Faujdar
Topic: The Mughal Empire: Babur to Aurangzeb · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A faujdar was a Mughal military officer in charge of a sarkar, which was a district within a province. He commanded a body of troops. His job was to keep law and order, put down rebels and robbers, and protect the roads. He also used force to help revenue officials collect taxes when needed. The office mattered because it carried the emperor's power down to the district level.
Example
In Akbar's empire, the twelve provinces (subahs) were divided into sarkars. A faujdar posted in each sarkar dealt with local unrest and armed zamindars who refused to pay revenue.
Don't confuse with
- Kotwal: the kotwal ran policing and markets inside a town. The faujdar controlled a whole district with troops.
- Amalguzar: the amalguzar was the district officer who assessed and collected revenue. The faujdar's main job was force and order.