Sadr-us-Sudur
Also called: Sadr · Topic: The Mughal Empire: Babur to Aurangzeb · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 2 "Reshaping India's Political Map"
Meaning
The Sadr-us-Sudur, usually just called the Sadr, was one of the central ministers of the Mughal empire. He handled justice, religious matters and education. He gave out charitable land grants, called madad-i-maash, to scholars and holy men. He also helped appoint qazis, the judges. Each province had its own sadr under him, as part of Akbar's system of checks and balances.
Example
Shaikh Abdun Nabi served as Akbar's sadr. He controlled religious land grants until Akbar, who was moving towards sulh-i-kul ('peace with all'), removed him.
Don't confuse with
- Diwan: the Diwan managed finances. The Sadr managed religion, justice and education.
- Qazi-ul-Quzat: the Qazi-ul-Quzat was the chief judge. The two posts were often held by one person.