Question map
Consider the following statements : 1. In the revenue administration of Delhi Sultanate, the in-charge of revenue collection was known as 'Amil'. 2. The Iqta system of Sultans of Delhi was an ancient indigenous institution. 3. The office of 'Mir Bakshi' came into existence during the reign of Khalji Sultans of Delhi. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The correct answer is option A (Statement 1 only).
**Statement 1 is correct**: Amil was primarily responsible for the collection of the revenue[1] in the Delhi Sultanate's revenue administration. Amils carried the earnings from such territories to the central treasury.[2]
**Statement 2 is incorrect**: The pernicious iqta system, which the first Muslim rulers of Delhi had adopted[3], indicates that the Iqta system was not an ancient indigenous institution but rather adopted by the Muslim rulers. Iqta refers to a land grant or assignment, given to a military commander[4], and this system had its origins in the Islamic administrative traditions of Central Asia and Persia, not in ancient India.
**Statement 3 is incorrect**: The office of 'Mir Bakshi' was actually a Mughal administrative position that came into existence during the Mughal period, not during the Khalji Sultanate. The Mir Bakshi was the head of the military department under the Mughals and did not exist in the Delhi Sultanate period.
Therefore, only statement 1 is correct.
Sources- [1] https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/delhi-sultanat/delhi-story.html
- [2] https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/delhi-sultanat/delhi-story.html
- [3] http://delhihighcourt.nic.in/files/2025-05/Ebook/a_history_of_india_second_edition.pdf
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis question is a classic 'Chronological Swap' trap. UPSC tests if you can distinguish between Sultanate (Turko-Afghan) and Mughal (Timurid) administrative terms. While specific definitions like 'Amil' might seem obscure or web-based, the question is easily cracked by eliminating the obvious mismatches in Statements 2 and 3 using standard static knowledge.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: In the revenue administration of the Delhi Sultanate, was the official in charge of revenue collection called "Amil"?
- Statement 2: Was the Iqta system used by the Sultans of Delhi an ancient indigenous (native Indian) institution?
- Statement 3: Did the office of "Mir Bakshi" originate during the reign of the Khalji Sultans of the Delhi Sultanate?
- Explicitly names 'Amil' among local officials responsible for administration.
- Directly states that Amil was primarily responsible for the collection of revenue.
- Describes the role of Amils in handling revenues from crown (Khalisa) lands.
- Shows Amils carried earnings to the central treasury, confirming their revenue-collection function.
Identifies the term 'amil-guzar or revenue collector' as a named revenue official (in a land-revenue context) — shows 'amil' is a known administrative title in Indian revenue history.
A student could check chronological usage: compare whether this term appears in Mughal-era sources only or also in earlier Sultanate records to test applicability to the Delhi Sultanate.
Gives the related form 'Amin' as an official ensuring imperial regulations in the provinces, indicating variants of the title existed in imperial administration.
A student could examine spelling/linguistic variants (amil, amin) across Persian/Arabic records and trace when each form is used historically to judge Sultanate usage.
Describes the iqta system where territories were assigned to nobles (iqtadars) to collect taxes, showing that during the Sultanate tax collection was often carried out by iqtadars rather than a centrally named 'amil'.
A student could contrast the roles/terms used for revenue collectors in iqta-based systems (iqtadar) versus later centralized administrations to see if 'amil' fits Sultanate practice.
States that under a Sultanate land-tenure system an official was 'bestowed' the collection of estate revenue and governing power — confirming that an identifiable revenue official role existed in the Sultanate.
A student could use this to motivate searching primary/secondary Sultanate-era records for the specific title used for such officials (e.g., amil, iqtadar, malik).
Notes Firuz Tughlaq reformed and 'toned up' revenue administration and reintroduced hereditary appointments, implying administrative titles/roles could change over Sultanate reigns.
A student could investigate whether title usage (such as 'amil') varied between dynasties or was introduced/standardized under later rulers.
- Explicitly states the iqtas were adopted by the first Muslim rulers of Delhi, implying it was not an indigenous ancient institution.
- Frames the iqta as a system that the rulers 'had adopted', indicating external or non-native origin rather than a native continuity.
- Describes what the iqta system was and how the Sultanate used it (land grants to military officers/governors), confirming its use by the Sultans of Delhi.
- Shows the system as an administrative/military device tied to the Sultanate rather than described as an ancient native institution.
Gives a clear definition and function of the iqta system as a revenue-assignment instrument used by the Delhi Sultanate to pay nobles and maintain the army.
A student could compare this definition with descriptions of pre-1200 Indian revenue or land-grant practices (e.g., assignments to officials or for military service) on a timeline or in primary sources to see if similar institutions existed earlier in India.
States that the amara-nayaka system of Vijayanagara 'is likely that many features ... were derived from the iqta system,' implying iqta was a model adopted later in South India.
One could map chronological sequences (Delhi iqta earlier, Vijayanagara later) and check whether the direction of influence is from Sultanate to native kingdoms rather than vice versa.
Notes a practice in the Kakatiya kingdom of assigning revenue to military leaders and explicitly says this is 'similar to the iqta system,' providing an example of comparable regional practice around the thirteenth century.
A student could investigate whether the Kakatiya practice predates or postdates the Delhi iqta and whether it developed independently or via contact, using chronologies and regional inscriptions.
Mentions a 'Mir Bakshi' appointed by Abdali as his agent in Delhi, showing the title was in use in later Mughal/Afghan contexts.
A student could compare the earliest occurrences of the title in primary chronicles to see if mentions predate or postdate the Khalji period.
Lists the sequence of Delhi Sultanate dynasties including the Khaljis, providing the political timeframe to place the origin of offices.
Use the dynasty sequence to narrow which chronicles or inscriptions (dated to each dynasty) to check for first references to 'Mir Bakshi'.
Describes a sultan assisted by a council of ministers in charge of various departments, indicating that named administrative/military offices existed under the Sultanate.
A student could look for lists of ministerial offices in administrative descriptions for each dynasty to see when 'Mir Bakshi' appears.
Names Amir Khusrau and other chroniclers who wrote about the Khalji rulers (texts explicitly tied to Jalal-ud-din and Alauddin Khalji).
Check these Khalji-era chronicles (Amir Khusrau's works) for any mention of 'Mir Bakshi' to test whether the office existed in that period.
Notes administrative policies under different sultans and that Alauddin Khalji opposed hereditary office-holding, implying he restructured offices and appointments.
Investigate whether administrative reshuffling under Alauddin Khalji included creating or renaming military/administrative posts such as 'Mir Bakshi'.
- [THE VERDICT]: **Static Conceptual Trap**. While the provenance search flags 'Amil' as web-heavy, Statements 2 and 3 are standard textbook facts (Satish Chandra/NCERT). The difficulty lies in the precise definition of 'Amil' in the Sultanate context.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: **Administrative Evolution**. You must study Medieval administration as a comparative timeline: Sultanate (Centralized but evolving) vs. Mughal (Highly bureaucratized).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the Officer-Dynasty pairs: **Diwan-i-Arz** (Balban/Sultanate Military) vs. **Mir Bakshi** (Mughal Military); **Diwan-i-Kohi** (MBT/Agriculture); **Diwan-i-Bandagan** (FST/Slaves); **Barids** (Intelligence).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Don't just memorize terms; map them to their 'Birth Era'. Ask: 'Did this office exist under Alauddin Khalji, or was it an Akbar innovation?' The 'Mir Bakshi' option is a direct test of this timeline mapping.
The Delhi Sultanate assigned territories (iqtas) to nobles (iqtadars) who were responsible for collecting taxes and maintaining military forces.
High-yield: explains how medieval revenue allocation was tied to military maintenance and delegation of fiscal authority; essential for comparing Sultanate administrative structures with later systems (e.g., Mughal). Useful for questions on land-tenure, fiscal-military relations, and decentralised revenue collection.
- 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
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > Jagirdari > p. 203
Medieval land revenue operated in two stages—assessment (jama) and actual collection (hasil)—with designated officials tasked with collection and realization.
Important for understanding fiscal mechanics and administrative responsibilities; helps answer questions on revenue accounting, roles of collectors, and implementation challenges in agrarian taxation systems.
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: Peasants, Zamindars and the State > 6. Land Revenue System > p. 213
Village-level administration had named revenue and accounting officers (for example nala-kavundas, kamunda/pokigan, karana) who managed local tax collection and records.
Valuable for questions on grassroots administration and rural governance; links local institutional roles to state revenue extraction and aids comparative study of regional administrative vocabularies.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Village Administration > p. 120
Iqta involved assigning territories to nobles (iqtadars) to collect taxes for maintaining the army and remitting surplus to the central treasury.
High-yield for UPSC because it clarifies the functional role of medieval administrative institutions and is frequently tested in both prelims and mains; understanding this helps compare medieval revenue and military arrangements across polities. Connects to topics on state formation, fiscal-military systems, and decentralisation.
- 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
The amara-nayaka and Nayak revenue-for-military-service arrangements in southern kingdoms are presented as derived from or similar to the iqta practice of the Delhi Sultanate.
Important for answering questions on institutional diffusion and regional adaptations; helps candidates trace how northern Sultanate practices influenced or were imitated by later South Indian systems, useful in essay and comparative analysis questions.
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara > 2.3 The rayas and the nayakas > p. 175
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 12: Bahmani and Vijayanagar Kingdoms > Nayak System > p. 183
The iqta is associated with the Delhi Sultanate while comparable revenue-assignment practices appear in regional polities, framing a choice between adoption from the Sultanate and independent indigenous antecedents.
Crucial for source-based and historiographical questions that ask whether institutions were indigenous or imported; mastering this helps critically evaluate claims of 'native origin' and construct balanced arguments in mains answers.
- 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
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 12: Bahmani and Vijayanagar Kingdoms > Nayak System > p. 183
Knowing the sequence of Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties is necessary to attribute the origin of an administrative office to a particular dynasty.
High-yield for dating institutional origins and placing reforms in chronological context; links medieval political history with institutional development and helps answer questions on which dynasty introduced specific offices or policies.
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Reshaping India’s Political Map > Rise and Fall of the Delhi Sultanate > p. 25
Diwan-i-Mustakhraj. Since they asked about revenue collection ('Amil'), the next logical target is the specific department created by Alauddin Khalji to collect revenue arrears (Mustakhraj). Also, watch out for 'Mushrif-i-Mamalik' (Accountant General).
Linguistic Etymology Hack. Look at Statement 2: 'Iqta' is an Arabic/Persian word. 'Ancient Indigenous' implies a Sanskrit/Prakrit root (like 'Bhaga' or 'Bali'). An Arabic term cannot describe an ancient native Indian institution. Eliminate Statement 2 immediately.
Fiscal Federalism. The **Iqta system** (transferable revenue assignments) is the medieval precursor to the **Jagirdari system** and modern state resource allocation. It highlights the eternal administrative tension between Centralization (Khalisa land) and Decentralization (Iqta/Jagir).