Medieval Indian History — Terms Glossary

113 terms in this section — every one exam-ready for UGC NET History (Code 06).

TermDefinitionPeriod / Context
Ain-i-Dashsalah Akbar's ten-year (1570–1580) revenue settlement system devised under Raja Todar Mal, averaging the previous decade's crop prices and yields to fix a stable, predictable cash revenue rate — a foundational Mughal land-revenue reform. Mughal Period (Akbar)
Altamgha Jagir An inalienable, hereditary land assignment granted directly by Mughal emperors to favored nobles or family lines. Mughal Empire (Jahangir onwards)
Amargana Land allocated to support military detachments or local defensive fortifications under Vijayanagara governance. Vijayanagara Empire
Amilguzar The chief revenue collector at the sarkar (district) level in the Mughal Empire, responsible for assessing and collecting land revenue. Mughal Empire
Amuktamalyada A Telugu poetic work personally composed by Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya, notable not just as literature but for its extensive reflections on Rajadharma (statecraft) — advice on governance, irrigation, trade, and foreign relations. c. 1509–1529, reign of Krishnadevaraya
Ariz-i-Mumalik The minister in charge of the military department (Diwan-i-Arz) under the Delhi Sultanate, managing army muster, arms, and troop pay. Delhi Sultanate
Ashtadiggajas The collective title given to the eight distinguished Telugu poets and scholars who adorned the court of Emperor Krishnadevaraya. Vijayanagara Empire
Ashtapradhan Shivaji's council of eight ministers, each responsible for a specific administrative domain (such as Peshwa for general administration, Sar-i-Naubat for military affairs) — the core administrative structure of the early Maratha state. Maratha Empire, reign of Shivaji
Asthadhan System A council of eight ministers (Ashta Pradhan) instituted by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to oversee Maratha state governance. Maratha Administration
Ayagar System A village administrative organization in the Vijayanagara Empire consisting of 12 hereditary village officials managing local public functions. Vijayanagara Empire
Ba-shara Sufi orders or practitioners who adhered strictly to Islamic canonical law (Sharia). Medieval Religious History
Bait-ul-mal The public treasury in Islamicate polities, including the Delhi Sultanate — the institution through which state revenue was collected and disbursed. Delhi Sultanate & Islamicate polities
Baluta The traditional Maratha village system of hereditary service-payment in kind, under which twelve village artisan/service castes (the Balutedars — carpenter, blacksmith, barber, etc.) received a fixed share of the harvest in return for their services to the community. Maratha Period
Barid An official spy or news-writer stationed across regional headquarters to report local developments directly to the central throne. Delhi Sultanate & Mughals
Batai A land revenue assessment system based on actual crop division between state and cultivator after harvest (Ghalla-Bakshi). Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Battle of Talikota A decisive 1565 battle in which an alliance of Deccan Sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, leading to the sack of its capital Hampi and marking the beginning of Vijayanagara's irreversible decline. 1565
Battles of Panipat Three decisive battles fought at Panipat: the First (1526, Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodi, founding the Mughal Empire), the Second (1556, Akbar's forces defeat Hemu, securing Mughal rule), and the Third (1761, Ahmad Shah Abdali defeats the Marathas, checking Maratha expansion northward). 1526, 1556, 1761
Be-shara Sufi ascetics, wanderers, or orders who did not bind themselves to traditional Islamic canonical legal codes (Sharia). Medieval Religious History
Bhakti Movement A devotional religious movement emphasising personal, emotional surrender to a chosen deity over ritual formality and caste hierarchy, spreading from South India (Alvars, Nayanars) to North India through figures like Kabir, Ramananda, and Chaitanya. c. 7th century CE onward, spreading North by 15th–16th century
Bitikchi The chief record keeper and accountant working alongside the Amilguzar at the sarkar level under Mughal administration. Mughal Empire
Chaudhary A hereditary rural village officer responsible for revenue collection from a cluster of villages (Pargana). Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Chauth A tax equal to one-fourth (chauth) of the assessed land revenue, levied by the Marathas on territories outside their direct administration as a form of protection tribute. Maratha Confederacy
