Subah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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. Sarkars were further divided into Parganas or Mahals. 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:

later subahs, with date established:

[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.