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Iqta System

The Iqta system referred to land assignments granted by the Sultan whose revenue collection was delegated to military officers called Iqtadars. Iqtadars were required to provide a certain number of troops to the Sultan on demand. Iqta lands were assigned to both noble families and high-ranking slaves. Over time, Iqtadars gained significant administrative and military authority within their territories, though the central government also instituted controls like revenue accounting and informants to monitor Iqtadars. The precise nature and authority of Iqta assignments varied over different Sultanate periods.

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326 views2 pages

Iqta System

The Iqta system referred to land assignments granted by the Sultan whose revenue collection was delegated to military officers called Iqtadars. Iqtadars were required to provide a certain number of troops to the Sultan on demand. Iqta lands were assigned to both noble families and high-ranking slaves. Over time, Iqtadars gained significant administrative and military authority within their territories, though the central government also instituted controls like revenue accounting and informants to monitor Iqtadars. The precise nature and authority of Iqta assignments varied over different Sultanate periods.

Uploaded by

Nikita Bhandari
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Iqta System

 According to Peter Jackson in the 13th century Sultanate lay the Khalisa or ‘reserved’ lands or
the royal demesne from which Sultan’s own officials collected revenue directly and which
provided his most immediate resources. Other territories were granted out as Iqta.
 According to Richard Eaton Iqta can be defined as land assignments whose revenues were
collected by assignees called iqtadars. The term Iqta not only referred to the large
assignments enjoyed by the great Amirs but also smaller ones established by Iltutmish in the
doab.
 Iqtadars were required to recruit, train, equip and command a stipulated number of troops
who would be available to the Sultan on Demand.
 Barani tells us that each Iqtadar was supposed to raise one to three horsemen.
 Iqta lands were assigned to free nobles as well as high-ranking slaves who enjoyed the
special confidence of the Sultan.
 The sultanate’s authority beyond Delhi was further deepened by the iqta‘ institution.
Although intended to decentralize government by allowing iqta‘dars to collect their salaries
from their land assignments, thereby sparing central authorities from sending cash salaries
across dangerous roads to reach provincial officers, the practice had a more subtle
consequence.
 Within the territory of his iqta, a Sultanate officer acted as the paramount political authority
in charge of fiscal, administrative, and military affairs.
 There are indications that a few major strongholds were ‘reserved’ (mahrusa) as the part of
Sultan’s Khalisa and was not granted out as iqta. For example the city of Bihar.
 According to the instructions given to an unnamed amir who had received the ayalat of
Banaras he was to care for the interests of both the men of sword and the men of the pen,
ensure the security of fortresses, guard highways, and encouragement of trade and
administration of justice without differentiating between people of good birth and common
people.
 The relative wealth and importance of an iqta may have been expressed in terms of the
number of horsemen a grantee maintained. Barani tells us that Balaban’s slave Malik
Buqubuq had 4000 horsemen in his service.
 In Balaban’s era the sultan appointed an accountant(khwaja) to operate within the province
alongside Muqta to ascertain the extent of revenues available. There were also
informers( baridan) to report on the activities of muqta and his family.
 Those who fell foul to the government were banished to their Iqtas.
 There is meagre evidence of hereditary succession of iqta

Iqta system Under Iltutmish (1210-36) The entire sultanate from Multan to
Lakhnauti was divided into big and small
tracts of Iqtas. Iqtas of provincial levels
were given to important nobles and of
villages were given to ordinary soldiers.
Barani mentions 2000 such iqtadars during
Iltutmish .
Iqta system Under Balaban (1265-1287) He instituted an inquiry into terms and
tenures of Iqtadars from iltutmish’s time. It
was discovered that most of the original
grantees were dead by this time, those who
survived were old and infirm. When the
grantees failed to fulfill their obligations
their contract became null and void.
Iqta system Under Khaljis and Early The muqtis did not enjoy all executive
Tughlaqs powers. They were brought under the
administrative control of the Central
government. They had to submit the
account of their revenue collections and
they could take fixed amounts for their
salaries and send the rest to Sultan.
Alauddin Khalji Banned small iqtas and
started giving cash salaries. Under Tughlaq
in some cases, two Amirs were responsible
for one Iqta.

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