Medieval Indian History MCQs

Notes:
During the era of the Mughal Empire, the “Qazi-ul-Quzat” served as the Supreme Authority in Justice. With the extensive nature of the empire, it was arduous for the emperor to oversee all matters related to justice. Hence, Qazi-ul-Quzat was appointed for this significant role and was responsible for administering justice based on Muslim Law.

Notes:
Mahmud Shah Tughlaq was the last sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty to rule the Islamic Delhi Sultanate. During his reign in 1398, Amir Timur the Chagtai ruler invaded India. He carried away with him a large booty from Delhi and the surrounding area. Soon after the invasion, the Tughlaq dynasty came to an end.

Notes:
Rajatarangini is a metrical legendary and historical chronicle of the north-western Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir.  It was written in Sanskrit by Kashmiri historian Kalhana in the 12th century CE. It was translated into Persian by the orders of the later Muslim ruler Zain-ul-Abidin.

Notes:
Rāmānuja presented the epistemic and soteriological importance of bhakti, or the devotion to a personal God (Vishnu in Rāmānuja’s case) as a means to spiritual liberation. His theories assert that there exists a plurality and distinction between Ātman (soul) and Brahman (metaphysical, ultimate reality), while he also affirmed that there is unity of all souls and that the individual soul has the potential to realize identity with the Brahman.

Notes:
Majma-ul-Bahrain is a book on comparative religion authored by Dara Shukoh. It was devoted to a revelation of the mystical and pluralistic affinities between sufi and vendanta.

Notes:
Varaha was a gold coin issued by the Vijayanagar Empire featuring the boar emblem. It was minted during the reigns of rulers like Harihara II and Krishnadevaraya between the 14th and 16th centuries CE. Tara was a silver coin, and Kakini was a copper coin used in the empire.

Notes:
Iltutmish was known for innovations including the introduction of a new currency system and administrative reforms. He introduced the silver tanka and copper jetal, organized the Chalisa (a group of forty noblemen), and implemented the iqtadari system to manage land. The concept of the Divine Right Theory, however, is credited to Balban, one of his successors. This doctrine asserts the monarch’s authority is derived directly from God, and it was not a part of Iltutmish’s governance.

Notes:
In Iqta System, the land of the empire was divided into several large and small tracts called Iqta and assigned these Iqtas to his soldiers, officers and nobles. In the beginning, an Iqta was based upon salary. Later, under Firoz Shah Tughlaq it became hereditary.

Notes:
Nasiruddin Mahmud Chirag-e-Delhi (ca 1274-1356) was a 14th century mystic-poet and a Sufi saint of the Chishti Order. He was a murid (disciple) of noted Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, and later his successor. He was the last important Sufi of the Chishti Order from Delhi. He was given the title, “Roshan Chirag-e-Delhi”, which in Urdu, means “Illuminated Lamp of Delhi”

Notes:
In the Shivaji’s Ashtapradhan (or Council of Eight Ministers), Pandit Rao (or Dandaphyaksha) was the religious advisor of king and also looked after the religious matters.