Medieval Indian History MCQs

Notes:
In 1613 AD, Bishandas was sent on a diplomatic mission to Persia by Mughal emperor Jahangir, to paint the Shah Abbas’s portrait for Mughal Album.

Notes:
Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak also known as “Lakh Baksh Sultan”, who marked the beginning of the Mamluk (Slave dynasty) rule and laid the foundation of Delhi Sultanate period in 1206 AD.

Notes:
Sultan Mohammad-bin Tughlaq’s experiment of producing token currency failed on account of the large-scale minting of unauthentic coins.

Notes:
The Mughal Emperor Humayun built a new capital at Delhi called Dinpanah (Refuge of the World), a site is known today as ‘Purana Kila’.

Notes:
In the village, the most important official was the headman known as Muqaddam (or chaudhari), who was responsible for the controlling of local crimes. The principle of local responsibility for local crimes was introduced by Sher Shah Suri.

Notes:
Shah Nayamatullah Qadari was the founder of the Qadiriya order in India. Dara Sikhoh, the eldest of Shah Jahan, was a follower  of this order. Its areas of influence were Uttar Pradesh and Deccan. Miyan Mir was the most famous Sufi saint of Qadiriya order.

Notes:
The Vijayanagara Empire was one of the important kingdoms in the history of South India. It was ruled by four important dynasties namely Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, and Aravidu.

Notes:
The Nayankara system was a unique political feature of the Vijaynagar Empire, which assigned territorial revenue rights, also known as amaram, to military chiefs or warriors. These warriors held the title of Nayaka or Amaranayaka. It derived its name from “Nayaka”, an ancient Sanskrit term indicating a person of importance, particularly in the military. This system greatly relied on Telugu Nayakas, which significantly bolstered the strength of the empire.

Notes:
Nathpanthis, Siddhacharas, and Yogis believed that the path to salvation was through meditation. They advocated renunciation of the world and intensive training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises, and meditation. They believed that meditation on the formless Ultimate Reality and the realization of oneness with it was the path to salvation.
The Nathpanthis, Siddhacharas, and Yogis criticized the ritualistic practices of conventional religion. They believed that the external rituals and elaborate ceremonies had become detached from their original purpose of spiritual growth and self-realization. Their criticism of conventional religion created the ground for devotional religion to become a popular force in Northern India.

Notes:
The literal meaning of word Mansab is “official appointment of rank and emoluments”. Every important officer of Akbar held a Mansab or a rank in the imperial cadre and his rank was measured on how many horsemen he commanded. Thus, it was a military rank also. These Mansabdars were paid in Zat and Sawar. Zat was a fixed personal salary while sawar was paid as per their rank or number of horsemen to be controlled by them.
Akbar classified the office holders into total 33 grades ranging from mansabs of 10 to 10 thousand. However, these all were broadly categorized into three types as follows:

• Those who commanded 10 to 400 horsemen were commonly called mansabdars(officers).
• Those who commanded 500 to 2500 horsemen were amirs (nobles)
• Those in higher ranks belonged to the category of umara-i-kabiror umara-i-azim (grandees).

The highest amir in the third category was honored with the title of amir-ul-umara.