The ''Bakhshi'' () in the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

denoted a number of hierarchical government officials, typically involved with military administration and intelligence. The offices were introduced during the reign of

Mughal emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

. ''Bakhshis'' were found in both the central and provincial administration; the most notable kind of ''bakhshi'' was the ''mir bakhshi'', one of the empire's four ministers, broadly in charge of administering the '' mansabdari'' system (and the military therein). The ''mir bakhshi'' was the second-highest official in the Mughal Empire, after the imperial '' wazir''.

Etymology

The term ''bakhshi'' means 'giver', deriving from the verb ''bakhshidan'' (). In the view of historian William Irvine, the term refers to the ''bakhshi's'' function of offering recruitment into the army.

Central administration

Mir Bakhshi

The ''mir bakhshi'' was the chief ''bakhshi'' of the Mughal Empire, and worked in the central administration. The position was also referred to as ''bakhshi-ul-mamalik'' or ''bakhshi-i-mamalik''. Scholars have translated the office in English as 'paymaster general' or 'army minister'. The position has its roots at latest in the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

, during the 13th-century reign of

Balban Al-Sultan al-Azam Ghiyath al-Dunya Wal Din Abu'l Muzaffar Balban al-Sultan (; 1216 – 13 January 1287), more famously known as Ghiyath al-Din Balban or simply Balban, was the ninth Mamluk sultan of Delhi. He had been the regent of the last Sha ...

, who created the office of ''diwan-i-arz'' in order to have a separated military administration; this was to act as a check against the

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

. The

constituted an office with a similar goal of having a separate military administrator, but in contrast ensured that this official would not actually command the military (that was reserved for the emperor himself). Rather, the ''mir bakhshi'' was made responsible for the management of the ''mansabdari'' system, which constituted the bulk of the military. Unlike the Sultanate-era office, the ''mir bakhshi'''s influence extended beyond the military, since every noble of the Mughal empire was a ''mansabdar''. The ''

Ain-i-Akbari The ''Ain-i-Akbari'' (), or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document regarding the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl, in the Persian language. It forms ...

'' contains references to an office termed ''mir-arz'', which William Irvine considered to be the immediate prototype for the position of ''mir bakhshi''. As the chief military administrator of the Mughal Empire, the ''mir bakhshi'' was one of the empire's four top ministers, and the second-highest official in the empire after the '' wazir''. The chief responsibilities of the ''mir bakhshi'' were in the management of ''mansabdars;'' to recruit them'','' recommend a suitable rank to assign them, regularly inspect their military units, and determine their payment (either in the form of cash or '' jagirs''). Candidates for appointment or promotion were presented by the ''mir bakhshi'' to the emperor, in open court. The ''mir bakhshi's'' seal endorsed the candidate's new position. The ''mir bakhshi'' occasionally participated in the field as commanders. The ''mir bakhshi'' occupied a close position to the emperor. They stood by the emperor in court, and accompanied him on royal expeditions. They presented officials of the state, and visiting ambassadors, to the emperor. Another important function of the ''mir bakhshi'' was the centralisation of intelligence - they collated information reported by the '' waqia-navis'' (news writers, posted in every province) and presented it to the emperor. The ''mir bakhshi'' of the Mughal Empire frequently bore the title of ''

Amir al-umara The office of (), variously rendered in English as emir of emirs, prince of princes, chief emir, and commander of commanders, was a senior military position in the 10th-century Abbasid Caliphate, whose holders in the decade after 936 came to super ...

''. The roles of the ''mir bakhshi'' acted as checks and support for the ''wazir'' of the Mughal Empire, alongside whom the ''mir bakhshi'' served as one of the empire's leading officials.

Second and Third Bakhshi

The mir bakhshi was assisted in the central administration by two lesser ''bakhshis'', known as the second and third ''bakhshis''. These officials performed similar tasks to the ''mir bakhshi,'' but dealt with lesser ''mansabdars'' and troops of the royal household.

Provincial and noble administration

The administrative positions of the Mughal central government were mirrored at the provincial level. Each ''

subah A ''Subah'' is a term for a province or state in several South Asian languages. It was introduced by the Mughal Empire to refer to its subdivisions or provinces; and was also adopted by other polities of the Indian subcontinent. The word is derive ...

'' (province) had its own ''bakhshi'' (a practice introduced by Akbar) who reported to the ''mir bakhshi'' at the capital, rather than the ''

subahdar Subahdar, also known as Nazim, was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty, Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, and the Mughal era who was alternately designated as Sahib- ...

'' (governor) of the province. Similar to their imperial counterparts, the provincial ''bakhshi'' was charged with the management and payment of the province's military. The provincial bakhshi often simultaneously served the function of the province's '' waqia-navis'' (news writer), and reported on all provincial ''mansabdars'', including its senior officials (such as the ''subahdar'' or ''diwan'').The role of provincial ''bakhshi'' could face tension from the ''subahdar'' or ''diwan'', since the ''bakhshi'''s activities kept these officials accountable to the imperial centre. In practice, the role of the provincial bakhshi was sometimes combined with that of the ''subahdar'' and/or the ''diwan.'' Significant nobles of the empire also had their own ''bakhshis'', who performed functions similar to those at the imperial level.

References