History Questions: India's Freedom Struggle

        1.     Who defended Aurobindo Ghosh in the Alipur Bomb Conspiracy case?

               (a)   Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee

               (b)   Chittaranjan Das

               (c)   Motilal Nehru

               (d)   Tej Bahadur Sapru

   Answer: Chittaranjan Das

               2.     Dadabhai Naoroji entered the British House of Commons as a member of the …….. Party?

               (a)   Liberal

               (b)   Conservative

               (c)   Labour

(              (d)   Labour-Liberal combine

   Answer: Liberal

               3.     Who gave the title of Rani to the Naga woman leader Gaidinliu?

               (a)   Jawaharlal Nehru

               (b)   Subhash Chandra Bose

               (c)   Mahatma Gandhi

               (d)   Vallabh Bhai Patel

   Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru

               4.     Who was the founder President of Harijan Sevak Sangh, founded by Mahatma Gandhi?

               (a)   Amrit Lal Thakkar (Thakkar Bapa)

               (b)   B R Ambedkar

               (c)   Ghanshyam Das Birla

               (d)   K Satyamurti

  Answer: Ghanshyam Das Birla

              5.     In which city was Hindustan Socialist Republican Association founded in 1928?

              (a)   Allahabad

              (b)   Kanpur

              (c)   Lahore

              (d)   Delhi

  Answer: Kanpur

Paramaras of Malwa

Several regional kingdoms came into being in northern, central and eastern India between the eighth and thirteenth centuries. One of them was the Rajput kingdom of Paramaras who ruled in Malwa.

The origin of the Paramaras is shrouded in obscurity. However, it seems probable that since Malwa formed part alternately of the domains of Pratiharas and Rashtrkutas, they must have been the feudatories of either of the two.

Though the Paramara Dynasty owes its origin to a chief named Upendra or Krishnaraja at the beginning of the 9th century AD, it was  as a result of the collapse of the Rashtrakuta power in the second half of the 10th century that Paramaras became an independent power. Ujjain was their earlier capital and later Dhar became their seat of power. Both these places are in Madhya Pradesh.

The first great Paramara ruler of note was Vakapati Munja, (c 974-997-8) who was in constant war with Tailapa or Taila II, founder of the later western Chalukyan dynasty of Kalyani. It is said that Munja defeated him for sixteen times. However, in the seventeenth encounter, Munja was defeated and taken prisoner and subsequently killed.

Himself an accomplished poet, Munja basked in the glory of being the patron of scholars and poet. This can be gauged from the galaxy of men of letters who graced his court. Prominent among them were Padmagupta, Dhananjaya, Dhanika and Halayudha. Dhananjaya was the author of Dasharupa, a work on dramaturgy. Dhanika was the author of Avaloka, a commentary on Dasharupa. Munja is also said to have built several artificial lakes including the existing Munjasagar lake at Dhara named after him. The cities in his kingdom were adorned with beautiful temples.

Munja was succeeded by his brother, Sindhuraja, who is known for having assumed the significant title of Navasahasanka, (meaning the new Sahasanka or Vikramaditya.) His exploits are described in the Navasahasankacharitam written by Padmagupta.

However, the greatest ruler of the Parmara dynasty was Bhoja (1018-55) immortalized in legend. Son and successor of Sindhuraja, he was an epitome of an ideal ruler and statesman. He is hailed as the greatest scholar king of India. Like his predecessor Munja, he is also credited with the construction of dams and artificial lakes in his kingdom. Called Kaviraja in an inscription, he authored no less than 24 books on a variety of subjects including astronomy, medicine, poetics, polity, grammar, religion, architecture etc. Some of his famous works are Samaranganasutradhara, a unique work on architecture, and Ayurvedasaravasva, a work on medicine. He also wrote a commentary on Yagasutra of Patanjali. Bhoja also set up a college known as Bhojasala at Dhara. He patronised Dhanapala, Uvata and others.

Bhoja entered into wars with his contemporaries including the Chalukyas of Kalyani and the Chalukyas of Anhilwara. During the last year of his reign he had to face the combined armies of Chalukyan king Bhima I and Lakshmikarna of the Kalchuri dynasty. Bhoja died during the battle and his capital Dhara came into hands of the allied powers.

  

 

Suppression of Gurshasp’s Rebellion by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

In A.D. 1327 a danger in the form of a challenge to the authority of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the second Tughlaq ruler, came from Bahauddin Gurshasp who was Ghiyas-ud-din’s (Muhammad Bin Tughlaq’s father) sister's son. Gurshasp, who was the governor of Sagar, situated about thirteen km north of Shorapur in Karnataka, raised the banner of revolt against the Sultan.

