| North India | ||||||
| Ghadvalas | Chandradeva*. Jaichandra fought Muhammad Ghur | |||||
| Chandellas of Jejakabhukti/Bundelkhand | *Vidyadhara* & Yashovarman | |||||
| Paramaras of Malwa | Vakpati Munjal & *Bhoja* | |||||
| Chahamanas/Chauhans of Sakambhari | Vigraharaja IV Visaladeva, *Prithviraj III* (Chauhan) | |||||
| Kalachuris of Tripuri | Kokalla, Gangeyadeva & *Karina* (Rajshekhara) | |||||
| Chalukyas/Solankis of Gujarat | Bhima I & *Jayasimha Siddharaja* | |||||
| Kashmir | Avantivarman (supplanted Karkota dynasty to which | |||||
| belonged Lalitaditya Muktapida. | ||||||
| East & the North East | ||||||
| Bengal (Sena dynasty) | Lakshmanasena (last Hindu ruler of Bengal) | |||||
| Orissa | Avantavarman Chodaganga (Mother daughter of Rajendra | |||||
| Chola) of Eastern Gangas & Narsimha I (sun temple) | ||||||
| Assam (Ahoms) | Ahoms, a Shan tribe settled in mid 13th Century. | |||||
| Deccan & the South | ||||||
| Chalukyas of Kalyani | *Vikramaditya VI* (Introduced Chalukya-Vikram era) | |||||
| Bilhana’s Vikramanankadevacharita is based on him | ||||||
| Yadavas of Devagiri | Bhillama V*, *Simhana* | |||||
| Kakatiyas of Warangal | Ganapati (ruled for 60 years) | |||||
| Cholas | Vijayalaya*, Rajaraja the Great, *Rajendra I*, Rajadhiraja, | |||||
| Rajendra II, Kulottunga I | ||||||
| Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra | Nrpakama*, Vishnuvardhan, Ballala II & Ballala III | |||||
| Pandyas | *Jatavarman Sundara.Pandya I* | |||||
| Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526 AD) | ||||||
| Slave Dynasty | Sayyid Dynasty | |||||
| 1206-10 | Qutubuddin Aibak. | 1412-20 | Khizr Khan | |||
| 1210-36 | Shamsuddin Iltutmish | 1420-33 | Mubarak Shah | |||
| 1237-41 | Razia Sultana | 1433-43 | Muhammad Shah | |||
| 1241-46 | Bahram Shah & Masud Shah | 1443-51 | Alauddin Alam Shah | |||
| 1246-66 | Nasirruddin Mahmud | Lodhi Dynasty | ||||
| 1266-86 | Balban | 1451-89 | Bahlul Lodhi | |||
| 1286-90 | Kaikhusrau, Kaiquabad & Kaimur | 1489-1517 | Sikander Lodhi | |||
| Khalji Dynasty | 1517-26 | Ibrahim Lodhi | ||||
| 1290-96 | Jallaluddin Khalji | |||||
| 1296-1316 | Allauddin Khalji | |||||
| 1316-20 | Mubarak Shah & Khusrau khan | |||||
| Tughlaq Dynasty | ||||||
| 1320-25 | Ghiasuddin Tughlaq | |||||
| 1325-51 | Muhammad bin Tughlaq | |||||
| 1351-88 | Firuz Shah Tughlaq | |||||
| 1388-94 | Mohammad Khan, Ghiasuddin Tughlaq Shah II, | |||||
| Abu Baqr, Nasiruddin Muhammad, Humayun | ||||||
| 1394-12 | Nasirrudin Mahmud Tughlaq | |||||
| Delhi Sultanate | ||||||
| Slave | Qutbuddin | Died while playing Chaugan. Aram Shah (short period) | ||||
| Aibak | ||||||
| Shamsuddin | He defeated Yalduz of Ghazni & Qubacha of Multan. Captured the | |||||
| Iltutmish | fort  of Ranthambor, Lakhnauti. Organized the iqta system (land | |||||
| assignment) & currency (introduced copper tanka & silver jital). | ||||||
| Razia Sultana | Married Malik Altunia (Governor of Bhatinda). Turkish Aamirs | |||||
| played the dominant role & after Razia, they enthroned Bahram | ||||||
| Shah, Masud Shah & Nasiruddin Mahmud in that order. | ||||||
| Balban (Ulugh | Balban was Turkish slave of Iltutmish. He poisoned his master | |||||
| Khan) | Nasiruddin Mahmud. Killed the rebel governor of Bengal, Tughril | |||||
| Khan. He revived the practice of sijda (prostration) & paibos | ||||||
| (kissing monarch’s feet). | ||||||
| Kaikhusrau, Kaiquabad & Kaimurs had short duration. | ||||||
| Khalji | Jalaluddin Khalji | Descended at the age of seventy. Later Alauddin murdered his uncle | ||||
| & father in law Jalaluddin & seized the throne. | ||||||
