Economic Policy And Administration Under Khilji Dynasty

The Khalji or Khilji dynasty controlled the Delhi Sultanate for roughly three decades, from 1290 to 1320, and reigned over vast swathes of the Indian subcontinent. Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji formed the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate of India, which rose to power in a revolt that marked the transfer of power from Turkic nobility to Afghans. During its rule, it is known for conquering modern-day South India and successfully repelling multiple Mongol invasions of India.

The Khilji monarchs, who were of Turkish ancestry, left their mark on Central Asia. They had lived in present-day Afghanistan for a long period before relocating to Delhi, India.

Important Rulers of Khilji Dynasty

The important rulers of the Khiliji dynasty are mentioned below along with their brief summary. 

Jalal-ud-din Khilji

A group of Muslim Amirs from Turkic, Persian, Arabic tribes, as well as Indian-Muslims, appointed Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khilji as Sultan.

Alauddin Khilji

Allauddin Khalji was the second ruler of the Khalji Dynasty, who ruled India under the Sultanate of Delhi from 1290 to 1320 A.D. He was the first to seize Hindu states in the Deccan, and it was he who fought against the Mongol carnage and suppressed and crushed the Mongols. He is credited for being the forerunner of Sher Shah and Akbar. He established an empire based on an imperialism policy, state secularisation, and a thorough administrative framework.

However, it was Alauddin who was the first to implement a pricing control regime in India. Economic policy and administration under Khilji Dynasty were first institutionalized by him.

The Last Khilji Sultans

In December 1315, Alauddin Khilji died. Malik Kafur has become the Sultan by this time.

Following Malik Kafur's death, the Muslim Amirs installed Shihab-ud-din Omar as Sultan and replaced him with his elder brother Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah; in any case, he was executed.

Mubarak Shah ruled for four years before being assassinated by Khusraw Khan in 1320.

Ghazi Malik was summoned by the Muslim Amirs in Delhi to depose Khusraw Khan, execute him, and rename him Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, the first Tughluq administrator.

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Considerations that guided Economic Policy Under Khilji Dynasty

Economic policy and administration under Khilji Dynasty were first institutionalized Alauddin Khilji. The Khilji dynasty's economic policy and administration were exceedingly rigorous, and everything was in the hands of the King (Sultan). The situation of peasants, business owners, and the average men were dire and difficult to maintain at times.

Alauddin's main motivation for controlling the market was not to cut the pay of his warriors but to keep an eye on the rising prices of various goods due to inflation. Some of the main considerations or principles that governed the economic policies of the Khiliji Dynasty were as follows.

• To acquire as much money as possible in aim to maintain a large, well-equipped army.

• To reduce the riches of nobles and other members of society, as Ala-ud-Din believed that too much wealth in their hands was the most important cause of revolts.

• To supply soldiers with vital daily necessities so that they might enjoy an acceptable level of living as part of their pay.

• Fixing the price of key goods and controlling the market through a well-regulated system and apparatus is the goal.

The problem of maintaining the huge army in a good state of equipment and efficiency with the kingdom's limited resources was the sole motivation behind the control of all basic necessities in order to make them cheap enough for the soldiers and officers to maintain themselves on the low salaries that they were to be paid.

Economic Policy Under the Khilji Dynasty

Some of the key points of the economic policies under the rule of the dynasty are summarized below. 

• Khilji monarchs, particularly Alauddin Khilji, altered expenditure methods solely to build his treasury, fulfil his obligations, and stockpile for his expansionist wars.

• He simply increased agricultural taxes from 20% to 50%, payable in the form of grain and rural produce or cash, and he eliminated instalments.

• Alauddin Khilji imposed four different types of taxes on non-Muslims in the Sultanate: jizya (poll tax), kharaj (land tax), kari (house tax), and chari (field duty). 

• He also ordered that his Delhi-based revenue officers, aided by local Muslim jagirdars, khuts, mukkadims, chaudharis, and zamindars, confiscate half of the products produced by every farmer as a standing crop tax in order to fill the Sultanate's granaries.

