Explanation: Bandagan is the plural of banda, literally military slaves. They were graded according to the years of service, proximity and trustworthiness.

• This trust led to their appointment as governors and military commanders. The Ghurid bandagan in North India were the slaves of Muiz-ud Din Ghuri.
• Since these slaves were without a social identity of their own, they were given new names by their masters, which included the nisba, which indicated their social or regional identity.
• Slaves carried the nisba of their master: hence Mu‘izz alDin’s slave carried the nisba Mu‘izzi and later Sultan Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish’s slave were called the Shamsi bandagan.

Source: NCERT