Tai Khamti-British War of 1839

Tai Khampti diorama / Image Credit

Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has urged the Centre to declare Tai Khamti-British War of 1839 as the first war of India’s independence against the British. 

80 British soldiers, including the British agent Colonel Adam White, were killed by the Tai Khamtis in Tai Khamti-British War that took place in 1839. 

Recently the Centre has refused to accept Odisha’s demand to declare Paika rebellion as the First War of Independence. Paika Rebellion took place from 1817 to 1825 in Odisha. Currently, the Revolt of 1857, known variously as First War of Independence and Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 is called the first war of independence against British Rule. The Revolt of 1857 shook the very foundation of the British Empire in India.

About Tai Khamti-British War of 1839

The Arunachal Deputy CM Chowna Mein also underscored the need to recognize battles between other communities of Arunachal Pradesh and the British. They include four Anglo-Abor wars fought by the Adis in 1858, 1859, 1894 and 1911 and the Wancho-British war, also known as ‘Ninu Massacre’, at Ninu in Tirap district in Arunachal Pradesh in 1875.

The Abors, now called Adis, live in the central part of the state, while the Wanchos inhabit the southern Arunachal Pradesh. 

Today the population of Tai Khamti people is a little more than 1,00,000. They live in areas straddling Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. They follow Theravada Buddhism. 

Khairul Manzil Mosque, Delhi

                                    Khairul Manazil, opposite Purana Qila, Delhi. Image credit 

Located opposite the Purana Qila in Delhi, Khairul Manzil mosque was built in 1561 by Maham Anga, the foster mother of the Mughal emperor Akabr. She was the mother of powerful Mughal noble Adham Khan who was killed by Akbar in Agra in 1562.

Meaning ‘the most auspicious of houses’ in Persian, Khair-ul-Manazil mosque on the Mathura road is Delhi’s first mosque built by the Mughals. 

The arch in the middle of the prayer chamber contains the inscription that says that the mosque was built by Maham Anga.

Fifth Siddha Day celebrated

Fifth Siddha Day was celebrated by Union Ministry of Ayush on 23rd December. 

Siddha system of medicine is one of the oldest codified traditions of healthcare originated in the Indian sub-continent with many intricate, novel therapeutic interventions and treatment modalities. 

Siddha system of medicine is one of the oldest codified traditions of healthcare originated in the Indian sub-continent.

The Siddha system is still being practised in the southern parts of India.

Ayush Ministry observes Siddha Day on eve of Siddhar Agathiya’s  birthday every year. Siddhar Agathiya is the father of Siddha Medicine. The day is observed in the Tamil month of Margazhi. 

Hindi translation of Sangam text Tolkappiyam released

Union Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar has released the Hindi translation of Tolkāppiyam, a unique work on grammar and poetics. 

A part of the corpus of Sangam literature, Tolkappiyam is the most ancient extant Tamil grammar text and the oldest extant long work of Tamil literature.

Tolkappiyam was written by Tolkappiyar during the Sangam period. According to some Tamil tradition places Tolkappiyam in the mythical second Sangam (great literary assembly), variously in 1st millennium BCE or earlier.

Tamil writing systems dates back to 250 BCE and Tamil Sangam poetry contains 2381 poems in Tamil composed by 473 poets, some 102 anonymous. Most scholars suggest the historical Sangam literature era spanned from c. 300 BCE to 600 CE to be among the finest of world literature.

Though it is reasonable to believe that the ancient Tamil itself had a long poetic tradition and a large body of literature, only a grammatical treatise in verse called Tolkāppiyam, the eight anthologies (Ettuttokai) and Ten Songs (Pattuppattu) have survived the ravages of time.

Ettuttokai consists of Nattrinai, Kuruntokai, Aignkurunuru, Pathittrupattu, Paripādal, Kalittokai, Akananuru and Purananuru.

A unique work on grammar and poetics, Tolkappiyam deals with Ezhuttu (letter), Col (word) and Porul (subject matter).

Almost all levels of the human language from the spoken to the most poetic lie within the purview of Tolkappiyar’s analysis as he treats in exquisitely poetic and epigrammatic statements on phonology, morphology, syntax, rhetoric, prosody and poetics.

Kolkata’s Durga Puja Gets UNESCO heritage status

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added Kolkata's Durga Puja to its 'Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.' 

The decision was taken during the sixteenth session of the of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by Punchi Nilame Meegaswatte, Secretary General of the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO.

Durga Puja is an annual festival marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga. In West Bengal Bengal the festival is celebrated in honour of Goddess Durga’s killing of demon Mahishasur and is called the Durga Puja. Huge pandals are set-up housing the idols of Goddess Durga and her four children - Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya. 

India now has 14 intangible cultural heritage elements on the UNESCO list. Other Indian entries that were previously inscribed include Ramlila (2008), Yoga (2016) and Kumbh Mela (2017).

In 2017, the Kumbh Mela was accorded this recognition. Yoga was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016, traditional brass and copper craft of Punjab in 2014, Manipur's Sankirtana ritual singing in 2013 and the dance forms of Chhau, Kalbelia and Mudiyettu in 2010.

The preparations for Durga Puja start well in advance but things really hot up when the idols of Goddess Durga and her four children - Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya finally arrives and are installed in the pandals.

The worship of Goddess Durga starts on the inaugural day of Mahalaya. The next ten days are marked by prayers, dancing, merrymaking, ethnic clothing and meeting the neighbours. The Vijayadasmi day marks the end of the puja festivities. The beautifully decorated deities being carried in splendid processions with attractive backdrops, and the frenzied processions dancing to the beat of drums and music are a treat to watch. 

Centre refuses to accept Paika revolution as first war of independence

The Centre has recently refused to accept Paika rebellion as the first war of independence. In 2017, the Odisha Government demanded that the Odisha rebellion be declared as the first war of independence. Currently, the Revolt of 1857, known variously as First War of Independence and Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 is called the first war of independence against British Rule. The Revolt of 1857 shook the very foundation of the British Empire in India.

Paika Rebellion took place from 1817 to 1825 in Odisha.

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What is the Paika Rebellion?

The Paikas were a warrior class who were given rent-free lands by the Gajapat kings in Odisha in lieu of the military services they would render to the Kingdom of Khurda.

.In 1804, the King of Khurda, Raja Mukunda Deva, who was dethroned by the British in the previous year, organized a rebellion against the British with the help of his Paiks. However, the rebellion ended in a fiasco and the British confiscated his entire territory.

As the new land revenue settlements of the British came into force the Paikas lost their estates. The oppression of the British in the following years caused a resentment among the Paikas who under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar confronted the British on April 2, 1817. Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar was the military chief of the King of Khurda. 

All government buildings in Banapur in Khurda districts were set on fire and the British treasury was looted. Many policemen lost their lives.

