Evaluate the agrarian taxation and administrative terms prevalent during the Delhi Sultanate: 1. 'Kharaj' represented the land tax levied on non-Muslim agricultural subjects, typically fixed at a fraction of the produce. 2. 'Khams' referred to the state share of one-fifth of the spoils of war captured during military campaigns. 3. 'Iqta' was a hereditary feudal estate granted to military commanders who passed ownership automatically to their descendants without royal renewal.

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statements one and two are correct. Kharaj was the standard land tax on agricultural produce, and Khams was the one-fifth share of war booty due to the sovereign treasury under Islamic fiscal law. Statement three is incorrect because an Iqta was a revenue assignment rather than a hereditary estate; holders (Iqtadars or Muqtis) were frequently transferred by the Sultan to prevent local entrenchment of power. Hereditary feudalism was systematically opposed by strong Sultans like Balban and Ala-ud-din Khilji.