Sunday, May 8, 2022

History of Chandigarh

                                    Corbusier boating at Sukhna Lake/ Image Source

Chandigarh came into being thanks to the need of a new capital city to serve as the capital of the state of Punjab. The partition of Punjab, as a corollary to the partition of British India into the two nations of India and Pakistan in 1947, resulted in the incorporation of Lahore in Pakistan.  As no other city was considered to be fit for being the capital of Punjab, the idea of building a new city gained ground. 

Chandigarh, literally meaning "the fort of Chandi", is named after Chandi Mandir, a temple of goddess Chandi, situated in the Panchkula District of the state of Haryana. The famous French architect and urban planner, Le Corbusier, was entrusted with the task of designing the city.

Today Chandigarh is a union territory serving as the capital of Punjab and Haryana which was created carving out of the eastern portion of  Punjab state. 


Sunday, April 17, 2022

History quiz: How much do you know about the Vijayanagara Empire - Part 3


                            Virupaksha Temple-Hampi / Image Credit

 Q.1. Who among the following Bahmani rulers was married to the daughter of Vijayanagar ruler Dev Raya I?

(a) Firuz Shah Bahmani

(b) Alauddin Hasan Bahmani

(c) Ahmed Shah 

(d) Muhammad Shah III 


Q.2. Which of the following foreign travellers had visited the court of Deve Raya I?

(a) Ibn Batuta

(b) Nicolo de Conti

(c) Abdur Razzak

(d) Domingo Paes


Q.3. Which of the following foreign travellers had visited the court of Deve Raya II?

(a) Ibn Batuta

(b) Nicolo de Conti

(c) Abdur Razzak

(d) Domingo Paes


Q.4. The permission of which Vijayanagara emperors was solicited by Francisco Albuquerque, the Portuguese governor of Goa in India, to build a fort at Bhatkal?

(a) Devaraya I

(b) Devaraya II

(c) Krishnadevaraya 

(d) Virupaksha Raya


Q.5. The Battle of Talikota between Vijayanagara empire and the Muslim Sultanates of Deccan took place in which year?

(a) 1526

(b) 1556

(c) 1565

(d) 1605


Q.6. ------is a book written by famed historian Robert Swell about Vijayanagara empire?

(a) A Forgotten Empire

(b) The Birth of an empire

(c) The Empire of South India

(d) Empire on Tungabhadra 


Q.7. When did Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya die? 

(a) 1346

(d) 1526

(c) 1529

(d) 1530


Q.8. Who was the Vijayanagara emperor during Talikota war?

(a) Sadasiva Raya

(b) Krishnadevaraya

(c) Harihara I 

(d) Bukka Raya II


Q.9. Who among the following beheaded Rama Raya, the de facto ruler of Vajayanagara, at the battle of Talikota in 1565?

(a) Husain Shah Nizami 

(b) Ibrahim Adil Shah

(c) Burhan Nizam Shah II

(d) Murtada Nizam Shah I


Q.10. When was the present day Hampi, the nucleus of  Vijayanagar empire, designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO?

(a) 1981

(b) 1986

(c) 1996

(d) 2006


Answers

1-a

Notes

The marriage of Firuz Shah Bahmani with the daughter of Deva Raya I was celebrated with great pomp and show. 

Addicted to hard drinking, Firuz Shah Bahmani, like many other medieval rulers, was a blood thirsty tyrant. He won two battles against the Hindu Vijayanagar kingdom in 1398 and 1406. After these victories, he took delight in massacre of the populace and left “the roads littered with the bodies of the slaughtered Hindus”. Firoz Bahmani entered into a new relationship with Vijayanagar ruler Deva Raya I by marrying his daughter. 

2-b

Notes

Born at the coastal town of Chioggia in Italy, Nicolo Conti was an Italian and the earliest European visitor to the mighty Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Nicolo Conti reached the city in 1420 -21 in the reign of Devaraya I. His original travel account in Latin is lost. Conti gives a vivid account of the city of Vijayanagar, its court, customs, currency, festivals and other matters. 

