Subah

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. 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"^[1]), 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 Marathas 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.^[2] 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.^[3] 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)^[4] and Golkonda (1687) as new subahs. There were 22 subahs during his reign.^[2] These were Kabul, Kashmir, Lahore, Multan, Delhi, Agra, Avadh, Illahabad, Bihar, Bangalah, Orissa, Malwa, Ajmer, Gujarat, Berar, Khandesh, Aurangabad, Bidar, Thatta, Bijapur, Sira^[4] and Haidarabad (Golkonda).^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

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):

#	Subah	Capital(s)	Year of establishment	Year of disestablishment	Cause of disestablishment
1	Kabul Subah (Kashmir Sarkar added in 1586)	Kabul	1580	26 November 1738	Captured by Nader Shah as a result of the Battle of Khyber Pass
2	Lahore Subah	Lahore	1580	15 September 1758	Captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani
3	Multan Subah	Multan	1580	1756	Captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani
4	Ajmer Subah	Ajmer	1580	1758	Captured by Jayappaji Rao Scindia and Ram Singh
5	Gujarat Subah	Ahmedabad	1573	February 1758	Captured by Damaji Rao Gaekwad
6	Delhi Subah (also known as Shahjahanabad Subah)^[8]	Delhi	1580	21 September 1857	Captured by George Anson
7	Agra Subah	Agra	1580	12 June 1761	Captured by Suraj Mal
8	Malwa Subah	Ujjain	1568	24 December 1737	Captured by Bajirao I and Balaji Baji Rao
9	Awadh Subah	Faizabad, later Lucknow	1572	26 January 1722	Captured by Saadat Ali Khan I
10	Illahabad Subah	Illahabad	1580	1772	Captured by Tukoji Rao Holkar and Visaji Krushna Biniwale
11	Bihar Subah	Patna	1576	16 August 1765	Merged into Bengal Subah^[9]
12	Bengal Subah	Tanda (1574–95) Rajmahal (1595–1610, 1639–59) Dhaka (1610–1639, 1660–1703) Murshidabad (1703–72)	12 July 1576	16 August 1765	Captured by Hector Munro

Subahs added after 1593

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

#	Subah	Capital	Year of establishment	Year of disestablishment	Cause of disestablishment	Emperor
13	Thatta Subah	Thatta	28 March 1593	1737	Seceded under Noor Mohammad Kalhoro	Akbar
14	Berar Subah	Ellichpur	1596	11 October 1724	Captured by Asaf Jah I
15	Khandesh Subah	Burhanpur	17 January 1601	1760	Captured by Balaji Baji Rao
16	Ahmadnagar Subah (renamed Daulatabad in 1636) (further renamed Aurangabad)	Ahmadnagar (1601–1636) Daulatabad Aurangabad	July 1600 (conquest completed in June 1636)	1724	Captured by Asaf Jah I
17	Orissa Subah	Cuttack	1605	March 1751	Captured by Raghoji Bhonsle I	Jahangir
18	Telangana Subah	Nanded	1636	1657	Merged into Bidar Subah	Shah Jahan
19	Qandahar Subah	Qandahar	1638	1648	Captured by Abbas II
20	Kashmir Subah	Srinagar	1648	1752	Captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani
21	Balkh Subah	Balkh	1646	1647	Captured by Abd al-Aziz Khan
22	Badakhshan Subah	Qunduz	1646	1647	Captured by Abd al-Aziz Khan
23	Bidar Subah	Bidar	1656	11 October 1724	Captured by Asaf Jah I
24	Bijapur Subah	Bijapur	1684	31 July 1724	Captured by Asaf Jah I	Aurangzeb
25	Golkonda Subah (later Hyderabad)	Hyderabad	12 September 1687	31 July 1724	Seceded under Asaf Jah I
26	Sira Subah	Sira	1687	1766	Captured by Madhavrao I
27	Arcot Subah	Gingee	1692	1710	Seceded under Saadatullah Khan I

Gallery

Subahs of the Mughal Empire

Subahs of the Mughal Empire (North India)

Subahs of the Mughal Empire (South India)

Notes

^ y George Clifford Whitworth (2016). An Anglo-indian Dictionary: A Glossary Of Indian Terms Used In English, And Of Such English Or Other Non-indian Terms As Have Obtained Special Meanings In India. Palala Press. p. 301. ISBN 978-1354764114.
^ ^a ^b Mahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). History of Medieval India, Part II, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0364-5, p.236n
^ Habib, I (2003). The Agrarian System of Mughal India 1556-1707, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-565595-8, pp.8n, 451
^ ^a ^b Imperial Gazetteer of India: Provincial Series 1908, pp. 175–176
^ Habib, I (2003). The Agrarian System of Mughal India 1556-1707, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-565595-8, p.4
^ Wahi, Tripta (2013). Irrigation, State and Society in Pre-colonial India. Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. p. 3. ISBN 9789383650002.
^ Herrli, Hans (1993). The Coins of the Sikhs. p. 10.
^ Sinha, Surendra Nath (1974). Subah of Allahabad Under the Great Mughals, 1580-1707. Jamia Millia Islamia. p. 95. ISBN 9780883866030.
^ Merchants, Politics and Society in Early Modern India: Bihar: 1733-1820. Brill's Indological Library. Brill. 2023. ISBN 978-90-04-64474-8.

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.