Iqta System: Features, Role Of The Iqtadar, Meaning & Types Of Iqtas

Iltutmish's reign saw the introduction of the Iqta system, a distinctive form of land allocation and governance. The Delhi Sultanate's territories were divided into many small tracts. These were known as Iqta, and these Iqtas were given to Sultan's officials, nobles, and warriors.

During the Buyid dynasty, the Islamic tax farming practice known as an Iqta developed. It spread throughout Muslim Asia quickly. In Nizam-al-Siyasatnama, Mulk's iqta is defined. Iqta administrators are referred to as Muqti or wali. They handled general administration and earnings from land.

In this article, we will explore the features of the Iqta System. This forms a significant part of the UPSC IAS exam. The questions related to this topic are seen in Prelims, UPSC Mains Paper I, and UPSC History Optional. This topic is equally essential for the UGC NET History exam. Every year over 5-6 questions are asked about the political importance of the Iqta system history of India.

Features Of The Iqta System

The Turkish conquests in the 13th century dispossessed several local chiefs. The Turkish emperors gave their nobility revenue assignments rather than money to consolidate. The assignees, Muqti and Wali, received money from these regions. They paid their expenditures, paid the soldiers, and sent the excess money to the centre. 

• The institution known as iqta, an Arabic word, had existed in the early Islamic world as a type of compensation for contributions to the state. It served to fund activities and compensate civil and military leaders under the Caliphate's rule.
• The bearers of Iqta tended to get hereditary privileges throughout Firuz Tughlaq's reign. The Iqta holder was moved every three to four years from one region to another, and these revenue assignments were transferrable.
• As a result, Iqta shouldn't be compared to the hereditary, non-transferable fiefs of medieval feudal Europe. Large assignments (a full or partial province) are possible. Nobles were assigned tasks that included military, administrative, and tax collection duties. The Muqti or wali thus served as the head of the provincial administration. He was required to keep a horsemen and foot army.
• The Muqti had the right to collect the land tax and other taxes owed to the Sultan. But, he had no further claims on the cultivators' land, women, children, or other property.
• The major responsibility of the Muqti towards the Sultan was to maintain troops and provide them upon request. Iqta transfers were common because the charge was transferrable.
• The troops of Sultan's army were reportedly given "little Iqtas" in the Doab by Iltutmish (1210–36) in place of wages. Balban (1266–1986) unsuccessfully attempted to resume them half-heartedly. Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316) was responsible for firmly establishing the custom of paying soldiers' salaries in cash. 
• Firuz Tughlaq again changed the custom when he started paying soldiers in villages instead of money. These responsibilities were known as Wajh, and their bearers as Wajhdars. These roles typically had a hereditary component besides being permanent.

Institutional Evolution under Delhi Sultans

• Iltutmish (1211–1236 CE) systematised iqta as territorial revenue assignments in lieu of cash salaries, rotating Iqtadars frequently to prevent local power bases—a break from local feudal chieftains. He classified iqtas into large (administrative) and small (military only) units.
• Balban (1266–1287) introduced Khwājā, an accountant embedded within each iqta, ensuring accurate audit and transparent remittance of surplus (fawāẓil) to the khalīṣa (central treasury). He also curtailed hereditary claims.
• Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316) revoked smaller, nob-led iqtas; banned retention of excess revenue; paid standing armies in constant cash wages; enforced strict annual audits; and brought fertile zones (like the Ganga–Yamuna Doab) under khalīṣa-controlled territories.
• Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1351–1388) reintroduced hereditary assignments known as Wājh-i-Wājhdari, especially as lifetime grants to soldiers, reducing fiscal discipline and expanding local autonomy.

Tasks And Authority Of The Iqtadar

The Iqtadar was responsible for a number of important tasks. Let us read about a few of them.

