Bakhshi (Mughal Empire)

For other uses, see Bakhshi.
Farman bearing the seal of a bakhshi, documenting the reduction in mansab (rank) of an officer, on account of misbehavior (c. 1686, reign of Aurangzeb)

The Bakhshi (lit. 'Giver') in the Mughal Empire denoted a number of hierarchical government officials, typically involved with military administration and intelligence. The offices were introduced during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar. Bakhshis were found in both the central and provincial administration; the most notable kind of bakhshi was the mir bakhshi, one of the empire's four ministers, broadly in charge of administering the mansabdari system (and the military therein). The mir bakhshi was the second-highest official in the Mughal Empire, after the imperial wazir.