Question

Write a note on the Mansabdari system.

Hint:

Every mansab had two numbers: zat (status) and sawar (cavalry to maintain).

Answer 1

Step 1: Core idea: Think of Mansabdari as a numbered ranking ladder: every officer's rank was literally expressed as a number.

Step 2: The two numbers attached to each rank: Zat = personal rank/pay grade; Sawar = the cavalry contingent the officer had to maintain — together they defined both status and military obligation.

Step 3: How they were paid: Most mansabdars received a jagir (revenue-collection right over an assigned area) instead of a fixed salary, and jagirs were rotated to prevent any noble from building a permanent regional power base.

Final Answer: A dual zat+sawar rank system for Mughal nobles/officers, generally compensated via transferable jagirs, introduced/systematized under Akbar.