3-c

Notes

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. Abdur Razzaq was overawed with the size and grandeur of the city of Vijayanagar.

He says, “The city is such that eye has not seen nor ear heard of any place resembling it upon the whole earth. It is so built that it has seven fortified walls, one within the other.” His narrative supplies valuable information on the topography, administration and social life of Vijayanagar at that time. 

4-c

Notes

Krishnadevaraya granted the permission to Portuguese to erect a fort at Bhatkal. 

5-c

Notes

It was during the reign of the Taluva king Sadashiva Raya (1543- 69) that famous battle of Rakshasa Tangadi or Talikota in 1565 was fought in which Vijayanagar army was defeated by the combined forces of the five Muslim Sultanates of Deccan. This gave body blow to the empire. After this battle the kingdom lost its grandeur and glory. 

Ram Raja was the de facto ruler of Vijayanagara during the battle and was killed.

6 – a

Notes

A Forgotten Empire is an account of the Vijayanagar kingdom. 

7-c

Notes

An epigraphical reference to the date of death of Krishnadevaraya was discovered at Honnenahalli in Tumakuru district. According to the inscription, Krishnadevaraya died on October 17, 1529. 

8-a

Notes

The Battle of Talikota took place in 1565 between the Vijayanagara Empire and an alliance of the Deccan sultanates. During the battle, the Vijayanagara emperor was Sadasiva Raya. During his reign the famous battle of Rakshasa Tangadi or Talikota in 1565 was fought between Vijayanagar and the combined forces of the five Muslim Sultanates of Deccan.

9-a

Notes

Hussain Nizam Shah had beheaded the de facto ruler of Vajayanagara,  Rama Raya of Vijayanagara, after the Battle of Talikota.


10- b 

Notes

The site of Hampi, the capital city of Vijayanagar Empire, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986. 




Sunday, March 20, 2022

History quiz: How much do you know about the Vijayanagara Empire - Part 2


Q.1. Who among the following was the Delhi Sultanate ruler when the Vijayanagara Empire came into existence? 

(a) Muhammad bin Tughlaq

(b) Giyas-ud-din Tughlaq

(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(d) Khizr Khan

Q.2. Which of the foreign travelers had visited the Vijayanagara empire during the reign of Krishnadevaraya?

(a) Duarte Barbosa

(b) Domingo Paes 

(c) Abdur Razzaq

(d) Both a and b 

Q.3. Which of the following Vijayanagara rulers had earned the title of Purvapaschima Samudradhishavara?

(a) Deva Raya II

(b) Virupaksha Raya

(c) Krishnadeva Raya

(d) Harihara I

Q.4. Which of the following was a bone of contention between Vijayanagara empire and Bahmani Sultanate? 

(a) Bijapur

(b) Gulbarga

(c) Raichur Doab

(d) Golconda 

Q.5. The correct chronological order in which the following dynasties of the Vijayanagara empire were established:

(i) Saluva Dynsty

(ii) Tuluva dynasty

(iii) Sangama Dynasty

(iv) Aravidu dynasty

(a) II, I,III,IV

(b) II, I, IV,III

(c) I, II, IV,III

(d) III, I, II, IV

Q.6. Krishnadevaraya’s reign spanned the years from --------- to -------------.

(a) 1501-1520

(b) 1505-1526

(c) 1509-1529

(d) 1510-1530

Q.7. Who was the last king of Sangama Dynasty?

(a) Praudha Raya

(b) Virupaksha Raya II

(c) Mallikarjuna Raya

(d) Deva Raya II

Q.8. Which of the following Vijaynagar ruler had taken the title of 'Gajabetekara (the elephant hunter)'?

(a) Bukka Raya II

(b) Deva Raya II. 

(c) Virupaksha Raya II

(d) Harihara Raya II

Q.9. Which Bijapur Sultan was defeated by Krishnadevaraya in the battle of Raichur?