The revolt was ultimately suppressed with brutality by the British. Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar [Bidyadhar Mohapatra] surrendered to the British in 1825 and died while still in jail in 1829. 

Delhi’s Nizamuddin Basti conservation project wins two UNESCO awards

The UNESCO has conferred two awards for conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti in Delhi. 

The Nizamuddin Basti has received two awards at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation this year. The conservation initiative at Nizamuddin area has bagged the prestigious Award of Excellence and another award in the Special Recognition for Sustainable Development category. 

Conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti are being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation and the Dargah Committee and resident community groups of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti since 2007.

Nizamuddin Basti Project encompasses restoration of over 20 historic monuments clustered around the 14th century mausoleum of the revered Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the most prominent Sufi saint of the Chisti order.

• The Nizamuddin area consists of Humayun Tomb and the 16th century Batashewala Tomb-Garden Complex and tomb of 16th century poet Rahim (Khan I Khanan) and the Mughal-period caravanserai of Azimganj Serai. These regions were segregated and damaged. They were also renewed by the Nizamuddin Basti Project.

• The project was started in 2007 by the Aga Kahn Trust for Culture, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Objectives of Nizamuddin Basti Project

• The Nizamuddin Basti Project is an Urban Renewal Project. It successfully unified the segregated zones of the seven-century old settlement of the Nizamuddin Basti and its surrounding 70 acres.

• It integrated socio – economic development, conservation and environmental development objectives in these areas.

• It unified three major sites namely Sundar Nursery, Nizamuddin Basti and Humayun Tomb.

Humayun Tomb

A brilliant example of early Mughal architecture, Humayun Tomb was commissioned by his first wife Bega Begum or Haji Begum. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1993. Since then, it has undergone extensive restoration work. The tomb is placed in the centre of a thirty-acre garden called “Char Bagh”. The last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was captured by the British in Humayun Tomb in 1857.

Mattancherry Palace

                            Mattancherry palace at night/ Image Source

The Mattancherry Palace in Cochin in the Indian state of Kerala is a magnificent two -story building with its vividly executed vibrant murals.  

Also known as the Dutch Palace, the palace was originally built in the 16th century by the Portuguese who presented the palace to the ruler of Kochi with a view to ease the tension caused due to the plunder of Palluruthi temple by the Portuguese. 

When Cochin fell to the Dutch in 1663 AD, the palace came under their control who gave this beautiful architecture a makeover.   

Khudiram Bose Anniversary

                                                        Freedom fighter Khudiram Bose (Photo: Twitter)

Today is the birth anniversary of Khudiram Bose [1889-1908], a revolutionary born in the Midnapore district of West Bengal. 

One of India’s earliest revolutionaries to die on the gallows on August 11, 1908 at the age of 18, Khudiram Bose was a member of the revolutionary society Anushilan Samiti. He along with Prufulla Chaki threw a bomb at the carriage of Kingsford, an English Judge at Muzaffarpur in Bihar. 

Bose was arrested in the Muzaffarpur Conspiracy case and sentenced to death while Prufulla Chaki committed himself before police could arrest him. 

Khudiram Bose was executed in Muzaffarpur jail on 11 August 1908. 

Rajgir, First Capital of Magadha

   Vulture’s Peak, Rajagriha|Wikimedia Commons

In ancient times, Rajgir or Raagriha, as it was called, was the capital of 6th century BC Magadhan ruler Bimbisara who was deposed, imprisoned and murdered by his son Ajatashatru in about 494 B.C. 

Situated in the state of Bihar, Rajgir is one of the most sacred -- and atmospheric – places in India. Rajgir measures its history in millennia. Today a pool of serenity and tranquillity, Rajgir is littered with the ancient remnants of the past. Rajgir is a holy place, a centre of pilgrimage, and an object of devotion for three faiths: Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

Griddhakuta or Vulture's Peak, Bimbisara's Jail and World Peace Pagoda are some of the attractions in Rajgir, 15 km from the world famous Buddhist site of Nalanda.  

Griddhakuta (Vulture's Peak)
The well-known Buddhist site of Griddhakuta Hill is deservedly an attraction in Rajgir not to be missed. During the rainy season the Buddha used to climb up to his mountain retreat atop the Griddhakuta Hill and deliver sermons to his disciples. The brilliant shine of the Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda), built on the top of the hill by the Buddha Sangha of Japan in 1965, is a feast for the eyes. Though you can reach the hill by following a bridle path, it would be an experience of a lifetime to use the aerial single-person chairlift. A ride on the chairlift commands a panoramic view of the hills of Rajgir and some Jain temples dotting the landscape. 

Venuvana
One of the famous attractions of Rajgir, Venuvana is the site of the monastery Venuvana Vihar where Gautama Buddha used to reside while he was in Rajgir. Venuvana Vihar was built by Bimbisara for use by Buddha. 

Saptaparni Cave
Saptaparni Cave is the place where Buddha used to meditate. It is said to be the venue for the First Buddhist Council, held six months after Buddha's death. The Saptparni cave is also the source of the various hot water springs the waters of which are known to provide cure for the chronic ailments. The therapeutic baths at these springs have been famous for their medicinal powers for centuries. 

Rajgir Mahotsav Festival
Rajgir Mahotsav, a compelling attraction for the cultural cognoscenti, is a three –day festival of classical dances and music held annually at Quila Maidan against the spectacular backdrop of the Ratnagiri hills in Rajgir.

Since its inception in 1986, this unmissable annual event has grown into a major attraction for cultural cognoscenti. Spectators from different parts of the world attend the demonstration of art in the dance and music form. 

Apart from dance and music, the list of attractions to treat the tourists during the three-day extravaganza also include Tonga race, mehndi contest, martial arts competitions,  mahila utsav, food plaza and gramshree mela. 

Ghositarama monastery of Kaushambi

                        Ghoshitaram monastery in Kosambi/ Image source

Kaushambi was a thriving centre of Buddhism in ancient times and was one of the six greatest cities during Buddha’s time besides serving as the capital of the Vatsa kingdom. 

Kaushambi which was visited by the Buddha several times finds mention in the accounts of seventh century Chinese scholar and traveler Huen Tsang who records that the place was home to 10 monasteries when he visited it. 

The archaeological excavations have led to the discovery of the remains of the Ghositarama monastery which played host to the Buddha during his stay in the city.

Ghositarama monastery was built by one of the leading Shreshti (bankers) of Kaushambi, Ghosita whose daughter Samavati was the wife of  Udayana, the most famous king of the Vatsa kingdom who ruled in the 6th century BC. 

Fatehpur Sikri: A Maze of Mughal Monuments

 Panch Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri

About 39 km from the touristy site of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri is considered as an architectural marvel of medieval India. Today the ghost town of Fatehpur Sikri astonishes visitors and history buffs with its majesty and scope. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, the city-palace complex of Fatehpur Sikri is home to tombs, royal palaces and courts.

