Mansabdari

noun (also used attributively, as in "the Mansabdari system")

/ˌmænsəbˈdɑːri/

The hierarchical ranking and salary system introduced by Akbar in the Mughal Empire, whereby every civil and military official was assigned a mansab (rank) determining their status, pay, and military obligations.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Mansabdari system fused the military and fiscal arms of the Mughal state into a single graded service, so that loyalty was secured not through hereditary fiefs but through transferable, centrally conferred ranks — an early instance of bureaucratic centralisation that modern administrators still study when balancing patronage against institutional control.

Synonyms

rank-holding systemgraded officialdommansab systemmilitary-bureaucratic hierarchyMughal nobility systemranked cadre system

Antonyms

feudalismhereditary fief systemjagirdari (hereditary land-tenure)egalitarianism

🌱 Word Family

mansabdar (n), mansab (n), zat (n related), sawar (n related), jagir (n related)

🔡 Root

Arabic mansab = rank, office + Persian -dar = holder + -i = system suffix; 'the system of rank-holders'

📜 Etymology

From Arabic mansab ("rank, position, office") combined with Persian -dar ("holder, keeper") and the system suffix -i; thus "the system of rank-holders."

🧠 Memory Hook

Break it as "mansab + dar + i" = "rank + holder + system": picture a Mughal officer holding a numbered placard ("mansab") that fixes his pay and his troops — the higher the number, the bigger the cavalry he must "hold" for the emperor.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: Mughal Empire — Babur to Akbar (1526–1...

Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation