Medieval History (Part-I)

Total Questions: 60

51. The following item consist of two statements, one labelled as "Assertion A" and the other as "Reason R". You are to examine these two statements carefully and decide if "Assertion A" and "Reason R" are individually true and if so, whether the "Reason R" is the correct explanation for the given Assertion A". Select your answers to these items using the codes given below and mark your Answer Sheet accordingly. [2002]

Assertion (A): Muhammad Bin Tughlaq left Delhi, and for two years lived in a camp called Swarga-Dwari.

Reason (R): At that time, Delhi was ravaged by plague and many people died

Correct Answer: (a) Both A and R are individually true but R is the correct explanation of A
Solution:

Like Allauddin Khalji, Muhammad bin Tughlaq also tried to bring changes in the agrarian set up. Some historians point out that he made an over assessment because of which many peasants fled the region.

But the states share remained half. A severe famine in this period worsened the situation. Muhammad bin Tughlaq tried to provide relief to those affected and made efforts to improve and extend cultivation.

The sultan left Delhi and rendered in a camp called swargadwari near kanauj. He also set up a separate department called diwan-i amir-i kohi whose function was to extend cultivation by providing loans.

52. Historian Barani refused to consider the state in India under Delhi Sultans as truly Islamic because: [2002]

Correct Answer: (c) Sultan supplemented the Muslim law by framing his own regulations
Solution:

The historian Ziauddin Barani (1285-1357) was a political thinker of the Delhi Sultanate during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firoz Shah's reign. He was best known for composing the Taarikh-i-Firoz Shahi a work on medieval India.

He refused to consider the state in India under Delhi Sultans as truly Islamic as the Sultan supplemented the Muslim law by framing his own regulations.

53. With reference to Suffism in Indian history, consider the following statements: [2002]

1. Sheikh Ahmad Sarhandi was a contemporary of Ibrahim Lodi

2. Sheikh Nasiruddin Chirag-I-Dehlavi was a disciple of Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya

3. Aurangzeb was a contemporary of Sheikh Salim Chisti

4. Qadiri order of Sufis was first introduced in India by Sheikh Niamutullah and Makhdum Muhammad Jilani

Which of these statements are correct?

Correct Answer: (d) 2 & 4
Solution:

Sheikh Ahmad Sarhandi of Naqshbandi order was a contemporary of Akbar and Jahangir. The Qadiri order of Sufis was first introduced in India by Sheikh Nizamatullah (He died in 1430 AD) and Makhdum (or Nasiruddin) Muhammad Jilani (died in 1517).

About Sufi Movement

  • Sufism is a combined name for mystical movements in Islam that aim to establish a direct communion between man and God.
  • The methods of this communion were open to interpretation by the practitioner but within the realms of Islam.
  • The Sufi order is also known as Silsila, in and outside India. Sufism stressed the importance of establishing communion between the Sufi and the god.
  • A spiritual guru was required to supervise the method of communion with God. The path could be achieved by reciting musical poems praising God.
  • Though no Sufi Silsilas were active in India from the early 8th to 10th century, some influence of Sufi culture can still be seen in India.
  • Mansur al-Hallaj, a prominent early Sufi poet/teacher, gave the mystical formula “I am God,” which was essential in the evolution of Sufi ideas in Iran and India.
  • Sufism became an organised movement with the establishment of Turkish rule under the Ghaznavids. It flourished under the Seljuqs in various parts of Central Asia, India, and Iran in the later 10th and 11th centuries.
  • The Sufi movement gained prominence in Central Asia and Iran from the 8th to 12th century AD. Still, it only grew in India after the 13th century with great Sufis like Muinuddin Chisti.

54. The following item consist of two statements: one labelled as the Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). You are to examine these two statements carefully and select the answers to these items using the codes given below: [2003]

Assertion (A): Emperor Akbar marched towards Afghanistan in 1581 with a huge army.

Reason (R): He was on his way to reclaim his ancestral country of Fergiohana in Central Asia.

Correct Answer: (c) A is true but R is false
Solution:A is correct as Akbar marched towards Afghanistan in 1581 to conquer Kabul to expand his kingdom. R is incorrect as he had no intention to reclaim his ancestral country of Ferghana.

About Akbar

  • Akbar, the third Mughal emperor, reigned from 1556 to 1605 and is often celebrated as one of the greatest rulers in Indian history.
  • Ascending to the throne at a young age, he rapidly expanded the Mughal Empire to encompass much of the Indian subcontinent.
  • Renowned for his visionary policies, Akbar implemented administrative reforms promoting religious tolerance and cultural integration, establishing a legacy of pluralism and governance resonating throughout the empire.
  • His commitment to fostering dialogue between different faiths and his patronage of the arts laid the foundation for a vibrant cultural renaissance.

55. The following item consist of two statements: one labelled as the Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). You are to examine these two statements carefully and select the answers to these items using the codes given below: [2003]

Assertion (A): Shah Alam II spent the initial years as an emperor far away from his capital.

Reason (R): There was always a lurking danger of foreign invasion from the north-west frontier.

Correct Answer: (c) A is true but R is false
Solution:Shah Alam II spent the initial years as an emperor away from his capital due to the fear of Najib Khan Rohilla who became very powerful in Delhi and not due to foreign invasions.
Shah Alam II, also known as Ali Gohar, was the seventeenth Mughal Emperor and the son of Alamgir II. He ruled from 1759 to 1806, a period when the Mughal Empire was in decline. His authority had weakened so much that a Persian saying emerged: “Sultanat-e-Shah Alam, Az Dilli ta Palam,” meaning “The kingdom of Shah Alam stretches from Delhi to Palam,” with Palam being just a suburb of Delhi. He is also remembered as the Mughal e.