Chishti Silsila The most influential Sufi order in medieval India, founded by Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and carried forward by figures like Nizamuddin Auliya, distinctive for its emphasis on Sama (devotional music) and relative distance from state political power. 12th century CE onward
Dahsala System A standardized land revenue assessment system instituted by Akbar in 1580 CE, calculating tax rates based on 10-year average yields and prices. Mughal Empire (Akbar)
Dasa A term for a servant or bonded/unfree labourer in ancient and medieval Indian society (from the Vedic Dasa-Dasyu opposition through to medieval agrarian bondage) — an important category for understanding social stratification below the peasantry. Vedic Period to Medieval Period
Dasakuta A branch of the Bhakti movement in Karnataka comprised of householder devotees propagating Madhvacharya's Dvaita philosophy through Kannada songs. Medieval South India / Bhakti
Dastur The standard schedule of crop-wise revenue rates for a given Pargana under Akbar's Zabti/Dahsala revenue system — the fixed local benchmark against which actual assessment (Jama) was calculated. Mughal Period (Akbar)
Deshmukh A hereditary local revenue/administrative officer in the Maratha region, responsible for revenue collection and local order over a group of villages, typically holding land under Watan tenure — the Deccan counterpart to the North Indian Zamindar. Deccan Sultanates & Maratha Period
Din-i-Ilahi Akbar's syncretic ethical-religious order (literally 'Divine Faith'), blending elements from Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity — attracted very few actual followers and is understood by most historians as reflecting Akbar's broader philosophy of Sulh-i-Kul (universal tolerance) rather than a serious attempt at founding a mass religion. Established 1582, reign of Akbar
Diwan-i-Arz The central department of military affairs in the Delhi Sultanate, created by Ghiyas ud din Balban. Delhi Sultanate
Diwan-i-Bandagan The dedicated administrative department for royal slaves created under Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Delhi Sultanate (Tughlaq)
Diwan-i-Insha The ministry of royal correspondence, state secretarial archives, and diplomatic communications in the Delhi Sultanate. Delhi Sultanate
Diwan-i-Khairat The charitable endowment department established by Firoz Shah Tughlaq to support orphaned children, widows, and fund weddings. Delhi Sultanate (Tughlaq)
Diwan-i-Kohi The specialized agricultural welfare and development department instituted by Muhammad bin Tughlaq to improve land cultivation. Delhi Sultanate (Tughlaq)
Diwan-i-Mustakhraj The administrative department for liquidating and recovering outstanding revenue arrears, established by Alauddin Khalji. Delhi Sultanate (Khalji)
Diwan-i-Rasalat The imperial ministry handling foreign affairs, diplomatic emissaries, and religious endowments in the Delhi Sultanate. Delhi Sultanate
Du-aspa Sih-aspa A special sub-rank modification within the Sawar rank introduced by Jahangir, requiring a mansabdar to maintain twice as many horses as their sawar rank. Mughal Empire (Jahangir)
Fana The Sufi concept of spiritual annihilation, representing the dissolution of human ego into Divine Reality through intense devotion. Sufism
Faujdar The executive officer and garrison commander at the district (sarkar) level, responsible for policing, law enforcement, and supporting revenue collection. Mughal Empire
Firman A royal decree or order issued by a Mughal emperor, carrying the force of law — the primary instrument of Mughal imperial command, widely used for administrative appointments, land grants, and trade privileges (including those granted to European trading companies). Mughal Period
Futuh Unsolicited charitable gifts, donations, or offerings given voluntarily to Sufi hospices (khanqahs) by devotees. Sufism
Ghalla-Bakshi A traditional crop-sharing revenue assessment method where harvested grain is directly partitioned between cultivator and state agent. Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Iqta A territorial assignment given to a noble or officer (muqti/iqtadar) in the Delhi Sultanate, entitling them to collect its revenue in lieu of a cash salary, in exchange for military/administrative service — a core institution of Sultanate administration. Delhi Sultanate
Iqtadar The holder of an Iqta assignment, responsible for collecting regional revenue, maintaining order, and providing troops to the Sultan. Delhi Sultanate
Jagir An assignment of the right to collect land revenue from a specified territory, granted by the Mughal state to a Mansabdar in lieu of cash salary — distinct from outright land ownership, and the basis of the Mughal Jagirdari system. Mughal Period