(a) Yusuf Adil Shah 

(b) Ismail Adil Shah

(c) Ibrahim Adil Shah I

(d) Ali Adil Shah I

Q.10. In the court of which of the following rulers did Ashtadiggajas flourish?

(a) Deva Raya II

(b) Harihara I 

(c) Krishnadevaraya

(d) Bukka Raya II

Answers

1-a

Notes

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.

The rule of Muhammad bin Tughlaq lasted from 1325 to 1351. The Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336. 

2-d

Notes

In April 1443, Abdur Razzaq also visited Vijayanagar during the reign of Devaraya II. 

Duarte Barbosa was a Portuguese traveller who came to Vijayanagar during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya.

Domingo Paes was a Portuguese traveler who visited Vijayanagar during the reign of its greatest ruler Krishnadeva Raya in 1520.

3-d

Notes

Harihara I, the founder of Vijayanagara kingdom, had earned the title of Purvapaschima Samudradhishavara ("master of the eastern and western seas"). 

4-c

Notes

Raichur Doab is the region between the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers. Thanks to its being a fertile land, Raichur Doab was a bone of contention between the rulers of the Vijayanagar and the Bahmani kingdom.

5-d

Sangama Dynasty was founded in 1336. Saluva dynasty was founded in 1885. Tuluva dynasty was founded in 1491.  

6- c

Krishnadeva Raya ruled from 1509 to 1529. 

7-a

Notes

Praudha Raya was the last king of Sangama Dynasty.

8-b

Notes

Deva Raya II who ruled from 1424 to 1446 was the greatest ruler of the Sangama dynasty of Vijaynagar. He is known for his title Gajabetegara (a hunter of elephant). 

9-b

Notes

Krishnadevaraya had inflicted a crushing defeat on Isma'il 'Adil Shah of Bijapur on the 19th March, 1520. 

10-c

Notes

The court of Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya was adorned by the 'Ashtadiggajas'' (eight elephants), a collective title given to his eight Telugu scholars and poets whose contribution the world of Telugu literature is immense.


 

History quiz: How much do you know about the Vijayanagara Empire - Part 1

                                        Hampi Vijayanagara empire / Image Credit


Q.1. Who was the founder of Vijayanagar Empire?

(a) Harihara I and Bukka I

(b) Krishnadeva Raya

(c) Deva Raya

(d) Narasimha Saluva


Q.2. Vijayanagara kingdom was established on the banks of which river?

(a) Godavari

(b) Krishna

(c) Kaveri

(d) Tungabhadra


Q.3. Which of the following is the ruined capital of Vijayanagara Empire? 

(a) Hampi

(b) Halebid

(c) Pattadakal

(d) Madurai 


Q.4. The distinction of bringing ruins of Vijayanagar empire at Hampi to light is given to 

(a) T. S. Burt 

(b) Colonel Colin MacKenzie 

(c) C. J. Franklin

(d) John Marshal


Q.5. Vijayanagara rulers adopted the emblem of the ‘varaha’ or boar. The symbol was earlier a royal insignia of which of the following kingdoms? 

(a) Hoysalas

(b) Kakatiyas

(c) Chalukyas 

(d) Rashtrakutas


Q.6. Harihara I and Bukka I belonged to ____ dynasty, one of the four main dynasties, combination of which is known as the Vijayanagar empire. 

(a) Saluva Dynsty

(b) Tuluva dynasty

(c) Sangama Dynsty

(d) Aravidu dynasty


Q.7. The greatest Vijayanagara ruler Krishnadevaraya erected the pillar of victory (Vijayastupam) at ________. 

(a) Cuttack 

(b) Srisailam

(c) Hampi

(d) Simhachalam


Q.8. Krishnadeva Raya's magnum opus Amuktamalyada was written in _______.

