The Delhi Sultanate

Five

Reason — There were five dynasties that ruled India between 1206 CE and 1526 CE, starting with the Slave dynasty, followed by the Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties.

1210 CE

Reason — Qutbuddin Aibak died in an accident in 1210 CE, while he was playing chaugan, a kind of polo on horseback.

She was a woman.

Reason — When Iltutmish died in 1236 CE, the nobles of the court refused to have a woman as the sultan. They disregarded the deceased sultan's nominated successor and raised Ruknuddin Firuz Shah to the throne instead.

chahalgani

Reason — After Aibak's death, the chahalgani, or the forty Turkish nobles, wanted Aram Shah to be the new sultan. They were a group of administrative and military nobles who exerted considerable influence on the sultans.

Dome

Reason — Balban's tomb is considered to be the first structure in medieval India which comprised a dome and an arch. This style of architecture eventually became a mark of all later medieval Indian buildings, such as the Taj Mahal.

Tughlaq Dynasty

Reason — Just as Qutbuddin Aibak was a ruler of the Slave Dynasty, Firuz Shah Tughlaq was a ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty (1320 CE–1414 CE).

She was a woman ruler in a male-dominated nobility.

Reason — The Turkish nobles (chahalgani) found it offensive to have a woman as the sultan. Her appointment of Jamaluddin Yakut, an advisor of African descent, to high office further ignited the jealousy of the Turkish nobility, leading to her overthrow.

Qutbuddin Aibak

Reason — Qutbuddin Aibak was the first sultan of the Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty. He initiated the construction of Delhi's earliest Islamic monuments, the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and the Qutb Minar.

Qutb Minar

Reason — The Qutb Minar's foundation was laid by Qutbuddin Aibak in 1199 CE, along with the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, of which it forms a part. It stands as the highest tower in India and is part of the Qutb complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

R is the reason for A.

Explanation — Both the Assertion and Reason are true. Razia Sultan's appointment of Jamaluddin Yakut, an advisor of African descent, to a high office ignited the jealousy of the Turkish nobility (chahalgani). This was one of the primary reasons for the resistance she faced, which eventually led to her being overthrown.

R is the reason for A.

Explanation — Both the Assertion and Reason are true. After ascending the throne, Iltutmish faced multiple challenges — he had to suppress a rebellion of the amirs near Delhi, expel Nasiruddin Qubacha (the governor of Multan) from Lahore, and bring the Khalji governor of Bengal, Ali Mardan, to submission. These problems indeed explain why his consolidation of power was difficult.

1. The reign of Qutbuddin Aibak: c.1206 CE – c.1210 CE
2. The reign of Iltutmish: c.1210 CE – c.1236 CE
3. The reign of Raziya Sultan: c.1236 CE – c.1239 CE
4. The reign of Balban: c.1266 CE – c.1287 CE

Yes, it was a correct decision for Iltutmish to place his daughter Raziya on the throne of Delhi instead of one of his sons. The reasons are as follows:

1. Iltutmish's sons were incompetent and not suitable for the responsibilities of ruling a kingdom.
2. Raziya, on the other hand, was well-educated and adept in military tactics. She was trained to lead an army and administer a kingdom in times of necessity.
3. Raziya became an expert archer and horse rider by the age of 13, and even accompanied her father on military expeditions as a teenager.
4. The chronicler Minhaj-i-Siraj himself acknowledged that Raziya was far more qualified and able as a ruler than her brothers.

Hence, despite the opposition of the chahalgani, Iltutmish made a fair and wise decision by choosing the most capable successor based on merit rather than gender.

The divine right of kingship means the belief that a king derives his authority and right to rule directly from God, and not from the people or any worldly power. According to this theory, the king is considered to be the deputy or representative of God on Earth, and his actions and decisions are seen as sacred and not to be questioned. Balban considered himself as the deputy of God on Earth. To reflect this belief, he organised his court along the pattern of the Persian royal court and introduced the Persian customs of sijdah (prostration before the king) and paibos (kissing the feet of the king in the court).

Iltutmish was given the title Altamash or Iltmash on his accession to the throne, which later changed to Iltutmish.

The Mongols appeared on the banks of the river Indus for the first time in 1221 CE.

Ghiyasuddin Balban ascended the throne after the death of Nasiruddin Mahmud. Balban had earlier ruled the state as the regent of Nasiruddin, the youngest son of Iltutmish, and after Nasiruddin's death, he declared himself the sultan of Delhi.

Ghiyasuddin Balban was the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate who broke up the chahalgani, the most important group of forty nobles in the court.

Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji brought an end to the Slave dynasty by capturing the throne in 1290 CE.

Balban's achievements include the following:

1. He ruled with an iron fist and broke up the chahalgani, the most important group of forty nobles in the court, thus curbing the power of the nobility.
2. He brutally crushed the revolts of the Jats and Rajputs, and tried to establish peace and order in the country.
3. He built new forts to protect the empire from Mongol invasion and repaired the old forts between the area around the river Indus and the city of Delhi.
4. He believed in divine kingship and considered himself as the deputy of God on Earth. He organised his court along the pattern of the Persian royal court and introduced the Persian customs of sijdah (prostration before the king) and paibos (kissing the feet of the king).
5. He restored internal peace and took steps to improve the defence of the north-west frontier to thwart Mongol invasions.
6. He was a patron of learning and promoted architecture and Islamic culture. His tomb is considered to be the first structure in medieval India which comprised a dome and an arch.

a. The Mongols appeared for the first time in India during the rule of Shamsuddin Iltutmish. They appeared on the banks of the river Indus in 1221 CE.

b. The son of Ghiyasuddin Balban, Prince Muhammad, was killed by the Mongols in 1285 CE while defending the north-west frontier of the Delhi Sultanate against Mongol invasions.

a. The ruler in the picture is Raziya Sultan. Her period of reign was from c.1236 CE to c.1239 CE.

b. Her rise to the throne was unusual in the context of medieval India because medieval India was a male-dominated society, and Raziya was the first and the only woman sultan in India. Although Iltutmish had nominated her as his successor due to her abilities, the chahalgani considered it offensive to have a woman as the sultan. It was deemed to be against the social order ordained by God at that time.

c. One major challenge Raziya faced from the Turkish nobles (chahalgani) was their resentment over her appointment of Jamaluddin Yakut, an advisor of African descent, to a high office. This ignited the jealousy of the Turkish nobility, and they eventually overthrew her, placing her brother Muizuddin Bahram Shah on the throne.

a. The two sultans of the Mamluk dynasty involved in the initial construction and addition of storeys to the Qutb Minar were Qutbuddin Aibak, who laid the foundation of the minar in 1199 CE, and Shamsuddin Iltutmish, who added three more storeys to it.

b. The Qutb Minar is adorned with intricate Islamic calligraphy as its distinctive decorative feature. It also has projected balconies supported by ornate stone brackets.

Alauddin was the first Khalji sultan in India.

Reason — The Khaljis were of Turkish origin and had been settled in Afghanistan for a long time, so statements 1 and 2 are true. However, Alauddin Khalji was not the first Khalji sultan in India. Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji was the first Khalji sultan, declared sultan of Delhi by the nobility. Alauddin Khalji ascended the throne in 1296 CE after treacherously murdering his uncle, Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji.

Introduced the system of dagh.

Reason — Among Alauddin's military reforms, he introduced the system of dagh, which was the system of branding horses to prevent borrowing or exchange of them. He also maintained a detailed description of each soldier called chehra. The prohibition on drinking wine was a measure to control the nobility, not a military reform. Jizyah was a tax on non-Muslims and not a military reform; it was also not introduced by Alauddin Khalji.

dak chauki.

Reason — Alauddin kept in touch with the army when it was on the move through an elaborate system of dak chauki, which was a postal system that functioned with the help of foot runners and horses. Barids were intelligence officers appointed to watch over market prices, and dagh was the system of branding horses.

The Agra Fort.

Reason — Alauddin Khalji built the Alai Darwaza (entrance to Qutb Minar), the Palace of Thousand Pillars, the Siri Fort and a madrasa near the Qutb Minar. The Agra Fort was not built by Alauddin Khalji; it was built much later by the Mughal emperors.

1316 CE.

Reason — Alauddin Khalji ascended the throne of Delhi in 1296 CE and ruled till his death in 1316 CE. The year 1320 CE marks the end of the Khalji dynasty when the last Khalji ruler, Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, was murdered.

Successor of Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji.

Reason — Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji was the first Khalji Sultan, and Alauddin Khalji was his successor. Alauddin was the nephew of Jalaluddin and ascended the throne after treacherously murdering him in 1296 CE. The Tughlaq dynasty was founded by Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, and Padmavat was composed by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the 16th century.

Stories like that of Rani Padmini were passed down through generations, even if not found in written historical sources of their time.

Reason — The story of Rani Padmini cannot be found in the historical sources of her time. Such stories were passed down orally from one generation to another and are therefore known as 'oral histories'. The earliest written mention of the legend appears in Padmavat by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, written in the 16th century, long after the events were said to have occurred.

