Sher Shah Suri was the son of Hasan Khan. He defeated Humayun at the Battle of Kannauj in 1540. He overthrew the Mughals and established Afghan rule in India.I= In this blog, we will study Sher Shah Suri administration and reforms.

 

Administration, Revenue, and Military Reforms

The administration of Sher Shah was based on the principle of a welfare state. He was the head of the central administration. He introduced the land revenue system.

 

Sher Shah Suri�s Life

 

In his childhood, the name of Sher Shah was Farid Khan.

 

Do you know, who named Farid Khan Sher Khan and Why?

 

Bahar Khan, subedar of Bihar, gave have him the name of Sher Khan when he single-handedly killed a lion. Later on, he joined the Mughal army under Babur.

 

Humayun was defeated by Sher Khan or Sher Shah at Chausa in 1539 and at Kannauj in 1540. After defeating the Humayun, he occupied Agra and Delhi and also extended his empire to Punjab, Malwa, Multan, Sind, and Rajputana within 5 years. He established Afghan rule in India.

 

Sher Shah Suri Administration

 

For the welfare of the people, He constructed the Grand Trunk Road from Peshawar to Sonargaon (Bengal). He also built roads from Agra to Jodhpur and from Lahore to Multan. He also planted trees on both sides of the roads. 1700 serais (inns) were constructed for travelers. His roads and serais have been called �the Arteries of the Empire�.

 

He was a great conqueror and an able administrator. There were two administrations in that period � The Central Administration and The Provincial Administration.

 

Central Administration

Do you know, who was the head of the central administration?

 

Sher Shah was the head of the Central Administration. He himself held all the civil and military powers. The government work was divided into different departments and each department was looked after by a minister.

 

Provincial Administration

 

Do you know, into how many provinces, Sher Khan divided his whole empire?

 

He divided his whole empire into 47 provinces or sarkars where each province was further subdivided into Parganas or districts. The three main officers of the province were the Shiqdar-i-Shiqdaran, the Munsif-i-Munsifan, and the Qazi.

 

Let us learn about the services of these three officers.
The Shiqdar-i-Shiqdaran was responsible for maintaining law and order. The Munsif-i-Munsifan was responsible for the collection of taxes while the Qazi looks after the department of justice.

 

Revenue Reforms

 

He introduced the land revenue system, which was adopted by the Mughals. He got the land measured and fixed the land revenue at one-third of the produce as tax.

 

The land was divided into three categories on the basis of fertility and for the purpose of assessment � good, average, and bad. He introduced the system of patta (a little deed to a property). The peasants were required to deposit the land revenue directly in the government treasury.

 

Military Reforms

 

Sher Shah maintained a large, well-trained, and disciplined army. His army consists of infantry, cavalry, and war � elephants. He established direct contact between the army and the government. Cantonments were set up where the army units were stationed under an officer, called the Faujdar.

 

Sher Shah Suri Administration: MCQs

 

1. In which battle, Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah?
a) Battle of Panipat
b) Battle of Bauxar
c) Battle of Haldighati
d) Battle of Kannauj

 

2. Who looked after the department of justice in the provincial government of Sher Shah?
a) The Munsif-i-Munsifan
b) The Shiqdar-i-Shiqdaran
c) Muqaddam
d) The Qazi

 

3. Sher Khan divided his whole empire into how many provinces?
a) 38
b) 36
c) 43
d) 47

 

4. Who constructed the Grand Trunk Road?
a) Humayun
b) Babur
c) Ibrahim Lodhi
d) Sher Shah Suri

 

5. At Chausa, Who was defeated by Sher Shah?
a) Babur
b) Bahar khan
c) Ibrahim Lodhi
d) Humayun

 

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