Mansabdari system was a system of ranking government officials in the Mughal Empire, which ruled India in the 1500's and 1600's. See Mughal Empire. Mansabdar is a Persian word that means holder of a rank. The mansabdars' duties varied from the civil to the military. The mansabdari system used cash payments to compensate officials. The system in place before the mansabdari system was the jagirdari system, which compensated officers with feudal grants of land.