Jagirdari The Mughal system of assigning revenue rights over specified land tracts (jagirs) to state officers (mansabdars) in lieu of cash salaries. Mughal Empire
Jangama A wandering/itinerant Lingayat (Virashaiva) priest or ascetic of the Shaiva Bhakti tradition in Karnataka, serving as a spiritual guide and intermediary for the Lingayat lay community founded by Basava. c. 12th Century CE Onward, South India
Jaziya A per-capita tax levied on non-Muslim subjects (dhimmis) under Islamic law in lieu of military service, imposed intermittently by Delhi Sultanate and Mughal rulers — abolished by Akbar as part of Sulah-i-kul, later notoriously reimposed by Aurangzeb in 1679. Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Period
Jizya A poll tax levied on non-Muslim protected subjects (dhimmi) in an Islamic state in lieu of military service and protection. Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Kankut A land revenue assessment system based on visual inspection and estimated standing crop yield per unit area (Kut). Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Karkhana System State-run workshops under the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire producing goods (textiles, weapons, luxury items) for the royal household and administration, reflecting direct state involvement in manufacturing. Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Empire
Khanqah A Sufi hospice or monastery serving as a residential, spiritual, and communal teaching center for a Sufi master (Pir) and disciples. Medieval Religious History
Kharaj Land revenue tax levied on non-Muslim agricultural lands, typically ranging from one-third to one-half of agricultural produce. Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Khilafat The institution of the Caliphate, the historic pan-Islamic religious-political leadership; in Indian history most significant as the "Khilafat Movement" (1919–1924), when Indian Muslims agitated to preserve the Ottoman Caliph's authority, allying with Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement. Medieval Islamic World; Khilafat Movement 1919–1924
Khud-kasht Resident owner-cultivators who owned land and agricultural implements in their native village, paying taxes directly to the state. Mughal Empire
Khums The state's share (traditionally one-fifth, or 20%) of war booty (Ghanima) seized during military campaigns. Delhi Sultanate
Khut A village headman or agrarian landed authority in the Delhi Sultanate who collected land revenue on behalf of the central state. Delhi Sultanate
Kotwal The chief police officer and municipal magistrate responsible for urban public order, night watches, and market supervision in medieval towns. Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Kurnish A Mughal-era court gesture of salutation — placing the back of the right hand on the forehead and bowing — used as a mark of respect at court, one grade below the more elaborate taslim. Mughal Empire
Madad-i-Ma'ash Revenue-free land grants given by Mughal emperors to religious scholars, saints, widows, and pious institutions (Suyurghal). Mughal Empire
Madarasa An Islamic institution of higher learning teaching theology, law, and often secular subjects (mathematics, logic, medicine) — Sultanate and Mughal rulers and nobles endowed madarasas as centres of formal education, alongside the more elementary Maqtab. Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Period
Mahanayakangacharya An imperial administrative officer appointed by Vijayanagara rulers to coordinate, inspect, and monitor the affairs of regional Nayakas. Vijayanagara Empire
Mansab The numerical rank/grade held by a Mughal official or noble (Mansabdar) under the Mansabdari system, expressed as Zat (personal status/pay) and Sawar (cavalry to be maintained) — the organising principle of the entire Mughal nobility and military. Mughal Period
Mansabdari The Mughal administrative and military ranking system, where every noble (mansabdar) held a numerical rank (mansab) fixing status, salary and military obligation — the backbone of Mughal bureaucratic and military organisation. Mughal Empire
Mansabdari System A military-cum-bureaucratic hierarchy introduced by Akbar, ranking officers via dual numerical grades (Zat and Sawar). Mughal Empire (Akbar)
Maqtab An elementary Islamic school, typically attached to a mosque, teaching basic literacy, the Quran, and arithmetic to young children — the primary-level counterpart to the more advanced Madarasa in the medieval Islamic education system. Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Period
Munhiyans Secret spies and intelligence agents employed by Alauddin Khalji to monitor prices and prevent hoarding in grain markets (Mandi). Delhi Sultanate (Khalji)
