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Q12 (IAS/2019) History & Culture › Medieval India › Delhi Sultanate governance Official Key

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?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
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. [1] https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/delhi-sultanat/delhi-story.html
  2. [2] https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/delhi-sultanat/delhi-story.html
  3. [3] http://delhihighcourt.nic.in/files/2025-05/Ebook/a_history_of_india_second_edition.pdf
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following statements : 1. In the revenue administration of Delhi Sultanate, the in-charge of revenue collection was known as…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 6.7/10
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This 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.

How this question is built

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"?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"* Amil was primarily responsible for the collection of the revenue."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly names 'Amil' among local officials responsible for administration.
  • Directly states that Amil was primarily responsible for the collection of revenue.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Amils carried the earnings from such territories to the central treasury."
Why this source?
  • 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.

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
Strength: 4/5
“The land revenue arrangements consisted of two stages – first, assessment and then actual collection. The jama was the amount assessed, as opposed to hasil, the amount collected. In his list of duties of the amil-guzar or revenue collector, Akbar decreed that while he should strive to make cultivators pay in cash, the option of payment in kind was also to be kept open. While fixing revenue, the attempt of the state was to maximise its claims. The scope of actually realising these claims was, however, sometimes thwarted by local conditions. Both cultivated and cultivable lands were measured in each province.”
Why relevant

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.

How to extend

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.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: Peasants, Zamindars and the State > Ü Discuss... > p. 214
Strength: 4/5
“Amin was an official responsible for ensuring that imperial regulations were carried out in the provinces. Ü What principles did the Mughal state follow while classifying lands in its territories? How was revenue assessed? Map 1 The expansion of the Mughal Empire Ü What impact do you think the expansion of the empire would have had on land revenue collection?”
Why relevant

Gives the related form 'Amin' as an official ensuring imperial regulations in the provinces, indicating variants of the title existed in imperial administration.

How to extend

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.

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
Strength: 4/5
“The Delhi Sultanate introduced a political system centred on the sultan, who possessed absolute authority as the political and military head, and whose duties, according to contemporary chronicles, included "defending the territories of Islam against possible aggression," "collecting fees and taxes" and "keeping in touch with public affairs and the condition of the people by personal contact." The sultan was however assisted by a council of ministers who were in charge of the various departments of the Sultanate. One instrument of the administration was the iqta system, in which territories were assigned to nobles (iqtadars) to collect taxes which, minus expenses, were supposed to go to the Sultan's treasury; they were needed, in particular, to maintain the army.”
Why relevant

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'.

How to extend

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.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > Jagirdari > p. 203
Strength: 3/5
“It is a land tenure system developed during the Delhi Sultanate. Under the system, the collection of the revenue of an estate and the power of governing it were bestowed upon an official of the state.”
Why relevant

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.

How to extend

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).

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 10: Advent of Arabs and Turks > Conciliatory Policy towards Nobles > p. 146
Strength: 3/5
“Firuz Tughlaq followed a conciliatory policy towards the nobles and theologians. Firuz restored the property of the owners who had been deprived of it during the reign of Muhammad Tughlaq. He reintroduced the system of hereditary appointments to offices, a practice which was not favoured by Ala-uddin Khalji. The Sultan increased the salaries of government officials. While toning up the revenue administration, he reduced several taxes.”
Why relevant

Notes Firuz Tughlaq reformed and 'toned up' revenue administration and reintroduced hereditary appointments, implying administrative titles/roles could change over Sultanate reigns.

How to extend

A student could investigate whether title usage (such as 'amil') varied between dynasties or was introduced/standardized under later rulers.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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