Subah

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A Subah is a province of the former Mughal Empire. The governor of a subah was known as a subahdar, which later became subedar to refer to an officer in the Indian Army. The subahs were established by the emperor Akbar during his administrative reforms of 1572-1580; initially they numbered 12, but his conquests expanded the number of subahs to 15 by the end of his reign. Subahs were divided into Sarkars, or districts. His successors, most notably Aurangzeb, expanded the number of subahs further through their conquests. As the empire began to dissolve in the early 18th century, many subahs became effectively independent, or were conquered by the Marathas or the British.

[edit] Subahs of the Mughal Empire

Akbar's original 12 subahs:

• Kabul (Kashmir added 1586)
• Lahore
• Multan
• Ajmer
• Gujarat (capital Ahmedabad)
• Delhi
• Agra
• Malwa (capital Ujjain)
• Awadh or Oudh (capital Lucknow)
• Allahabad
• Bihar (capital Patna)
• Bengal (capital Rajmahal)

later subahs, with date established:

• Berar (1595) ceded by Ahmednagar.
• Khandesh (1601) (capital Burhanpur)
• Ahmednagar (partial conquest 1601; conquest completed 1635)
• Bijapur Sultanate (1684)
• Golconda (1687) (capital Hyderabad)
• Vijayanagar (1687) (capital Penukonda)

[edit] References

• Keay, John (2000). India: a History. Grove Press, New York.
• Markovits, Claude (ed.) (2004). A History of Modern India: 1480-1950. Anthem Press, London.