The Mansabdar was a military unit within the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar. The system determined the rank and status of a government official and military generals. Important Points?The term Mansabadar refers to an individual who holds a mansab, meaning a position or rank. It was a grading system used by the Mughals to fix rank, salary and military responsibilities. Rank and salary were determined by a numerical value called zat. So the higher the zat of a mansabdar is, the higher is his position in the court. Mansabdars received salaries as revenue assignments called jagirs. And unlike muqtis, all mansabdars did not reside in their own jagirs but used servants to collect revenues there while they themselves served in another part of the empire. During later years of his reign, Akbar introduced the ranks of zat and sawar in the system. During Akbar's rule, a Mansabdar's salary was roughly equal to the revenue the Mughal Empire got from his jagir. But this changed during Aurangzeb. As the number of mansabdars increased and the number of jagirs decreased, there was more land revenue.