Medieval India — (B) The Delhi Sultanate

Who among the following was NOT involved in the construction of the Qutab Minar?

1. Qutbuddin Aibak
2. Iltutmish
3. Alauddin Khilji
4. Feroz Shah Tughlaq

Answer

Alauddin Khilji

Reason — While Qutbuddin Aibak initiated the construction of the base and Iltutmish added the next three storeys, and Feroz Shah Tughlaq later repaired the lightning-damaged top floor and added two new ones.

Arrange the following in chronological order.
(i) Alauddin Khilji (ii) Qutbuddin Aibak (iii) Ghazi Malik (iv) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

1. (ii); (iii); (iv); (i)
2. (ii); (iii); (i); (iv)
3. (ii); (i); (iii); (iv)
4. (iv); (i); (iii); (ii)

Answer

(ii); (i); (iii); (iv)

Reason — Qutbuddin Aibak founded the Slave dynasty and ruled first, followed by Alauddin Khilji of the Khilji dynasty. Ghazi Malik then took the title of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq and began the Tughlaq dynasty in 1320, and was succeeded by his son Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.

Alauddin Khilji is best known for his market regulations. Which amongst the following was not one of the markets set up by him?

1. Costly cloth
2. Horses, Slaves and Cattle
3. Gold, Silver, Copper
4. Food grains

Answer

Gold, Silver, Copper

Reason — Under his market regulations Alauddin Khilji set up three markets at Delhi — one for food grains, one for costly cloth and one for horses, slaves and cattle.

Name the first ruler of Delhi to lay the foundation of a permanent standing army.

1. Alauddin Khilji
2. Shihabuddin Masud
3. Muhammad Bin Tughlaq
4. Jauna Khan

Answer

Alauddin Khilji

Reason — Alauddin Khilji was the first ruler of Delhi to lay the foundation of a permanent standing army. He imported quality horses, introduced the branding of horses (dagh) and the identity-card system (chehra), and paid his soldiers in cash from the royal treasury.

Complete the analogy with reference to Khilji administration.

Market controller : Shahna :: Identity card : ...............

1. Dagh
2. Chehra
3. Tanka
4. None of the above

Answer

Chehra

Reason — Just as the controller of the market was called the Shahna, the identity card given to every soldier was known as the Chehra.

(A) It was during the 10th and 11th centuries that Turks began their conquests in India.

(R) By this period a number of small kingdoms emerged in North India, who were constantly at conflict with one another.

1. (R) contradicts (A)
2. (R) is the reason for (A)
3. (A) is true but (R) is false.
4. (A) and (R) are independent of each other.

Answer

(R) is the reason for (A)

Explanation — Emergence of small kingdoms in North India and lack of central strong power and unity was the reason of conquest by Turks.

(A) Qutab Minar was dedicated to the Sufi Saint, Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki.

(R) The construction of Qutab Minar was started by Iltutmish.

1. (R) contradicts (A)
2. (R) is the reason for (A)
3. (A) is true but (R) is false.
4. (A) and (R) are independent of each other.

Answer

(A) is true but (R) is false.

Explanation — The construction of Qutab Minar was started by Qutub-ud-din Aibak.

(A) Alauddin Khilji was the founder of the Khilji dynasty.

(R) On ascending the throne, Alauddin had to face a rebellion by the Mongols.

1. (R) contradicts (A)
2. (R) is the reason for (A)
3. (R) is true but (A) is false.
4. (A) and (R) are independent of each other.

Answer

(R) is true but (A) is false.

Explanation — Jalaluddin Khilji was the founder of the Khilji dynasty. He was murdered by his nephew Alauddin Khilji. When Alauddin Khilji ascended the throne, he had to face a rebellion of Mongols. He got many of the Mongols massacred to crush the rebellion.

(A) Alauddin Khilji was the first ruler who laid the foundation of a permanent standing army.

(R) He also started the system of Chehra, i.e., giving a kind of identity card.

1. (R) contradicts (A)
2. (A) is the reason for (R)
3. (A) is true but (R) is false.
4. (A) and (R) are independent of each other.

