Subah

Term used for a province in the Mughal Empire

For other uses, see Subah (disambiguation).

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. 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 Marathas 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

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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 | 1580  | 15 September 1758  | Captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani
3  | Multan Subah (Thatta Sarkar added in 1593)  | Multan | 1580  | 1752  | Captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani
4  | Ajmer Subah | Ajmer | 1580  | 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 | 1580  | 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 | 1646  | 1647  | Captured by Abd al-Aziz Khan
23  | Bidar Subah | Bidar | 1656  | 11 October 1724  | Seceded under Asaf Jah I
24  | Bijapur Subah | Bijapur | 1684  | 31 July 1724  | Seceded under Asaf Jah I | Aurangzeb
25  | Golkonda Subah (later Hyderabad)  | Hyderabad | 12 September 1687  | 31 July 1724  | Seceded under Asaf Jah I
26  | Sira Subah | Sira | 1687  | 1766  | Captured by Madhavrao I
27  | Arcot Subah | Gingee | 1692  | 1710  | Seceded under Saadatullah Khan I

## Gallery

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Subahs of the Mughal Empire

Subahs of the Mughal Empire (North India) Subahs of the Mughal Empire (South India)

## See also

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* Administrative divisions of India
* Subah or Taraf, Pargana or Mahal, Mauza or Pir
* Iqta'

## Notes

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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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Imperial Gazetteer of India: Provincial Series 1908, pp. 175–176 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFImperial_Gazetteer_of_India:_Provincial_Series1908 (help)
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.

## References

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* 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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* Foltz, Richard (1996). "The Mughal Occupation of Balkh 1646–1647". Journal of Islamic Studies. 7 (1). Oxford University Press: 49–61\. doi:10.1093/jis/7.1.49.