The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c14.50

v4.c14.50

The basis of Indian administration is the assessment and collection of the land revenue, and Sher Shāh’s system was his own. To each *pargana* he appointed an *amīn* responsible for the general administration, a *shiqqdār*, his assistant, who supervised the assessment and collection of the revenue, a treasurer, and two clerks, or secretaries, to keep the records or accounts, one in Persian and the other in Hindī. The cultivated land was measured every harvest, and the revenue was assessed in cash on the value of the produce.¹ To each *sarkār*, or revenue district, were appointed a chief *shiqqdār* and a chief *munsif*, whose duty it was to see that the revenue was collected in full, but that the cultivators were not oppressed.