(a) Tamil

(b) Telugu 

(c) Kannada

(d) Malayalam


Q.9. Who among the following had founded a new city named Nagalapur? 

(a) Deva Raya II

(b) Virupaksha Raya

(c) Krishnadeva Raya

(d) Sadasiva Raya


Q.10. In which year was the Madurai Sultanate annexed to the Vijayanagara Empire?

(a) 1335

(b) 1336

(c) 1358

(d) 1378


Answers

1-a

Notes

Vijayanagar Empire was founded by Harihara I and Bukka I. Vijayanagar’s first dynasty which lasted from 1336 to 1485 was named after Sangama, father of the duo. After Harihara, Bukka ruled from 1356 to 1377.


2-d

Notes

The nucleus of the Vijayanagar kingdom was the city of Vijayanagar, identified with present day Hampi (located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River) in Karnataka. 


3-a 

Notes

The nucleus of the kingdom was the city of Vijayanagar, identified with present day Hampi (located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River) in Karnataka. 


4-b

Notes

Colin Mackenzie was born in Scotland in 1754. He was the first Surveyor General of India. He was the first to bring to the world's attention the rich architectural heritage of the Vijayanagara ruins at Hampi. 


5- c 

Notes

The Vijayanagara kingdom had adopted the emblem of the Chalukyas, varahaas or boar their royal insignia. 


6-c

Notes

Harihara I and Bukka I belonged to the Sangama Dynsty, one of the four main dynasties, combination of which is popularly known as the Vijayanagar Empire.


7- d

Notes

Krishnadevaraya had erected the pillar of victory at Simhachalam (in Andhra Pradesh) in course of his eastern expedition.  


8-b 

Notes

Krishnadeva Raya wrote Amuktamalyada in Telugu. Amuktamalyada is a work on polity. 


9- c

Notes 

Krishnadeva Raya founded a city called Nagalapuram named after his mother Nagalamba. He built several temples there. Nagalapuram in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh is 20 km from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka. 


10- d

Notes

The Madurai Sultanate was annexed to the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar in 1378. The victory has been celebrated in the Sanskrit epic poem Madura Vijayam (Conquest of Madurai) or Kamparaya-Charitam (History of Kampanna), composed by Ganga Devi, queen of Vira Kampanna, who led the Vijayanagar army. Vira Kampanna was the son of Bukka I, co-founder of Vijayanagar empire. 


Thursday, March 10, 2022

History quiz: How much do you know about the Sayyid Dynasty - Part 1

                                                Mubarak Shah's tomb / Image credit 

Q.1. Who was the founder of Sayyid dynasty?

(a) Khizr Khan 

(b) Mubarak Shah

(c) Muhammad Shah

(d) Ala-ud-Din Shah

Q.2.  When was the foundation of the Sayyid dynasty laid? 

(a) 1414

(b) 1421

(c) 1434

(d) 1443

Q.3. Who among the following traced his descent to the Prophet?

(a) Khizr Khan

(b) Mubarak Shah

(c) Muhammad Shah

(d) Alauddin Alam Shah 

Q.4. Khizr Khan, founder of the Sayyid dynasty, was succeeded by whom in 1421? 

(a) Mubarak Shah

(b) Alauddin Alam Shah 

(c) Muhammad Shah

(d) None of the above

Q.5. Arrange the following Sayyid rulers in chronological order

(i) Khizr Khan

(ii) Mubarak Shah

(iii) Alauddin Alam Shah 

 (iv) Muhammad Shah

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) II, I,III,IV

(b) II, I, IV,III

(c) I, II, IV,III

(d) III, I, II, IV

Q. 6. Who among the following had assisted Khizr Khan in the foundation of Sayyid dynasty? 

(a) Chengiz khan

(b)Timur Lang

(c) Ali Beg

(d) Nadir Shah

Q.7. For the Assertion (A) and Reason (R) below, choose the correct alternative 

Assertion: The last ruler of Sayyid dynasty, Ala-ud-Din Alam Shah, voluntarily abdicated the throne of the Delhi Sultanate in favour of Bahlul Khan Lodi in 1451 and left for Badaun.

