Question

Difficulty: HardMedieval Indian Dynasties, Administration, and Regional Kingdoms

Match the Delhi Sultanate administrative departments listed in List-I with their primary governmental functions described in List-II:

  • Diwan-i-MustakhrajDepartment established to audit land revenue balances and extract arrears from revenue officials
  • Diwan-i-KohiDepartment created for agriculture expansion, land reclamation, and monitoring crop loans
  • Diwan-i-InshaDepartment dealing with state correspondence, royal drafting, and official imperial records
  • Diwan-i-RasalatDepartment managing religious affairs, pious stipends, grants, and foreign diplomatic appeals

Answer

Diwan-i-Mustakhraj corresponds to the department for auditing revenue arrears; Diwan-i-Kohi corresponds to agricultural expansion and loans; Diwan-i-Insha corresponds to state correspondence and imperial drafts; Diwan-i-Rasalat corresponds to religious affairs and diplomatic matters.
Each administrative department of the Delhi Sultanate had specialized duties: Diwan-i-Mustakhraj audited revenue balances, Diwan-i-Kohi directed agricultural expansion, Diwan-i-Insha executed royal secretarial correspondence, and Diwan-i-Rasalat dealt with religious, charitable, and diplomatic matters.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the function of Diwan-i-Mustakhraj
Recognize that Alauddin Khalji created Diwan-i-Mustakhraj to audit revenue records and collect uncollected land tax arrears from revenue agents.
Prevents confusing revenue collection auditing departments with agricultural extension bodies.
2
Identify the function of Diwan-i-Kohi
Associate Diwan-i-Kohi (Amir-Kohi) with Muhammad bin Tughlaq's agrarian experiments aimed at expanding cultivated area and administering direct agricultural loans.
Differentiates general land revenue auditing from dedicated agricultural development departments.
3
Identify the function of Diwan-i-Insha and Diwan-i-Rasalat
Map Diwan-i-Insha to official correspondence/records under the chief secretary (Dabir-i-Khas) and Diwan-i-Rasalat to religious affairs and foreign appeals.
Establishes correct administrative division between internal imperial secretarial duties and religious/diplomatic portfolios.

Key Concept

Central Administrative Departments of the Delhi Sultanate
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