• He carried out Sultan's directives while being supervised by the Central administration.
• In the province, he had the same authority that the Sultan did in the empire.
• When the Sultan requested an army, he was expected to retain sizable forces and send them.
• He upheld law and order in the area under his control and guarded the citizens' lives and possessions.
• He received money from the residents of his territory.
• He managed expenses for the upkeep of his army, his pay, and other administrative costs. The rest of the money was given to the state treasury.
• He submitted to the centre an annual report of his earnings and expenditures.
• The Iqtadar (Muqti or Wali) voluntarily remitted fixed fawāẓil (surplus revenue) to the khalīṣa treasury, retaining only maintenance costs and troops' pay—no ownership of land, women, or villages.
• The khalīṣa land, under direct control of the Sultan or his appointed Amir, provided a fiscal benchmark and prevented muqtis from overstating local incomes.
• Reforms by Alauddin institutionalized cash salaries, ending administrative dependency on Iqta revenue—muqtis became military officers rather than revenue intermediaries.

Limitations For The Iqtadar

The Iqtadar did not always have inherited abilities. Iqta was the Sultan's to take back whenever he pleased.

• The Iqtadar might be moved from one location to another.
• He was prohibited from starting extension wars without the Sultan's prior consent.
• He was supposed to send the Sultan a part of the loot.
• The Sultan was supposed to receive the elephants and the members of the royal family taken prisoner during battle.
• He was prohibited from running his own court.
• He was not allowed to use a royal crest or canopy.
• He was unable to issue coinage in his name.
• He was unable to read the last name "Khutba."
• The "Iqtadars" were enticed to have more power when the Sultan was weak. 
• Unlike medieval European feudal lords, Iqtadars held temporary, transferable assignments—not hereditary estates. The Sultan retained the right to revoke iqtas at will, preventing local dynastic accumulation.
• It was under Firuz Shah that hereditary Wājh-i-Wājhdars emerged, eroding central control, leading to regional fiefdoms and contributing to the Sultanate’s political fragmentation.

Types Of Iqtas

There were four major types of Iqtas, namely:

• General Iqtas were administrative cum military grants given to nobles and influential people.

• Iqta-i-Tamlik was an Iqta given especially for the collection of taxes and revenues to support the economy.

• Iqta-i-Istighatal was an Iqta given for the collection of stipends, especially for the household.

• The collections from the Iqta-i-Waqf-Iqta went for charitable purposes.

Ala-ud-Din separated the Iqtas into two groups under his rule. First was the Iqtas, which had always been ruled by the Delhi Sultans. The second was the territories that Ala-ud-Din Khalji established sovereignty over.

There were several central government personnel besides the "Iqtadar." The capacity of the "Iqtadar" and the Sultan's authority were both necessary for an "Iqta" to operate effectively. In due course, the "Iqtas" were subdivided into villages, "Shiqqs," and "Parganas." The 'Shiqqdar' was the name given to the head of a 'Shiqq'. A "Paragana" had important authorities such as the "Amil" or "Munsif," the treasurer, and the "Qanungo."

Legacy & Transformation into Jagirdari / Mansabdari System

With the decline of the Sultanate system post-1526, Iqta assignments transmogrified into Jagir under the Lodis and Mansabdari ranks by the Mughals—continuing the revenue-in-lieu-of-salary model. However, the Mughal system introduced refinements: fixed tenure, transfer limitations, salary-based ranks (Zat/Sawar), and audit through Diwan-i‑Arz—making it more bureaucratically structured than the Sultanate institution.

This continuity and transformation reflect the institutional longevity of land-based revenue–military arrangements in Indo-Islamic governance—making the Iqta system foundational for any medieval-modern comparative analysis.

Conclusion

Land revenue provided the Sultanate with the majority of its revenues. The name "Khalisa" was used to refer to the land whose income was designated solely for the Sultan. Iqta was the state's share of the income that went to the nobles. The duties of the Muqtis were to uphold law and order and receive payment from their Iqta. They were also obligated to provide the Sultan with military support when necessary.

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