Reason: Khizr Khan was the governor of Multan under the third Tughlaq Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq.

(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

(b) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.

(c) A is true but R is false.

(d) A is false but R is true.

Q. 8. Who among the following medieval historians wrote Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi?

(a) Minhaj-us-Siraj 

(b) Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi

(c) Ziauddin Barni

(d) Amir Khusrav

Q.9. After which dynasty did the Sayyid dynasty come to rule during the Delhi Sultanate period?

(a) Slave Dynasty

(b) Khiliji dynasty

(c) Tughlaq dynasty

(d) Lodi dynasty

Q.10. Sayyid dynasty ruled for ______.

(a) 27

(b) 37

(c) 47

(d) 57

Answers

1-a

Notes

Khizr Khan was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty, the fourth and penultimate dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. The rulers of the dynasty ruled for 37 years from 1414 to 1451.  

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.

2-a

Notes

The Sayyid dynasty ruled from 1414 to 1451 until they were displaced by the Lodi dynasty.

3-a

According to some historians, Khizr Khan traced his descent to the Prophet. That Khizr Khan traced his descent to the Prophet has been mentioned in Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi written by Yahiya bin Ahmad Sarhindi. 

4-a

Notes

After the death of his father Khizr Khan, the founder of the Sayyid dynasty, Mubarak Shah ascended the throne of Delhi Sultanate. Mubarak Shah, who was nominated as the successor by his father, became the sovereign ruler of Delhi on the very day of the latter's death (20th May, 1421)

5-c

Notes

Muhammad Shah was the third ruler of Sayyid Dynasty. He ruled from 1434 to 1345. 

Alauddin Alam Shah was the last ruler of Sayyid Dynasty. He abandoned his throne in 1451 and retired to Badaun (now in Uttar Pradesh), where he died in 1478.

6- b

Notes

Khizr Khan was appointed Governor of Multan, Lahore and Dipalpur by the Mangol leader Timur Lang or Tamerlane who had invaded India during the reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud (1394-1413), the last Tughluq ruler, in the years 1398-99. 

7-b

Ala-ud-Din Alam Shah was an inefficient ruler. Such was his fondness for gratification and aversion to work that he abdicated the throne in favour of Buhlul Khan Lodi, the governor of Lahore and Sirhind, in 1451 and retired to Badaun (now in Uttar Pradesh), where he died in 1478.

8-b

Notes

It was during the reign of Mubarak Shah (reigned 1421- 1434 ) that Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi composed his Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi, dedicated to the Sayyid ruler. 

Written in Persian, Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi begins with the reign of Muizzuddin Muhammad of Ghor and ends at 1434 with the accession of Sultan Muhammad Shah, the third Saiyid ruler. 

9-c

Notes

Sayyid dynasty which ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1414 to 1451 came after the Tughlaq Dynasty which ruled from 1320 to 1413.  

10-b

Notes

The rulers of the Sayyid dynasty ruled for 37 years from 1414 to 1451.  


Tuesday, March 8, 2022

History quiz: How much do you know about the Tughlaq Dynasty - Part 4

                                Fort of Firoz Shah Tughlaq at Hisar (Haryana) / Image Source

 Q.1. In which year did Firoz Shah Tughlaq found the city of Hisar-e-Firoza?

(a) 1354 AD

(b) 1375 AD

(c) 1380 AD

(d) 1390 AD


Q.2. Which of the following rulers of Delhi Sultanate is said to have built the biggest network of canals in his empire?

(a) Firoz Shah Tughlaq 

(b) Balban

(c) Alauddin Khilji

(d) Sikandar Lodi


Q.3. Which Tughlaq Sultan had established Employment bureau?

(a)Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq

(b) Muhamamd bin Tughlaq

(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq 

(d)None of the above


Q.4. Ferozpur (in Punjab) was founded by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. The city is located on the banks of.

