Q. With reference to the administrative decay and economic challenges in the Later Mughal period, consider the following statements:
1.The office of the Wazir (Prime Minister) became so dominant that he often acted as the effective ruler, marginalizing the Emperor, which undermined the central authority.
2.The increase in the number of Mansabdars, without a corresponding increase in the amount of Paibaqi land, exacerbated the financial crisis of the empire.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: C
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1: Correct. Powerful Wazirs like Zulfiqar Khan, the Sayyid Brothers, and later Nizam-ul-Mulk, concentrated all effective power, reducing the emperor to a figurehead, leading to administrative paralysis.
- Statement 2: Correct. Paibaqi was the land whose revenue records were finalized but was awaiting formal assignment as a Jagir. The Jagirdari Crisis was caused by the shortage of ready-to-assign land (Paibaqi), which failed to keep pace with the hyper-inflation of the number of Mansabdars, crippling the system.
