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Subah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Subah is a term for a province or state in several South Asian languages. It was introduced by the Mughal Empire to refer to its subdivisions or provinces; and was also adopted by other polities of the Indian subcontinent. It was later adopted by the Maratha Empire, from 1720, as part of many reforms introduction by Shahu I. The word is derived from Arabic and Persian. The governor/ruler of a Subah was known as a subahdar (sometimes also referred to as a "Subeh"[1]), which later became subedar to refer to an officer in the Indian and Pakistani armies. The subahs were established by Padishah (emperor) Akbar during his administrative reforms of the years 1572–1580; initially, they numbered 12, but his conquests expanded the number of subahs to 15 by the end of his reign. Subahs were divided into Sarkars, or districts. Sarkars were further divided into Parganas or Mahals. His successors, most notably Aurangzeb, expanded the number of subahs further through their conquests. As the empire began to dissolve in the early 18th century, many subahs became de facto independent or came under the influence of the regional powers or the suzerainty of the East India Company.

In the modern context, subah (صوبہ) is used in several Pakistani languages (most notably Punjabi, Balochi, and Urdu) to refer to a province of Pakistan.

History

[edit]

Initially, after the administrative reforms of Akbar, the Mughal Empire was divided into 12 subahs: Kabul, Lahore, Multan, Delhi, Agra, Avadh, Illahabad, Bihar, Bangal, Malwa, Ajmer and Gujarat. After the conquest of Deccan, he created three more subahs there: Berar, Khandesh (initially renamed Dandesh in 1601) and Ahmadnagar (in 1636 renamed as Daulatabad and subsequently as Aurangabad).

Jahangir increased the number of subahs to 17 during his reign; Orissa being carved out of Bangal in 1607. The number of subahs increased to 22 under Shah Jahan.[2] In his 8th regnal year, Shah Jahan separated the sarkar of Telangana from Berar and made it into a separate subah. In 1657, it was merged with Zafarabad Bidar subah. Agra was renamed Akbarabad in 1629 and Delhi became Shahjahanbad in 1648.[3] Kashmir was carved out of Kabul, Thatta (Sindh) out of Multan, and Bidar out of Ahmadnagar. For some time Qandahar was a separate subah under the Mughal Empire but it was lost to Persia in 1648.

Aurangzeb added Bijapur (1686), Sira (1687)[4] and Golkonda (1687) as new subahs. There were 22 subahs during his reign.[2] These were Kabul, Kashmir, Lahore, Multan, Delhi, Agra, Avadh, Illahabad, Bihar, Bangalah, Orissa, Malwa, Ajmer, Gujarat, Berar, Khandesh, Aurangabad, Bidar, Thatta, Bijapur, Sira[4] and Haidarabad (Golkonda).[5] Aurangzeb made Arcot a Mughal subah in 1692.

During the Mughal Empire, the Punjab region consisted of three subahs: Lahore, Multan, and parts of Delhi subah.[6] The Sikh Empire (1799–1849), originating in the Punjab region, also used the term Suba for the provinces it administered under its territorial delineation, of which there were five.[7]

Current usage

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In modern usage in Urdu language, the term is used as a word for province, while the word riyasat (Urdu: ریاست, "princely state" in English) is used for (federated) state. The terminologies are based on the administrative structure of British India which was partially derived from the Mughal administrative structure. In modern times, the term subah is mainly used in Pakistan, where its four provinces are called "Subah" in the Urdu language.

List of Subahs of the Mughal Empire

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Akbar's original twelve subahs

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The twelve subahs created as a result of the administrative reform by Akbar(Mughal Emperor):

# Subah Capital(s) Year of establishment Year of disestablishment Cause of disestablishment
1 Kabul Subah (Kashmir Sarkar added in 1586) Kabul 1580 26 November 1738 Captured by Nader Shah as a result of the Battle of Khyber Pass
2 Lahore Subah Lahore 15 September 1758 Captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani
3 Multan Subah (Thatta Sarkar added in 1593) Multan 1752
4 Ajmer Subah Ajmer 1758 Captured by Jayappaji Rao Scindia and Ram Singh
5 Gujarat Subah Ahmedabad 1573 February 1758 Captured by Damaji Rao Gaekwad
6 Delhi Subah (also known as Shahjahanabad Subah)[8] Delhi 1580 21 September 1857 Captured by George Anson
7 Agra Subah Agra 12 June 1761 Captured by Suraj Mal
8 Malwa Subah Ujjain 1568 24 December 1737 Captured by Bajirao I and Balaji Baji Rao
9 Awadh Subah Faizabad, later Lucknow 1572 26 January 1722 Seceded under Saadat Ali Khan I
10 Illahabad Subah Illahabad 1580 1772 Captured by Tukoji Rao Holkar and Visaji Krushna Biniwale
11 Bihar Subah Patna 1576 1733 Seceded under Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan[9]
12 Bengal Subah Tanda (1574–95)