Built by the greatest Mughal emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri was the seat of his government from 1571 to 1585. The English traveler Ralph Fitch, who has left an eyewitness account of the social life and economic condition of the Mughal India, visited the Mughal court of Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri in 1585 and wrote, 'Agra and Fatepore are two very great cities, either of them much greater than London and very populous.’

However, the capital was abandoned in 1585 by Akbar. Scarcity of water is the popular explanation for this abandonment. The Mughal emperor made Lahore his new capital, which remained so till 1598.

Among important buildings in Fatehpur Sikri are the Jami Masjid, Buland Darwaza (Lofty Gate), tomb of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti, pyramidal Panch Mahal, Naubat Khana, Taksal (mint), Karkhanas (royal workshops), Khazana (treasure), Hakim’s quarters, Diwan-i-Khass, Diwan-i-Am, Maryam's House, also called Sunahra Makan, Jodh Bai's Palace, Birbal's House, etc.

Constructed in 1571-72, Jama mosque is the most dominant monument in Fatehpur Sikri. Buland Darwaza or literally lofty gate is the southern entrance of the Jama Masjid. Buland Darwaza, is an imposing structure with a total height of 52 metres from the ground level.  It was added to the design of the Jama Masjid.

Tomb of Salim Chishti, in whose honour the city of Fatehpur Sikri was built by Akbar, is one of the finest specimens of Mughal architecture. Described as an “architectural cameo” by Percy Brown, the noted writer on Indian architecture, the tomb was built by Akbar in 1580-81. It was Salim Chishti after whom Akbar named his son, Salim, who later on went on to become the fourth Mughal emperor. 

Palace of Mariam-uz-Zamani ('Mary of the Age') is another famous structure in Fatehpur Sikri. Mariam-uz-Zamani was Akbar’s first Rajput queen and mother of Jahangir, the fourth Mughal emperor.  

One of attractions in Fatehpur Sikri is Hiran Minar, a 21.34 metres tall tower which is entered through a flat-topped door leading to a staircase. 53 steps will take you to the top inside the tower from where you can have a bird’s-eye view of the surroundings. 

Panch Mahal is Fatehpur Sikri’s architectural gem. The structure consists of four storeys of decreasing size. While the ground floor contains 84 columns, the first storey has 56 columns. The second and third stories contain 20 and 12 columns respectively. The top storey contains 4 pillars supporting a chhattri, taking the number of the columns to 176. 

                         Diwan-i-Khass at Fatehpur Sikri /Wikimediacommons

Diwan-i-Khass (Hall of Private Audience) is another highlight of Fatehpur Sikri. Its interior is endowed with a massive, richly carved column supporting an elaborate capital. 

Birbal's House, Fatehpur Sikri image credit

The pilasters and brackets of the residence of Akbar’s confidant Birbal in Fatehpur Sikri show the traditional Hindu influence. Popular belief is that this palace was a part of the Imperial Harem and was occupied by Akbar's two senior queens, Ruqayya Begum and Salima Sultan Begum. 

Birbal Bhavan in Fatehpur Sikri

    

                                                        Image Credit

Birbal Bhavan is beautiful architectural wonder in the Mughal emperor Akbar’s abandoned capital of Fatehpur Sikri. 39 km from Agra, Fathehpur Sikri was was built by Akbar. Fatehpur Sikri was the seat of his government from 1571 to 1585.

Believed to have been built for Akbar’s courtier Birbal, this enticing building in Fatehpur Sikri has been described by Victorian era French author Victor Hugo as 'either a very small palace or a very large jewelry box’. 

Though small in size, the palace is known for its intricate designs. Its double dome structure makes it possible to keep its interiors cool during summers. 

Maitraka rulers of Valabhi

                        Maitrakas of Valllabhi Family Tree / Image Tree

Vallabhi, a famous centre of learning rivalling Nalanda in ancient India, once served as the capital of the Maitraka Dynasty which arose in Gujarat and Saurashtra in western India in the late 5th century AD on the debris of the Gupta Empire. Vallabhi was a port city which was of substantial commercial significance. The Maitraka dynasty ruled from approximately 475 to 776 CE. 

Vallabhi has been described as famous centre of learning and trade in Somadeva’s Kathasaritsagara (Ocean of the Streams of Stories), a commentary written in the 11th century AD on the extinct Brihatkatha by Guṇaḍhya. 

Maitraka dynasty was founded in 475 CE by Bhatarka, who was a military governor of Saurashtra under Gupta Empire. He was a commander of Skandagupta, the last great Gupta ruler. Bhatarka did not assume the royal titles and continued to style himself as Senapati (General). He was responsible for setting up the famed university of Vallabhi. 

Bhatarka was succeeded by Dharasena who also called himself Senapati. 

Most important ruler of the Maitrakas was Dhruvasena II (reigned 627-641), a contemporary of Harsha who came in conflict with him and defeated him. However, Harsha thought it prudent to reinstate him to secure the western boundary. He also gave out the hands of his daughter in marriage to Dhruvasena II who was know for his mastery in grammar and the science of polity.

Dharasena IV (AD 645-650) was another important ruler of the Maitraka dynasty. Unlike his predecessor or successor, he assumed the title of Chakravartin.  

Bhatti, the author of Ravanavadha, was the court poet of Dharasena IV. Ravanavadha, (the Death of Rāvaṇa), more popularly known as Bhattikavya (Bhatti’s Poems), is a poem on the story of Rama.    

Shiladitya VI was the last ruler of the Maitraka dynasty. 

Key Points to Know

• A new era named Gupta era (320 AD) believed to have been founded by Chandra Gupta I was in use by the Maitraka dynasty for some centuries after the Gupta empire fell.  
• In the 5th century AD in Valabhi a Jaina Council was held. It was at this council, the oral  traditions of the Svetambar Jains were finally reduced to writing in the form of twelve Upangas or minor sections, and various lesser sections. 

Fauti or Phuti Masjid

                                                Phuti Masjid / Image Source

Situated in Murshidabad in West Bengal, Phuti Masjid is a mosque built by Sarfaraz Khan who had held the role of Nawab of Bengal for only one year (1739- 1740.) 

Sarfaraz Khan had succeeded his father Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan who had become Bengal Nawab after the death of latter's father-in-law Murshid Quli Khan, the first Nawab of Bengal and the founder of Murshidabad and the Nasiri dynasty which ruled Bengal from 1717 until 1740. 

TK Madhavan: The Spearhead of Vaikom Satyagraha

Born on September 2, 1885, TK Madhavan was a prominent social reformer who played a dominant role in the famed Vaikom Satyagraha, a movement for temple entry and abolition of untouchability. He was a follower of Sri Narayana Guru and in 1927 he was elected as the Organizing Secretary of the Shree Narayan Dharma Paripalana Yogam. 

