QUESTION AND ANSWERES -INDIAN HISTORY

QUESTION AND ANSWERES -INDIAN HISTORY

33) Who of the following rulers was the contemporary of the Great Vaishnava saint Chaitanya in Bengal?
a) Shamsuddin IIya Shah
b) Sikandar Shah-II
c) Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah
d) Alauddin Hussain Shah

Ans: Alauddin Husain Shah:

d
Alauddin Husain Shah was the founder of Husain Shahi Dynasty in Bengal. He was elected to the post of the Sultan by the leading nobles of Bengal in 1494. Highly romantacised stories about the earlier life of Alauddin Hussain Shah had been narrated by Joao-de-Barros, Krishandasa Kaviraj, Fariya Y Souza and Francis Buchanan Hamilton. However, a more accepted source on Haussain Shahi Dynasty is Riyaz-us-Salatin. He was an Arab from Macca. On his coins he had been named as Sultan Husain Shah bin Sayyid Ashraf-ul-Hasaini. He ruled upto 1519. His rule had been identified for having restored the law and order in Bengal. His administration was also known to have employed non-Muslims to the important posts in the administration. He was also famous for having patronized Shri Chaitnya.

Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah (1389-1409) was ruler of Illyas Shahi dynasty which ruled over Gaud (Bengal). Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah tried to invade Assam but did not succeed. On the other hand, Alauddin Hassain Shah was able to annex a part of Assam and extend the territories of Bengal.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or Sri Chaitanaya was Great Vaishnava Saint of eastern India in the 16th century and contemporary of Guru Nanak. He was a social reformer and Bhakti saint. He was regarded as an incarnation of Lord Krishana. His followers are called Gaudiya Vaishnavas (taking the name from Gaud, the tradition name of Bengal). He authored Sikhsasatkam which is in Sanskrit. The title means the Eight verses of Instructions. Krishnadass Kaviraja Goswami, a known poet of Alauddin Husain Shah period wrote Chaitanya Charitamrita a biography of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Chaitnaya Charitamrita is written in Bangla.

Shamsuddin IIiyas Shah: Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah was the founder of Ilyas dynasty which ruled over Bengal in 14th century. Shamsuddin ruled from Pandua. He ruled from 1342 to 1358. He was succeeded by his son Sikandar Shah. During his reign, Firoze Shah Tughlaq ruled over the Delhi Sultanate.
Sikandar Shah II ruled as the 10 Ilyas ruler but only for two month. He was an obscure Sultan of this dynasty because there are a few sources about him achievements. 

34) Consider the following
1. Kamind
2. Mahin
3. Kirpas
4. Shirinbaft
5. Salahati
Which of the above were kinds of cloth manufactured during the Sultanate period in India?
a) 2,4 and 5 only
b) 1,2 and 3only
c) 2,3 and 4 only
d) 1,2,3,4, and 5
Ans: 1,2,3,4 and 5.
Kamina: A coarse kind of cloth worn by the poor and dervishes. The main place of manufacturing was Awadh. According to Nizami it was the cheapest form of cloth in Ala-ud-din Khilji's cloth market at Delhi.
Mahin: It was a finer form of cloth worn byTurks and Soldiers.

Karipa was another fine form of cloth which was costlier than Mahin. It was rather finer calico. The rate of Karipa was double than Kamina. Hence, Kamind, Mahin and Kirpas were calico or white cotton cloth of different varieties.

Shirinbaft and Salahati were muslin cloth. It was so fine and costly that only nobles and rich man wore ite.

All the above form of textiles are given in a single paragraph in The Cambridge Economic History of India c. 1200 to c. 1750 edited By Dharam Kumar page 79, Part I, Chapter 3, Non-Agricultural Production and Urban Economy by Irfan Habib. 

35) During medieval times, the term ‘pinjana’ referred to
a) Weaver’s loom
b) Cotton carder’s bow
c) Spinning wheel
d) None of the above
Ans: Cotton Carder's bow: b

pinjana is the name of Cotton carder's bow which probably reached India with Ghorian invasion.

Kargah is the weaver's loom.

Spinning wheel is called Charkah. 

36) Abdur Razzak was sent as an ambassador to the court of Deva Raya II by
a) Sultan Alauddin of Iraq
b) Sultan Bahaman of Egypt
c) Sultan Shah Rukh of Khurasan
d) Sultan Bahzad of Turkey
Ans: Sultan Shah Rukh of Khurasan

Deva Raya II (1424-1446) was the emperor of Vijayanagar Empire from Sangam dynasty. He is considered as the greatest of the emperor of the Sangam dynasty. He was son of Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya. The writings of Abdur Razzak forms an important contemporary source on the achievements of Deva Raya II. Apart from Abdur Niccolo de Conti-a Venetian merchant, also visited India during his reign. 