| Alauddin Khalji | Lay seige to Ranthambor which was under redoubtable Hammir | |||||
| Deva which continued till one year. Later Chittor under Ratan | ||||||
| Singh (wife Padmini) fell & was renamed Kizhrabad. Malik Kafur | ||||||
| campaigned | against | Kaktiyas | (Warangal), | Hoysalas | ||
| (Dwarasamudra) & Pandyas. Mubarak Shah (son) & Khusrau khan | ||||||
| had short rule. | ||||||
| Kharaj (land tax – 50%), Charai, Gharii (dwelling tax). First to | ||||||
| introduce permanent standing army, dagh & chehra. Afghans & | ||||||
| Sultan’s Indian officers rose to prominence. | ||||||
| Tughlaq | Ghiyasuddin | Earlier called Ghazi Malik. Ghiasuddin had repelled mongol attack | ||||
| Tughlaq | under khaljis before ascending throne. Attaked Kaktiyas & Bengal | |||||
| succesfully. Founded third city of Delhi – Tughlaqabad. | ||||||
| Muhammad bin | Open consorting with Hindus & Jogis. Killed Ulemas, qazis who | |||||
| Tughlaq | rose in rebellion. Shifted capital to Devagiri (renamed Daulatabad), | |||||
| token currency (bronze coin-jittal). Shifted to Swargadwari during | ||||||
| famine. At his death Barani commented, ‘at last the people got rid | ||||||
| of him & he got rid of the people’. First sultan to visit the shrine of | ||||||
| Moinuddin Chisti. Disciple of Shaikh Alauddin & Jinaprabha Suri. | ||||||
| Firuz Shah | Not a military leader. Conqured Thatta, Orissa (uprooted Jagannath | |||||
| Tughlaq | idol), Nagarkot. Distributed iqtas, made them heritable increased | |||||
| salaries. Founded Fatehabad, Hissar, Firuzpur, Jaunpur & | ||||||
| Firuzabad. Built canals. Influence of Ulema revived. First muslim | ||||||
| ruler to impose Jaziya on Brahmins but abolished Ghari & Charai. | ||||||
| Visited the shrine of Salar Masud Ghazi & became fanatical. | ||||||
| Removed paintings from palace. Got many sanskirt works | ||||||
| translated in Persian | ||||||
| South India | ||
| Vijaynagar | Harihara & | These brothers were released by Muhammad Tughlaq & they laid |
| Bukka | the foundation of Vijaynagar empire (Sangama dynasty) | |
| Deva Raya I | Succeded his father Harihara II. Lead a crushing defeat against | |
| Sultan Firuz Shah Bahmani. Constuction of dam across the | ||
| Tungabhadra. Italian, Nicolo de Conti came during his period. | ||
| Deva Raya II | Sometimes called Immadi Deva Raya. One of the greatest Sultan. | |
| Bahamani | Firuz Shah | Great king. Lost to Deva Raya I & abdicated throne in favour of his |
| Bahman | brother Ahmad Shah I who transferred Bahmani Kingdom capital | |
| from Gulbarga to Bidar. Later with the help of Iranian prime | ||
| minister Mahmud Gawan, Ahmad Shah I expanded considerably. | ||
| Later Bhahmani kingdom got divied into five regions – Golconda, | ||
| Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Berar & Bidar. | ||
| Tuluva | *Kishna Deva | After Deva Raya II came Suluva dyansty, which was replaced by |
| Raya* | Tuluva dynasty whose geatest ruler was Krishna Deva Raya. Ablest | |
| of Vijaynagar soverigns. After him Rama Raja succeded. | ||
| Delhi Sultanate Continued | ||
| Timur | Timur 1398 AD | During the reign of Mahmud Tughlaq who fled the city. He |
| Invastion | assigned Delhi to Khizr Khan & hence Sayyid dynasty was born. | |
| Sayyids | Khizr Khan | Khizr Khan’s reign as well as that of his successors, Mubarak Shah, |
| Muhammad Shah & Alauddin Alam Shah was spent trying to | ||
| control the rebellious leaders (esp. Khokhars led by Jasrath). | ||
| Lodis | Bahlul Lodi | First dynasty to be headed by Afghans. Principal event of Bahlul |
| Lodi’s life was the annexation of Juanpur kingdom. | ||
| Sikander Lodi | Contemporary of Mahmud Begarha of Gujarat & Rana Sanga of | |
