The Mughal era in India brought many major changes in the social, economic, cultural administrative, trade, lifestyle aspects of the country. The management of each of these sectors was administered by different officers under the leadership of Mughal rulers. In this article, we bring to you the list of officials in the Mughal empire and their role in the administrative setup.Â
What was the need for Officers in Mughal Administration?
The Mughal Empire in India was spread across a huge part of the country and managing the entire kingdom independently was a challenge for the rulers. Thus, different officials were appointed to administer separate departments.Â
Considering the rule was essentially military in nature where the word of the emperor was law, these officers directly reported to the ruler and followed structured ideals of governance.Â
Every ruler under the Mughals left a different political legacy in India, which was later followed by their successors as well for a centralized administration of the empire. Aspirants can review the major Mughal Emperors List and the period of their reign in the country at the linked article.Â
List of Officers in Mughal Empire:-Download PDF Here
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List of Mughal Empire Officials
Mughal Emperor Babur was the first to come to India in the year 1526. Following him, many other rulers conquered different areas of the country and extended their empire.Â
The table given below mentions the name of the officers along with their functions and responsibilities in the Mughal Administration:
| List of Mughal Empire Officers | ||
| Category | Department | Responsibilities |
| Diwan-i-Wazarat | Revenue and Finance |
|
| Diwan-i-Arz | Military | Regulating and preserving the Royal Army |
| Diwan-i-Rasalatmuhtasib | Foreign Affairs | Maintaining trade and economic relations with foreign rulers/entities |
| Diwan-i-insha | Custodian of Government papers | In charge of the Royal correspondence for all matters, including confidential affairs |
| Diwan-i-qaza | Judicial | Managing justice in the empire |
| Diwan-i-Barid | Intelligence Department | Managing intelligence affairs |
| Diwan-i-Saman | In charge of Royal Household | Managing the royal household |
Officers appointed in the civil and military posts of the Mughal empire were known as Mansabdars. The term Mansabdar refers to an individual who holds a Mansab (rank). To read in detail about the Mansabdari System, followed to give a rank and salary to the Mughal officials, visit the linked article.Â
Strengthen your knowledge of Mughal rule in India by referring to the video given below:
Mughal Officers – List of Officials at Administrative Levels
As far as the administrative setup was concerned, the Mughal empire was mostly divided into four parts:
- Subas (Provinces)
- Sarkar
- Pargana
- Gram
| Officers of the Mughal Empire at the Central Level | |
| Officers | Responsibilities |
| Wazir | Also known as the Chief Minister, looked after revenue and finance |
| Diwan | Managing all income and expenditure of the kingdom |
| Mir Bakshi | Gather intelligence and make recommendations regarding military appointments and promotions |
| Mir Saman | In charge of royal kharkhanas where all kinds of manufacturing would take place |
| Diwan-i-Bayutat | Maintaining roads, government buildings etc. |
| Mir Manshi | Royal correspondence |
| Sadr-us-Sadr | Head of religious donations and contributions |
| Qazi-ul-Quzat | Supreme authority for justice after the emperor. His responsibility was to do justice in all cases in accordance with Muslim Law |
| Muhtasib | Inspector of public places and behavior in towns. He was responsible for maintaining the morality of the general people in medieval Islamic cities |
| Mushrif-i-Mumalik | Accountant |
| Mustauf-i-Mumalik | Auditor |
| Mir-i-arz | In charge of petitions |
| Waqia Navis | Reporters |
| Officers of the Mughal Empire at Province Level | |
| Officers | Responsibilities |
| Sipahsalar | Representative of the Emperor, who possessed both civil and military authority. Key responsibility was to follow the royal orders |
| Diwan | Officiating the revenue administration |
| Bakshi | Looking after organising the army for the province |
| Sadr | Managing the judicial affairs |
| Officers of the Mughal Empire at District Level | |
| Officers | Responsibilities |
| Fauzdar | Fauzdar was responsible for maintaining law and order. He basically was the administrative head |
| Amalguzar | Responsible for the assessment and collection of land revenue |
| Kotwal | He was the chief of the city police and responsible for maintaining peace and conducting trial of criminal cases |
| Officers of the Mughal Empire at Pargana Level | |
| Officers | Responsibilities |
| Shiqdar | He was the police chief at the Pargana level and had to perform similar duties as that of a Kotwal |
| Amin | Collecting revenue |
| Officers of the Mughal Empire at Village Level | |
| Officers | Responsibilities |
| Muqaddam | Head of the village |
| Patwari | Performing the duties of an accountant |
| Chowkidar | Watchman |
Aspirants can also refer to the following information about the Mughal rule in India based on the UPSC Syllabus for the History section:
| Later Mughals & Decline of Mughal Empire | Mughal Painting |
| Mughal Style Architecture | Indo-Islamic Architecture |
| Slave Dynasty (Sultanate of Delhi) | End of Mughal Rule in India – [September 21, 1857] |
Nav Ratans of Akbar’s Kingdom
Navratnas or Akbar’s Nine Gems were a set of nine extraordinary people who were intellectuals at the court of Emperor Akbar. The table given below discussed the Nine Jewels of Akbar’s court:
| S.No. | Navratnas | Brief Description |
| 1. | Abdul Rahim | He was a poet at Akbar’s court and was given the title of Khan-i-Khanan. He had translated Baburnama from Chagatai language to the Persian language |
| 2. | Abul Fazl | He was the writer of Ain-i-Akbari (meaning Administration of Akbar) and Akbarnama (official chronicle of the reign of Akbar) |
| 3. | Birbal | Advisor and main commander of the army in the court of the Akbar. He was known to be a witty advisor |
| 4. | Faizi | A great poet and literary scholar and had translated many Sanskrit works into the Persian language, including Lilavati |
| 5. | Fakir Aziao-Din | A mystic & excellent chief advisor, especially on religious matters |
| 6. | Mullah Do Piaza | Home Minister of Akbar |
| 7. | Raja Man Singh | He was a Rajput general and Chief of Staff of Akbar’s Mughal Army |
| 8. | Tansen | A composer, musician and vocalist |
| 9. | Todar Mal | Finance Minister with expertise in the land revenue system |
For more details about the Navratans of Akbar, visit the linked article and know about their background, contributions and achievements under Akbar’s reign.Â
List of Officers in Mughal Empire:-Download PDF Here
The various developments in India under the Mughals plays a very vital role in the syllabus for the civil services exam for the history section. Thus, aspirants must go through the details discussed above carefully.
To the get the latest exam updates, study material and preparation tips, visit BYJU’S.Â
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