The conquest of Mohammad Ghori and establishment of the Sultanate brought major

changes in the land revenue system in India. The Governments in those times made all
attempts to increase the revenue by collecting taxes as per those in Islamic nations.
The new taxes were imposed upon people and government’s share in produce
increased. However, till that time, the original form of Hindu system of Land tenure as
per ancient Manu’s laws survived with some modifications done by some of the greedy
sultans and their officials.
The agricultural and land revenue system of the early Turkish Sultans rested on two
foundations viz. the Iqta (assignment of land revenue) and Kharaj (Land Revenue).
The Iqta system provided an agrarian system to the country while the members of the
ruling class attained income without any permanent attachment to any territory. The Iqta
system was provided institutional status by Iltutmish and later this system became the
mainstay of the sultanate administration under slave dynasty.
Iqta System
Under Iqta System, the land of the empire was divided into several large and small
tracts called Iqta and assigned these Iqtas to his soldiers, officers and nobles. In the
beginning, an Iqta was based upon salary. Later, under Firoz Shah Tughlaq it became
heLiterally, Iqta means land or land revenue assigned to an individual on certain
conditions. The holders of these Iqtas were the trustful agents of the Sultan. There were
two kinds of Iqtas viz. Large Iqtas and Small Iqtas. The holders of large Iqta were the
provincial governors, who had some administrative responsibilities also. On the other
hand, the holders of the small Iqtas were the small troops holders who had no
administrative responsibilities.
The small Iqta holders held and appropriated all the income obtained from the
cultivators but as a quid pro quid, they were bound to present themselves with horses
and arms whenever called upon by the Central Government. These small Iqta holders
were called Khuts and Muqaddams. Amir Khusarau, for the first time, referred to Khuts
as Zamindars.
The Khuts and Muqaddams became fond of luxurious living over the period of time,
later, Alauddin Khilji suddenly abolished the system of small Iqtas with a stroke of pen
and brought them under the central Government (thus called Khalsa land). This was
regarded as one of the most important agrarian reforms of Alauddin Khilji.

The death of Qutbuddin Aibak in 1210 brought to the forefront the inherent defects of the ill-cemented
sultanate. It raised the problem of controlling the ambitious provincial governors and partisan nobles.
The spirit of provincial insubordination and assertion of authority by the nobility were the chief
difficulties that the Delhi Sultanate faced throughout its period of existence

2.3.1 Accession of Iltutmish: Following the death of Qutbuddin Aibak, the Turkish nobles of Lahore, who
wanted to give the city the status of capital of the sultanate, raised Aram Shah to the throne. According
to some historians Aram Shah was the son of Aibak, whereas others were of the opinion that he was a
person of obscure origin. However, the nobles of Delhi, fearing the eclipse of their importance and loss
of the imperial status of Delhi refused to acknowledge Aram Shah as the sultan. Thus, the Turkish nobles
of Delhi proved stronger than any other faction and favoured Iltutmish, the slave and son-in-law of
Qutbuddin Aibak as the next sultan. Iltutmish accepted the invitation of the nobles of Delhi. Aram Shah,
who was unwilling to give up his claim as Iltutmish near Delhi defeated the successor of Aibak in 1211.
Shamsuddin Iltutmish was born to noble Turkish parents of the Ilbari tribe of Central Asia. He was sold
as a slave when he was still young. Having served many masters he was finally purchased by Aibak. By
virtue of his merit and hard work, Iltutmish won the confidence and trust of his master. He held in
succession the fiefs of Gwalior and Baran (Bulandshahr). Later, he was appointed as the governor of
Badaon. He also married a daughter of Aibak. 2.3.2 Difficulties faced by Iltutmish: After assuming power
at Delhi Iltutmish had to face a number of difficulties and problems. The chief among them were: 24 (1)
Apart from the supporters of Aram Shah he had to deal with a number of Turkish amirs (nobles) in Delhi
and its neighbourhood. They were unwilling to accept his authority in spite of his victory over Aram
Shah. (2) Iltutmish had also to contend with his powerful rivals like Tajuddin Yaldoz and Nasiruddin
Qabacha. Yaldoz, the ruler of Ghazni, nurtured an ambition to exercise his authority over the Turkish
dominions in India. Qabacha, another slave of Muhammad Ghori, who was in possession of Sindh and
Multan aimed at setting up an independent principality in the Punjab. He advanced from Sindh towards
Lahore. (3) In the east, many Turkish nobles and Hindu chiefs defied the authority of the sultan. (4) The
Rajput chiefs, who had been subjugated by Muhammad Ghori and Aibak, became rebellious. They
recovered Jalor and Ranthambhor from the control of the Turks. Even Ajmer, Gwalior and the Doab
repudiated the authority of the Turks. (5) The Khilji governor of Bengal, Ali Mardan asserted his
independence from Delhi. (6) Added to these political problems, Iltutmish had to face certain personal
difficulties as well. Technically he had been a slave of Qutbuddin Aibak who in turn was a slave of
Muhammad Ghori. Thus, Iltutmish was a slave of a slave and freeborn Turks considered it humiliating to
submit to him.