Vaikom Satyagraha, which lasted for 18 months during 1924–25, was a movement to allow temple entry for the avarnas or lower castes at Vaikom (a part of the then princely state of Travancore) in the Kottayam district of Kerala. 

TK Madhavan was arrested in 1924 for participating in the Vaikom Satyagraha. He sought the help of Mahatma Gandhi who arrived at Vaikom on March 7, 1925 and camped there with TK Madhavan, helping in the successful completion of Satyagraha.

TK Madhavan made his contribution in the field of journalism. From 1917 onwards he was the editor of the Malayalam daily Deshabhimani which he started to educate the people of their rights.   

He had participated in the Indian National Congress session of Kanpur in 1925.

TK Madhavan died on April 27, 1930.  

Biography of Behramji Malabari

                                                                    Behramji Malabari. Image Source
An associate of Dadabhai Naoroji, M. G. Ranade, Dinshaw Wacha and other contemporary political leaders and social reformers, Behramji Merwanji Malabari was a Parsi social reformer who vigorously championed the cause of women. He was against casteism and child marriage, advocated widow remarriage. He was in favour of equality of sexes and uplift of the status of the women, particularly the widows. 

Born in Vadodara in 1853, Behramji Malabari had participated in the first session of the Indian National Congress held in Mumbai in 1885.

In 1908 he founded a social service organization Seva Sadan Society for the education and empowerment of women. The branches of Seva Sadan Society, which he founded with another social reformer Dayaram Gidumal, were also set up in Ahmedabad and Surat.

In 1875, he published a collection of Gujarati poems, Nitivinod (Pleasure of Morality) in which he ruminates on the ill effects of child marriage and the widowhood forced on women due to the practice of child marriage. Fluent both in Gujarati and English, in 1877 he wrote English poetry ‘Indian Muse in English Garb’ which enlisted recognition from famous English poet Alfred Tennyson. 

The widespread agitation by Behramji Malabari during the period 1884–1891 forced the British colonial government to pass the Age of Consent Act in 1891.

In 1893, Behramji Malabari published travel memoir The Indian Eye on English Life or Rambles of a Pilgrim Reformer which describes his three voyages to England and gives an account of the British way of life. 

Behramji had translated the speeches of the German orientalist Max Müller. 

Behramji Malabari died in 1912 in Simla. 

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Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh

Yesterday Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of a university in Aligarh named after Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh who is known for establishing a Provisional Government of Free India in Kabul in 1915 with himself as the President and Maulana Barkatullah of Bhopal as the President. 

Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh was a freedom fighter, revolutionary and journalist.

Born in a royal family in 1886 in Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, Mahendra Pratap Singh was one of the few royals who actively participated in the India’s struggle for freedom. From 1914 to 1945 he lived abroad in the USA, Austria, Germany, China, Afghanistan, Japan and Turkey working for India’s freedom from British colonialism. 

Mahendra Pratap Singh worked closely with the Hindustan Ghadar Party in the USA. In 1926 the Ghadar Part sent him to Tibet to organize a rebellion against the British. He started an Indian League in Japan.

Mahendra Pratap Singh supported technical and vocational education to students by establishing Prem Vidyalaya, a technical college, at Vrindavan in 1909. He believed in the essential unity of all religion and advocated the abolition of the Zamindari system in spite of himself being a landowner.

He started two papers- Prem in Hindi and Nirbal Sewak in Hindi and Urdu.

 

Sir Muhammad Iqbal : ideological founder of Pakistan

Muhammad Iqbal was an Urdu poet and lawyer. Born in Sialkot (now in Pakistan) on November 9, 1877, he was a great nationalist during early years of career writing the famous nationalist song: Sare Jahan se Accha, Hindositan hamara, but later on he voiced the idea of a separate Muslim state in the north-west India in his presidential address to the annual session of the Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930.

It was this idea which later fructified and culminated in the creation of a separate Muslim state of Pakistan on August 14, 1947. Naturally enough, he is acclaimed as the father of the idea of Pakistan. 

Muhammad Iqbal, also known as Allama Iqbal, died in Lahore in 1938.

History Medieval India - MCQs – Set 5

Q.1. Which one of the following dynasties ruled over the Delhi Sultanate following Timur’s invasion?

(a) Sayyid dynasty

(b) Lodi dynasty

(c) Tughlaq dynasty

(d) Khalji dynasty

Q.2. Which of the following Delhi Sultanate rulers had set up employment exchanges for the unemployed?

(a) Firuz Shah Tughlaq

(b) Alauddin Khilji

(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq

(d) Iltutmish

Q.3. Which of the following rulers of the Delhi Sultanate is called “Father of Indian Irrigation”?

(a) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(b) Alauddin Khilji

(c) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(d) Sikandar Lodi

Q.4. Which of the following battles took place between Sher Shah and Humayun?

(a) Battle of Ghaghra

(b) Battle of Bilgram

(c) Battle of Surajgarh

(d) None of the above

Q.5. The Mughal empire under Akbar was divided into 15 provinces. They were called --------.

(a)  Parganas

(b)  Subahs

(c)  Sarkars

(d)  None of these

Q.6. What was the name of the war that took place between Sher Shah Suri and  the Mughal Governor of Bihar, Jalal Khan,  in 1534 ?

(a) Battle of Surajgarh 

(b) Battle of Bilgram

(c) Battle of Ghaghra

(d) Battle of Kannauj

Q.7. Which of the following works narrates the ascent of the Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq to power?

(a) Tabaqat-i-Nasiri

(b) Tajul-Ma'asir

(C) Tughlaqnama

(d) None of the above

Q.8. Who was the founder of Tughlaq Dynasty?

(a) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(b) Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq

(C) Muhammad bin Tughlaq

(d) Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq

Q.9. What was the name of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq before his ascension to the throne?

(a) Ghazi Malik 

(b) Juna Khan

(c) Nizam Khan

(d) None of the above

Q.10. Who among the following transferred his capital from Delhi to Devagiri renamed by him as Daulatabad?

(a) Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq 

(b) Mohammad-bin Tughlaq 

(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(d) Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq

Answers

Q.1.- a

Khizr Khan was appointed governor of Multan, Lahore and DIpalpur by Timur Lang or Tamerlane who won these places after invading India and sacking Delhi in 1398-99. In June 1414, Khizr Khan invaded Delhi and founded a new dynasty named Saiyid Dynasty.

Q.2.- a

Firuz Shah Tughlaq, the third Tughlaq Sultan, had established employment exchanges for the unemployed.

Q.3.- a 

Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the third Tughlaq Sultan, is known as “Father of Indian Irrigation” because of the many irrigation canals that he built in his empire.

Q.4.- b 

The Battle of Kannauj took place at Kannauj in present day Uttar Pradesh between Mughal emperor Humayun and Afghan leader Sher Shah Suri on May 17, 1540. This battle is also known as the battle of Bilgram. Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah Suri in the battle.

