The 'Ain-i-Akbari (Vol. 2)

The Ain-i-Akbari, or the “Constitution or Institutes of Akbar” was written by Akbar’s Vizier, Abul-Fazl Allami in the 16th century. It is a detailed document which describes the administration of Akbar’s empire. It is actually the third volume of Akbarnama, which records information regarding Akbar’s reign—to use modern terminology—in the form of administration reports, statistical compilations, or gazetteers.
Volume 2 is comprised of Book Third which starts with details on the astronomy and astronomers of different eras and then describes the main office-bearers, like the Provincial Viceroy, the Collector of Revenue, the Treasurer, and their respective powers and duties. There are ains on various type of land, tax rules on the produce, and king’s share in land produce.
The large part of the book contains the details of the governments of the subahs (states), like Ajmer, Delhi, Gujarat, Oudh, Agra, Allahabad, Lahore, Kabul, Multan, and numerous others which were part of Akbar’s empire. The segments give details of the revenues of each state along with the sources of revenue.
The book makes a highly interesting reading and gives complete information about Akbar’s administration. It will be useful for historians as well as students, teachers, and researchers in Indian History.