| Mewar. The rent rolls of his reign formed the basis during Sher | ||
| Shah Suri period. Imposed the Jaziya. The Bahluli coin remained in | ||
| circulation till Akbar’s rule. He was the only sultan to be killed in | ||
| the battle field. | ||
| Smaller States | ||
| Assam | Ahoms – Greatest ruler during this peiod was Suhungmung | |
| Gujarat | Muzaffar’s Shah grandson, Ahmad Shah I founded new capital Ahmedabad. Was the | |
| first sultan to levy Jaziya on hindus of Gujarat. *Mahmud Begarha* was the greatest | ||
| Mewar | Rana Kumbha. His grandson was Rana Sanga. | |
| Amber | Under Prithviraj who fought under Rana Sanga at Khanua | |
| Jaunpur | Under Sharquis. Jaunpur is in eastern U.P. | |
| Kashmir | *Zianul Abidin*. Abolished Jaziya. Got Ramayana & Mahabharata translated into | |
| Persian. Allowed Kashmiri pandits to return to the state. | ||
| Mughal Empire | |
| Babur | Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur. Ascended throne of Farghana. Daulat Khan Lodi, |
| 1526-30 | govenror of Punjab invited him to dethrone Ibrahim Lodi but later retracted. Ibrahim Lodi |
| perished in 1526 at Panipat. Battle of Khanua in 1527 against Rana Sanga in which Babur | |
| won by effective use of artillery & mounted archers. Died around 1529 & burried at | |
| Kabul. Introduced Char Bagh (symmetric gardens). | |
| Himayun | His early fight was with Bahadur Shah of Gujarat whom he defeated but did not depose. |
| 1530-56 | In Bihar the Afghans rallied under Sher Shah Suri. At the battle of Chausa in 1939 |
| Himayun was defeated by Sher Shah. He finally left India in 1544 for the Safavid court. A | |
| decade after the death of Sher Shah, Himayun occupied back Delhi but died within seven | |
| months after a fall from the steps of his library. | |
| Sher Shah | Son of a small Jagirdar from Jaunpur. Defeated Raja Maldeo of Marwar in the battle of |
| 1540-45 | Samel in 1544 & also won Chittor. He realized Jaziya from Hindus. Revived system of |
| Dagh & Chehra. Introduced a system of crop rates form the first time. Introduced uniform | |
| standard gold, silver & copper coins replacing the debased coins & introduced uniform | |
| weights. Maintained army through Sawars. Died in 1545 (5 years rule). | |
| Akbar | Born in Amarkot. Bairam Khan invited Hemu (Afhan assumed title of Hemchandra |
| 1556-1605 | Vikramaditya) in 1556 at the second battle of Panipat in which Hemu was slained. Later |
| Akbar discharged Bairam Khan & married his widow. Akbar’s foster mothers son Adam | |
| Khan won Malwa defeating Baz Bahadur. Won at Gondwana, Chittor (Udai Sing), | |
| Ranthambor & Marwar. Rana Pratap ascended Mewar after the death of Udai Singh. In | |
| 1576 the Haldi ghati war between Man Singh (grandson of Bhara Mal of Amber who | |
| entered imperial services) & Rana Pratap. In 1571 Akbar shifted his capital to Fatehpur | |
| Sikri. Later marched against Ahmedabad, Kabul (deposed Mirza Hakim). In 1585 he | |
| trasnferred his capital to Lahore. Later won Baluchistan, Qandhar, Ahmadnagar (Chand | |
| Bibi), Khandesh (Akbar’s last major miliary campaign). In 1579 he abolished Jaziya. He | |
| issued Mahzar which entitle him to choose one of the interpretations of Muslim law. Only | |
| Raja Birbal accepted Din-i-Ilahi. Todar Mal, Bhagwan das, Man Singh declined it. He | |
| abolished the position of wazir after Bairam khan. Revived chehra & dagh. | |
| Jehangir | Jehangir’s elder brother Khusrau revolted thrice against Akbar & was blinded. He became |
| 1605-27 | the first ruler to conquer Kangra. Amar Singh, Son of Rana Pratap at Ajmer also |
