jagirdars

Jagirdars were Mughal officers who were paid not with a regular salary, but by being given the right to collect revenue from a piece of land called a jagir.

• A jagir was not private property in the modern sense. It was an assignment from the emperor, and it could be taken back or changed.
• Jagirdars used the revenue they collected to support themselves and to meet their official duties—especially paying and maintaining the troops they were expected to provide.
• This system helped the Mughal state run a huge empire because it could reward and control officials without paying everyone directly from the central treasury.
• Jagirdars usually did not stay in one place for long. They were often transferred from one jagir to another so they would not build a permanent local power base.
• It helps to separate two roles: a jagirdar had the right to collect revenue, while local officials and village communities often continued day-to-day farming and local management.

So, jagirdars were a key link between the Mughal emperor’s administration and the empire’s land revenue—money that kept the government and army functioning.