: Number of Sawar < ½ Number of Zat. => Mansabdar (3rd Class)

Mansabdar were rated based on how many armed cavalrymen, or sowars, had to keep on hand for imperial army duty. As a result, every Mansabdar had a zat, or personal rank, as well as a sowar, or unit rank. This system was used to grade all of the empire's servants, whether they worked in the civil or military sectors. Mansabdar were divided into thirty-three categories, ranging from 'commanders of ten' to 'commanders of 10,000.' Ordinary officers could only retain the rank of commander of 5,000 until the middle of Akbar's reign. The royal princes were given the higher ratings between commanders of 7,000 and 10,000. Following Akbar's rule, the grades were raised to 20,000 rupees, and a Mansabdar was paid 20-25 rupees per horse.

Furthermore, no differentiation was made between the civil and military departments. Both civil and military officers possessed mansabs and were subject to transfer from one government department to the next. According to his position and dignity, each mansabdar was supposed to keep a certain number of horses, elephants, and equipment. Although these regulations were first severely enforced, they were eventually relaxed. The number of mansabdars under Aurangzeb's reign was estimated to be about 700 or more.

Prime features of Mansabdar System:

• The mansabdars were appointed by the monarch personally. They may raise, lower, or remove the mansab.
• The mansabdars were divided into 33 groups. The lowest mansabdar commanded ten troops, while the highest commanded 10,000. Only the royal princes and the most powerful Rajput kings received a mansab of 10,000 rupees.
• A mansabdar's pay was paid in cash.
• The mansabdari system was not passed down through the generations.
• The mansabdar's salary was increased by the amount owed to the troops. A jagir was granted to him on occasion for paying troops' salaries. Officers, on the other hand, realized the revenue and made the appropriate modifications.
• Any civic or military duty might be required of a mansabdar.
• In addition to covering his expenditures, the mansabdar was required to maintain a quota of horses, elephants, camels, mules, and carts from his income. A 5,000-rank mansabdar was responsible for 340 horses, 100 elephants, 400 camels, 100 mules, and 160 carts.
• A mansabdar was awarded handsome wages. A mansabdar possesion a rank of 5,000 received a monthly pay of 30,000 rupees, a mansabdar with 3,000 received 17,000 rupees, and a mansabdar with 1,000 received 8,200 rupees.
• Horses were divided into six groups, whereas elephants were divided into five.
• The mansabdar had to have twenty horses for every ten cavalrymen since horses needed to rest while marching, and replacements were needed during wartime.
• Dakhili troops were those raised by the emperor but not paid directly by the state and placed under the command of mansabdars.
• To avoid corruption, a record of each horseman's description ('huliya') and horse branding ('dag') was kept under a mansabdar.

• Dissimilarity in the highest Mansab: Higher mansabs were introduced after Akbar. The mansab of a prince was raised up to 40,000 and 60,000 under Jahangir and Shah Jahan's reigns, respectively, from 12,000 during Akbar's reign.
• Depletion in the number of soldiers: A mansabdar's number of soldiers was decreased by Shah Jahan. Every mansabdar now had to preserve one-third of the original number. It was even decreased to one-fourth or one-fifth of its original size.
• Variety in Mansabdars category: The number of mansabdar categories was decreased to 11 under the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, as opposed to the 33 stated by Abul Fazl in his book Akbarnama.
• Relaxation in Control: With Akbar's death, the control exercised over the mansabdars loosened a little.