37) Harihara II, in one of this inscriptions gives a detailed account of the military achievements of Bukka I.
Which one the following is that inscription?
a) Channaraya pattana inscription
b) Bitragunta grant
c) Penugonda inscription
d) Kondavidu grant
Ans: Channaraya pattan inscription: a

Channaraya pattana is town situated on Bangalore Hassan Road. The earlier name of the town was Kolatur. In 1600, Lakshmappa Nayak bestowed Kolatur as a jagir on his son named Channa Raya. Channa Raya was named after Channarayaswami, a name of Vishnu. Since then, the place is known as Channaraya pattana. Channaraya pattana is the second biggest taluk in Hassan district.

Bitragunta grant was issued by Sangama, son of Harihar I. It was grant of land to a Brahmin in Nellore district.

Penugonda inscription is displayed in the temple of Nagareshvaraswami. It is attributed to one Kothalinga of Komati tribe of Penugonda. Penugonda is described as one of the twelve towns built by Lord Vishkarma and present by Lord Shiva to Komatis.
Kondavidu grant belongs to Vijayanagar Empire. It is a temple grant specifying the items on which the tolls were to be given to the temple. 

38) Which one of the following books provides information on Humayun’s reign?
a) Tarikh-i-Rashidi
b) Tabaqat-i-Nasiri
c) Futuhus Salatin
d) None of the above
Ans: Tarikh-i-Rashidi: a,

Tarikh-i-Rashidi was written by Mirza Haider. In it, Mirza Haider had given an eye witness account of Battle of Kanauj. He was commander of one of the contingent in that battle. He was quite near Humanyun. Mirza Haider remained with Humanyun even when he lost his kingdom to Sher Shah Suri. His work is appreciated by modern scholars for its literary quality. The English translation of this title is 'A History of Moguls of Central Asia' by Elias and Rose.
Tabaqat-i-Nasiri : Tabaqat-i-Nasiri is the Autobiography of Muhammad bin Tughlaq (Ulugh Khan). Tabaqat means biographical notes. The book consists of twenty Three such biographical notes. Muhammad bin Tughlaq was known as a scholar also. (Regardless of the term used and made famous by Lanepole.) The books has imprint of his scholarship.

Futuhus Salatin : It was historic masanavi(a poetic form of writing) written by Khwaja Abdullah Malik Isami in 1350. The contents trace the history of Turkish rule in India from Ghaznavi to Muhammad Tughlaq. The book also discuss the establishment of Bahmani Kingdom. It was based on theory of divine intervention concept of writing therefore, suffers many shortcomings. 

39) Consider the following ancient tribes:
1. Anga
2. Gandhari
3. Vratya
Which of the above tribe/tribes existed during Vedic period
a) 1and 2
b) 2 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1,2 and 3
Ans: Anga, Gandhari, Vratya:
Anga first appear in Atharveda. They are mentioned with Gadharis and Mujavatas.

In Jain inscriptions, they belonged to the first group of the Aryan people.

In Anguttra Nikkaya, the Buddhist Tripitakas, Angas and Vratyas were among the sixteen Mahajanapadas. 

40) Who among the following was the famous Persian Master painter who came to India with Humayun?
a) Sayyid Ali Hamdani
b) Sayyid Ali Tabrezi
c) Mir Mohammad Hamadani
d) Muhammud Murad
Ans: Sayyid Ali Tabrezi: b

Mir Sayyid Ali Tabrezi and Khawaja Adbus Samad Shirazi were two miniature painters who met Humanyun when he had taken refuge at the court of Shah Tahmasp after forced to leave in India 1540 by Sher Shah Suri. When, Humanyun regained his control over Kabul, he called both of them from Iran. Humanyun is also famous for his liking for the paintings. It was his grandson, Jahangir who is more remembered for his appreciation of the art of painting.

Sayyid Ali Hamdani was a sufi saint who spread Islam in Kashmir. He came to Kashmir during the rule of Sultan Qutb-ud-din. Islam had already established its place in Kashmir by that time.

Mir Mohammad Hamadani was son of Sayyid Ali Hamdani. 

