The Lodis were the last ruling family of the Delhi Sultanate and the first to be led by the Afghans who ruled over Sirhind during the reign of the Syed dynasty in India. The Lodi kings attempted to consolidate the Sultanate and limit the power of the rebellious governor. Sikandar Lodi, who ruled from 1489 to 1517, ruled over the Ganges valley all the way to western Bengal. Sikandar Lodi relocated the capital from Delhi to Agra, believing that he could better control his kingdom from there. He also attempted to increase people's loyalty through various measures of public welfare. In this article, we will discuss the Administration of Lodi Dynasty which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Lodi Dynasty - Background

• Bahlul Lodi founded the Lodi dynasty in 1451 CE. When Alam Shah, the last of the Syed Sultans, was Sultan of Delhi, Bahlul Lodi was Governor of Lahore and Sirhind.
• With the help of a few nobles, Bahlul Lodi took command of the army of the Delhi Sultanate and went on to become the Sultan of Delhi when Alam Shah transferred the Sultanate's powers to him.
• Thus began the Lodi dynasty's reign, which lasted until 1526 CE.
• Sultan Bahlul Lodi was a capable general who recognised that in order to establish control over the Sultanate of Delhi, he would need the support of Afghan nobles.
• The Afghan nobles desired that the Sultan treat them as equals, so the Sultan publicly declared himself to be one of the Afghan peers rather than a king.
• Sultan Bahlul Lodi would not sit on the throne, and the Afghan nobles would not be required to remain in the Sultan's court. Throughout his reign, this earned him the respect and support of the nobles.
• Sikandar Lodi was the most capable and powerful of the three Lodi Sultans. He conquered Gujarat as a whole and defeated many rajput chiefs.
• Sikandar Lodi was also an outstanding administrator. He established an effective espionage system and implemented an accounting auditing system.
• Every jagir holder was required to submit a statement of accounts to the Sultan on a regular basis. He was very interested in advancing agriculture. He devised the Gaaz-i-Sikandar, a 32-digit scale for measuring cultivated fields.
• Following Sikandar Lodi's death, the nobles divided the empire between his two sons.
• Ibrahim Lodi was named Sultan of Delhi, and his brother Jalal Khan was named Sultan of Jaunpur.

Administration of Lodi Dynasty

During this time, a number of new administrative measures were implemented. Afghan kingship also deviated significantly from Turkish concepts. This shift can be seen in the formulation of nearly all administrative policies.

• Bahlul Lodi
  • Under the Turkish Sultans, kingship was highly centralized. The Sultan's authority was absolute.
  • However, as Afghan power grew, so did the monarchy. The Afghan monarchy was primarily 'tribal' in nature. For them, the king was "first among equals."
  • Indeed, political expediency played a role. Bahlul, as an Afghan, could not rely on Turks for assistance.
  • He had no choice but to accept the terms of his fellow Afghans. The Afghan nobles must have had complete local autonomy.
  • Their only connection to the Sultan was to provide military service as needed.
  • Under Bahlul, he never sat on the throne in front of his fellow Afghan nobles, nor did he convene an open darbar. He used to address his Afghan nobles as masnad-i ali.
• Sikandar Lodi
  • Sultan Sikandar Lodi, on the other hand, saw the dangers of an unrestrained nobility and brought about a significant change.
  • He is credited with introducing significant changes to the Empire's political system, transforming it into a highly centralized political entity.
  • Sultan Sikandar Lodi, unlike his father, Sultan Bahlul Lodi, demanded obedience from his nobles. Because of his military success, the nobility became completely loyal and subservient to him. It also denied its feelings of equality with the Sultan.
  • He is said to have sat on the throne on a regular basis in an open darbar where the nobles were required to stand and show respect to the Sultan as if they were servants.
  • Even in his absence, his farmans were greeted with respect by high nobles. The noble who was sent the farman had to travel six miles to receive it.
  • The courier stood on a terrace and placed the farman on the head of the noble, who had to stand below.
  • Then everyone involved had to stand there and listen to it. The nobles who failed to keep the Sultan's trust fell from grace.
  • Anyone who strayed from the path of obedience, he (the Sultan) either had his head severed from his body or was banished from the Empire."
  • Though, in general, the Sultan did not interfere with their autonomy at the local level, the nobles were sometimes transferred and even dismissed.
  • Sultan Ashraf, son of Ahmad Khan Jilawani, who declared independence in Bayana after Sultan Bahlul Lodi died, was expelled by the Sultan. He also exiled twenty-two high Afghan and non-Afghan nobles for their involvement in a plot against him in 1500.
  • Jalal Khan Lodi, who succeeded his father as governor of Kalpi in 1506, incurred the Sultan's wrath by failing to properly conduct the siege operations against the fort of Narwar in 1508, for which he was imprisoned.
  • The iqtas of the nobles were also scrutinised more closely. Despite these changes, the Afghan kingship remained essentially unchanged.
  • Some of the positions were made hereditary. Afghans continued to hold high titles such as Khan-i Jahan, Khan-i Khanan, Azam Humayun, Khan-i Azam, and so on.
  • They also had the freedom to maintain informal relationships with the Sultan at the playground, marches, hunting, and so on.
  • Thus, monarchy under Sikandar was more of a compromise between Turkish and tribal organisations.
• Ibrahim Lodi
  • Ibrahim accelerated the process of centralization. He was of the opinion that 'kingship knows no kinship.' The Sultan's prestige rose so high under him that even the royal tent was regarded as worthy of respect.
  • However, Ibrahim's policy had serious consequences and was detrimental to the Afghan kingdom's interests.
  • The Afghan nobles were unprepared for the master-servant dynamic. This fueled discontent and rebellions, with some even collaborating with Babur to depose the Sultan.
  • When the second Afghan Empire was established in India (Surs), they had clearly learned their lesson, as they never attempted to establish tribal monarchy.
  • Instead, Sher Shah Sur was successful in establishing a highly centralised autocratic monarchy.
  • With the arrival of the Mughals, another chapter begins – the Mughals, who were influenced by both Turkish and Mongol traditions.

General Administration

• Sultan Sikandar Lodi is also credited with establishing a sound administrative apparatus.
• He instituted auditing to check the accounts of muqtas and walis (governors). Mubarak Khan Lodi (Tuji Khail), the governor of Jaunpur, was the first nobleman to have his accounts scrutinised in 1506.
• He was convicted of embezzlement and thus fired. Khwaja Asghar, a non-Afghan officer-in-charge in Delhi, was similarly imprisoned for corruption.
• In order to keep himself informed about the state of the Empire, the Sultan reorganised the intelligence system.
• As a result, the nobles were afraid to discuss political issues amongst themselves for fear of upsetting the Sultan.
• Concerned about the general public's well-being, the Sultan established charity houses in both the capital and the provinces for the benefit of the poor and handicapped. These charitable organisations provided financial assistance to deserving people.
• Scholars and poets were patronised, and educational institutions received financial support throughout the Empire. He forbade the use of any language other than Persian in government offices.
• This motivated many Hindus to learn Persian, and they became fluent in the language in a short period of time.
• As a result, they began to manage and supervise the revenue administration.
• When Babur arrived in India, he was astounded to see that the revenue department was entirely staffed by Hindus.
• Sultan Sikandar Lodi had keen interest in ensuring impartial justice for all. His efforts resulted in peace and prosperity throughout the Empire.

Conclusion

Sikandar Lodi generally maintained the dignity of his position and did not mingle openly with the people. He never appointed a man of low birth to a high position. The poor's interests were fully considered. He organised and managed his kingdom's entire system with proper planning and administration.