| surrendered. The Persians got control of Qandhar back in their second attempt. Deccan | |
| (ruled by Malik Ambar of Ahmadnagar) was subdued again by prince Khurram. Jehangir | |
| ordered the murder of fifth sikh guru Arjun Dev (the first to be murdered by Mughals). | |
| Visited dargah of Moinuddin Chisti several times. Married Iranian widow (Mehrunisa), | |
| who was given the title Nur Jahan. Nur Jahan’s brother was Asaf khan whose daughter | |
| Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu) was married to Shah Jahan. | |
| Shah | Sent his two sons Dara Shukoh& Aurangzeb as hostages to his fathers court. He was |
| Jahan | helped in his throne capture by his father in law, Asaf Khan. Ordered execution of his |
| 1628-58 | brothers & their sons after accession. Increased control over Bundelkhand (Ruled by |
| Jehangir’s hard core friend Bir Singh Deo’s son Jujhar Singh). Qandhar was capture for a | |
| brief period but lost back to the Safavids. His Peacock throne & capital Shahjahanabad are | |
| remembered. Reformed the zat & sawar system. Iranis & Turanis dominated the nobility. | |
| Instituted month scales on the basis of difference between official estimate of income | |
| (Jama) & actual amount collected (hasil). | |
| Aurangzeb | War of succession between Dara, Shah Shuja, Auranzeb & Murad – all sons of Mumtaz |
| 1658-1707 | Mahal. Mir Jumla was deputed by Aurangzeb to restore authority in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa. |
| Later in Assam Ahom king agreed to be a vassal of Mughals. He banned Nauroz, the |
Persian new year, banned painters, musicians, drinking & women pilgrimage. Pilgrimage tax on Hindu abolished by Akbar reinstated. Destroyed the Keshava Rai Temple at Mathura built by Bir Singh Bundela.Reimposed Jaziya tax. His son prince Akbar revolted
- was sheltered by Maratha ruler Sambhaji. Aurangzeb lay seize on Bijapur & Golconda
- He was also known as Alamgir.
| Shivaji | Shivaji tutor was Dadaji Kond-deva. Shivaji killed Afzal Khan (general of Ali Adil Shah |
| II) while meeting. Later he almost defeated the governor of the Deccan, Shaista Khan who | |
| was replaced by Prince Mauzzam on orders of Aurangzeb. Raja Jai Singh was given the | |
| responsibility of tackling Shivaji who won & conducted the treaty of Purandhar. Later | |
| Shivaji visited mughal court & was captured but escaped. | |
| Later | Shivaji – Sambhaji – Rajaram (Sambhaji’s brother). In the meanwhile Sambhaji’s son |
| Marathas | Shahu was taken to the Mughal household. Later when Rajaram died, his widow Tara Bai |
| declared her four year old son Shivaji II, king & herself the regent. Later Shahu was | |
| released by Bahadur Shah I who appointed Balaji Vishwanath as Peshwa. Baji Rao I | |
| succeded who was the most charismatic leader in Maratha history after Shivaji.He | |
| conquered Malwa, Bundelkhand & even raided Delhi. He was succeded by his son Balaji | |
| Baji Rao (Nana Saheb – different from the later Nana Saheb, adopted son of Baji Rao II) | |
| who defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Maratha however received a terrible blow at | |
| the hands of Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761 at Panipat. |
| Selective Treaties & Battles | ||||||
| Treaty of Purandhar | Jai Singh defeated Shivaji. Shivaji had to surrender 23 out of the thirty | |||||
| five forts held by him. | ||||||
| Treaty of Palkhed | Nizam of Hyderabad was forced to recognize Maratha claimsto chauth | |||||
| & sardeshmuhi in the Deccan (durin Baji Rao I’s tenure). | ||||||
| Treaty of Warina | Claims of Tara Bai settled by granting her Kolhapur | |||||
