ABSTRACT
This chapter portrays how the Mamluk system became dominant and the reasons which led to its demise in South Asia. The early rulers of the Delhi Sultanate like Muhammad Ghori, Qutub-uddin Aibak and Iltutmish were influenced by the Mamluk system which was prevalent in the Middle East. The chapter compares the Mamluk and Mansabdari systems with other forms of military profession which were in vogue in the subcontinent during the period under consideration. It discusses various factors which resulted in the transition to the Mansabdari system and the existence of other mini-systems of military employment. The chapter focuses the forms of military employment which were in vogue in the subcontinent before the Mughals. The Mughal Empire spread into Deccan during the second half of the seventeenth century and the Mansabdari system more or less eclipsed the other mini-systems of military employment.
