How did Rajput rulers serve in the Mughal Empire?

Following the settlement established by the Mughal emperor Akbar, Rajput rulers were integrated into the imperial service as a key component of the nobility. By accepting Mughal overlordship, these leaders served the empire in several significant ways:12

• Military and Civil Service: Rajput chiefs, along with their relatives, were admitted to the imperial court and privy council. They held high military and civil positions, often serving as mansabdars who commanded armies and governed in the emperor's name.123
• Land and Administration: While they retained control over their ancestral holdings (watan jāgīrs), they were treated as zamindars (landholders) rather than sovereign rulers. In return for their service, they often received additional land assignments (tankhwa jāgīrs) outside their homelands.2
• Diplomatic Ties: To strengthen their alliance with the Mughals, some Rajput nobles arranged marriages between their daughters and the Mughal emperors or their sons.12

In exchange, the Mughals guaranteed that Rajput leaders could maintain their traditional customs, rituals, and beliefs. This arrangement provided the Mughals with a broad base of support among Rajput warriors, though it eventually fractured under the religious intolerance of later emperors.21