| Treaty of Bhalke | Marathas won large parts of Khandesh by invading Karinataka. | |||||
| Battle of Talikota (1565) | Between Vijayanagara Empire (Rama Raya, son of Achutya Raya) and | |||||
| Deccan sultanates, resulted in Vijayanagar’s defeat. | ||||||
| Books of Medieval Period | ||||||
| 1. | Taj-ul-Maasir | Hasan Nizami | ||||
| 2. | Tabaqat-i-Nasiri | Minhaj Siraj | ||||
| 3. | Tarikh-i-Firuzshahi (Most important work of sultanate period) | Ziauddin Barani | ||||
| Fatwah-i-Jahandari | ||||||
| 4. | Futuh-us-Salatin (establishment of Bahmani Kingdom) | Isami | ||||
| 5. | Tarikh-i-Firuzshahi | Afif | ||||
| 6. | Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi | Yahya Sirhindi | ||||
| 7. | Akbar Nama | Abul Fazal | ||||
| 8. | Tabaqat-I-Akbari | Nizammudin Ahmad | ||||
| 9. | Muntakhab-al-tawarikh | Badauni | ||||
| 10 | Badshahnama/Padshahnama | Abdul Hamid Lahori | ||||
| 11 | Muntakhab-ul Lubab (Aurangzeb’s reign) | Khafi Khan | ||||
| 12 | Mirat-i-Ahmadi | Ali Muhammad Khan | ||||
| 13 | Padmavat (on Padmini – wife of Ratan Singh, King of Chittor) | Malik Mohammad Jaisi | ||||
| 14 | Tughluq Nama, Tarik-i-Alai, Nuh Sipihr, Ashiqa | Amir Khusro | ||||
| 15 | Marwar ra Pargani ri Vigat (Info on Rajasthan) | Munhta Nainsi | ||||
| 16 | Chandayan | Maulana Daud |
| 17 | Himayun Nama | Gulbadan Begum |
| 18 | Bhavartha Dipika | Gyaneshwara |
| 19 | Safarinama or Rihla | Ibn Batuta |
| 20 | Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (Autobiography) | Jehangir |
| 21 | Tarikh-i-Shershahi | Abbas Sarwani |
| 22 | Tuzuk-i-Baburi/ Baburinama (in Turkish –Autobiography) | Babur |
| 23 | Shahjahannama | Inayat Khan |
| 24 | Dayabhaga | Jimuta Vahna |
| 25 | Periya Puranam (12th book of Tamil Veda called Tirumurai) | Shekkilar |
| 26 | Sur Sagar (Life of Krishna) | Sur Das |
| 27 | History of Aurangzeb, The fall of the Mughal Empire | Jadunath Sarkar |
| 28 | Mahmud of Ghazni | Mohammad Habib |
| 29 | The Administration of the Delhi Sultanate | I.H. Qureshi |
| 30 | Foundation of Muslim Rule in India | A.B.M. Habibullah |
| 31 | Agrarian System of Mughal India | Irfan Habib |
| Monuments of Medieval Period | |
| College of Ajmer (Converted to Adhai din ka Jhompra) | Vigraharaja IV Visaladeva |
| Rudra Mahakala temple, Siddhapura | Jayasimha Siddharaja |
| Jagannath Temple at Puri | Anantavarman Chodaganga |
| Sun Temple, Konark | Narasimha I ( E. Gangas) |
| Brihadesvara/Rajarajeswara temple at Thanjavur | Rajaraja the Great |
| Quwwat-al-Islam mosque, Delhi | Qutbuddin Aibak |
| Adhai din ka Jhompra | Qutbuddin Aibak |
| Himayun’s Tomb | Akbar’s step mother Haji Begum |
| Tomb of Sher Shah at Sasaram | Sher Shah |
| Agra Fort | Akbar |
| Buland Darwarza (commemorate Gujarat victory) | Akbar |
| Shalimar Garden | Shah Jahan |
| Badshahi Mosque at Lahore (largest in subcontinent) | Aurgangzeb |
| Man Mandir, Gwalior | Man Singh |
| Hauz Khas | Alauddin Khalji |
| Akbar’s Mausoleum at Sikandara | Akbar. Completed by Jehangir. |
| Madrasa at Bidar | Mahmud Gawan |
| Kings & their Court Jewels | ||
| 1. | Lakshmansena | Jayadeva, Halayudha, Sridharadasa. |
| 2. | Vikramaditya VI (Chalukya) | Bilhana (Vikramanankadevacharita) Vijnanaeshvara (Mitakshara) |
| 3. | Sharqis of Jaunpur | Malik Muhammad Jaisi |
| 4. | Akbar | Tansen, Todar Mal, Tulsidas (just contemporary) |
| Prominent Foreign Travellers | |||||||||
| 1. | Marco Polo | Venetian Traveller visited Pandya kingdom | |||||||
| 2. | Ibn Batuta | Muhammad bin Tughlaq | |||||||
| 3. | Nicolo Conti | Italian visited Vijayanagar during the reign of Deva Raya I | |||||||
| 4. | Abdur Razaq | Visited the court of Zamorin in Calicut & travelled to Vijaynagar | |||||||