41) In the context of disintegration of Mughal Empire, who of the following was deposed by Wazir Ghazi-ud–din Imad-ul- mulk?
a) Muhammad Shah
b) Ahmad Shah
c) Alamgir-II
d) Akbar-II
Ans: Ahmad Shah: b
 
Special Notes: Later Mughals continue to find place in the Prelims questions. Visit the suggested link and try to remember the chronological order of Mughals kings from Bahadur Shah I to Bahadur Shah II. Also try to reflect on the issues that what events were taking place in case of each of the king. No doubt, all such events were related to decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise the Company Empire. 

42) Among the following what was the name of the lowest unit of shershah’s administration?
a) Jagir
b) Pargana
c) Mahal
d) Sarkar
Ans: c: Mahal

43) The capital city of Ahmedabad was built by Ahmad Shah on the old side of
a) Sarkhej
b) Sidhpur
c) Idar
d) Asawal
Ans: Asawal: d

Ahmedabad was founded in 1411 as a capital of Gujarat Sultanate under the Muzaffarid dynasty headed by Ahmad Shah. Asawal is also called Ashaval and has remained under habitation since the 11th century. Asawal was ruled by Bhil King who was thrown out by Karndeva I, the Solanki ruler of Anhilwara and established Karnavati. A village Aslali, changed form of Asawal still exist near Ahmedabad. It is on the banks of the river Sabarmati.

Sarkhej: Sarkhej in another town near Ahmedabad. It more popular for the tomb of Sheikh Ahmed Kattu. Shah Ahmed Shah of Muzaffarid was an ardent follower of Sheikh Ahmed Kattu and regarded him as his spiritual guide. Sheikh Ahmed was famous by his other name as Ganj Bakhsh which means one who bestows wealth. It is also on the banks of river Sabarmati.
Sarkhej had also been popular for the produce of Indigo. It is recorded in Ain that indigo was exported to Turkey from Sarkhej through Surat. Later, when indigo was in demand by the European traders who had reached the shores of India, they also had recorded the importance of this place for the produce of Indigo.

Sidhpur: Sidhpur is also known as Sri-Sthal. It was also known as Vindusara as per the Bhabvat Purana. It is on the banks of river banks of river Sarasvati. It is mentioned in Rigveda as Dashu village. It is associated with Rishi Vyashya. Presently, it falls in Patan District.
The city reached it zenith of importance during the reign of Solanki kings. It was made a capital by Sidhraj Jai Singh (1019-1043). It was destroyed by Ghazni during his 25 raid when he looted Somnath. It again rose to prominence under the rule of Akbar. It is also a subject of study by Nainasi, the Medieval period historian.

44) Who was the ruler of Malwa, when it was invaded by Adham Khan and Pir muhmmad Khan in 1561?
a) Dilawar Khan
b) Shujaat Khan
c) Mahmud Khilji
d) Baz Bahadur
Ans: Baz Bahadur: d
Baz Bahadur: Baz Bahadur was musician-king of Malwa. Akbar had sent Adham Khan as the main commander against Baz Bahadur in 1560. Adham Khan was assisted by Mulla Pir Muhammad Khan, as second in command. Baz Bahadur was defeated at Sarangpur. His wife, Rupamati, known for her beauty and artistic accomplishment committed suicide by taking poison on the defeat of Baz Bahadur.

Dilawar Khan: (It is presumed that the name referred here is from Mughal Period): Dilawar Khan was son of Daulat Khan Lodhi. Daulat Khan had invited Babur to invade Delhi and worked against Ibrahim Lodhi. Daulat Khan had sent Dilawar Khan to Babur to plan an invasion on Delhi. Ghazi Khan was brother of Dilawar Khan. Dilawar Khan and Ghazi Khan did not accept the strategies of their father.

Shujaat Khan: Shujaat Khan was father of Baz Bahadur. He was governor of Malwa during Sur dynasty under Muhammad Adil Shah Sur.
Mahmud Khilji: 

45) Consider the following statements:
1) Aurangzeb banned sijda.
2) Aurangzeb promoted the practice of inscribing kalmia on coins
Which of the statements given above is/are correct
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: 1 only, Aurangzeb banned Sijda: a

Sijda: It is form of respect paid to Emperor or high authority or Divine persona. The person doing sijda performs it by touching the ground with the forehead as act of adoration or worship to God.
In the court of Akbar, there were three major forms of slautation namely Kornish, Taslim and Sijda. All were considered un-islamic practices by Sunni Ulemas. Hence, Aurangzeb discontinued the Sijda which was more criticized by Sunni Ulemas. It was a practice more popular with Sufis. Even Akbar had banned this practice. Another word for Sijda is Zaminbos.