(a)Chenab river

(b)Ravi river

(c)Sutlej river

(d)Beas river


Q.5. Which of the following Tughlaq Sultans increased the land revenue to overcome financial crunch?

(a) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(b) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(c) Giyas-ud-din Tughlaq

(d) Abu Bakr Shah 


Q.6. Arrange the following Tughlaq rulers in chronological order

(I) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(II) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(III) Giyas-ud-din Tughlaq

(IV) Abu Bakr Shah

(V)  Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughlaq


Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) II,V,I,III,IV

(b) II, I, V,IV,III

(c) II,V,I,IV,III

(d) III, I, II, IV, V


Q.7. For the Assertion (A) and Reason (R) below, choose the correct alternative 

Assertion: Firuz Shah Tughlaq imposed Jizya tax on all non–Muslim subjects. 

Reason: His prime minister (Na'ib Wazir) Malik Maqbul, more famously known as  Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul, was a convert to Islam.  

(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

(b) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.

(C) A is true but R is false.

(d) A is false but R is true.


Q.8. Which Sultans of Delhi Sultanate tried to prohibit Sati? 

(a) Balban 

(b) Alauddin Khilji 

(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq 

(d) Firuz Tughlaq


Q.9. During the Sultanate period, the empire was divided into provinces known as 

(a) Iqtas 

(b) Paraganas

(c) Shiqs

(d) Mahals


Q.10. Who was the ruler of Tughlaq empire when famous Sufi Saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti died?

(a) Giyas-ud-din Tughlaq

(b) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(d)None of the above


Q.11. Which of the following Tughlaq rulers built the Gujri Mahal in Hissar in Haryana?

(a)  Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(b)  Giyas-ud-din Tughlaq

(c)  Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(d)  Abu Bakr Shah 


Q. 12. During the reign of which Tughlaq ruler the Asokan pillars from Meerut and Topra were transported to Delhi?

(a) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(b) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(c) Giyas-ud-din Tughlaq

(d) Abu Bakr Shah 


Answers

1-a

Notes

Hisar-e-Firoza was founded by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 1354. Gurjari Mahal, Lat ki Masjid and an Ashokan pillar are famous attractions of Hisar. 


2-a

Notes

Firoz Shah Tughlaq is known to have excavated a large number of canals. 


3-c

Notes

Firoz Shah Tughlaq had established Employment bureau. 


4-c

Notes

The city of Firozpur is located on the banks of the Sutlej river on the Indo-Pakistan border.


5-a

Notes

With a view to overcoming the financial difficulties in his empire, Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1328-29 raised the land revenue to half of the produce on the farmers of Doab (land between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers).


6-d

Notes

Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughlaq was the last Tughlaq SUltan


7-b 

Firuz Shah Tughlaq extended the Jizya tax to all non-Muslims. 

Malik Maqbul, more famously known as  Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul, was the prime minister (Na'ib Wazir) of Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the last great ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty. He was given the title of Khan-i-Jahan by the Tughlaq Sultan.


8-c

Notes

Muhammad bin Tughlaq tried to stop Sati in the 14th century. 


9-a

Notes

The Delhi Sultanate was further divided into smaller provinces known as Iqtas. These provinces were headed by Iqtadars. The provinces were divided into shiqs and paraganas or modern day districts.  


10-b

Notes

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq was the ruler of Tughlaq empire when famous Sufi Saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti died in 1326 AD. 

11-c

Notes

Gurjari Mahal, built by Firoz Shah, for his wife Gurjari in 1356, is in Hisar. 

12-b

Notes

There are two Ashoka pillars in Delhi -the one near Bara Hindu Rao Hospital and another at Ferozeshah Kotla. The pillars were brought from Meerut and Topra near Ambala during the reign of  Feroz Shah Tughlaq in the 14th century AD. 