Alauddin Khalji's defeat of the Mongols.

Reason — The Mongols were a constant threat to the Delhi Sultanate's borders. Alauddin took several steps to deal with the Mongol menace — he reorganised the defences in western Punjab, repaired old forts and built new ones, placed the frontier province of Dipalpur under Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq and raised a powerful, centralised standing army. In 1305–06 CE, his army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Mongols, indicating his long-term success in securing the Sultanate's borders.

1b, 2a, 3c.

Reason — Market control measures were introduced to check price rise and hoarding; market officers like shahna-i-mandi and barids were appointed and hoarders were severely punished. Dagh (branding of horses) and Chehra (detailed description of each soldier) were introduced to prevent army corruption such as fake enrolment and exchange of horses. The Siri Fort was built as part of defensive measures against the Mongols.

R is the reason for A.

Explanation — Both A and R are true. Historians such as Ziauddin Barani and Ibn Battuta have indicated that Alauddin introduced price control measures in order to lower the cost of maintaining an army. He controlled the prices of necessary goods so that his soldiers could buy goods and food even at a lower salary. Hence, R correctly explains A.

R is the reason for A.

Explanation — Both A and R are true. Alauddin introduced the system of dagh (branding of horses) to prevent borrowing or exchange of horses and maintained chehra (a detailed description of each soldier) to prevent the enrolment of fake soldiers who could claim salaries. These measures helped Alauddin maintain a powerful and centralised standing army that was capable of facing the Mongol invasions effectively. Therefore, R is the reason for A.

1. Jauhar — Jauhar was a ritual suicide committed by Rajput women to avoid capture and dishonour at the hands of invaders. According to legend, the women of the palace at Chittor, along with Queen Padmini, performed jauhar and burnt themselves to death before Alauddin's army could enter the fort.

2. Shahna-i-mandi — Shahna-i-mandi was a market officer appointed by Alauddin Khalji to keep a strict watch on the prices and weights in the markets of Delhi, in order to enforce his price control measures and prevent hoarding and cheating.

3. Dagh — Dagh was the system of branding horses introduced by Alauddin Khalji as a part of his military reforms. The practice was meant to prevent the borrowing or exchange of horses by soldiers.

4. Dak chauki — Dak chauki was a postal system introduced and organised by Alauddin Khalji, which functioned with the help of foot runners and horses. It allowed Alauddin to keep in touch with the army when it was on the move.

The correct options are:

1. Eyewitnesses to events orally contribute various viewpoints and perspectives that fill in the gaps in documented history, sometimes correcting or even contradicting the written record.
2. Oral traditions help us understand how individuals and communities experienced what happened in history.

Oral traditions like the story of Padmini are valuable as they preserve the memories, perspectives and experiences of people that may not be recorded in written historical sources. They give us a window into how communities perceived events emotionally and culturally. Option 3 is incorrect because oral histories are not necessarily factually incorrect; they often carry essential truths about people's experiences, even if specific details may vary across versions.

a. This entrance was built by Alauddin Khalji.

b. The name of this monument is the Alai Darwaza. It was added as an entrance door to the Qutb Minar and is a beautiful specimen of Turkish architecture.

a. The palace belonged to the legendary queen Rani Padmini, the wife of Rawal Ratan Singh of Chittor.

b. According to the legend, Rani Padmini cleverly planned to rescue her husband Rawal Ratan Singh from the clutches of Alauddin Khalji's camp and bring him back to the safety of the Chittor fort. The story has been passed down orally from generation to generation as part of folk tradition.

c. The earliest source that mentions the legend of Padmini is Padmavat, an epic poem written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the 16th century.

1. Two regions in North India conquered by Alauddin Khalji are Gujarat and Rajasthan (which included Ranthambore and Chittor). His conquests in North India also included Mandu, Ujjain, Chanderi and Malwa.

2. The primary reason for Alauddin Khalji's Deccan policy of not annexing the conquered territories was that he realised the impracticality of ruling and controlling the south from the north. Instead, his chief aim was to amass wealth from these regions through heavy annual tribute, which would help him pay for the maintenance of a huge army and the administration of his vast empire. The conquered kingdoms had to accept the supremacy of the sultan as a sign of submission.

3. The term used for the detailed description of each soldier maintained by Alauddin was chehra. Along with dagh (the system of branding horses), chehra helped prevent corruption in the army by ensuring that fake soldiers could not be enrolled to claim salaries.