Answer

(A) is the reason for (R)

Explanation — Alauddin Khilji was the first ruler who laid the foundation of a permanent standing army. That's why he also introduced the system of Chehra i.e., giving a kind of identity card for every soldier to prevent corruption and ensure discipline.

Where all can one find inscriptions giving information about the Sultanate?

Answer

Inscriptions giving information about the Sultanate can be found on coins, monuments, milestones and tombstones.

State any two architectural features of Qutab Minar.

Answer

Two architectural features of Qutab Minar are:

1. It has five storeys tapering as they ascend. Each storey is separated from the other by projecting balcony.
2. The Minar is a circular tower about 13.8 metres in diameter at the base and tapers to the width of around 3 metres at the summit. It has a circular stairway of 379 steps leading to the top.

Mention any two military reforms introduced by Alauddin Khilji.

Answer

Two military reforms introduced by Alauddin Khilji were:

1. He imported quality horses and started the system of branding horses (dagh) so that the soldiers could not replace them with inferior quality horses.
2. He introduced the system of chehra which meant giving a kind of identity card for every soldier.

How did Alauddin Khilji successfully carry out his Deccan expedition?

Answer

Alauddin Khilji was the first Sultan to launch a Deccan expedition under his commander, Malik Kafur, conquering the kingdoms of Devagiri, Warangal, Dwarasamudra and Madurai. Realizing these distant southern lands were too difficult to govern directly from Delhi, he chose not to annex them. Instead, prioritizing their immense wealth to maintain his massive army, Khilji forced the defeated rulers to accept his suzerainty and pay an annual tribute.

What was Muhammad Bin Tughlaq's plan of conquests? Was it successful? Why?

Answer

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq dreamt of conquering the world. To fulfil this plan of conquests, he organised a huge army and paid one full year's salary in advance to his soldiers.

But the plan was not successful. After a year, following the failure of the token currency, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq abandoned the project and disbanded the army.

With reference to the Khilji dynasty, answer the following questions:

(a) What steps did Alauddin Khilji take to regulate prices?

(b) How did Alauddin Khilji crush the power of the nobility?

(c) What measures did Alauddin Khilji take to increase revenue?

Answer

(a) The steps taken by Alauddin Khilji to regulate prices were:

1. He fixed the cost of all commodities such as foodgrains, sugar and cooking oil.
2. He set up three different markets at Delhi — one market for food grains, the second for costly cloth and the third for horses, slaves and cattle. Each market was put under the charge of a controller of market or Shahna.
3. There were strict punishments for cheating and underweighing goods.

(b) Alauddin Khilji had to face a series of rebellions from the nobles. That's why he took steps to crush their power. The methods adopted by Alauddin Khilji to crush the power of the nobility were:

1. The nobles were not allowed to hold functions or parties or to form marriage alliances without the permission of the Sultan.
2. The use of wine and intoxicants was banned.
3. Gambling was forbidden and gamblers were severely punished.
4. He started paying soldiers in cash instead of land.
5. He established an efficient spy system to keep a check on the activities of the nobles.

(c) The measures Alauddin Khilji took to increase the revenue were:

1. He brought all the land of the empire under his direct control.
2. He introduced the practice of measuring the land and fixed the state share accordingly.
3. He increased the state revenue from one-third to one-half.
4. He demanded the revenue in cash and not in kind.
5. He appointed special officers for revenue collection.

With reference to the reign of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, explain the following:

(a) His attempts to transfer the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad.

(b) Introduction of token currency.

(c) Increased taxation in Doab and its consequences.

Answer

(a) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq shifted his capital from Delhi to Devagiri near Aurangabad and renamed it Daulatabad. He did this for following reasons:

1. His intention was to control Deccan from there as Daulatabad was centrally located.
2. Delhi was in grip of severe famine.
3. Delhi was constantly threatened by the Mongol invasions.

He ordered the people of Delhi including the religious heads to shift to Daulatabad. On realising the gravity of threat from north-west, he decided to shift the capital back to Delhi. This caused lots of hardships to the people.

(b) Introduction of token currency was one of the controversial steps taken by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq. There was shortage of silver, so Muhammad Bin Tughlaq introduced bronze Tankas in place of silver Tankas. But this experiment failed due to the circulation of counterfeit or fake coins on a very large scale, which caused a chaos in trade and commerce. Consequently, he withdrew the token currency.

