Explain the main features of the Mansabdari system.

To maintain his hold over a vast empire, Akbar required a huge army and an efficient administration. He realised his objectives by means of the Mansabdari system. Under this system, those who joined Mughal service were enrolled as mansabdars and were given a rank known as the mansab. Each rank was further divided into zat and sawar. Zat rank meant the personal status and salary due to him, whereas, sawar rank indicated the number of cavalrymen (sawars) a mansabdar was required to maintain. The higher the zat, the more prestigious was the officer’s position in the court and the higher his salary. The lowest rank was 10 and the highest was 7000. The salary of the mansabdar was paid by assigning him the revenue of a jagir. The mansabdars only had rights to the revenue of their jagirs. They did not actually administer their jagirs.