| during the reign of Deva Raya II | |||||||||
| 5. | Nikitin | Russian, visited Bahmani kingdom & Gujarat | |||||||
| 6. | Nuniz | Portuguese, stayed at Vijayanagar during Krishna Deva Raya | |||||||
| 7. | Ralph Fitch | British during Akbar’s reign | |||||||
| 8. | William Hawkins | English merchant. Received a mansab from Jehangir | |||||||
| 9. | Thomas Roe | Ambassador of English King James I to Jehangir’s court. | |||||||
| Obtained trade concessions. Wrote “Embassy”. | |||||||||
| 10. | Peter Mundy | English traveller during Shah Jahan’s reign. | |||||||
| 11. | Tavernier | French jweller. Aurangzeb’s reign. | |||||||
| 12. | Bernier | French Physician. Most important account of all European. | |||||||
| Aurangzeb’s reign. Wrote ‘Travels in the Mughal Empire’. | |||||||||
| 13. | Nicolo Manucci | Italian. Aurangzeb’s reign. | |||||||
| Jargon of Medieval Period | |||||||||
| Mamluk | White slaves | Ur | Common village assembly (Chola period) | ||||||
| Muqaddam | Village head | Nagaram | Assembly of merchants (Chola period) | ||||||
| Sondhar | loans | Sabha | Assembly of Brahmins (Chola period) | ||||||
| Khots | Village head | Khutba | A sermon made in Friday mosque | ||||||
| Sharia | Muslim law | Madad-i-Maash | Tax free grants of land | ||||||
| Subas | Provinces | Waqf | Grants to muslim religious establishment | ||||||
| Mir Bakshi | Military department | Pargana | Around Hundred villages. | ||||||
| Ummah | Muslim believers | Sadr us sadur | Ecclesiastical affairs | ||||||
| Mir Saman | Supply department | Qanungos | Keeper of revenue records | ||||||
| Shiqdar | Headed Pargana. | Zabt | Revenue based on land measurement | ||||||
| Amils | Revenue officer | Ibadat Khana | House of worship (Fatehpur Sikri) | ||||||
| Hundis | Bills of Exchange | Diwan | Function of finance (Akbar’s time) | ||||||
| Dhimmis | Non-Muslim people | Wujuhat | Taxes on cattle,grazing,orchards. | ||||||
| Vimans | Towers of temple | Shaikhzadas | Indian Muslims nobility | ||||||
| Din | Religion | Peshwa | Prime minister (Shivaji) | ||||||
| Ganj | A grain market | Amatya | Revenue minister (Shivaji) | ||||||
| Gomashta | Commercial agent | Sumant | Foreign minister (Shivaji) | ||||||
| Hun | A gold coin | Bargir | Cavalrymen (horse belonged to leader) | ||||||
| Dam | Coin (1/4th of rupee) | Nankar | Portion of revenue given to Zamidar | ||||||
| Sarkar | A number of Paragana | Diwan-i-Arz | Ministry of Military Affairs | ||||||
| Khums | Tax on plunder | Diwan-i-Insha | Ministry of Royal Correspondences | ||||||
| Zawabit | Non Shariat state laws | Diwan-i-Risalat | Religiour affairs | ||||||
| Faujdar | Incharge of Sarkar | Diwan-i-Kul | Wazir or chief imperial fiscal minister. | ||||||
| Malfuzat | Sayings of sufi saint | Diwan-i-Wizarat | Department of finance | ||||||
| Tankah | Silver coin | Khalisa | Land revenue directly for imperial treasury | ||||||
| Kanqah | Sufi lodging | Wilayat | Spiritual territory of a sufi | ||||||
| Misl | Sikh Regions (12) | Umra | Collective term for nobility | ||||||
| Watandar | Desais & Deshmukh (collective term) | ||||||||
Extent of Mughal Empire at Akbar’s Death
Miscellaneous Facts:
1.Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 AD. The Quran alongwith the Hadith (sayings of the prophet) is venerated as supreme sources of authority in Islam. Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina is known as Hijra & the muslim calendar commences from this year. At the battle of Badr Muhammad first wielded sword to assert his prophethood. Quibla the direction to be faced during prayer changed from Jerusalem to Mecca.