Rajmahal (1595–1610, 1639–59) Dhaka (1610–1639, 1660–1703) Murshidabad (1703–72)

 12 July 1576 1717 Seceded under Murshid Quli Khan

Subahs added after 1596

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The subahs which added later were (with dates established):

# Subah Capital Year of establishment Year of disestablishment Cause of disestablishment Emperor
13 Berar Subah Ellichpur 1596 11 October 1724 Seceded under Asaf Jah I Akbar
14 Khandesh Subah Burhanpur 17 January 1601 1760 Captured by Balaji Baji Rao
15 Ahmadnagar Subah
(renamed Daulatabad in 1636)
(further renamed Aurangabad)		 Ahmadnagar (1601–1636)
Daulatabad
Aurangabad		 July 1600
(conquest completed in June 1636)		 1724 Seceded under Asaf Jah I
16 Orissa Subah Cuttack 1605 March 1751 Captured by Raghoji Bhonsle I Jahangir
17 Thatta Subah Thatta 1629 1737 Seceded under Noor Mohammad Kalhoro Shah Jahan
18 Telangana Subah Nanded 1636 1657 Merged into Bidar Subah
19 Qandahar Subah Qandahar 1638 1648 Captured by Abbas II
20 Kashmir Subah Srinagar 1648 1752 Captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani
21 Balkh Subah Balkh 1646 1647 Captured by Abd al-Aziz Khan
22 Badakhshan Subah Qunduz
23 Bidar Subah Bidar 1656 11 October 1724 Seceded under Asaf Jah I
24 Bijapur Subah Bijapur 1684 31 July 1724 Aurangzeb
25 Golkonda Subah (later Hyderabad) Hyderabad 12 September 1687
26 Sira Subah Sira 1687 1766 Captured by Madhavrao I
27 Arcot Subah Gingee 1692 1710 Seceded under Saadatullah Khan I

List of Subahs of the Maratha Empire

[edit]

The subahs were introduced into the Maratha Empire in 1721 by Chhatrapati Shahu as a part of his administrative reforms. It did continue even after his reign as new territories were conquered by Marathas across the Indian subcontinent. By 1758, there were 30 subahs in Maratha India and 3 subahs were under Peshwa's rule.