(c) To fund his ambitions of conquering Central Asian territories, Muhammad bin Tughlaq increased taxes in the fertile Ganga-Yamuna Doab region to maintain a massive army. However, this coincided with a severe famine, leading to peasant rebellions when ruthless tax collectors showed no mercy. Many farmers abandoned their lands and fled to the jungles, causing a major setback to agriculture; though Tughlaq eventually launched relief measures, it was too late to prevent widespread starvation and death.

Study the picture and answer the following questions:

(a) Who laid the foundation of this monument? Who completed it? Where is it located?

(b) Name the saint after whom the monument is named. What information do the monuments of the Sultanate period provide about the Sultanate era?

(c) Mention any four architectural features of the monument.

Answer

(a) Qutub-ud-din Aibak laid the foundation of this monument. It was completed by Iltutmish. It is situated in Delhi.

(b) It is named after Sufi Saint Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki.
The monuments of the Sultanate period reveal the cultural trends, the living conditions, faiths and beliefs of the period. They also reveal the socio-cultural outlook of the rulers.

(c) Four architectural features of the Qutub Minar are:

1. When originally completed, it rose to a height of 71.4 metres with four storeys. The tower was damaged due to lightning in 1369. Feroz Shah Tughlaq repaired it and rose its height further.
2. It has five storeys tapering as they ascend. Each storey is separated from the other by projecting balcony.
3. The base of the Minar has a diameter of 13.8 metres and the top of Minar has a diameter of 3 metres. It has a circular stairway of 379 steps leading to the top.
4. The projecting balconies are supported in such a way that the whole structure takes the load of the weight.

Imagine that you are transported in a time-machine to Alauddin Khilji's reign. You visited a number of markets. Write what you saw about the commodities being sold, the price regulations and punishments meted out to the sellers for cheating the consumers. Do you think that the market regulations at present match up to Alauddin Khilji's reign or are better or need some changes?

Answer

When I was transported back to Alauddin Khilji’s reign, I witnessed a highly controlled economic system. Khilji had divided the trade into three distinct, specialized markets: the Mandi for food grains, the Serai-i-Adl for expensive cloths and luxury goods, and a third market for horses, cattle, and slaves.

Prices were strictly fixed by the state based on production costs, leaving zero room for seller discretion. To enforce this, the markets were heavily policed by a superintendent (Shahna-i-Mandi), inspectors (Barids), and secret spies (Munhiyans). Punishments for cheating consumers were notoriously brutal. If a shopkeeper short-weighed a product, an equal amount of flesh was cut from his body to make up the difference.

Compared to modern times, Khilji's regulations were far more rigid and fear-driven. Today's market regulations are distinctly better because they are flexible, transparent, and balance consumer protection with business growth and innovation. Modern frameworks successfully adapt to complex global variables and crises, such as preventing price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic, without resorting to physical violence. However, while our current system is fairer, it still needs strict enforcement changes to completely eradicate modern consumer fraud and black-marketing, areas where Khilji’s absolute deterrence was undeniably effective.

Suppose you met a person belonging to Muhammad Bin Tughlaq's reign, who had to shift to Daulatabad when the capital was shifted there. Write down what he described about the circumstances that forced him to shift, the difficulties which he and others like him faced while moving from Delhi to Daulatabad.

Answer

I met a person belonging to Mohammad Bin Tughlaq's reign and discussed with him, the shifting of capital. He told that the circumstances that forced the capital to be shifted from Delhi to Daulatabad were complex and multifaceted. The move was forced upon them by complex political and military factors.

It was very painful for him to leave his own place. He said that he was very attached to Delhi. But he had no choice because the Sultan (Mohammad Bin tughlaq) was very harsh on him and others. Although, Sultan had made arrangements for smooth shifting of people yet people suffered a lot as these arrangemets were not enough. The journey from Delhi to Daulatabad was long and arduous, and many people died on the way due to illness, hunger, and exhaustion. The person left behind his home, his belongings, and his community, to start afresh in a new place. The pain of exile was too much for him and others like him to bear.