Iqta in medieval India meant:

In medieval India, particularly during the Delhi Sultanate, the Iqta system was a crucial administrative and land revenue mechanism. An Iqta was a territorial assignment given to nobles and military officers, known as Iqtadars or Muqtis [2]. These officers were responsible for collecting land revenue from their assigned units [2]. The revenue collected was primarily used to maintain a required number of military forces for the Sultan's service and to cover administrative expenses [2]. Any surplus revenue, known as 'fawazil', was theoretically supposed to be remitted to the central treasury . Unlike the later Zamindari system, Iqta was an administrative grant of revenue rights rather than land ownership, and it was generally transferable and non-hereditary to prevent the decentralization of power [2]. This system allowed the Sultanate to maintain a large standing army without direct cash payments from the treasury [2].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 12: Bahmani and Vijayanagar Kingdoms > Nayak System > p. 183
2. [2] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Reshaping India’s Political Map > Administration under the Delhi Sultanate > p. 53