Q.5.- b 

Initially Akbar had divided the Mughal empire into 12 subahs which were later expanded to 15 by the end of his reign.

Q.6.- a 

Battle of Surajgarh (1534) was fought between the combined forces of Jalal Khan and Bengal Sultan Mahmud Shah and the forces of Sher Shah.

Q.7.- c 

Tughlaq Nama (Book of the Tughlaqs) was written by Amir Khusrau. Tughlaq Nama describes the reign of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.

Q.8.- b

Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq was the founder of the Tughluq dynasty. He was succeeded by Juna Khan who assumed the title of Muhammad bin Tughlaq whose reign marked the highest point of territorial expansion of the Delhi Sultanate.  

Q.9.- a

Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq was called Ghazi Malik before his ascension to the throne of Delhi Sultanate. Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq was succeeded by Juna Khan who assumed the title of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. 

Q.10.- b

In 1327 a rebellion by his cousin Bahauddin Gurshasp, prompted Muhammad bin Tughluq to transfer his capital from Delhi to centrally located Devagiri, which he named Daulatabad. However, this experiment of his did not go down well with the Delhi populace. This forced the Sultan to retransfer the capital to Delhi.    

History Medieval India - MCQs – Set 4

 Q.1.- Ibrahim Lodhi was defeated by Rana Sanga in which of the following battles?

(a) Battle of Khatoli

(b) Battle of Gagron

(c) Battle of Khanwa

(d) None of the above

Q.2.- Who among the following Delhi Sultanate rulers was first to have coins inscribed with the name of Abbasid caliph of Baghdad?

(a) Iltutmish

(b) Ruknuddin Firoz

(c) Razia 

(d) None of the above

Q.3.- Chintamani Bhatta’s Suka-saptati (Parrot’s Seventy) was the first Sanskrit work to be translated into Persian by the name Tutinama. Who translated the work during the time of Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq?

(a) Malik Muhammad Jayasi 

(b) Amir Khusrau 

(c) Zia Nakhshabi 

(d) Zain-ul-Abidin  

Q.4.- The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Delhi is the earliest example of Islamic architecture in India. What was the original construction at the site of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque?

(a) A Jain temple

(b) A Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu

(c) A Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva

(d) None of the above

Q.5.- Which of the following rulers of Delhi Sultanate created the department of Diwan-e-Amir-Kohi related to agriculture? 

(a) Firoz Shah Tughluq

(b) Muhammd Bin Tughlaq

(c) Allaudin Khilji

(d) Jalauddin Khilji

Q.6.- Who among the following Delhi Sultanate rulers had appointed lbn Batuta as the Chief Oazi of Delhi?

(a) Balban

(b) Alauddin Khilji

(c) Feroz Shah Tughlaq

(d) Muhammad bid Tughluq 

Q.7.- Which of the following rulers of Delhi Sultanate had maximum number of slaves in his court?

(a) Balban

(b) Alauddin Khilji

(c) Mohammad bin Tughlaq

(d) Feroz Shah Tughlaq

Q.8. - Who among the following was the ruler of Delhi Sultanate when Hari Har and Bukka founded the Vijayanagar Empire in the South India?

(a) Muhammad bin Tughlaq

(b) Firuz Shah Tughlaq

(c) Alauddin Khilji

(d) Khizr Khan

Q.9. -Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi has been written by

(a) Ziauddin Barani 

(b) Shams Siraj Afif

(c) Both a and b

(d) None of the above

Q.10. -During the reign of which Tughlaq ruler, India faced invasion from Amir Timur, the terrible Mongol military leader of Central Asia?

(a) Ghiyasud-din Tughlaq

(b) Firuz Shah Tughlaq

(c) Muhammad bin Tughluq

(d) Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Tughluq

Answers

Q.1.- (a)

Battle of Khatoli was fought between Rana Sanga and Ibrahim Lodi in 1518. Rana Sanga defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the battle of Khatoli.

Q. 2.- (a)

In 1229, Iltutmish received a deed of investiture from the Abassid Caliph of Baghdad, becoming the first Sultan of Delhi to secure this recognition. The names of Abbasid caliph of Baghdad are inscribed on his coins.

Q. 3.- (c)

Zia Nakhshabi (d.1350) was a famous Sufi saint and scholar during the reign of Tughlaq Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq. He is credited with translating Chintamani Bhatta’s Sanskrit work Suka-saptati (Parrot’s Seventy) into Persian. The text translated by him is known as Tutinama (Stories from a Parrot) which was in time translated into Turkish and other European languages.

Zia Nakhshabi had also translated Koka-shastra (also known as Rati-rahasyam: Mysteries of Passion), a popular early medieval Sanskrit work on erotica written by Kukkoka (Kokapandita).

Q. 4.- (a)

Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Delhi is considered to be India's oldest mosque.

Q.5.- (b)

The department named Diwan-e-Amir-Kohi was introduced by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.

Q.6.- (d)

Arab traveller Ibn Battutah arrived in India in 1333 during the rule of second Tughlaq ruler Muhammad bid Tughluq who appointed him the Qazi (judge) of Delhi. After serving for eight years as the Qazi (judge) of Delhi, he was dismissed from the post by the Tughlaq Sultan.

Q.7.- (d)

Feroz Shah Tughlaq is known to have as many as 180,000 slaves. According to Shams Siraj Afif, their rise brought disaster to the Tughlaqs. They annihilated Firuz's sons and played roles in destroying the Tughlaq dynasty. Firuz's eunuch named Malik Sarwar founded the Sharqi dynasty of Jaunpur.

Q.8.- (a) 

During his reign Muhammad bin Tughluq had to encounter as many as thirty four rebellions, twenty seven of them in the south. Vijayanagar Empire came into existence at the cost of Sultanate territory during the rule of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Q.9.- (c) 

Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi is a contemporary account of Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq by medieval historian Ziauddin Barani. Another contemporary chronicle, also known as Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, written by Shams Siraj Afif, gives a detailed account of his reign.

Q.10.- (d) 

It was during the reign of last Tughluq ruler Nasiruddin Mahmud (reigned 1394-1413) in the years 1398-99 that Amir Timur, the terrible Mongol military leader of Central Asia, invaded India creating havoc in the forms of massacres and plunders.

Madhavrao I

Madhav Rao I Image Source

Madhav Rao I was appointed the 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire on 23 June in 1761 upon the death of his father, Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, also known as Nana Saheb, who had lost his eldest son and heir Vishwas Rao in the third battle of Panipat in 1761. 

Madhav Rao's claim to fame lies in his being instrumental in restoring the Maratha supremacy which was dented by their defeat in the third battle of Panipat. 

Since Madhav’s age at the time of his ascension to the Peshwaship was 16 years, his uncle Raghunath Rao, the eldest surviving member of the Peshwa family, took upon himself the regency of the Maratha empire and became its de facto ruler. This led to acrimonious differences between Madhav Rao and  Raghunath Rao who entered into wars against each other. 

