The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c7.34

c7.34

Too lavish praise has been bestowed on Akbar; only recently has Sher Shāh been allowed a small share in the Great Mughul's glory. In actual fact Akbar's institutions were largely inherited from his predecessors. Even Sher Shāh, undoubtedly a capable monarch and a great administrator, has been credited with greater originality than he possessed. He enjoyed sovereignty only for six years, a considerable portion of which was spent in campaigns. It lay outside the range of human achievement to devise and put into practice, during this brief period, an original system of administration which was to form the structure of the government for succeeding ages. His reforms consisted mostly in reviving institutions which had fallen into disuse; for Sher Shāh, like Ghiyāth-u’d-dīn Tughluq, was a keen student of history and consciously borrowed successful measures of previous reigns.¹ Most of the institutions, however, Sher Shāh inherited in working order; but his personal interest in the administration increased their efficiency. Islām Shāh practically left the machinery as he had found it. He was the last capable ruler of his dynasty, which soon came to an end after his death.