DMPQ:Describe the following terms: a) IbadatKhana b) Mansabdari c) Iqta

Ibadatkhana: The IbadatKhana or House of Worship was a prayer or a meeting room built by Akbar at his palace in Fatehpur Sikri. Originally he intended the place to be only for Sunni Muslims to gather and discuss various issues. However, when petty differences between other religious sects and followers got out of control he decided to open the room to people of all faiths.

Mansabdari system: The Mansabdari system was the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar. The word mansab is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system, hence, determined the rank of a government official. Every civil and military officer was given a ‘mansab’ and different which could be increased by ten were used for ranking officers. It was also meant for fixing the salaries and allowances of officers.The term manasabadar means a person (in old times) who has a positioning or ranking of a government.

Iqta: ‘Iqta’ is an Arabic word denoting a sort of administrative regional unit. It is usually considered equivalent to a province.Initially the Delhi Sultans had divided their empire into several ‘Iqtas’ or provinces or spheres of influence and put them under the charge of officers called ‘Iqtadars’ (governors).The number of Iqtas was not fixed. There was no uniformity in their administration.