In 1765 Raghunath Rao called for the partition of the Maratha State between himself and the Peshwa.

Madhav Rao I had defeated Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore, in each of the campaigns the Peshwa undertook against him. Madhav Rao was a great administrator.

Madhav Rao I died an untimely death on 18 November 1772 at the temple premises of  Ganesha Chintamani, Theur. It is said that had he lived longer, he might have averted the downfall of the Maratha Empire. 

 

History Medieval India - MCQs – Set 3

Q.1. Malik Kafur was the lieutenant of which Delhi Sultanate ruler?

(a) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq 

(b) Alauddin Khilji 

(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq 

(d) Jalaluddin Khilji

Q.2. Which of the following Mughal emperors was a proficient Veena player?

(a) Akbar

(b) Jahangir

(c) Shahjahan

(d) Aurangzeb

Q.3. Thomas Roe was sent to the court of Mughal emperor Jahangir as an official ambassador of which British monarch?

(a) James I

(b) King George V

(c) Queen Mary

(d) Queen Elizabeth 

Q.4. Who of the following reigned the longest?

(a) Akbar

(b) Babur

(c) Shah Jahan

(d) Jehangir

Q.5. The Mansabdari system introduced by Akbar was borrowed from where?

(a) Afghanistan

(b) Turkey

(c) Persia

(d) Mongolia

Q.6. Which of following Sultans of Slave (Mamluk) dynasty was the first to issue regular currency and declare Delhi as the capital of Delhi Sultanate? 

(a) Iltutmish

(b) Balban

(c) Aram shah

(d) Nasiruddin mahmud

Q.7. Which of the following rulers of Delhi Sultanate was the first to introduce the practice of Sajda (Sijdah) and Paibos (kissing feet) befor the Sultan? 

(a) Iltutmish

(b) Balban

(c) Jalauddin Khilji

(d) Muhammad Tughlaq

Q.8. In which year did Shah Jahan, the sixth Mughal emperor, ascend to the throne?

(a) 1627

(b) 1628

(c) 1629

(d) 1639

Q.9. During the rule of which Delhi Sultanate ruler did Ibn Batuta (Battutah) visit India?

(a) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(b) Alauddin Khilji

 (c) Muhammad bid Tughluq 

 (d) Ghiasuddin Tughlaq

Q.10. Who was the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate?

(a) Ibrahim Lodi

(b) Bahlul Khan Lodi

(c) Barbak Shah Lodi

(d) Sikandar Lodi

Answers

Q.1. - (b)

Malik Kafur was Alauddin’s lieutenant and Man Friday. He successfully executed his master’s expeditions to the South India and brought immense wealth from the South Indian kingdoms after demolishing many temples.

 Q.2. - (d)

The 6th Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had banned music in the tenth year of his reign, i.e. 1668, even though he personally enjoyed it.

Q.3. - (a) 

Sir Thomas Roe stayed at Jahangir's court from the end of 1615 till the end of 1618.

Q.4. - (a) 

Akbar reigned from 1556 to 1605 

Q.5. - (d) 

Mansabdari system, a unique feature of the administrative system of the Mughal empire, was introduced by Akbar with a view to organizing his nobility as well as army. It was borrowed from Mangolia. 

Mansabdar (holder of a rank, or an officer) is a title derived from the word Mansab which is of Arabic origin and means a rank or a position.  

Q.6. - (a) 

Iltutmish was the first Sultan of Delhi who issued regular currency and declared Delhi as the capital of his empire.

Q.7. - (b) 

Those who attended the court of Mamluk (Slave) Sultan were supposed to observe sizda (prostration before the sultan) and paibod (kissing his feet). These practices were considered un-Islamic. Balban was also the first Indian ruler to introduce the celebration of the Persian new year (Nao-roz or Navroz) in India.

Q.8. - (b) 

Shah Jahan ascended the Mughal throne at Agra in February 1628. 

Q.9. - (c) 

A native of Morocco, Ibn Battutah was an Arab traveller who arrived at Multan in 1333 during the rule of second Tughlaq ruler Muhammad bid Tughluq. After serving for eight years as the Qazi (judge) of Delhi, he was dismissed from the post by the Tughlaq Sultan.

Q.10. - (a) 

Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Lodi rulers of the Delhi Sultanate, is a famous personality in the Indian history whose defeat by Babur, the founder of the Mughal empire, in the first Battle of Panipat in 1526 led to the foundation of a new dynasty, named the Mughal empire, in India which lasted till 1857.

History Medieval India - MCQs – Set 2

Q.1. Which of the following Delhi Sultanate rulers had prohibited Muslim women from worshipping the graves of saints?

(a) Alauddin Khilji

(b) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(d) Sikander Lodhi

Q.2. Which of the following Delhi Sultanate rulers had earned the sobriquet of ‘Lakh Baksh’? 

(a) Qutb-ud-din Aibak

(b) Balban

(c) Jalaluddin Khilji

(d) Ghiasuddin Tughlaq

Q.3. Zain-ul-Abidin who forbade cow slaughter in his Sultanate was a ruler of 

(a) Bengal

(b) Kashmir

(c) Khandesh

(d) Madurai

Q.4. Which battle was declared by Babur a Jihad (holy war)?

(a) First Battle of Panipat

(b) Battle of Chanderi

(c) Battle of Khanwa 

(d) Battle of Ghagra

Q.5. The architectural raw material most widely used in Akbar's period was_________

(a) Redstone

(b) Marble

(c) Brick

(d) Limestone

Q.6. Abdur Razzaq was sent to the court of Vijayanagar ruler Dev Raya II as an ambassador of 

(a) Sultan Shah Rukh of Persia

(b) Sultan Bahzad of Turkey

(c) Sultan Alauddin of Iraq

(d) Sultan Bahaman of Egypt

Q.7. Who was the first ruler of Delhi Sultanate who paid his soldiers in cash?

(a) Iltutmish 

(b) Allauddin Khilji

(c) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

Q.8. Which of the following monuments has Alai Darwaja as its gateway?

(a) Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra 

(b) Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque

(c) Zamat Khana Masjid 

(d) Firoz Shah's tomb 

Q.9. Who was the only converted Muslim ruler to ascend the throne of Delhi Sultanate? 

(a) Kaiqubad

(b) Khusrav Khan

(c) Kayumars

(d) Ala-ud-din Masud Shah

Q.10. This Delhi Sultanate ruler was told by his theologian Qazi Mughisuddin that his acts were violation of the Shariat. Yet the Sultan went out of his way to defy the shariat. Who was he?

(a) Alauddin Khalji

(b) Muhammad bin Tughlaq

(c) Ghiyasuddin Balban 

(d) Sikandar Lodi

Answers

Q. 1. - (c) 

Firoz Shah Tughlaq was a religious bigot. He had prohibited Muslim women from worshipping the graves of saints?

