Jagir System During Mughal Empire
Jagir was a unit of land, whose revenues were assigned to a mansabdar in lieu of his salary. Under the Mughals, apart from the jagir lands, whose revenues went to pay the salaries of the mansabdars for their services to the state, there were also the khalisa lands, whose revenues were earmarked for the maintenance of the imperial court and the personal expenditure of the emperor. Hence the jagir of the Mughal times was similar to the iqta of the Delhi sultanate.
Like the iqta, the assignment of a jagir to a mansabdar did not confer any hereditary rights to that jagir on the mansabdar. He could enjoy the revenues of the jagir only as long as he held the mansab or official rank and rendered services to the state. In other words, the jagirdars owed their position to the Mughal emperor. The Mughal emperors guarded their privileged position against any hereditary claims to the jagirs by the jagirdars by following the policy of frequent transfer of jagirs.
The jagir system was closely related to the mansab system. We should note here that all jagirdars were mansabdars, but not all mansabdars were jagirdars, because some mansabdars were paid in cash and not through the assignment of jagirs…
Jagir System – Land Revenue Administration
Up to Akbar’s 8th regnal year, Sher Shah’s system continued to be the basis with some modifications to meet the growing need for granting jagirs. A series of experiments were made till Akbar’s 24th regnal year, after which the land revenue administration was stabilised. It can be examined under several heads.
Jagir System – Land ownership
Proprietorship (i.e., hereditary rights only) of peasants on soil was recognised.
Jagir System – Methods of calculation
Central government usually fixed rates annually according to the yield which fluctuated. Akbar, however, wanted a uniform system of assessment through which he could make an accurate estimate of crops so that there would be minimal chances of oppression by officers and less fraud by the cultivators.