IMPORTANCE
i. The Ain gives detailed accounts of the organization of the Mughals
ii. It included court, administration and army, the sources of revenue and the physical layout of the provinces of Akbar’s empire
iii. It included the literary, cultural and religious traditions of the people
iv. It mentioned descriptions of provinces (subas) of the empire
v. Ain gives us intricate quantitative information of Mughal provinces.
vi. Description of diverse customs and practices prevailing across extensive territories. vii. The Ain is therefore a mine of information about Akbar’s reign.
LIMITATIONS
i. Numerous errors in totaling have been detected
ii. Ain is the somewhat skewed nature of the quantitative data
iii. While the fiscal data from the subas is remarkable for its richness, some equally vital parameters such as prices and wages from these same areas are not as well documented.
iv. The detailed list of prices and wages is mainly derived from data pertaining to areas in or around the imperial capital of Agra
v. Ain is therefore of limited relevance