Diwan-i-Bandagan
Topic: Turkic Invasions and the Delhi Sultanate · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Diwan-i-Bandagan was the department of slaves (bandagan means "slaves"). Firuz Shah Tughlaq set it up in the 14th century. He is said to have collected about 1,80,000 slaves. Many were taught crafts such as weaving. Others served in the army, at the palace or in the administration. This shows how much the Delhi Sultanate depended on enslaved people for labour and service.
Example
Under Firuz Shah Tughlaq (ruled 1351–1388), governors in the provinces were told to send captured slaves to Delhi. There, the Diwan-i-Bandagan looked after them, trained them and gave them work in royal workshops and offices.
Don't confuse with
- Mamluk ('Slave') dynasty: this was the first ruling dynasty of the Sultanate, started by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. Diwan-i-Bandagan was only a government department, created much later by Firuz Shah.
Related concepts
- Tughlaq dynasty
- Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
- Tughlaqabad Fort
- Muhammad bin Tughlaq
- Transfer of capital to Daulatabad
- Daulatabad
- Token currency
- Diwan-i-Amir-i-Kohi
- Futuh-us-Salatin
- Musunuri Nayakas