• Muslim jagirdars' wage assignments were reduced, and the wage was amassed by the central organisation. Muslim jagirdars' revenue assignments were likewise cancelled, and the revenue was collected by the central administration.

• All agribusiness produce, animals, and slaves in the kingdom were subject to quality regulations, which included restrictions on when, how, and by whom they could be sold.

• Shahana-i-Mandi markets were created. In this mandi, Muslim shippers were given specific permissions and a plan of action to buy and trade. No one else could buy from agriculturists or sell in urban areas except these merchants.

• There was a large group of investigators who could screen the mandi and apprehend anyone attempting to buy or sell something outside of the proposed limit.

• The private stockpiling of food was outlawed. Alauddin introduced the distributing system, as well as a quality control system. These limitations reduced expenses and lowered earnings to the point that ordinary people were not affected.

Violations of the mandi norms were severely punished. The sultanate's granaries were used to keep taxes collected in the form of seized crops and grains. Farmers stopped cultivating for-profit and switched to subsistence farming as the overall food supply in north India deteriorated, shortages grew, and the Delhi Sultanate saw increasingly severe and prolonged famines. 

The Sultan forbade people from storing food in their homes. As shortages grew, Alauddin implemented a rationing system; nevertheless, the nobles and his army were exempt from the per-family quota-based food rationing system. 

During the famines, Khalji's sultanate granaries and wholesale mandi system with price controls ensured that his army, court officials, and Delhi's urban population had enough food. Khalji's pricing controls lowered prices while simultaneously lowering wages.

After the death of Alauddin Khilji, the quality control method could no longer be used. The above mentioned were the main points of the economic policies of the Khiliji dynasty.

Assessment of the Economic Policies of the Dynasty

Most historians agree that Ala-ud-Din's economic programme was successful in achieving his goals. His main goals were to enhance the state's revenue so that the army could be maintained and to eliminate the possibility of revolts. He was successful in both areas.

However, views on the impact of his policies on the peasantry and the common man varied. The peasantry bore a hefty burden as a result of Ala-ud-revenue Din's strategy. Peasants most likely had to pay the state 75 per cent to 80 per cent of their income in taxes in some situations.

Dr U.N. Dey claims that "the peasants do not appear to have been materially harmed." “Ala-ud-Din consciously exploited the schism between the two rural classes' by posing as the defender of the 'weak' against the strong in these villages, and he was fully reasonable,” explains Dr Ifran Habib.

Dr R.S. Tripathi defends Ala-ud-Din's confiscation policy, saying, "He took up this action to assert the monarch's right to deal with all sorts of lands, cancelling any such grants he did not favour and bestowing others on his own conditions."

Merits of The Economic Policy and Administration Under Khilji Dynasty

Although the views of historians vary from each other and there are various arguments against and for the favour of the policies under the dynasty, some of the key features that are widely accepted by the scholars are summarized below. 

• The state treasury's earnings grew once land grants were abolished.

• The prospects of internal revolts were reduced by lowering the riches of the aristocracy.

• The harsh measures taken to curb tax officials' misdeeds brought some alleviation to the peasants while also bringing in more revenue for the government.

• The soldiers were able to maintain a fair quality of living due to price control over vital necessities.

• People were able to seek help from natural disasters because of the rationing system.

• Consumers benefited much from the standardisation of weights and measurements.

• Ala-ud-Din was able to keep a formidable army because he was able to collect enough cash.

Demerits Of The Economic Policy And Administration Under Khilji Dynasty

As mentioned earlier the economic policy was widely under debate by historians some of the major demerits pointed out by scholars are summarized below. 

• Peasants were forced to pay exorbitant taxes, which may amount to as much as 80% of their land's yield. This had a negative impact on them.

• Due to market regulation, the merchants' profit margins were lowered. This lowered their motivation.

• Agricultural production has been harmed as a result of economic policy. The peasants were forced to sell their output at a predetermined price that was not exactly remunerative to them and thus hampered their drive to expand production.

In conclusion of the article, it can be said that it can be argued that the economic policies under the Khiliji administration have their merits and demerits, the primary focus of the policies designed during this time was the capacity to sustain the armed forces of the sultanate.