RAS question
Sher Shah Suri divided his empire into administrative units called:
Correct answer: (D) Sarkars and Parganas.
Sher Shah Suri divided his empire into administrative units called Sarkars and Parganas.
Explanation
Sher Shah Suri's administrative structure used Sarkars as the larger units and Parganas as the smaller subdivisions. His empire was divided into 47 Sarkars, each further divided into Parganas, with officers such as the Shiqdar, Amin and Qazi at the pargana level. Banglapedia describes the same structure: Sher Shah divided Bengal into several sarkars, and each sarkar was subdivided into smaller districts called parganas. This makes option D precise: it gives the actual administrative terminology associated with Sher Shah's system, not a later or generic label.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Provinces and Districts is a generic description, while the named units in Sher Shah Suri's system were Sarkars and Parganas.
- (B) Subahs are not the relevant unit here; Sher Shah's structure is described as Sarkars divided into Parganas.
- (C) Iqtas and Wilayats do not match the terminology given for Sher Shah Suri's administration, which used Sarkars and Parganas.
Concept
This tests medieval Indian administrative terminology, especially how rulers organised territory for revenue, policing and justice. RAS repeats such terms because they link political history with governance institutions.