56. The following item consist of two statements: one labelled as the Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). You are to examine these two statements carefully and select the answers to these items using the codes given below: [2003]

Assertion (A): Saluva Narasimha put an end to the old dynasty and assumed the royal title.

Reason (R): He wanted to save the kingdom from further degeneration and disintegration.

Correct Answer: (c) A is true but R is false
Solution:He assumed the royal title not to save the kingdom but due to his greed for power.
  • Saluva dynasty, the second to rule the Vijayanagara Empire, originated from the Kalyani region of northern Karnataka, as mentioned in the Gorrantla inscription. Its founder, Mangaladeva (great-grandfather of Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya), played a crucial role in Emperor Bukka Raya I’s victories over the Madurai Sultanate. The dynasty had three rulers:
  • Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya (1485–1491): The first emperor of the dynasty, he focused on quelling rebellions and countered the expansion of the Gajapati Empire.
  • Following his death, his prime minister, Narasa Nayaka, took control, governing effectively until 1503.
  • After Narasa’s death, his son, Vira Narasimha, ascended the throne, marking the start of the Tuluva dynasty.

57. The following item consist of two statements: one labelled as the Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). You are to examine these two statements carefully and select the answers to these items using the codes given below: [2003]

Assertion (A): Marathas emerged as the strongest native power in India after the decline of Mughal empire.

Reason (R): Marathas were the first to have a clear concept of a united Indian nation.

Correct Answer: (c) A is true but R is false
Solution:Marathas never had the concept of a United Indian Nation. They are generally criticized for this reason.
The Maratha Empire was an early modern Indian empire. It rose to prominence in the 17th century. It dominated much of the Indian subcontinent during the 18th century. The Marathas were a Marathi-speaking warrior group from the western Deccan Plateau. They rose to prominence by establishing Hindavi Swarajya (meaning "self-rule of Hindus"). The Marathas became prominent in the 17th century under the leadership of Shivaji. Shivaji revolted against the Adil Shahi dynasty and the Mughals to carve out a kingdom. He chose Raigad as the capital of the Maratha kingdom. They are largely credited for ending Mughal control over the Indian subcontinent.
The Maratha Empire reached its peak in the early 18th century under the leadership of Bajirao I and his Peshwa successors. The Marathas conquered much of the Indian subcontinent, from the Deccan Plateau to the Ganges Valley. They also established a navy and conquered the Konkan coast and the Maldives.
The Maratha Empire began to decline in the late 18th century due to many factors. The Marathas were defeated by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818), and the empire was dissolved.

58. Alam Khan, one of those who invited Babur to invade India was: [2003]

Correct Answer: (a) an uncle of Ibrahim Lodi and a pretender to the throne of Delhi
Solution:Alam Khan along with Daulat Khan Lodi invited Babur to India. In the first battle of Panipat in 1526, Ibrahim Lodi was defeated by Babur.

First Battle of Panipat, fought between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, on 21 April 1526 near the town of Panipat, was a decisive conflict. First Battle of Panipat saw Central Asian invader Babur using advanced warfare technology, including gunpowder firearms and cannons, while Ibrahim Lodi’s larger army struggled to withstand Babur’s tactics, resulting in a significant loss for both sides.

First Battle of Panipat led to the downfall of the Delhi Sultanate and paved the way for the establishment of the Mughal Empire in India. The outcome of the First Battle of Panipat demonstrated Babur’s military genius while also ushering in a new era in Indian history, fundamentally altering the political landscape.

59. Battle of Dharmat was fought between: [2003]

Correct Answer: (c) Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh
Solution:The battle of Dharmat was fought between Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh in 1658 for Shahjahan's throne. Dara Shikoh was defeated by Aurangzeb.

About Aurangzeb

  • Aurangzeb ascended to the throne in AD 1658 and assumed the Alamgiri title, “the Conqueror of the world”.
  • He reigned for a remarkably long period of 50 years. From 1658 AD to 1681 AD, he remained in the north, but after this, the political scene shifted from the north to the Deccan.
  • He was a great military commander and could crush the kingdoms of Bijapur and Golconda, but his struggle with the Marathas remained indecisive.
  • Aurangzeb’s last twenty-five years of reign, which he spent in the Deccan, were disastrous for the empire, as bankruptcy and maladministration threatened to break it apart.

60. How did the Mughal Emperor Jahandarshah's reign, come to an early end? [2003]

Correct Answer: (c) He was defeated by his nephew in a battle
Solution:He was defeated by his nephew, Farrukh Siyyar with the help of Sayyid Brothers.
  • Prince Jahandar Shah was the son of Emperor Bahadur Shah I and was born in Deccan Subah.
  • Nizam Bai, the daughter of Fatehyawar Jang, a king from Hyderabad, was his mother.
  • In 1671, his grandfather, Aurangzeb, named Jahandar Shah as Vizier of Balkh. When their grandpa died on February 27, 1712, he and his brother, Azim-ush-Shan, crowned themselves emperors and fought for control of the throne.
  • After Azim-us-Shan was assassinated on March 17, 1712, Jahandar Shah reigned for another eleven months.
  • Jahandar Shah traveled over the Indian Ocean and was a successful trader before succeeding to the throne.
  • He was also given the title of Sindh Subedar.
  • He had three sons, one of which being Aziz-ud-Din, the Mughal emperor from 1754 to 1759.