Which was the most important department of the central government of the Delhi Sultanate, which supervised revenue and the other departments?

In the Delhi Sultanate, the "Diwan-i-Wizarat" was the most important department of the central government, responsible for finance and revenue, and for supervising the other departments.

About the Diwan-i-Wizarat:

• It was headed by the "Wazir" (the prime minister), who was the chief minister of the Sultan.
• The Wazir was in charge of the finances of the state: the collection of revenue, the expenditure of the state, and the keeping of accounts.
• He also supervised the working of other departments, and advised the Sultan on all important matters.
• He was often an experienced administrator, though the Sultan's control over him varied.

Officials under the Wazir:

• "Naib Wazir": the deputy of the Wazir.
• "Mushrif-i-Mumalik": the accountant-general, who kept the accounts of income.
• "Mustaufi-i-Mumalik": the auditor-general, who checked the accounts of expenditure.
• "Khazin": the treasurer.

Famous Wazirs:

• Khwaja Jahan was a powerful Wazir under Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
• Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul, a converted Brahmana from Telangana, was the Wazir of Firoz Shah Tughlaq for many years, and was very influential.

The other departments:

• "Diwan-i-Insha": royal correspondence.
• "Diwan-i-Risalat": religious affairs and appeals.
• A separate department dealt with the army.

The Sultan's position:

• The Sultan was the head of the state, the supreme commander of the army, the highest judge and the chief law-maker.
• The ministers were appointed by him and held office at his pleasure.

Special departments:

Some Sultans set up special departments for particular purposes; for example, Firoz Shah Tughlaq set up a department for charity (Diwan-i-Khairat).

Under the Mughals:

The finance minister was called the "Diwan" or "Wazir", and the Mughal administration followed some features of the Sultanate system.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Diwan-i-Insha handled correspondence.
• ✗The Diwan-i-Risalat handled religious affairs.
• ✗The Diwan-i-Khairat was Firoz Shah's department of charity.