2.Prophet’s son-in-law Ali was regarded as lawful immediate by some section (shiis) while other group considered his close followers Abu Bakr, Umar & Uthman as legal heir (came to be known as Sunnis).
3.Mahmud of Ghazni was the son of Subuktigin (founder of Ghaznavid dynasty). Subuktgin had defeated the Hindhshahi ruler Jaipal. Utbi was the court historian of Ghazni. Mahmud raided 17 times which
included Nagarkot, Mathura, Kanauj & Somanath temple (1025 AD when Chalukya king Bhima I was ruling Gujarat). He patronized Al-Beruni.
4.Muhammad Ghur first invasion was against Multan which he won easily. His invasion of Gujarat ended in a crushing defeat at the hands of the Chalukyan forces. Then followed Battle of Tarain I & II, invasion of Ghadavala ruled by Jaichandra. After Ghur’s death his senior slave Tajuddin Yalduz occupied Ghazni, Qubacha occupied Multan, Ali Mardan took Lakhnauti (Bihar-Bengal) while Aibak took Delhi. At the same time Bhaktiyar Khalji, another slave raided province of Bihar destroying monasteries of Nalanda & Vikramshila & even attacked the Bengal ruler Lakshmanasena. Eastern Chalukyas ruled at Vengi.
5.Chola king Rajendra I captured whole of Sri Lanka & reasserted Chola soverignity over Kerala & Pandyan country. He conquered north upto Ganga & assumed the title of Gangaikonda. Marco Polo visited the Pandyan Kingdom around 1293 AD.
6.Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign saw the rise of two independent states in south – Vijaynagar & Bahamani. The Tungabhadra doab had been a source of conflict between the Cholas & the western Chalukyas, between Yadavas & Hoysalas as well as between the Vijaynagar & the Bahmani Kindom.
7.The largest indigenous industry during the Delhi sultanate period was that of textiles. During Firuz Shah the slaves rose to an all time high. While India’s indigenous architecture is trabeate (space spanned by beams laid horizontally), the Islamic form is arcuate (arches are used to bridge a space).
8.All the Lodi rulers were buried on the Bagh-i-Jud known today as Lodi Garden. The coins of Mahmud Ghazni, Iltutmish, Nasirudin Mahmud, Balban, Alauddin Khalji bear the name of Abbasid Caliph.
- Mansabdars had dual ranks – zat (personal rank & expenses) & sawar (cavalry rank). Land revenue systems were batai (crop divided between state & the peasant), hast-o-bud (official inspection for estimation), kankut system (estimation of land & yield), nasaq system (based on previous estimates).
- The sants of the Vithoba cult & their followers called Varkari emphasized annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur (Mahrashtra). The most important saint was Jnaneshvar. Saguna Bhakti (Tulsi Das, Chaitanya, Surdas, Mirabai, Nimbarka& Vallabha) believed in doctrine of incarination while Nirguna bhakti (Kabir) worshiped formless aspect of divinity.
- Guru Angad developed the Gurmukhi script. Guru Arjun Dev completed Adi Granth. Guru Hargobind constructed the Akal Takht at the Golden Temple & asked his followers to built the fort of Lohgarh. Enraged Jehangir had the Guru imprisoned for 2 years.
- Of the various Sufi orders in India the Chishti (founder was Moinuddin Chisti) & Suharawadi (Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya whose Khanqah at Multan became an important pilgrimage centre) orders (silsilas)
were the most prominent. Other prominent saints were Shaikh Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki & Nizamuddin
Auliya. Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi (Naqshbandi order) was contemporary of Jehangir.
- There was no Maratha in Akbar’s nobility & only one in that of Jehangirs. In Aurangzeb’s time the Marathas increased considerably & foreign nobility declined. Dara Shukoh brother of Auranzeb got 52 Upanishads converted into Persian, the collective work being known as the Sirr-i-Akbar. Murshid Quli Khan was a talented revenue officer during the time of Shah Jahan who helped prince Aurangzegb streamline the revenues in Deccan.
