DMPQ- Mention the administrative policies of Alauddin Khilji

Alauddin took steps to make administration rigid and sound along with conquering of kingdom. He banned the meddling of Ulemas and other religious leaders in the administration. He declared that the Sultan’s will is the law. To curb the audacious relatives and aristocrats he took few very important steps. For example:

1. He banned drinking of alcohol in open in his kingdom.
2. He made it compulsory to take Sultan’s permission before establishing relationship amongst aristocrats.
3. He ordered the confiscation of endowments and free grants of land made by the state.
4. To help him in administration he appointed few very agile and competent staffs. He invested powers to collect taxes, maintain law and order and to maintain army, to officers known as Iktadar or Makti, in remote areas. The lands thus estimated were known as `Ikta’.
5. To check corruption in the army he introduced dag (mark a horse) and chehra (the physical descriptions of army men).

Administrative Policies Of Alauddin Khilji

1.  Supressed rebellions:Alauddin combined efficiency with sternness. He suppressed rebellions with a strong hand.
2. Enacted various Laws:To prevent future troubles he enacted various laws by which he put a ban on the consumption of wine, prohibited social meetings among the nobility, and even forbade inter-marriage among them without his special permission.
3. Spies:He employed many spies who kept him informed of the doings of his subjects.
4. Taxes:Accordingly he burdened his subjects with heavy taxes. Naturally, the wealthier class were subjected to more taxes.
5. Army:Sultan Alauddin Khilji realized the need of keeping anefficient army. This could only be done at heavy expenses. To reduce heavy military expenditure the Sultan fixed a price of every article and attempted to make goods available in cheap rates.
6. Fountain head of administrative system: The Sultan was the fountain head of the administrative system. The earlier Muslim rulers carried on their administration by the Koranic principles and the Ulemas or Muslim divines had a large say in the formulation of policies. However, Alauddin Khilji differed from that of his predecessors in this respect. He did not allow the Ulemas to lay down the principles of administration. As he used to say, “I do not know what is lawful and what is unlawful; whatever I consider to be for the good of my kingdom I do.” These words sum up his attitude towards government and its objects.