Administration of Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shaj Suri established a sound and strong administrative system. Sher Shah was no mere soldier, he was also a great administrator. His was an enlightened despotism. He divided his empire into 42 Sarkars each of which was again subdivided into Parganas. There were four ministers and they were in charge of daily routine work of administration. He took special care for organizing the revenue administration of his kingdom. Land was surveyed on a uniform system, each holding being separately measured. The assessment was liberal but the collections were strict, 1/3rd of the gross produce of land was taken as revenue. People could pay the taxes in kind or cash.
It should be noted that Sher Shah introduced the system of collecting revenue direct from the cultivators. He took special care to protect the interest of the riots. In order that there might not be any scope for confusion and oppression the kabuliyat and patia system was introduced. In this document the rights and liabilities were precisely stated. The importance of Sher Shah’s land revenue administration lies in the fact that his system carried the earlier system a step further and helped the evolution of Akbar’s revenue administration.
Sher Shah also introduced various other reforms. He introduced a reformed system of currency. The silver rupee of 180 grams containing 175 grains of pure silver became the standard coin. Secondly, to facilitate movement of the troops and of goods in commerce, Sher Shah improved the Grand Trunk Road which ran from East Bengal to the Indus. He also built several other routes. He is also said to have built 17,000 rest houses for the travelers. Thirdly Sher Shah introduced a system of horse-posts or mail service carried by the horses.