Q. 2. - (a) 

According to the contemporary Muslim historians, Qutub-ud-din Aibak was famous for his generosity and was known as ‘lakh-baksh’ (giver of lakhs).      

Q. 3. - (b) 

Zain-ul-Abidin is known to be the greatest Kashmiri Muslim ruler. He was given the title of Budshah (the Great king)

Q. 4. – (c) 

The Battle of Khanwa was fought between Babur and Rana Sanga of Mewar in 1527. 

Q. 5. – (a)

Redstone was the most widely used architectural raw material in Akbar's times. 

Q. 6. – (a)

Abdur Razzaq was a Persian who was sent by Timur's son and successor Shah Rukh as ambassador to the Zamorin of Calicut. In April 1443, Abdur Razzaq also visited Vijayanagar during the reign of Devaraya II.

Q. 7. – (b)

Alauddin Khilji was the first Delhi Sultan to pay his soldiers in cash.

Q. 8. – (b)

Alai Darwaza (Gateway of Alauddin) was built in 1311 by Alauddin Khalji, the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty. It is the southern gateway to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Delhi. 

The material used in the construction of Alai Darwaza  is red sandstone and white marble, with inlays of black marble and blue schist.

Q. 9. – (b)

Khusrav Khan was a low-caste (Hindu) Baradu convert from Gujarat who was made the wazir, malik naib and Commander in Chief of the Khilji dynasty by the Khilji Sultan Mubarak Shah against the advice of his nobles.

In April 1320, Mubarak Shah was murdered by Khusrav Khan bringing the Khilji dynasty to an end. Khusrav Khan ascended the throne of Delhi under the title of Nasir-ud-din Khusrav Shah and tried to strike a veritable reign of terror by murdering the relatives, friends and those loyal to the Khilji Sultan.

Q. 10. – (a)

“I decree what I think is in the best interest of the state; I do not care whether it conforms to the shariat or not”, said Alauddin Khalji in a conversation to Qazi Mughisuddin.

History Quiz - 1

 Q. 1. Which Mughal Emperor had conferred the title of 'Raja' on Ram Mohan Roy?

(a) Shah Alam II 

(b) Akbar II

(c) Shah Jahan III 

(d) Bahadur Shah Zafar

Q. 2. Which organization was founded by Ram Mohan Roy and Debendranath Tagore in 1828?

(a) Brahmo Sabha

(b) Tattwabodhini Sabha

(c) Prarthna Samaj

(d) None of these

Q. 3. Who had called Raja Ram Mohan Roy the Father of Modern India?

(a) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(b) Mahatma Ghandhi

(c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(d) Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Q. 4.  Who was the ruler of Delhi Sultanate when Guru Nanak was born?

(a) Khizr Khan

(b) Mubarak Shah

(c) Bahlol Lodhi 

(d) Sikandar Lodhi 

Q. 5. What was the capital of Mahajanapada of Anga?

(a) Ujjayini

(b) Champa

(c) Suktimati 

(d) Ayodhya

Q. 6. Who is the author of Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri?

(a) Muhammad Saleh 

(b) Nizam-ud-din Ahmad

(c) Mirza Muhammad Kazim

(d) Jahangir

Q. 7. Which Delhi Sultanate ruler introduced the system of auditing the accounts?

(a) Muhammad bin Tughlaq 

(b) Sikandar Lodhi

(c) Alau-ud-din Khiliji

(d) Balban

Q. 8. Which Delhi Sultanate ruler was a Sunni Muslim and ordered the idol at the Jwalamukhi temple at Nagarkot to be?  

(a) Sikandar Lodhi

(b) Firuz Shah Tughlaq

(c) Alau-ud-din Khiliji

(d) Qutab- d-din Aibak

Q. 9. Who was the founder of Lodhi Dynasty?

(a) Sikandar Lodhi 

(b) Bahlol Lodhi

(c) Ibrahim Lodhi

(d) Daulat Khan Lodhi

Q. 10. Which Delhi sultanate ruler transferred his capital from Delhi to Agra?

(a) Sikandar Lodhi

(b) Bahlol Lodhi

(c) Ibrahim Lodi

(d) Mubarak Khilji

Answers

Q-1-(b)

In 1830 Raja Ram Mohan Roy went to England as an envoy of the penultimate Mughal Emperor, Akbar II, to the court of King William IV. It was Akbar II, also known as Akbar Shah II, who gave him the title of Raja. 

Q-2-(a)

The Brahmo Samaj was founded on 20 August, 1828 in Kolkata by Rammohan Roy and Debendranath Tagore

Q-3-(a)

Gopal Krishna Gokhale called Roy the ‘Father of Modern India’. 

Q-4-(c)

Nanak was born on 15 April 1469 at Talwandi, near Lahore, then ruled by Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. At that time Lodi dynasty was ruled by its founder Buhlul Lodi who was its ruler from 1451 to 1489. 

Q-5-(b)

Situated in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, Champa was the capital of Anga, one of the 16 Mahajanapadas in the sixth century BC. It was of great commercial importance.

Q-6-(d)

Written in Persian, Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (or Jahangirnama) is the autobiographical account of fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir who ruled from 1605 to 1627. 

Q-7- (b)

Sikandar Lodhi introduced the system of auditing of accounts and tightened the espionage system.

Q- 8- (a)

Firuz Shah Tughlaq  

Q-9- (b)  

Bahlul (also written as Buhlol, Bahlol and Buhlul) Khan Lodi was the founder of the Lodi dynasty, the last of the five dynasties, the combination of which is known as Delhi sultanate.

Q- 10- (a) 

Sikandar Lodi, the second ruler of the Lodi dynasty, transferred his capital from Delhi to Agra.

History MCQs – Set 6 - Modern India

Q. 1. Who planted the 'Tree of Liberty' at Srirangapatnam?

(a) Tipu Sultan

(b) Hyder Ali

(c) Chikka Krishnaraja

(d) Devraj

Q. 2. Which battle put an end to the French challenge to British supremacy in India? 

(a) The Battle of Plassey

(b) The Battle of Buxar

(c) The Battle of Wandiwash

(d) The Battle of Seringapatam

Q. 3. Who among the following had introduced the revenue collection method Ryotwari System in India? 

(a) Thomas Munro 

(b) Lord Cornwallis

(c) Holt Mackenzie

(d) None of these

Q. 4. Where did Moplah Uprising break out in 1921?  

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Kerala

(c) Karnataka

(d) Tamil Nadu

Q. 5. Who among the following was/were associated with the organization “Servants of India Society”?

(a) Gopal Krishna Gokhle

(b) Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar

(c) Both a and b 

(d) None of these

Q. 6. Who has authored the book 'The Light of Asia' ?

(a) Charles Wilkins

(b) Sir Edwin Arnold 

(c) Edwin Lester Arnold

(d) None of these

 

Q. 7. Who among the following leaders attended the inaugural meeting of Indian National Congress?

(a) Dadabhai Naoroji

(b) Kashinath Trimbak Telang

(c) Pherozeshah Mehta

(d) All of the above

Q. 8. Who had taken potshots at Indian National Congress as representing only microscopic minority of the people?

(a) Lord Dufferin

(b) Lord Elgin

(c) Lord Curzon

(d) Lord Hardinge

Q. 9. “(The Indian National) Congress is tottering to its fall, and one of my greatest ambitions while in India is to assist it to a peaceful demise.” To whom is this statement attributed?

