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Home / IAS Preparation / Officers in Delhi Sultanate

Officers in Delhi Sultanate: Central Departments & Key Officers - UPSC Notes

Last Updated on Feb 19, 2025
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The Delhi Sultanate dates back to 1206 and lasted until 1526. It was a significant era of Islamic rule in northern India. The period of this Sultanate is marked for its structured administrative practice. The development of the administration in the Delhi Sultanate was organized into a cadre of officers who played vital roles in governance, law enforcement, the military, and the effective workings of the state. The officers in Delhi Sultanate were responsible for managing the vast territories under the Sultan's control, which extended from the northern plains down to parts of the Deccan. They executed policies formulated to strengthen the Sultanate's grip on power by collecting taxes, dispensing justice, and ensuring the general well-being of the people. They came from various backgrounds such as military leaders, nobles, scholars, and commoners, working at both the central and provincial levels.The making of an officer's duty and title was quite connected with the requirements of governance at this time.

This topic on the Officers in Delhi Sultanate is useful for the UPSC General Studies Paper I, in Indian History, where it seeks to highlight the administrative institutions of medieval India-critical in discussing the governance of the Delhi Sultanate and in political history as a whole. This correlates to the understanding of administrative functions that have molded the modern-day forms of governance in India, making it relevant for both the Prelims and Mains examinations.

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Syllabus

General Studies - Paper I

Topics for Prelims

Delhi Sultanate, Important Dynasties in India

Topics for Mains

Role of Administrative Reforms in Consolidating Power

Central Departments Under the Delhi Sultanate

Under the Delhi Sultanate, various departments attended to various aspects of governance. These departments assumed great importance in the Sultanate's supremacy over the regions it governed. Below is a table containing the main departments and their function:

Central Departments Under the Delhi Sultanate

Department

Functions

Diwan-i-Wizarat

Managed the finances of the Sultanate, including tax collection and the distribution of funds.

Diwan-i-Arz

Responsible for all military affairs, including recruitment and payment of soldiers.

Diwan-i-Insha

Responsible for all regal correspondence and state documents, ensuring communication between the Sultan and his nobles.

Diwan-i-Qaza

Managed the judicial affairs and oversaw the courts and judicial processes within the Sultanate.

Diwan-i-Risalat

Managed religious affairs and welfare of religious institutions like mosques and madrasas.

Shahna-i-Mandi

Responsible for overseeing trade and markets and regulating prices in the empire.

Barid-i-Mumalik

Served as an intelligence department, gathering information about internal and external threats.

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Key Officers in Delhi Sultanate Central Administration

The officers operating at the central level were high-ranking officials who provided advice to the sultan and shared the burden of administrative affairs of the empire in different capacities. The functions of some of the key officers of the Delhi sultanate, as provided in the following table, are:

Key Officers in Delhi Sultanate Central Administration

Officer Title

Function

Sultan

The highest authority of the Sultanate who has absolute power over military, political, and religious issues.

Vakil

Prime Minister or Sultan's representative; assists in matters of governance and decision-making.

Qazi-ul-Quzzat

The highest-ranking judicial officer presiding over the judicial establishment and laws of Islam.

Amir-ul-Umara

The head of the military and one of the senior noblemen in the Sultanate.

Mir-i-Bakshi

Handles military recruitment and sanctioning payment to soldiers.

Diwan-i-Wizarat

The finance minister entrusted with the treasury, revenues, and decisions about economic policy.

Shahna-i-Mandi

Controls the market mechanisms to ensure they work well, promoting fair trade.

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List of Officers in Delhi Sultanate at the Provincial level

With a view to managing various regions of the Sultanate, a number of these officers were appointed to a provincial level for implementing policies and maintaining law and order in their respective provinces. The table provided below describes the officers in the provincial level:

List of Officers in Delhi Sultanate at the Provincial level

Officer Title

Function

Subedar

The provincial governor responsible for maintaining law and order, collecting taxes, and overseeing the administration of the region.

Amir-i-Kabir

A high-ranking military officer overseeing the provincial army and coordinating with the central military to ensure security in the province.

Qazi

Judicial officer at the provincial level responsible for administering justice according to Islamic law.

Muhtasib

The officer responsible for overseeing public morality, regulating markets, and ensuring adherence to religious practices.

Shahna

The market official who administered trade and regulated market activities within the province, ensuring fair practices.

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Key Takeaways on Officers in Delhi Sultanate for UPSC Aspirants

  • Delhi Sultanate Administration: The Delhi Sultanate administration was elaborately structured with varied officers to look after military affairs, judicial matters, finances, and administration.
  • Key Administrative Designations: Important administrative positions from this period included the Sultan, Vakil/Prime Minister, Qazi-ul-Quzat/Chief Judge, and Diwan-i-Wizarat/Finance Minister.
  • Central Departments: Central departments of prime importance were Diwan-i-Wizarat/Finance, Diwan-i-Arz/Army, Diwan-i-Insha/Correspondence, Diwan-i-Qaza/Judicial Affairs, and Diwan-i-Risalat/Religious Affairs.
  • Provincial Governance: The provincial administration possessed the members with relevant powers, such as the Subedar/Governor, Amir-i-Kabir/Military Commander, and Qazi/Judicial Officer, which worked for the governance in the provinces.

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Officers in Delhi Sultanate UPSC FAQs

The units of administration in the Delhi Sultanate included central departments (Diwan-i-Wizarat, Diwan-i-Arz, Diwan-i-Qaza) and provincial officers (Subedar, Amir-i-Kabir, and Qazi) who managed their localities covering large areas of the empire.

Officers of the Delhi Sultanate included the Sultan, Vakil-Minister, Qazi-ul-Quzat Chief Judge, Amir-ul-Umara Military commander, and Diwan-i-Wizarat.

The Sultan was the highest officer in the government, exercising absolute and direct authority over every aspect of the administration, embracing law and military action.

The Qazi-ul-Quzat was the highest judicial officer and was the head of the entire judicial system, and the court had powers to administer justice at the Sultanate.

The administrative posts of the Delhi Sultanate included the Sultan, the Vakil, Diwan-i-Wizarat, Diwan-i-Arz, Diwan-i-Insha, Diwan-i-Qaza, each one responsible for an area: finance, military, correspondence, and justice.

It is recorded that the rulers of the Delhi Sultanate, such as Alauddin Khilji and Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, had siege information officers such as Barid-i-Mumalik, who were selected for the task of collecting vital information and keeping the administration well-informed of any internal or external threats.
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