After a prolonged battle Gurshasp was captured by the Delhi Sultanate army under Prime Minister Ahmad Ayaz who sent him to Delhi where he was meted out the severest punishment. Gurshasp was flayed alive and his meat was cooked and served as the meal of the elephants. His skin was paraded round the city with the intention of warning to persons of rebellious disposition, "Thus shall all traitors to their king perish."

He was flayed alive there, his dead body was paraded round the city, and his execution was proclaimed by way of warning to persons of rebellious disposition "Thus shall all traitors to their king perish."

Quotes about Muhammad bin Tughlaq of Delhi Sultanate

With the best intentions, excellent ideas, but no balance or patience, no sense of proportion, Muhammad Tughlaq (sic) was a transcendent failure - ­ Stanley Lane-Poole.  

Muhammad Tughlaq was "a Prince of Moneyers" - Edward Thomas.

On Muhammad Tughlaq’s death Badauni, wrote, “Muhammad bin Tughlak was freed from his people and they from their king."

According to Stanley Lane-Poole, the transfer of capital by Muhammad bin Tughlaq from Delhi to “Daulatabad was a monument of misdirected energy."

Jalaluddin Khilji: Founder of Khilji Dynasty

Jalaluddin Firuz Khilji was the founder of the Khilji dynasty that supplanted the Slave dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. Amidst the intense rivalry between Turkish and Afghan nobles, Jalaluddin, who represented the Afghan nobility, seized the Delhi throne by murdering Kaiqubad, the last Sultan of Slave dynasty and his infant son Kayumars. Aitamar Kachhan and Aitamar Surkha, the leaders of the Turkish Nobility were also put to death. Thus came into being the Khilji dynasty which ushered in a new era of cruel imperialism in India in 1290.

Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khilji was seventy when he ascended the throne. Citizens of Delhi did not like the change in the line of rulers. This compelled him to make Kilokhri the seat of his government. With the passage of time he succeeded in minimizing the discontent of his nobles by disbursement of land and his generosity which was sometimes construed as being below the dignity of a sovereign.

His was a case of split personality. Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khilji was averse to the idea of military expeditions as it will cost the lives of his co-religionists. When, in 1991 Malik Chhajju, a nephew of Balban and governor of Kara, assisted by several nobles, unfurled the banner of revolt against him, he was imprudent enough to show mercy on him by pardoning the rebels. On the other hand, Siddi-Maula, a darvesh, was trampled by an elephant on his order.

As was only to be expected he could not subdue the Ranthambhor fort. He however, was successful in inflicting a crushing defeat on the Mongols, who under a grandson of Halaku (Hulagu) invaded the territory of Delhi Sultanate in 1292.

Jalaluddin Khilji was paid back in his own coin when he was murdered in 1296 by his ambitious nephew and son-in-law Alauddin Khilji when he went to Kara to facilitate him for his victory in the South India which brought him large amount of booty. As mentioned at the outset, Jalaluddin captured the throne of Delhi Sultanate by murdering the last Slave ruler Kaiqubad, grandson of Balban, and his infant son Kayumars. 

Chattrapati Shahu Maharaj: Champion of the Backward Classes

It is interesting to know that one of the most revolutionary reforms for the uplift of the backward classes was initiated by a ruler of a princely state in the British India. Chattrapati Shahu Maharaj, the ruler of Kolhapur, was the earliest Indian ruling prince to have launched the social and religious reforms for the lower classes. He championed the cause of the non-Brahmins.

Also known as Rajarshi Shahu, Chattrapati Shahu was born in 1874. A follower of Arya Samaj, he tried his honest best to free the society from the shackles of the caste system and had the courage to ban untouchability in his state. He opened the gates of education and public offices to all irrespective of caste discriminations. He advocated widow remarriage and discouraged child marriage.  

A follower of Arya Samaj, Chattrapati Shahu is mainly remembered for his work in the field of education. He voiced his support for western liberal education. With a view to providing free education and residence to the children of the poor he started a number of hostels.  

Chattrapati Shahu died in 1922.

Dr. Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya: Official Historian of the Congress

Born in Andhra Pradesh in 1880 in a poor family, Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya was a nationalist and important leader of freedom struggle.  He is famous for his defeat by Subhash Chandra Bose in 1939 he lost the Congress presidential election which was termed by Mahatma Gandhi as his own defeat. Subhash Chandra Bose was later expelled from the Congress Party.

A doctor by profession, he chose politics as his profession and was a member of All India Congress Committee and Congress Working Committee. In August, 1942, he was arrested during Quit India Movement and kept in prison for three years.  

In 1935 he wrote History of the Indian National Congress which was the official history of the party.

Sitaramayya was elected President of the  Indian National Congress in 1948. He served as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh in Independent India. He passed away in 1959.