Muqaddam The chief village executive or headman responsible for local land administration and tax collection at the primary rural level. Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Muqti An imperial officer assigned governance and revenue collection rights over an Iqta territory in the Delhi Sultanate. Delhi Sultanate
Nasaq A quick land revenue assessment procedure based on rough estimation or historical revenue records rather than fresh annual field measurements. Mughal Empire
Nayankara System The military-feudal organization of the Vijayanagara Empire where territorial units were granted to commanders (Nayakas) for military services. Vijayanagara Empire
Nirguna A strand of Bhakti devotionalism centered on worshipping the Supreme Reality as formless, attribute-less, and unembodied (e.g., Kabir, Nanak). Medieval Religious History
Pahi-kasht Non-resident itinerant peasants who cultivated land in villages other than their home village on a contractual tenancy basis. Mughal Empire
Paibaqi Reserved lands or unassigned revenue territories set aside for distribution as jagirs to Mughal officers. Mughal Empire
Pargana A Mughal-era administrative sub-division of a Sarkar (district), itself made up of several villages, headed by revenue officials such as the Shiqdar, Amil and Qanungo — the basic building block of Mughal provincial administration. Mughal Period
Poligar Regional military chieftains or territorial palaiyakkarars in South India holding fortified estates (Palayams) under Vijayanagara and successor states. Vijayanagara & Post-Vijayanagara
Polygars Anglicised term (from Telugu/Tamil Palaiyakkarar) for local chieftains/military governors of the Vijayanagara-successor Nayaka states in South India, who held Amaram-type land tenures and later resisted early British expansion in the Carnatic (the Polygar Wars). Vijayanagara Successor States; Polygar Wars 1799–1805
Potdar The treasurer or cash keeper at the local pargana level responsible for testing coin purity and managing agrarian funds. Mughal Empire
Pushtimarga The "Path of Grace," a Vaishnava devotional school founded by Vallabhacharya focusing on selfless devotion to Krishna. Bhakti Movement
Qazi An Islamic judge responsible for administering civil and criminal justice in accordance with Islamic legal jurisprudence (Sharia). Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Rajput Confederacy Alliances formed among Rajput clans of Rajasthan, sometimes for mutual defence and sometimes in submission or alliance with the Mughals (as with Akbar's Rajput marriages and appointments), shaping medieval North Indian politics. Medieval period, especially 16th–17th century
Raya-Rekho A Maratha land-revenue assessment record/statement (part of the broader Maratha revenue-settlement documentation associated with the Peshwa administration) recording the assessed revenue liability of a village or landholding. Maratha Period (Peshwa Administration)
Sadr-us-Sudur The chief ecclesiastical authority and minister of religious endowments, alms, and judicial patronage in the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire. Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Saguna A strand of Bhakti devotionalism that worships God with anthropomorphic forms, personified attributes, and divine incarnations (e.g., Tulsidas, Surdas). Medieval Religious History
Sama A Sufi musical gathering or spiritual concert designed to induce ecstatic devotion and spiritual trance among listeners. Sufism
Sarai A roadside inn/rest-house built along medieval trade and pilgrimage routes to shelter travellers, merchants and their goods overnight — extensively built under Sher Shah Suri and the Mughals as part of their road- and trade-infrastructure investment (e.g. along the Grand Trunk Road). Sultanate & Mughal Period
Sardeshmukhi An additional levy of about one-tenth of the revenue, claimed by the Marathas (originally by right of the Sardeshmukh, a hereditary revenue-collection office) on top of chauth. Maratha Confederacy
Shahna-i-Mandi An official inspector and superintendent appointed by Alauddin Khalji to regulate pricing, enforcement, and conduct in grain markets (Mandi). Delhi Sultanate (Khalji)
Shariyat Islamic religious law (Sharia), derived from the Quran, Hadith, and juristic interpretation, governing personal, civil, and in principle criminal matters — invoked as the ideal legal-moral standard by Sultanate and Mughal rulers, though state (Zawabit) law often operated alongside it. Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Period
Silsila A Sufi order or spiritual lineage tracing its continuous chain of master-disciple transmissions back to the Prophet Muhammad. Sufism