Sunday, March 6, 2022

History quiz: How much do you know about the Tughlaq Dynasty - Part 3

                                Tughlaq Dynasty 1321-1398 / Image Credit


Q.1. Which Delhi sultan among the following has been described as the “Mixture of Opposites”?

(a) Qutub-ud-din Aibak

(b) Ala-ud-din Khiliji

(c) Ghiyasuddin Balban 

(d) Muhammad bin Tughlaq


Q.2. Who among the following rulers of Delhi Sultanate had introduced the token currency?

(a) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(b) Alauddin Khilji

(c) Ghiyasuddin Balban

(d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq


Q.3. Who among the following has written Futuhat-i-Firozshahi?

(a) Ziauddin Barani 

(b) Shams-i-Siraj Afif

(c) Amir Khusrav

(d) Firuz Shah Tughlaq 


Q.4. Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi has been written by 

(a) Ziauddin Barani

(b) Shams-i-Siraj Afif

(c) Both a and b

(d) Yayiha bin Ahmad Sarhindi


Q.5. Which of the following rulers of Delhi Sultanate had made Iqtadari system heredity?

(a) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq

(b) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(c) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.

(d) Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Tughlaq


Q.6. The medieval text Fatwa-i-Jahandari was written by__________

(a) Ziauddin Barani

(b) Shams-i-Siraj Afif

(c) Minhaj-i-Siraj

(d) Isami


Q.7. Who among the following Sultans of Tughlaq dynasty had introduced new coins “Adha and Bikh”?

(a) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(b) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq

(c) Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

(d) Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Tughlaq


Q.8. What years cover the span of Firoz Shah Tughlaq's reign?

(a) 1320- 1325

(b) 1325 – 1351

(c) 1351- 1388

(d) 1394- 1413


Q.9. The last ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty of the Delhi sultanate was?

(a) Firoz Shah Tughlaq 

(b) Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq

(c) Ala ud-din Sikandar Shah

(d) Abu Bakr Shah


Q.10. Who was the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate when Amir Timur (Tamerlane) invaded India?

a) Balban 

b) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq 

c) Muhamamd bin Tughlaq

D) Nasir-ud-din Mahmud


Answers

1- d

Notes

Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s idiosyncratic behaviour had earned him several epithets including “Mixture of opposites”. 

2- a

Notes

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq had carried out several monetary experiments. Edward Thomas has described him 'Prince of Moneyers'. 

3-d

Notes

Futuhat-i-Firozshahi is an autobiographical account written  by the third Tughlaq ruler Firuz Shah Tughlaq.  

4- c

Notes

Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi was written by Zia ud Din Barani.  Shams-i-Siraj Afif had also written a book by the same title. 

5- b

Notes

Firoz Shah Tughlaq had made Iqta (assignment of land revenue) system hereditary. 

6- a

Notes

  • Fatwa-i-Jahandari was written by Ziauddin Barani. 
  • Abdul Malik Isami, popularly known as Isami, has written Futuh-us-Salatin which he completed in 1350 AD. He resided in the court of the founder of the Bahmani Sultanate, Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, to whom he dedicated Futuh-us-Salatin.
  • He began writing the Futuh-us-Salatin in December 1349 and completed it in May 1350 AD.

7-a

Notes

The third Tughlaq Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq had introduced to new coins Adha (50% Jital) and Bikh (25% Jital). 

8- c

Notes

Firoz Shah Tughlaq succeeded to the throne in 1351 after the demise of his cousin Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq who had become second Tughlaq sultan in 1325 AD. Firuz Shah Tughlaq in 1388, aged eighty-two

9- b

Notes

Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq (reign: 1394 – February 1413 CE), also known as Nasiruddin Mohammad Shah, was the last sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty

10-d

Notes 

It was during the reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud (1394-1413), the last of the Tughluq rulers, 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.


Cosmas Indicopleustes

World map by Cosmas Indicopleustes /  Image Credit: upload.wikimedia.org Cosmas Indicopleustes (literally: "who sailed to India") ...