Delhi Sultanate — Set 10

Correct Answer: D. Iltutmish

• **Iltutmish** completed the Qutub Minar. • Qutbuddin Aibak had only built the base. • Iltutmish added three more storeys to it. • 💡 **Aibak** = only started; **Firoz Tughlaq** = repaired top storeys; **Alauddin** = built Alai Darwaza — **Iltutmish** completed it.

Correct Answer: D. Firoz Shah Tughlaq

• **Firoz Shah Tughlaq** imposed **Jizya on Brahmins** — the first Sultan to do so; Brahmins were previously exempt. • Done to demonstrate **strict Islamic orthodoxy** as advised by his Ulema (religious scholars). • **Aurangzeb** later also reimposed Jizya (Akbar had abolished it) — a frequently paired. • 💡 Alauddin = no extension of Jizya; Sikandar Lodi = bigoted but no Jizya on Brahmins; Aurangzeb ≠ Sultanate ruler.

Correct Answer: C. Razia Sultan

• **Razia Sultan** = only female ruler of the entire Delhi Sultanate — daughter of **Iltutmish**. • Ruled **1236–1240 AD** — removed purdah, appeared in public, held court with nobles directly. • **Iltutmish** had nominated her over his sons in his will — unprecedented and controversial. • 💡 Nur Jahan = Mughal; Jodha Bai = Akbar's wife (not a ruler); Chand Bibi = Bijapur/Ahmadnagar — not Delhi Sultanate.

Correct Answer: D. Sikandar Lodi

• **Sikandar Lodi** founded **Agra** in **1504 AD** — shifted capital from Delhi to Agra for strategic control. • Agra positioned near **Rajputana** — easier to monitor and control the powerful Rajput kingdoms. • Agra later became the **primary Mughal capital** — site of Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri. • 💡 Ibrahim Lodi = last ruler; Shah Jahan = built Taj Mahal in Agra but didn't found the city; Akbar = expanded Agra Fort.

Correct Answer: B. Balban

• **Balban** destroyed the **Turkan-i-Chahalgani** (Group of Forty) — to centralize absolute royal power. • He had been a **member of the group himself** — knew their strategies and destroyed them from within. • Used **exile, imprisonment, and elimination** to dismantle the group's influence over the throne. • 💡 Iltutmish = organized it; