The Ain-i Akbari is made of five books. Which book of the Ain deals with the fiscal side of the Mughal Empire?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Mulk-abadi
Option (1) Manzil-abadi — Incorrect. The first book, manzil-abadi, concerns the imperial household and its maintenance.
Option (2) Sipah-abadi — Incorrect. The second book, sipah-abadi, covers the military and civil administration and the establishment of servants, with short biographical sketches of mansabdars, learned men, poets and artists.
Option (3) Mulk-abadi — Correct. The third book of the Ain, the mulk-abadi, deals with the fiscal side of the empire. It gives rich quantitative information on revenue rates, followed by the “Account of the Twelve Provinces”.
Option (4) Suyurghal-abadi — Incorrect. The Ain has no book of this name. Suyurghal means grants of revenue in charity; it is one of the columns in the tables of the sarkars, not a book.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| 21-05 S2* | 19-05 S1 22-05 S1* | – | – | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT (2026-27): “8. The Ain-i Akbari of Abu’l Fazl Allami … The Ain is made up of five books (daftars), of which the first three books describe the administration. The first book, called manzil-abadi, concerns the imperial household and its maintenance. The second book, sipah-abadi, covers the military and civil administration and the establishment of servants. This book includes notices and short biographical sketches of imperial officials (mansabdars), learned men, poets and artists. The third book, mulk-abadi, is the one which deals with the fiscal side of the empire and provides rich quantitative information on revenue rates, followed by the ‘Account of the Twelve Provinces’. This section has detailed statistical information, which includes the geographic, topographic and economic profile of all subas and their administrative and fiscal divisions (sarkars, parganas and mahals), total measured area, and assessed revenue ( jama ).…” |