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Ain-i-Akbari
The Ain-i-Akbari (Persian: آئینِ اکبری), or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document regarding the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl, in the Persian language. It forms Volume III and the final part of the much larger document, the Akbarnama (Account of Akbar), also by Abu'l-Fazl, and is itself in three volumes.
The Ain-i-Akbari is the third volume of the Akbarnama containing information on Akbar's reign in the form of administrative reports, similar to a gazetteer. In Blochmann's explanation, "it contains the 'āīn' (i.e. mode of governing) of Emperor Akbar, and is the administrative report and statistical return of his government as it was about 1590."
The Ain-i-Akbari is divided into five books. The first book called manzil-Abadi deals with the imperial household and its maintenance, and the second called sipah-abadi, with the servants of the emperor, military and civil services. The third entitled mulk-abadi teals with imperial administration, containing judiciary and executive regulations. The fourth contains information on Hindu philosophy, science, social customs, and literature. The fifth contains sayings of Akbar, along with an account of the ancestry and biography of the author.
The volume has a total of 90 'Ain' or Regulations dealing with and describing the different segments of administration and occupations at that time. The various ains include the one on the imperial mint, its workmen and their process of refining and extracting gold and silver, the dirham and the dinar etc. There are also portions dedicated to the Imperial Harem (Ain 15), the royal seals (Ain 20), the imperial kitchen (Ain 23), and its recipes and the rules relating to the days of abstinence (Ain 26). The volume contains a detailed description of items such as fruits, vegetables, perfumes, carpets, etc., and also of art and painting. Ain-i-Akbari is an excellent resource for information on the maintenance of the Mughal army during Akbar's reign. Ain 35 deals with the use and maintenance of artillery, the upkeep and branding of royal horses, camels, mules and elephants, and also describes the details of the food given to animals. The volume also has regulations pertaining to laborers' wages, house-building estimates, etc.
The second book describes the treatment of the servants of the throne, the military and civil services, and the attendants at the court, who with their literary genius or musical skill received a great deal of encouragement from the emperor and similarly commended the high value of their work. It also gives a detailed account of the functioning of the Mansabdari System.
The third book is entirely devoted to regulations for the judicial and executive departments, the establishment of a new and more practical era, the survey of the land, the tribal divisions, and the rent-roll of the finance minister. The brilliant land revenue collection during the Mughal times organized by Akbar with Raja Todar Mal, called Raja Todar Mal's Bandobast is explained in detail in this 4th book of the Ain-I-Akbari. A detailed account on the administration, land revenue collection and tribal divisions of each of the 15 Subhas/Subas, or provinces of Akbar's empire is given.
The fourth book describes the social condition and literary activity, especially in philosophy and law, of the Hindus, who form the bulk of the population, and in whose political advancement the emperor saw the guarantee of the stability of his realm. There are also a few chapters on the foreign invaders of India, on distinguished travelers, and on Muslim saints and the sects to which they belong.
The fifth book contains moral sentences and epigrammatical sayings, observations, and rules of wisdom of the emperor collected by Abu'l Fazl.
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Ain-i-Akbari
The Ain-i-Akbari (Persian: آئینِ اکبری), or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document regarding the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl, in the Persian language. It forms Volume III and the final part of the much larger document, the Akbarnama (Account of Akbar), also by Abu'l-Fazl, and is itself in three volumes.
The Ain-i-Akbari is the third volume of the Akbarnama containing information on Akbar's reign in the form of administrative reports, similar to a gazetteer. In Blochmann's explanation, "it contains the 'āīn' (i.e. mode of governing) of Emperor Akbar, and is the administrative report and statistical return of his government as it was about 1590."
The Ain-i-Akbari is divided into five books. The first book called manzil-Abadi deals with the imperial household and its maintenance, and the second called sipah-abadi, with the servants of the emperor, military and civil services. The third entitled mulk-abadi teals with imperial administration, containing judiciary and executive regulations. The fourth contains information on Hindu philosophy, science, social customs, and literature. The fifth contains sayings of Akbar, along with an account of the ancestry and biography of the author.
The volume has a total of 90 'Ain' or Regulations dealing with and describing the different segments of administration and occupations at that time. The various ains include the one on the imperial mint, its workmen and their process of refining and extracting gold and silver, the dirham and the dinar etc. There are also portions dedicated to the Imperial Harem (Ain 15), the royal seals (Ain 20), the imperial kitchen (Ain 23), and its recipes and the rules relating to the days of abstinence (Ain 26). The volume contains a detailed description of items such as fruits, vegetables, perfumes, carpets, etc., and also of art and painting. Ain-i-Akbari is an excellent resource for information on the maintenance of the Mughal army during Akbar's reign. Ain 35 deals with the use and maintenance of artillery, the upkeep and branding of royal horses, camels, mules and elephants, and also describes the details of the food given to animals. The volume also has regulations pertaining to laborers' wages, house-building estimates, etc.
The second book describes the treatment of the servants of the throne, the military and civil services, and the attendants at the court, who with their literary genius or musical skill received a great deal of encouragement from the emperor and similarly commended the high value of their work. It also gives a detailed account of the functioning of the Mansabdari System.
The third book is entirely devoted to regulations for the judicial and executive departments, the establishment of a new and more practical era, the survey of the land, the tribal divisions, and the rent-roll of the finance minister. The brilliant land revenue collection during the Mughal times organized by Akbar with Raja Todar Mal, called Raja Todar Mal's Bandobast is explained in detail in this 4th book of the Ain-I-Akbari. A detailed account on the administration, land revenue collection and tribal divisions of each of the 15 Subhas/Subas, or provinces of Akbar's empire is given.
The fourth book describes the social condition and literary activity, especially in philosophy and law, of the Hindus, who form the bulk of the population, and in whose political advancement the emperor saw the guarantee of the stability of his realm. There are also a few chapters on the foreign invaders of India, on distinguished travelers, and on Muslim saints and the sects to which they belong.
The fifth book contains moral sentences and epigrammatical sayings, observations, and rules of wisdom of the emperor collected by Abu'l Fazl.
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