Mughal State and the Information System: 1556–1707

News reporting was an essential part of the administration of the Mughal Empire. Many sources such as biography, autobiography, court chronicles, akhbarat and travelogues indicate that the Mughals had an organised system of intelligence and espionage. The Mughals ruled over a vast territory which made it necessary to organize a system whereby news and information could be conveyed rapidly over great distances. News writing in Mughal India was closely connected with espionage and postal communication. For this reason, Historians who have studied the communication system of Mughal India, discussed the information system in a limited manner and paid greater coverage to the communication system. With the help of the news reports, the Mughal emperor issued orders and many other communications related to administration. The information system was important also for the economy. Till now, not much is known about the Mughal information system, notably the news reporting system related to the state. The present article deals with the information system of the Mughal empire particularly from the reign of Emperor Akbar to Aurangzeb. In this article, effort is made to discuss the types, levels, importance, structure, procedure and mechanism of the news reporting system during Mughal empire along with the rank, qualifications and work ethics of the news reporters. This article also analyses the nature and the role of the information system of the Mughal state along with how this information system evolved over a period of time.