Kalimah or Kalima, in Arabic literary means a word. In Islam Kalima generally spoken as la ilaha illallah muhammadur-rasulullah. The English tranlsation of Kalima is that there is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Reading of Kalimah is one of the five main pillars of Islam following. These five faiths are Shahadah i.e. complete faith, Salat i.e. prayers, Sawm i.e. fasting, Zakat (giving alms) and Hajj. Kalima is the core of Shahadah. 

46) Which one of the following Kingdoms was annexed to the Mughal empire during the reign of Shahjahan?
a) Golkonda
b) Bijapur
c) Ahmednagar
d) Khandesh
Ans: Ahmednagar: c

Bijapur and Golkonda were conquered by Aurganzeb.
Khandesh was the only Deccan conquest of Akbar. (Remember this statement. It may fetch a question next year or any future examination. It was the only conquest in Deccan states by Akbar. Akbar had spent a major part of his reign in executing his North West frontier policy. On the other hand Aurangzeb spent half of his reign (since 1678) in South. The examiners keep on testing this fundamental Mughal Policy in the region.

47) Among the following kingdoms of medieval India, which one was founded earliest?
a) Bahamani
b) Golkonda
c) Jaunpur
d) Khandesh
Ans: Bahamani: a

Bahamani kingdom, the Shiite Kingdom in South India was founded by Ala-ud-din Hassan Bahman Shah during the regin of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Golkonda was established in 1518 on the disintegration of Bahamani Kingdom. Golkonda was one of the five kingdoms which were formed out of Bahamani Kingdom. The other four kingdoms were Bidar, Berar, Ahmadnagar, and Bijapur. They are collectively called as Deccan Sultanates.

Khandesh was established by in 1388. It was conquered by Akbar in 1601 and made a province of Mughal empire. (Refer to my note to question no 46 within in this section.)

Jaunpur Dynasty was established in 1394. It was ruled over by Sharqi dynasty. Sharq means the east. Its founder Malik Sarwar was given the title Malik us Sharq which means the owner of east. From there, the dynasty was known s Sharqi dynasty. However, the rule of the dynasty was ended by Sikander Lodhi in 1479.

48) In the context of medieval India, which one of the following terms indicates the land measurement?
a) Taqavi
b) Mauza
c) Jarib
d) Abwab
Ans: Jarib:c
Jarib: It is an Arabic word. It means a measure of land area. In Persian the similar term is garib or gari. It generally refers to measured arable land/
Jarib also means measuring chain or rope.

Mauza: It can be simply called a village. It is the term used for a village which had been recorded in the revenue record. Hence, it means that the village which has it measured land entered in the revenue record. 

Taqavi consists of loans given for assisting agricultural operations. Or Simply an Agricultural Loan. This meaning is still valid.

Abwab: Depending on the nature and time of the collection, Abwab means a tax or fees. Irfan Habin writes that it was exaction of officials in addition to the jama. 

49) With reference to Mughal period, the term ‘hasil’ refers to
a) Revenue assessed on the basis of type of soil climate and economic conditions of the area
b) Revenue assessed on the basis of crop cultivated
c) Revenue actually collected or realized from the land
d) particular unit of land measurement
Ans: Revenue actually collected or realized from the land was recorded as Hasil. The actual assessed revenue was called mal and the tax of making the assessment or mal was called mal-o-jihat. 

50) Virji Vohra, Malaya Chetti Abdul Ghafoor Bohra were some of the
a) Important officials under the Delhi Sultans
b) Important poets of royal court of Bijapur
c) Important writers of Hyderabad kingdom
d) Richest merchants during the Mughal period
Ans: Richest Merchants during the Mughal period. d

Virji Vohra was a leading saraf based at Surat. It is important to remember that the expedition of the Aurganzeb against Dara Shikoh was mainly financed by financers like Virji Vohra. Secondly, the services of sarafs like Virji Vohra were also used to transfer funds through hundis to the army fighting away from Delhi.

Malaya Chetti: Malaya Chetti was the richest Merchant who had direct dealing with Dutch company. He started dealing with the Dutch company in 1608. He was based in Pulicat. He is one of such person whose life has been well documented by the historians.

  Abdul Ghafoor Bohra: He based in Surat and was merchant of hardwares. He was one of leading financier during the reign of Aurangzeb.