Iqta System Features and Changes

The Iqta system was one of the most important administrative and agrarian measures of Turkish rulers
of Hindustan. The Administration of the early Turkish sultan in India rested on the foundation of two
elements namely the Iqta (assignment of land revenue) and Kharja (land revenue). Theoretical the
term Iqta meant a portion, technically it was the land or the revenue assigned by the ruler to an
individual in leu of his cash salary. They were loyal to the king and they ruled the land on behalf of
the king. This system was influenced by the system of vassalage in Europe. The Iqta provided an
agrarian system to the country and through it the members of the ruling class obtained their income
without any permanent attachment to any territory. The Turkish invaders Muhammad Ghori was the
first to introduce the Iqta system but it was the Delhi Sultan Iltutmish who gave it an institutional
form and soon it became the main stay of administration system. Iltutmish sought to curb the
influence of the Indian feudal elements (zamindars, rais, other local chiefs, etc.) through Iqtadars. The
transfer of Iqtas was an important step towards ensuring that the Iqtadars did not become overly
powerful in a particular locality. This institution which was the main pillar of the administrative and
agrarian system of the period witnessed several changes during the sultanate period.
Generally the holders of big Iqta were called Muktis or Iqtadars who served as the Sultan's
trustworthy agents throughout his domains. They curbed the influence of Rais (local chiefs) and
regularised the collection of land revenue. they also had to discharge other functions like maintenance
of law and order, discharge of polis and judicial functions in their own Iqta. They were also required
to raise the army of their own which had to be furnished to the sultan as an when required. So far as
revenue collection was concerned after deducting their own expenses from the revenues collected
from the Iqta, the Iqtadars were expected to send the surplus revenue if any extra revenue to the
central revenuer.
The holders of small Iqtas were individual troopers who had no administrative responsibilities. They
appropriated for their use the land revenue collected by them. In return, they were bound to present
themselves, with horses and arms. Whenever called upon by the central government for service por
inspection.
Balban (1266-86), on ascending the throne, conducted an enquiry into the existing Iqta system and
found a lot of corruption and mismanagement among the Iqta holders. Iqtadars in the Ganga-Yamuna
doab no longer rendered military service either voluntarily or were incapable of service due to old
age. Many of the original assignees were also dead. Thus he ordered for the resumption of these Iqtas
with the payment of some compensation for the holders but withdrew his order at the request of the
Kotwal of Delhi. Balban took another step to supervise the Iqta system by appointing his sons to
important provinces as governors and created the office of Khwaja to keep in check the powers of the
iqtadars. It was a sort of diarchy in a limited sense.
It was during the reign of Alauddin Khilji (1296-1316) when the Iqta system saw fundamental
changes. Alauddin was the first Delhi Sultan who took a comprehensive view of the agrarian system
from the pov of the central government and gave it a new shape through elaborate regulations. He
abolished most of the small iqtas and such lands were brought under khalisa (crown lands). He
crippled the village chiefs and the hindu revenue collectors such as khuts, muqaddams and
chaudhuries of their privilege and forced them to pay the land revenue (which was fixed at ½ the
produce) and other taxes at the same rate aa the ordinary peasant. During the time of Alauddin, the
fact that the amils (revenue officers) gave accounts directly to the central government indicates that
the revenues of the Iqtas and the Khalisa lands were directly controlled by the central government.
The Iqtas underwent another round of transformation with the Tughlaqs. Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq

Iqta System Features and Changes

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The Iqta system was one of the most important administrative and agrarian measures of Turkish rulers

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