Diwan

Diwan was the Mughal empire’s chief finance officer, responsible for managing the state’s money and revenue system.

• Main job: supervise collection of land revenue (tax from agriculture), keep financial records, and plan how the empire’s income would be spent.
• Why this post mattered: most Mughal income came from land revenue, so an effective Diwan helped the empire pay soldiers, run the court, maintain roads and buildings, and keep administration working smoothly.
• Where the Diwan worked: there was a Diwan at the imperial level and also a Diwan in each province (subah), so finances were managed both at the centre and locally.
• Checks and balances: the Diwan’s financial control acted as a balance on other powerful officials (especially those connected to the army), reducing chances of misuse of funds.
• Concrete example: Akbar’s famous finance expert Raja Todar Mal helped strengthen revenue assessment through surveys and careful calculations—work closely connected to what a Diwan’s department handled.
• Easy comparison: the Diwan was somewhat like a modern finance minister plus a top accountant for the empire.