39th B.P.S.C. Prelims 1994

Sultanate Fiscal Centralization

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

During the regime of which Sultan was the Khalisa land developed on a large scale?

Solution & Analysis

Answer: B

Concept Khalisa land refers to land whose revenue goes directly to the Sultan's personal treasury, rather than being assigned to nobles (Iqtas). Maximizing Khalisa land was essential for absolute royal power.

Explanation Alauddin Khalji cancelled numerous religious and private land grants (Milk, Inam, Waqf) and converted them into Khalisa land. This ensured that the majority of the fertile Doab region paid revenue directly to the central state.

Logical Breakup

Logic 1: Option B is correct. By expanding Khalisa land, Alauddin could fund his massive army without relying on the loyalty of provincial Iqtadars.

Logic 2: He also abolished the intermediacy of local chiefs, ensuring that the state dealt directly with the cultivators for maximum revenue extraction.

Active Recall

Question

What was the result of converting private land into Khalisa?

Answer

It significantly increased the cash flow into the Sultan's treasury and reduced the financial independence of the nobility.

Core Insight

The large-scale expansion of Khalisa land was the fiscal foundation of Alauddin's absolute autocracy.

During the regime of which Sultan was the Khalisa land developed on a large scale?

Solution & Analysis

Active Recall

Core Insight

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