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The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c18.s3: The Central Government

The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c18.s3

Language
English

Contents

The Central Government

The Monarch

c18.s3.t1.1

In actual practice the Sultan of Delhi was a full-fledged sovereign ruler, uncontrolled by any outside agency or authority. The Sultan was a thorough-going despot. He was the supreme executive-head of the kingdom. He was also the fountain-head of justice and the supreme interpreter of the law. Thus he was the temporal head and ruler of all the people in his dominions and the religious head of the Muslim section of the population. His powers were many and unlimited. In actual practice, however, these were circumscribed. He had to listen to the advice of the learned divines or *ulema*. There was always the fear of a rebellion by the people. The traditional unwritten law of the land had also to be respected; but, as in the final analysis the power of the Sultan depended upon the degree of his military strength, he could, if he was a powerful man, disregard all the above considerations and rule according to his will. Such rulers were, however, very few. Throughout our period there was only one such personality named Balban. All others, including Iltutmish, had to consult the nobles and to abide by their wishes.

Ministers

c18.s3.t2.1

The Sultanate of Delhi showed little planning. The central government was a haphazard growth. There were, however, four important ministers at the capital, namely, the *wazir*, the *ariz-i-mamalik*, *diwan-i-insha* and *diwan-i-rasalat*. The *wazir* may be designated as the chief minister. Besides having the charge of revenue and finance departments, he exercised a general supervisory authority over other ministers. The *wazir* was a civilian, but sometimes he had to command an army. He controlled the military pay office. He was assisted by a *naib* and had a large establishment consisting of a number of secretaries and dozens of clerks and accountants. There was a chief accountant or the *mushrif-i-mamalik* and an auditor-general or the *mustawfi-i-mamalik* under him. The second minister was the army minister or the *diwan-i-ariz*. He was in charge of recruitment of troops, their muster-roll, their equipment and efficiency. Besides, he was the paymaster-general of the army. It was his duty to hold reviews of the troops and to see that they were properly equipped and that they discharged their duties efficiently. The third minister was *diwani-i-insha* whose duty it was to draft royal proclamations and despatches. He had a large staff of secretaries and clerks under him. He used to accompany the king and to compile a record of all his activities. The fourth minister was the *diwan-i-rasalat*. He seems to have been in charge of foreign and diplomatic correspondence. His work was to keep in touch with ambassadors and envoys sent to, and received from, foreign courts.

c18.s3.t2.2

Besides these, there were two other important dignitaries whose importance cannot be exaggerated. Their rank was next to that of the ministers. They were *barid-i-mamalik*, that is, the chief news-writer of the kingdom under whom there were a host of news-writers and spies, and the *qazi-mamalik* or the chief justice of kingdom. This officer was the head of the judiciary and also the incharge of the ecclesiastical department. In the latter capacity he was known as *sadar-i-jahan* or *sadar-us-sudur*.

c18.s3.t2.3

There were several other high officials at the capital, connected particularly with the royal household, but their rank was lower than that of the ministers. The most important among these was the *vakil-i-dar* who was something like the comptroller of the royal household. As such, he had to be very near the royal person and wielded considerable influence. The next was *amir-i-hajib*, that is, the master of ceremonies. He enforced the court etiquette and acted as an intermediary between the Sultan and the lower officers and the people. The Sultan granted an honour of interview to the people through this officer. The next officer was *sar-i-jandar*, that is, the commander of the royal bodyguard. Another important dignitary was *amir-i-akhur* or the master of the horse and still another *shahna-i-pilan* or the superintendent of the elephants.

c18.s3.t2.4

During the reign of some of the Sultans a new office of the *naib-i-mamalikat* was instituted. He was the royal deputy and, as such, enjoyed higher powers than the wazir or the prime minister. But, in normal times, there was no naib and, if there was one, as in the time of Balban, he enjoyed no powers except those that were delegated to him by the Sultan.

c18.s3.t2.5

The ministers of the central government were appointed by the king and were his servants. They were responsible to him only. They were not supreme in their respective departments, unless the king was a minor or was a puppet in the hands of his nobles. They could not influence a powerful ruler like Balban, and were there to carry out his wishes even in matters of detail.