# Subah Capital(s) Year of establishment Year of disestablishment Cause of disestablishment
1 Hindu Kush Subah Kabul (1741–1758), Kunduz (1758–1761) 1741 1761 Captured by Durrani Empire
2 Punjab Subah Attock (1741–1756; 1758–1800), Lahore (1756–1758) 1800 Independence of Sikh Empire
3 Rajput Subah Multan (1735–1758), Ajmer (1758–1813) 1735 1813 Subsidiarised by the East India Company
4 Delhi Subah (under Mughal influence)[10] Delhi 1758 1818 Ended with the empire's overthrow
5 Baroda Subah Baroda 1721
6 Konkan Subah[a] Raigad (1674–1721), Shahapur[b] (1721–1818) 1674
7 Agra Subah (under Mughal influence) Agra 1758
8 Western Bengal Subah Rajshahi (1742–1751), Murshidabad (1751–1775) 1742 1775 Captured by the East India Company
9 Prayagraj Subah Allahabad 1749 1803
10 Peshawar Subah Peshawar 1743 1761 Captured by the Durrani Empire
11 Thatta Subah[c] Thatta 1733 1800 Captured by Kalhoras[11]
12 Bhopal Subah Bhopal 1737 1792 Independence of Bhopal State
13 Indore Subah Indore 1732 1818 Ended with the empire's overthrow
14 Bahawalpur Subah Rahim Yar Khan (1751–1761[d]), Bahawalpur (1761–1782) 1751 1782 Independence of Bahawalpur State
15 Khandesh Subah Ahmednagar 1748 1818 Ended with the empire's overthrow
16 Poona Subah[e][f] Pune 1674
17 Satara Subah[g] Satara
18 Raigad Subah[h] Raigad 1721
19 Thanjavur Subah Thanjavur (1674–1680; 1713–1818), Arcot (1680–1682) 1674
20 Jinji Subah[i] Gingee (1682–1721; 1752–1818), Arcot[j] (1721–1752) 1682
21 Ganga Subah[k] Kanpur (1748–1752), Lucknow (1752–1803) 1748 1803 Captured by the East India Company
22 Jamuni Subah Lucknow[l] (1748–1752), Patna (1751–1803)
23 Adilabad Subah Adilabad (1751–1772), Berar (1772–1792) 1751 1792 Ceded to Hyderabad State
24 Karnataka Subah[m] Belgaum 1750 1803 Captured by the East India Company
25 Khed Subah Khed 1700 1818 Ended with the empire's overthrow
26 Andhra Subah Amaravati 1758 1775 Captured by the East India Company
27 Kashmir Subah Srinagar 1800 Captured by Sikh Empire
29 Cuttack Subah[n][o] Cuttack 1752 1803 Captured by the East India Company
30 Sagar Subah[p] Sagar[q] 1735 1818 Ended with the empire's overthrow
[edit]
Subahs of the Mughal Empire (North India)
Subahs of the Mughal Empire (South India)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Raigad was part of Konkan Subah but was separated in 1721, and was made a separate province
  2. ↑ Later renamed as Thane
  3. ↑ Renamed as Scind
  4. ↑ Later ceded to Punjab Subah
  5. ↑ Renamed as Pune
  6. ↑ Peshwa's subah
  7. ↑ Peshwa's subah
  8. ↑ Peshwa's subah
  9. ↑ Jinji Subah, also known as Arcot Subah, was a part of Thanjavur Subah until 1682
  10. ↑ Arcot was the capital of the Thanjavur Subah for a short time, before becoming a part of Jinji Subah
  11. ↑ Initially named as Ganga–Jamuni Subah
  12. ↑ Lucknow was ceded to Ganga Subah in 1752 and Patna became the capital.
  13. ↑ Initially named as Uttara Kannada Subah
  14. ↑ Cuttack was part of the Western Bengal Subah before being separated in 1752.
  15. ↑ Under Uttar Sarkar
  16. ↑ Sagar was a part of Indore Subah before being separated in 1735.
  17. ↑ Also called as Saugor

References

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  1. ↑ y George Clifford Whitworth (2016). An Anglo-indian Dictionary: A Glossary Of Indian Terms Used In English, And Of Such English Or Other Non-indian Terms As Have Obtained Special Meanings In India. Palala Press. p. 301. ISBN 978-1354764114.
  2. 1 2 Mahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). History of Medieval India, Part II, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0364-5, p.236n
  3. ↑ Habib, I (2003). The Agrarian System of Mughal India 1556-1707, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-565595-8, pp.8n, 451
  4. 1 2 Imperial Gazetteer of India: Provincial Series 1908, pp. 175–176
  5. ↑ Habib, I (2003). The Agrarian System of Mughal India 1556-1707, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-565595-8, p.4
  6. ↑ Wahi, Tripta (2013). Irrigation, State and Society in Pre-colonial India. Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. p. 3. ISBN 9789383650002.
  7. ↑ Herrli, Hans (1993). The Coins of the Sikhs. p. 10.
  8. ↑ Sinha, Surendra Nath (1974). Subah of Allahabad Under the Great Mughals, 1580-1707. Jamia Millia Islamia. p. 95. ISBN 9780883866030.
  9. ↑ Merchants, Politics and Society in Early Modern India: Bihar: 1733-1820. Brill's Indological Library. Brill. 2023. ISBN 978-90-04-64474-8.
  10. ↑ Sinha, Surendra Nath (1974). Subah of Allahabad Under the Great Mughals, 1580-1707. Jamia Millia Islamia. p. 95. ISBN 9780883866030.
  11. ↑ Merchants, Politics and Society in Early Modern India: Bihar: 1733-1820. Brill's Indological Library. Brill. 2023. ISBN 978-90-04-64474-8.
  • Keay, John (2000). India: a History. Grove Press, New York.
  • Markovits, Claude (ed.) (2004). A History of Modern India: 1480–1950. Anthem Press, London.

Further reading

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