Mughal Administration, Revenue, Art & Architecture

1. Central & Provincial Administration

Cue Words	Notes
Central Ministers	Vakil: Grand Vizier / Prime Minister (post held by Bairam Khan; lost executive power under Akbar). Wazir / Diwan-i-Ala: Head of Revenue and Finance. Controlled all revenue receipts, expenditure, and Jagir grants. Mir Bakshi: Head of Military Department and Intelligence. Responsible for officer recruitment, pay bills, Dagh-o-Chehra inspection, and issuing Sarkhat (pay certificates). Sadr-us-Sudur / Qazi-ul-Quzat: Head of Ecclesiastical Department, religious endowments (Madad-i-Maash / Suyurghal), and Judicial System. Mir Saman / Khan-i-Saman: In charge of Royal Household, karkhanas (royal workshops), stores, and palace etiquette. Muhtasib: Censor of Public Morals (enforced Islamic moral standards and correct weights/measures).
Provincial Hierarchy	Empire divided into Subas (Provinces - 12 under Akbar, 15 under Jahangir, 21 under Aurangzeb): Subahdar / Nazim: Executive head of Suba (maintained law, order, and military). Diwan: Provincial finance officer (independent of Subahdar, reported directly to Central Diwan). Sarkar (District): Governed by Faujdar (military executive/law & order) and Amalguzar / Amal-Parganait (revenue collector). Pargana (Sub-District): Governed by Shiqdar (executive), Amil / Munsif (revenue officer), and Quanungo (land records keeper). Gram (Village): Autonomous administration under Muqaddam (headman) and Patwari (accountant).

2. Land Revenue & Agrarian Relations

Cue Words	Notes
Revenue Assessment Systems	Zabti / Dahsala System: Direct measurement of land; 10-year average yield/price calculation (Akbar & Todar Mal). Batai / Ghalla-Bakshi: Crop-sharing system (Divided into Khet-Batai [sharing standing crop], Lanka-Batai [sharing harvested grain], Rasi-Batai [sharing threshed grain]). Kankut / Nasaq: Rough estimation/appraisal of crop yield based on past inspection.
Peasant Classes & Zamindars	Khudkasht: Resident peasants who owned land and cultivated it in their native village. Pahi-kasht: Non-resident/migrant peasants who cultivated land in other villages on contractual terms. Muqari: Landless agricultural laborers. Zamindars: Hereditary right-holders entitled to collect land revenue (retaining 10–25% as Nankar / Malikana). Divided into Primary Zamindars (cultivators) and Autonomous Chieftains.

3. Mughal Art, Architecture & Literature

Cue Words	Notes
Architectural Evolution	Transition from early sandstone structures to white marble, Pietra Dura (stone inlay art), and symmetrical Charbagh gardens: Babur & Humayun: Introduced Charbagh garden layout; Humayun's Tomb (built by Haji Begum, red sandstone with double dome, UNESCO site). Akbar: Widespread red sandstone; Fatehpur Sikri complex (Panch Mahal, Buland Darwaza, Salim Chishti Tomb in white marble). Jahangir: Transition phase; Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah (Agra, built by Nur Jahan - 1st Mughal monument made entirely of white marble featuring extensive Pietra Dura inlay). Shah Jahan: Golden Age of Marble Architecture (Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Peacock Throne).
Mughal Painting School	Founded by Humayun, who brought Persian master painters Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdus Samad from Safavid court (illustrated Hamzanama). Akbar's Atelier: Established royal painting workshop (Tasvir Khana). Promoted Indian elements; famous painters Daswanth and Basawan (illustrated Razmnama - Persian translation of Mahabharata). Jahangir's Zenith: Shifted focus to individual portraits, natural history (birds/animals), and court scenes. Master painter Ustad Mansur.

→ 📚 Maktab Khana: The Mughal Translation Bureau

• Founded by Akbar: A dedicated department for translating Sanskrit classics into Persian, supervising a team of scholars and painters.
• Key Translations: Mahabharata translated as Razmnama ("Book of War" — illustrated by Daswanth & Basawan); Ramayana translated by Abdul Qadir Badauni; Atharva Veda, Rajatarangini, and Lilavati (math text, by Faizi) were also rendered into Persian.
• Purpose: Part of Akbar's broader Sulh-i-Kul policy of cultural syncretism, distinct from the religious Ibadat Khana debates — this was a literary/scholarly institution, not a house of worship.