Du-aspa sih-aspa
Topic: The Mughal Empire: Babur to Aurangzeb · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Du-aspa sih-aspa means 'two-horse, three-horse'. It was a rule added to the mansabdari system under Jahangir. In this system, every officer (mansabdar) held a rank called a mansab. The rank had two parts. The zat rank showed the officer's personal status and pay. The sawar rank showed how many horsemen he had to keep. Under this rule, chosen mansabdars had to keep extra horsemen, each with two or three horses. Their sawar rank went up, but their zat rank stayed the same.
Example
In Jahangir's reign, a trusted noble given du-aspa sih-aspa could command a much bigger cavalry for the emperor without being raised to a higher zat rank. This gave the emperor more soldiers without changing the noble's place in the court order.
Don't confuse with
- Zat: the zat rank was the personal rank. Du-aspa sih-aspa raised only the sawar (cavalry) side.