The Mughal Empire

(Solutions)

Let’s Recall

1. Match the following:

Column A	Column B
Mansab	Marwar
Mongol	Governor
Sisodiya Rajput	Uzbeg
Rathor Rajput	Mewar
Nur Jahan	Rank
Subadar	Jahangir

Answers:

Column A	Column B
Mansab	Rank
Mongol	Uzbeg
Sisodiya Rajput	Mewar
Rathor Rajput	Marwar
Nur Jahan	Jahangir
Subadar	Governor

2. Fill in the blanks:

(a) The capital of Mirza Hakim, Akbar’s half-brother, was ____________.

Answer: The capital of Mirza Hakim, Akbar's half-brother, was Kabul.
(b) The five Deccan Sultanates were Berar, Khandesh, Ahmadnagar, __________ and ____________.

Answer: The five Deccan Sultanates were Berar, Khandesh, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda.
(c) If zat determined a mansabdar’s rank and salary, sawar indicated his ____________ .

Answer: If zat determined a mansabdar's rank and salary, sawar indicated his number of cavalrymen.
(d) Abul Fazl, Akbar’s friend and counsellor, helped him frame the idea of ____________ so that he could govern a society composed of many religions, cultures and castes.

Answer: Abul Fazl, Akbar's friend and counselor, helped him frame the idea of sulh-i kul so that he could govern a society composed of many religions, cultures and castes.
3. What were the central provinces under the control of the Mughals?

Answer: The central provinces under the control of the Mughals were:

1. Lahore
2. Panipat
3. Delhi
4. Mathura
5. Agra
6. Ajmer
7. Marwar
8. Mewar
9. Deccan
10. Chittor

4. What was the relationship between the mansabdar and the jagir?
Answer: Mansabdars received their salaries as revenue assignments called jagirs. Mansabdars did not actually reside in or administer their jagirs. They served in some other part of the country while the revenue was collected for them by their servants.

Let’s Understand

5. What was the role of the zamindar in Mughal administration?
Answer: The role of the zamindar in Mughal administration was: 

1. Zamindars were local headmen of villages or powerful chieftains appointed by the Mughal emperor.
2. They played a role in running the administration of villages.
3. They collected tax on the produce of the peasantry which was the main source of income to Mughal Empire.
4. In some areas the zamindars exercised a great deal of power and sometimes zamindars and peasants of the same caste allied in, rebelling against Mughal authority.

6. How were the debates with religious scholars important in the formation of Akbar’s ideas on governance?

Answer: Akbar’s interaction with people of different faiths made him realise that religious scholars who emphasised ritual and dogma were often bigots. The teachings by different religious scholars created divisions and disharmony amongst his subjects. This led to the idea of sulh-i kul or "universal peace" which means tolerance and not to discriminate between people of different religions in his realm. They framed a vision of governance around the idea of sulh-i kul focused on a system of ethics honesty, justice, peace which was universally applicable.

7. Why did the Mughals emphasise their Timurid and not their Mongol descent?
Answer: The Mughals emphasise their Timurid descent because Genghis Khan's (Mongol) memory was associated with the massacre of innumerable people. They were proud of their Timurid ancestry, because their great ancestor had captured Delhi in 1398. They also celebrated their genealogy pictorially, each ruler getting a picture made of Timur and himself.

Let’s Discuss

8. How important was the income from land revenue to the stability of the Mughal Empire?
Answer: The income from land revenue was the main source of income of the Mughal Empire. The Mughal empire was very large and therefore for running the administration and maintaining law and order, a huge amount of finance was needed which comes from the revenue. The land revenue was also important for salaries of the soldiers and officials and welfare works for the commons. Land revenue played a crucial role in the economy as well as administration of the Mughal empire.

9. Why was it important for the Mughals to recruit mansabdars from diverse backgrounds and not just Turanis and Iranis?
Answer: It was important for the Mughals to recruit mansabdars from diverse backgrounds and not just Turanis and Iranis in order to provide stability to the empire. Moreover, the problems of common folks would be understood better by the people living there.

They also don't want the people to rebel against them on the issue of being a common mansabdars or privilege to Turanis and Iranis.

10. Like the Mughal Empire, India today is also made up of many social and cultural units. Does this pose a challenge to national integration?
Answer: Today, India follow a culture or tradition of "unity in diversity". People living here are united by the heart and loved the diversity of their own country. They consider this as their own motherland. Moreover, they got right to choose their own government and freedom to do what they want without harming anyone which was not the case under Mughal empire. 

It do face some challenge but they are not to big to worry about. India is integrated country with diversity and never pose a challenge to national integration.
11. Peasants were vital for the economy of the Mughal Empire. Do you think that they are as important today? Has the gap in the income between the rich and the poor in India changed a great deal from the period of the Mughals?
Answer: Peasants are a great resource of a country in the form of human resource. They are as important today as they were in Mughal period. The income levels of the peasant class has increased quite a lot from the Mughal period, but the gap between the rich and the poor in India has also widened. 

12. Discuss the foundation and expansion of Mughal rule in Kashmir.

Answer: In 1585, the Mughal troops attacked Kashmir, though the ruler Yousuf Shah Chak surrendered, but Mughals could not succeed. In the very next year a full fledged attack was launched by Mughals under Qasim Khan (Mir - i - Bahar) and Kashmir was annexed in 1586. Kashmir became part of the Mughal empire. One major reason to annex Kashmir was Shawl Industry. Kashmiri Shawls were in great demand in foreign lands and fetched higher profits.