Question

From where the Mansabdari system was borrowed?
 (A) Afghanistan
 (B) Turkey
 (C) Mongolia
 (D) Persia

Answer 1

Hint: The term ‘Mansab’ means the rank or position equivalent of a Mughal military officer. An individual who holds a mansab, joined Mughal service and was enrolled as mansabdars.

Complete step by step Answer Mansab in Persian means a place or position. Akbar introduced the Mughal mansabdari system. Akbar had borrowed this mansabdari system from Mongolia. Every official in the Mughal empire, high or low, had a rank or a mansab. Their status, duties, pay and importance were graded accordingly.All mansabdars had to maintain a military contingent for which they were paid in cash. During Akbar’s time the officials bearing a decimal rank of 500 were ranked as noble.
The highest rank was 7000/7000 which was awarded to the officials. The emperor has the power to appoint, promote, and dismiss the mansabdars. Each rank was further divided into two- Zat and Sawar.
Zat rank meant the personal status and salary due to him, and sawar rank meant the number of cavalrymen.

Changes in the Mansabdari system
After the reign of Akbar, when the highest ranking Mansabdars who had reached the maximum limit in their mansab were left with nothing to aspire for.
The quota of contingent which each mansabdar had to maintain was lowered and there were further reductions in the contingent in the mansabdars were posted on the frontier or for away places.

So, the correct answer is option (C), Mansabdari system was borrowed from Magnolia.

Note
To regulate the central services of the government a unique system was evolved by Akbar in 1571, which came to be known as mansabdari system. It was not a hereditary system, instead was a graded one. Every mansabdar was held personally responsible to the Monarch.