“The keeping of exact and detailed records was a major concern of the Mughal administration.” Justify the statement.

1. The keeping of exact and detailed records was a major concern of the Mughal administration. The Mir Bakshi supervised the court writers (waqia nawis) who recorded all applications and documents presented to the court, and all imperial orders (farmans). In additional, agents (wakil) of nobles and regional rulers recorded the entire proceedings of the court under the heading “News from the Exalted Court” (Akhbarat-i Darbar-i-Mualla) with the date and time of the court session (pahar).

2. The akhbarat (अखबारात) contained all types of information such as attendance at the court, grant of offices and titles, diplomatic missions, presents (gifts) received, or the enquiries made by the emperor about the health of an officer. This information is significant for writing the history of the public and private lives of emperors and their nobles.

3.    News reports and important official documents travelled across the length and breadth of the regions under Mughal rule by imperial post. Round the clock relays of foot-runners, qasid, pathmar carried papers rolled up in bamboo containers.

4.    The Mughal rulers received reports from even distant provincial capitals within a few days.

5.    Agents of nobles posted outside of the capital and Rajput princes and tributary rulers all assiduously copied these annoucements and sent their contents (or sub-matters) by messengers (or halkaras) back to their masters.