Prelims 2019 · Q12
MediumConsider 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?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
The amil was the revenue-collecting official, a term that continued into Mughal times (the amil-guzar). The iqta, a transferable assignment of revenue to military officers, came in with the Turkish conquerors from Muhammad Ghuri onwards, so it was not an ancient Indian institution. The Mir Bakhshi was a Mughal office under Akbar, not a Khalji one.
- ✓ 1. Under the Delhi Sultanate the revenue collector at the pargana level was the amil (Barani uses the term), working with the karkun (accountant); the Mughals kept the term, calling the revenue collector the amil-guzar.
- ✗ 2. The Turkish rulers made revenue assignments (iqta) to their nobles after their early 13th-century conquests, and Muhammad Ghuri's more centralised system of temporary land assignments was developed by the Delhi Sultans; the iqta was an imported, not an indigenous, institution.
- ✗ 3. The Mir Bakhshi, in charge of military matters, belongs to Akbar's reorganised Mughal administration, not to the Khalji Sultans.
Remember · Sultanate: iqta/iqtadar (Turkish-introduced revenue assignment), amil (revenue collector). Mughal (Akbar): Diwan (finance), Mir Bakhshi (military), Khan-i-Saman, Sadr.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 8 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part II, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NIOS (Ministry of Education), Senior Secondary History, Lesson 12: Administrative System and Institutions (Delhi Sultanate) ↗ · reference work “The important Pargana officials were Chaudhary, Amil (revenue collector) and Karkun (accountant).”
- IGNOU eGyanKosh (Govt of India central university), Political Formations, Unit 4: Administrative Structure (Delhi Sultanate) ↗ · reference work “Mutasarrif at pargana level was incharge of revenue collection. Barani uses the term amil for him. … The initial Turkish conquests in the early 13th century displaced many local chiefs. In order to consolidate power, the Turkish rulers made revenue assignments (iqta), in lieu of cash to their nobles (umara).”
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 4 “Muhammad Ghuri's system, which was more centralised and granted temporary land assignments to officers in return for revenue collection and military service. This would be further developed during the period of the Delhi Sultanate”
- NCERT Class 8 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 2 “Akbar reorganised his administrative machinery. The Diwan took care of the finances, while the Mir Bakhshi looked after military matters and the Khan-i-Saman was in charge of public works”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part II, Chapter 4 “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.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·