(a) Lord Dufferin

(b) Lord Elgin

(c) Lord Curzon

(d) Lord Hardinge

Q. 10. Who had called Indian National Congress a 'begging institute'?

(a) Aurobindo Ghosh

(b) Bipin Chandra Pal

(c) Chittaranjan Das

(d) Madan Mohan Malviya 

Answers

Q. 1 – (a) 

Tipu Sultan had planted the 'Tree of Liberty' at Srirangapatnam. 

Q. 2 – (c)

The Battle of Wandiwash was a battle in India between the French and the British in 1760. 

Q. 3 – (a) 

The Ryotwari system was introduced in 1820 by Thomas Munro when he was governor of Madras. It was introduced in Madras (Chennai), Bombay, parts of Assam and Coorg provinces of British India.

Q. 4 – (b) 

Mappila or Moplah Rebellion took place in the southern taluks of Malabar in Kerala in 1921. It as an armed uprising against British authority and Hindu landlords, called  janmis , in Malabar, Kerala in 1921. The leader of the Moplah Rebellion was Variamkunnath Ahmad Haji. Moplah rioters were severely dealt with by the British authorities. 

Variamkunnath Ahmad Haji was shot dead on January 20, 1922. 

Q. 5- (a) 

Gopal Krishna Gokhle had founded Servants of India Society in 1905. Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar

was a devout member of the Servants of India Society 

Q. 6- (b) 

Sir Edwin Arnold is the author of the book 'The Light of Asia' . 

Q. 7- (d) 

During the viceroyalty of Lord Dufferin the Indian National Congress (INC) was founded by A. O. Hume and S. N. Banerjee  in 1885.

Q. 8- (a)

Lord Dufferin was the Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1884 to 1888. 

Q. 9- (c)

In 1900 in a letter to the British Secretary of State, Lord Curzon wrote, “(The Indian National) Congress is tottering to its fall, and one of my greatest ambitions while in India is to assist it to a peaceful demise.” Curzon was the youngest Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905. 

Q. 10- (a)

Aurobindo Ghosh was defended in the Alipur Bomb Conspiracy case by Cittaranjan Das who had founded the Swaraj Party. 

History MCQs – Set 5 - Modern India

Q.1. In which year did the Deccan Riots take place?

(a) 1875

(b) 1880

(c) 1885

(d) 1890

Q.2. Who was the leader of the Munda Rebellion of 1899?

(a) Jaipal Singh Munda

(b) Ram Dayal Munda 

(c) Birsa Munda

(d) Sidhu Murmu 

Q.3. Who put forward the Drain of Wealth theory in his book ‘Poverty and Un-British Rule in India’?

(a) Pherozeshah Mehta

(b) Dadabhai Naoroji 

(c) Surendranath Banerjea

(d) Badruddin Tyabji

Q.4. During the tenure of which Governor General were the railways introduced in India?

(a) Lord Dalhousie

(b) Warren Hastings

(c) Lord William Bentinck 

(d) Lord Cornwallis

Q.5. Who was the first President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal?

(a) Sir William Jones 

(b) Sir John Shore 

(c) Sir Charles Wilkins

(d) Sir John Anstruther

Q.6. Who established the Arya Samaj in 1875?

(a) Dayananda Sarasvati

(b) Ram Mohan Roy

(c) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(d) Swami Vivekanand

Q.7. In which battle was the Bengal Nawab Mir Qasim finally defeated by the English East India Company?

(a) Battle of Buxar

(b) Battle of Plassey

(c) Battle of Sarangpur

(d) Battle of Khajwah

Q.8. Which Sikh ruler signed the Treaty of Amritsar in 1809 with the British East India Company?

(a) Gulab Singh

(b) Ranjit Singh

(c) Kharak Singh

(d) Dalip Singh

Q.9. In the eighteenth century Jagat Seth (Banker of the world) used to control the economy of which province? 

(a) Rajashtan

(b) Deccan

(c) Bengal

(d) Gujarat

Q.10. Ghasiti Begum, Shaukat Jung, Rajballabh and Yar Latif Khan count among the sworn enemies of

(a) Shuja-ud-Daula

(b) Alivardi Khan

(c) Murshid Quli Khan

(d) Siraj-ud-daulah 

Answers

Q. 1 - (a)

The farmers’ agitations that started in the Pune-Ahmednagar region of Maharashtra in 1875 were known as Deccan Riots. The uprising began due to usurious interest rates charged by the money lenders. 

On May 12, 1875, the uprising began in the village of Supa in Poona district. The farmers attacked houses and shops of the money lenders.

Q. 2 - (c)

Munda Rebellion was led by Birsa Munda in the region south of Ranchi in 1899-1900.

Q. 3 - (b)

A critic of British economic policy in India, Dadabhai Naoroji was known for his enunciations of the Drain Theory in his paper, Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.

Q. 4 - (a)

The first railway line connecting Bombay and Thane in 1853 was started during the governor generalship of Lord Dalhousie who is known as the "Father of Indian Railways". 

Q. 5 - (a) 

Sir William Jones is the first president of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, founded in 1784. In 1789, William Jones translated Kalidasa’s Sakuntala. He followed it by translating Gita Govinda and the law-book of Manu which was published posthumously in 1794 under the title Institutes of Hindoo law.

Q. 6 - (a)

Original name of Dayananda Sarasvati was Mula Sankara. He was the founder of the Arya Samaj in 1875. 

Q. 7 - (a)

Battle of Buxar was fought on 22nd October in 1764 between the English and the combined armies of Mir Qasim ( the nawab of Bengal), Shuja-ud-Daula ( the nawab of Awadh) and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. The battle resulted in the defeat of the allied forces.

Q. 8 - (b)

The Treaty of Amritsar was signed in 1809 between the Sikh Empire founder Ranjit Singh and Charles T. Metcalfe, representing the British East India Company. 

Q. 9 - (c)

In the eighteenth century Jagat Seth (Banker of the world) used to control the economy of the province of Bengal. 

Q. 10 - (d)

Ghasiti Begum was the eldest sister of the mother of Siraj-ud-daulah while Shaukat Jung was his cousin.