Subah

Key takeaways

Subah belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Subah to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Subah from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A Subah is a term for a province or state in several South Asian languages. It was introduced by the Mughal Empire to refer to its subdivisions or provinces; and was also adopted by other polities of the Indian subcontinent. It was later adopted by the Maratha Empire, from 1720, as part of many reforms introduction by Shahu I. The word is derived from Arabic and Persian. The governor/ruler of a Subah was known as a subahdar (sometimes also referred to as a "Subeh"), which later became subedar to refer to an officer in the Indian and Pakistani armies. The subahs were established by Padishah (emperor) Akbar during his administrative reforms of the years 1572–1580; initially, they numbered 12, but his conquests expanded the number of subahs to 15 by the end of his reign. Subahs were divided into Sarkars, or districts. Sarkars were further divided into Parganas or Mahals. His successors, most notably Aurangzeb, expanded the number of subahs further through their conquests. As the empire began to dissolve in the early 18th century, many subahs became de facto independent or came under the influence of the regional powers or the suzerainty of the East India Company. In the modern context, subah (صوبہ) is used in several Pakistani languages (most notably Punjabi, Balochi, and Urdu) to refer to a province of Pakistan.

History Initially, after the administrative reforms of Akbar, the Mughal Empire was divided into 12 subahs: Kabul, Lahore, Multan, Delhi, Agra, Avadh, Illahabad, Bihar, Bangal, Malwa, Ajmer and Gujarat. After the conquest of Deccan, he created three more subahs there: Berar, Khandesh (initially renamed Dandesh in 1601) and Ahmadnagar (in 1636 renamed as Daulatabad and subsequently as Aurangabad). Jahangir increased the number of subahs to 17 during his reign; Orissa being carved out of Bangal in 1607. The number of subahs increased to 22 under Shah Jahan. In his 8th regnal year, Shah Jahan separated the sarkar of Telangana from Berar and made it into a separate subah. In 1657, it was merged with Zafarabad Bidar subah. Agra was renamed Akbarabad in 1629 and Delhi became Shahjahanbad in 1648. Kashmir was carved out of Kabul, Thatta (Sindh) out of Multan, and Bidar out of Ahmadnagar. For some time Qandahar was a separate subah under the Mughal Empire but it was lost to Persia in 1648. Aurangzeb added Bijapur (1686), Sira (1687) and Golkonda (1687) as new subahs. There were 22 subahs during his reign. These were Kabul, Kashmir, Lahore, Multan, Delhi, Agra, Avadh, Illahabad, Bihar, Bangalah, Orissa, Malwa, Ajmer, Gujarat, Berar, Khandesh, Aurangabad, Bidar, Thatta, Bijapur, Sira and Haidarabad (Golkonda). Aurangzeb made Arcot a Mughal subah in 1692. During the Mughal Empire, the Punjab region consisted of three subahs: Lahore, Multan, and parts of Delhi subah. The Sikh Empire (1799–1849), originating in the Punjab region, also used the term Suba for the provinces it administered under its territorial delineation, of which there were five.

Current usage In modern usage in Urdu language, the term is used as a word for province, while the word riyasat (Urdu: ریاست, "princely state" in English) is used for (federated) state. The terminologies are based on the administrative structure of British India which was partially derived from the Mughal administrative structure. In modern times, the term subah is mainly used in Pakistan, where its four provinces are called "Subah" in the Urdu language.

List of Subahs of the Mughal Empire

Akbar's original twelve subahs The twelve subahs created as a result of the administrative reform by Akbar(Mughal Emperor):

Subahs added after 1596 The subahs which added later were (with dates established):

List of Subahs of the Maratha Empire The subahs were introduced into the Maratha Empire in 1721 by Chhatrapati Shahu as a part of his administrative reforms. It did continue even after his reign as new territories were conquered by Marathas across the Indian subcontinent. By 1758, there were 30 subahs in Maratha India and 3 subahs were under Peshwa's rule.

Gallery

See also Administrative divisions of India Subah or Taraf, Pargana or Mahal, Mauza or Pir Iqta'

Notes

References

Keay, John (2000). India: a History. Grove Press, New York. Markovits, Claude (ed.) (2004). A History of Modern India: 1480–1950. Anthem Press, London.

Further reading Foltz, Richard (1996). "The Mughal Occupation of Balkh 1646–1647". Journal of Islamic Studies. 7 (1). Oxford University Press: 49–61. doi:10.1093/jis/7.1.49.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Subah

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Subah claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Subah before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Subah ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Subah

In research: Subah appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Subah in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Subah is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Mughal subahs, Subdivisions of the Mughal Empire, Types of administrative division, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Subah outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Subah in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Subah means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Subah out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Subah in simple terms?

A Subah is a term for a province or state in several South Asian languages. It was introduced by the Mughal Empire to refer to its subdivisions or provinces; and was also adopted by other polities of the Indian subcontinent.

Why does Subah matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Subah?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Subah.