UPSC CSE Pre 2021

Mughal Political Structure

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

With reference to medieval India, which one of the following is the correct sequence in ascending order in terms of size?

Solution & Analysis

Answer: A

Concept Medieval Indian administration, particularly under the Mughals and Sher Shah Suri, was built on a nested hierarchy. This system allowed the central government to maintain control over vast territories through smaller, manageable units.

Explanation The hierarchy starts from the smallest unit of administration. A group of villages formed a Pargana. Multiple Parganas were grouped into a Sarkar (equivalent to a modern district). Several Sarkars together constituted a Suba (a province).

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Pargana was the base unit, managed by officials like the Shiqdar and Amin. Sarkar was the middle tier, overseen by a chief Shiqdar. Suba was the highest provincial unit, governed by a Subahdar.
Logic 2: This ascending order (Small Medium Large) is correctly represented as Pargana Sarkar Suba.

Active Recall

Question

Who was the head of a 'Suba' and what was their role?

Answer

The 'Subahdar' was the provincial governor responsible for both military and judicial functions, reporting directly to the Emperor.

Core Insight

The Pargana-Sarkar-Suba structure was so efficient that it served as the blueprint for the British district administration system later on.