Medieval Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Mansabdar implies the generic term for the military-kind grading of all royal functionaries of the Mughal Empire. The Mansabdari system introduced by Akbar was borrowed from the system followed in Mongolia.

Notes:
The Battle of Chandawar (1193 or 1194) was fought between Muhammad Ghori and Jaichand of Kannauj of the Gahadavala dynasty. It took place at Chandawar on the Yamuna River close to Agra. Jaichand was defeated, giving Muhammad control of much of northern India.

Notes:
Ruknuddin Firoz was half brother of Razia and remained ruler of the Delhi Sultanate for less than seven months in 1236. He was one of the many sons of Sultan Iltutmish of Delhi Sultanate. Ruknuddin Firoz was born to Shah Turkan, a mistress of Iltutmish. After the death of Iltutmish, a struggle for supremacy began between the Sultan and a group of forty slaves. Ruknuddin Firoz’s misadministration led to rebellions against him and his mother. Both were arrested and imprisoned. The nobles and the army then appointed his half-sister Razia on the throne. Ruknuddin Firoz died on November 19, 1236.

Notes:
The Chishti Order is a Sufi order which arose from Chisht, a small town near Herat, in western Afghanistan. It was founded by Abu Ishaq Shami in about 930 CE. Before returning to western Asia he trained and deputed the son of local emir, Abu Ahmad Abdal, under whose leadership the Chishtiyya flourished as a regional mystical order. Moinuddin Chishti is credited with laying its foundations in India. Other famous saints of the Chishti Order are Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Nizamuddin Auliya and Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Kalyari.

Notes:
Baiju Bawra was a dhrupad musician from medieval India.He was one of the court musicians of Raja Mansingh Tomar of Gwalher (now Gwalior).

Notes:
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj belonged to the Bhonsle clan of the Marathas. His father Shahji Bhonsle was the military commander
under the Nizam Shahi rulers of Ahmednagar. After the decline of Ahmednagar, he transferred his services to Bijapur.

Notes:
In the council of administrators and advisors of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Peshwa ( Prime Minister) was responsible for  general administration of empire and welfare of the people.

Notes:
In the Shivaji’s Ashtapradhan ( or Council of Eight Ministers), Waqia-i-navis ( home minister) keeps the daily record of the  king’s activities and the proceedings of his court.

Notes:
In the Shivaji’s Ashtapradhan ( or Council of Eight Ministers), Dabir ( or Samant) looked after the foreign affairs ministry. He  helped the king on matters relating to foreign states and on problems of war and peace.

Notes:
The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb reimposed the jizya and the pilgrimage tax on Hindus. (these both the taxes were abolished by his great grandfather Mughal emperor Akbar by adopting the liberal policy towards the Hindus ).