Administration

The Mansabdari system ranked imperial officials through numerical mansabs and linked rank with status, salary and military responsibilities. Mansabdars could be required to maintain cavalry, while the state monitored service through regulations such as zat and sawar. Cave painting, Indus drainage and Vedic recitation belong to unrelated historical or cultural contexts.

Under the Iqta system, an official called an iqtadar or muqti was assigned the right to collect revenue from a territory, usually in return for administrative and military responsibilities. The assignment was not the same as private ownership. Temple image-making, shipbuilding and Krishna devotion are unrelated, so A best describes the system.

Alauddin Khalji created a regulated market system in Delhi. Officials supervised markets, recorded prices, inspected weights and punished hoarding or dishonest trade. Fixed or controlled prices helped maintain supplies at relatively low rates, especially for the army and urban population. This was not a completely free market or merely a maritime tax, so A is correct.

Muhammad bin Tughlaq proposed ambitious experiments, including shifting the capital to Daulatabad and introducing token currency. These measures were attempted, but logistical, economic and administrative difficulties made them unsuccessful or short-lived. Therefore it is inaccurate to say that none was attempted. Painting and temple worship were not the central issue, making A correct.

In the Mansabdari system, zat indicated the personal rank and status of a mansabdar and helped determine his salary. Sawar indicated the number of cavalrymen he was expected to maintain, although the relationship could vary under different regulations. These terms concerned imperial service, not devotional songs, temple craft or ships, so A is correct.

A jagir was an assignment of the right to collect revenue from a specified area, generally given to a mansabdar instead of direct cash salary. The jagirdar was expected to fulfil administrative or military obligations, and the assignment did not normally mean private ownership of the land. Cave painting, maritime trade alone and Vedic recitation are unrelated, so A is correct.

Ashtapradhan was the council of eight ministers associated with Shivaji’s administration. Its members handled major responsibilities such as finance, correspondence, justice and military affairs, though the exact organisation developed over time. It was a governing council, not a body for Mughal painting, Sultanate coinage or running Sufi hospices, so A is correct.