Biography of Todar Mal

Todar Mal belonged to a Khatri Family of Uttar Pradesh. He started his career under Sher Shah Sur. After the fall of the Sur Dynasty, he joined in the service of Akbar as an ordinary clerk.

By 1562, he became an important officer. His rise was rapid. In 1572, he was appointed the Diwan of the newly conquered province of Gujarat. He did his work so efficiently that he was promoted to the post of Wazir.

When the Zabti System was introduced. Todar Mai and Shah Mansur were joint Diwans of j the Empire. Todar Mai was sent to Bengal after some time. The task of applying the new Regu’.itio.is fell on Shah Mansur. However, there is every reason to believe that Todar Mai had done his work of laying the foundation of the sytem well.

He had been several times employed earlier for the purpose of solving the knotty problems of land revenue administration in the various parts of the empire. It is probable that the appointment of Shah Mansur with Todar Mai was a concession to Muslim feeling.

When Todar Mal was appointed Wazir, he issued a comprehensive order covering almost all phases of Land Revenue, assessment and collection. It was decided to station a clerk in every village. All cultivable land was to be measured once for all. The whole village community was made responsible for the regular collection of land revenue. Encouragements were to be given to bring the land under cultivation. The peasants were to be compensated for the damage done to their crops.

The reports of daily collections were to be sent every week to the provincial secretariat and the revenue collected sent at the end of every month to the treasury. The treasurer was to issue receipts to the cultivators. The collector was to be paid his salary every quarter. Annual reports were to be submitted by the provincial Diwan about the work of the collectors. The work of survery and measurement was put on a better footing. The area under cultivation was ascertained after making enquiries at the time when the crops were standing. Quotas of work were fixed for the staff.

Todar Mai was not merely a civilian, he was also a good soldier and a general. He fought j many battles and was also employed on several diplomatic missions. In 1589, he died. About | Todar Mai, Abul Fazal, writes thus: “He was the unique of the age for uprightness, straight­forwardness, courage, knowledge of affairs and the administration of India. If he had not had bigotry, conventionalism and spite and had not stuck to his own opinions, he would have been one of the spiritually great. A wound was given to the disinterested work (by his death) and the market of business lost its briskness.” Todar Mal was unsurpassed by the best of the imperial officials, nobles and generals.

Mr. Justice Shelat points out that “Todar Mai had the sagacity and foresight to see the unifying effect of a common language for the entire administration. With the end in view, he made Persian the language of all records compelling the Hindu officers who held most of the subordinate posts in towns and villages to learn and adopt that language as their own.

What was immortalised Todar Mai is the system of revenue assessment and land survery which he evolved, a system which drew an equitable balance between the demands of the State and ihe needs of the subject. Though the Mughal Dynasty died out, the system he introduced remained and was followed both by the Marathas and in a large degree by the British.'”

In the words of Dr. Kumudrankan Das, “Raja Todar Mai was one of the most remarkable men in the medieval history of India. An energetic, enterprising and self-made man, he rose, by dint of his extra-ordinary calibre, through successive stages from the humble position of a writer to that of the revenue minister of Akbar and finally to the exalted post of Mashraf-i-Diwan and virtual Vakil of the Mughal Empire.

Abul Fazal wrote about him, “He was the unique of the Age for uprightness, straight forwardness, courage, knowledge of affairs and the administration of India (Hindustan).”. Todar Mai was made a Chahar Hazari, i.e., the Mansabdar of 4,000 for his courage, military ability and successes in the battle-field. However, he is more famous and better known to the Indian people as one of the greatest revenue experts ever produced in India.

Blochmann observes, “Todar Mai’s fame, as general and financier has outlived the deeds of most of Akbar’s grandees; together with Abul Fazal and Man Singh, he is best known to the people of India at the present day.” Todar Mai was also a great scholar and patron of learning. He had a brilliant personality. He possessed sterling qualities of honesty, loyalty, absence of avarice, self- confidence, endurance, perseverance, uprightness, skill and ability.

Todar Mai was undoubtedly a great administrator and a successful statesman. He possessed all the qualities which are found in such men. He was the most influential Mughal noble of his time. As an administrator, his achievements far outlived his success in other fields, viz., military and cultural affairs. That the Mughal land-revenue system came to be known to posterity as Todar Mai’s bandobast was entirely due to his great contribution. His administrative achievements made him a legendary figure.

To his qualities as an administrator, Todar Mai added political wisdom and leaderhsip which were higher than mere administrative efficiency. His statesmanship was of a very high order. He demonstrated his foresight more than once and in various ways.

He rightly refused to sign the Treaty of Cuttack in April 1575 as this could prevent the Mughal from completely crushing the Afghan resistance and give them the necessary respite to prepare themselves for the future contest, The subsequent events fully vindicated his stand. His statesmanship was again clearly revealed during his campaign against the rebels of Bihar and Bengal when he very judiciously removed some of the fundamental causes of the rebellion.

His services in various fields, e.g., military, currency, literature, architecture and religion show that his was a constructive talent which largely contributed to the consolidation of the Mughal Empire in India.

Todar Mai’s successful performances in the Battles of Tikaroi in 1575, Raj Mahal in 1576, Dholqa in 1577 etc., revealed that he was not only a great warrior but a superior general as well. He was a cautious general and he never took a rash step. He used to keep his army always in readiness in order to meet any eventuality. He was a fine strategist. He knew very well when to resort to defensive or offensive measures.

His strategic skill was amply demonstrated during his campaign against the rebels in Bihar. He also excelled in the arts of peace. He himself was a great scholar. His scholarhsip and scholastic activities together with the construction of the Vishvanath Temple at Banaras under his patronage place him, in the rank of famous ministers like Kautilya, Harisena and Sayanacharya. It is no exaggeration to say that Akbar owed much to Todar Mai for his military, administrative and financial achievements. (Raja Todar Mai).