- Uprisings during Aurangzeb period were Jats (Gokula, Rajaram, Churaman & Surajmal-the adopted son of Badan Singh), Satnami, Sikhs (Guru Harkishan summoned to Delhi – Bangla Sahib is the site where he resided; Guru Teg Bahadur was beheaded at present Sis Ganj Gurudwara site; Guru Gobind Singh born in Patna), Bundelas of Ochha (under Chhatrasal)
- On Baisakhi day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa panth. In the succession that followed after Aurangzeb, Govind Singh supported Bahadur Shah in the hope of getting justice against Wazir Khan (who killed Guru’s son) but all in vain. Gobind Singh appointed Banda Bahadur (later kille Wazir khan) to wage war against the mughals but he failed & was humiliated before being executed.
- Shivaji assumed titles of Chhatrapati, Gobrahmance Pratipalak (protector of cows & Brahmins). His consecration marked the commencement of a new era, the Rajyabhisheka saka.
- Bengal was the main silk centre. Land owner ship was Khudkhasta (Owner & land in the same village), Pahikashta (different village) & Muqarari raiya (He leased his spare land to tenants called muzarin). During mughal period there is no evidence of joint ownership of land. Slave trade focus shifted from Multan to Kabul. Freshly minted coins had a greater value than those minted in previous regimes.
- Thomas Roe went to Jehangirs court to get concessions for operation. Dutch obtained a farman from the Sultan of Golconda to operate at Masulipatnam.
- The Mughal school of painting began with Himayun & reached its pinnacle during Jehangir. Himayun also started the Mina Bazar for royal ladies.
Miscellaneous Facts from Mocks:
- Qutbuddin Aibak was not recognized by the Caliph of Baghdad. Kashmir was never a part of sultanate of Delhi. ‘Janam Sakhis’ are the biographical writings abouth the Sikh gurus. The utterances of Namdev, Kabir, Ravidas, Shaikh Fariduddin Masud (Sufi Saint), Dhanna have been included in Adi Granth. Printing press was introduced in India by the Portuguese.
- The most important system of land revenue was the Zabti system. The term ‘Urs’ referred to the death anniversary of a Sufi saint. The Sisodiyas of Mewar did not submit to Akbar during his reign. Shahjahan did not write his autobiography. Bairagis in India were a Vaishnavite sect.
- Portuguese-Dutch-English-French was the correct sequence of foreigners coming to India. In medieval period Polaj was the most fertile land & banjar the least fertile.
- Bijapur (Adil Shahi Dynasty), Ahmadnagar (Nizamshahi dynasty), Golkonda (Qutbshahi dynasty), Bidar (Barid Shahi dynasty).
- Delhi Sultanate reached its maximum limit during Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Invasion of Chengiz Khan (Iltutmish reign), Invations of Tarmahirin (Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign), Invasion of Nadir Shah (Muhammad Shah) & Invasion of Timur (Nasiruddin Mahmud Tughlaq).
- Mir Syed Ali, Daswant & Khwaja Abdus Samad were famous painters at the court of Himayun & Akbar. Mansur & Bishan Das were leading court painters under Jehangir. The translation of Mahabharata in Persian (Razmnama) was carried out during the reign of Akbar by Faizi. Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur s built over the tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah.
- The dominant form of decoration employed in the buildings of the sultanate period is called arabesque. Various regional languages of medieval India arose out of Apabhramsa. The pushtimarg was the philosophy of Guru Vallabhacharya (Surdas was his disciple).
- Moinuddin Chisti (Ajmer), Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi), Farduddin Masud (Pak Patan, Pakistan) & Khwaja Syed Mudammad Gesu Daraz (Gulbarga) are the famous sufi shrines.
- Krittivasa translated Ramayana into Bengali. Kabir, Ravidas, Dhanna & other low cast bhakti saints were belived to be disciples of Ramananda. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of Golconda founded the city of Hyderabad. Arabs were not a part of Mughal nobility. Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan was a mughal noble & poet under Akbar.
- The sufi silisilas were Suhrawadi, Firdausi, Shattari, Chisti, Qadiri & Naqshbandi. Amer was Jaipur, Marwar (Jodhpur), Mewar (present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand and Udaipur).
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