Sondhar Agricultural loans advanced by the state to rural cultivators during droughts, crop failures, or land reclamation projects. Delhi Sultanate (Tughlaq)
Sufism The mystical tradition within Islam emphasising a direct, personal experience of the divine through spiritual practice and devotion, organised in India into various Silsilas (spiritual orders/chains) such as Chishti and Suhrawardi. Spread widely in India from the 12th–13th century
Suhrawardi Silsila A major Sufi order in medieval India, distinguished from the Chishti order by its greater willingness to accept state patronage and maintain close relationships with political authority. 12th–13th century CE onward
Sulah-i-kul Akbar's policy of "universal peace/toleration" — a state ideology of religious neutrality and reconciliation among all faiths, underpinning his abolition of the jizya tax and his broader philosophy of Din-i-Ilahi-era governance. Mughal Period (Akbar)
Suyurghal Hereditary, tax-exempt land grants bestowed upon scholars, religious leaders, and charitable institutions by Mughal rulers (Madad-i-Ma'ash). Mughal Empire
Tankha Jagir Land revenue assignments granted to Mughal mansabdars in lieu of cash salaries, subject to periodic transfer every few years. Mughal Empire
Taqavi Emergency agrarian development loans distributed by Mughal and Sultanate administrations to assist peasants with seeds, oxen, and wells. Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Taquavi Agricultural loans (Taccavi/Taqavi) advanced by the state to peasants, often interest-free, to purchase seeds, cattle or equipment or to recover from famine/crop failure — a recurring feature of both medieval and later colonial land-revenue administration. Medieval to Colonial Period
Tarafdar The provincial governor or military warden overseeing a territorial province (Taraff) in the Bahmani Sultanate. Bahmani Sultanate
Todar Mal's Bandobast Raja Todar Mal's comprehensive land revenue settlement under Akbar, combining land classification (Zabt) with the Dahsala (ten-year average) system to fix stable, predictable cash revenue rates rather than arbitrary annual demands. c. 1580s, reign of Akbar
Turkan-i-Chahalgani The "Forty" — a group of powerful Turkic slave-nobles under Iltutmish and his early successors in the Delhi Sultanate, central to the court politics of the early 13th century. Delhi Sultanate (Early 13th century)
Turkan-i-Chahlghani The "Group/Corps of Forty" — an elite inner circle of forty powerful Turkish slave-nobles (Iltutmish's own loyalists) who dominated Delhi Sultanate politics and kingmaking in the decades after Iltutmish's death, until broken up by Balban. Delhi Sultanate (Slave Dynasty)
Ulema The learned class of Islamic religious scholars, jurists and theologians (plural of Alim) who interpreted Sharia and Islamic doctrine, often serving as Qazis (judges) or advisors to Sultanate and Mughal rulers and shaping state religious policy. Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Period
Vachanas Rhythmic, devotional Kannada prose poems composed by Virashaiva saints (e.g., Basavanna, Allama Prabhu) criticizing caste and ritualism. Medieval South India / Lingayat
Warkari A non-ritualistic, egalitarian devotional movement in Maharashtra centered on the pilgrimage to Pandharpur in honor of Lord Vithoba. Medieval Maharashtra / Bhakti
Watan The concept of one's hereditary homeland or native territorial right in Mughal-Maratha administrative usage — most significant as the base of the "Watan Jagir," a hereditary land right (distinct from a service-based Jagir) held by local Deshmukhs and Deshpandes. Mughal & Maratha Period
Watan Jagir Non-transferable, hereditary land revenue assignments retained by regional chiefs (such as Rajput rulers) within their ancestral estates. Mughal Empire
Wilayat The spiritual jurisdiction, territory, or domain over which a Sufi master (Sheikh) exercised spiritual authority. Sufism
Zabt System The land assessment method where land was physically measured (Jarib) and fixed cash revenue rates applied based on crop yields. Mughal Empire (Akbar)
Zakat A mandatory religious tax (2.5%) levied annually on the accumulated wealth and assets of Muslim citizens for charitable causes. Sultanate & Mughal Periods
Zamindar A broad term for landed rural elites possessing hereditary rights to collect revenue from agrarian lands under Mughal sovereign oversight. Mughal Empire
Zawabit Secular state regulations, imperial decrees, or administrative laws issued by Sultans or Mughal emperors to supplement Islamic law (Sharia). Delhi Sultanate & Mughals
Ziyarat The practice of pilgrimage to the tombs (Dargahs) of Sufi saints to seek spiritual blessings (Barakat) and intercession. Sufism

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