Mughal Empire and the administration’s farman

Abstract

Royal decrees, or farmans, connected Mughal imperial authority with the administrative work required to record decisions, establish entitlements, and authorize transactions. This article examines how the Ain-i-Akbari describes the preparation and authentication of farmans under Akbar and what these procedures reveal about administrative responsibility. The study uses a descriptive-analytical historical approach based on published sources, with particular attention to the first volume of H. Blochmann’s 1873 English translation. The analysis considers the work of recorders, the preparation of memoranda and certificates, the registration of financial transactions, and the placement of official seals. The findings identify differentiated documentary routes for appointments, revenue assignments, payments, and orders involving urgency or confidentiality. They show that royal authorization operated alongside the specialized responsibilities of clerks, accountants, and senior officials. Signatures, registers, and seals linked a command to its administrative processing. The discussion distinguishes these prescribed arrangements from evidence of implementation in particular localities. Farmans are interpreted as administrative instruments whose wording, authentication, and documentary context need to be examined together when assessing Mughal governance.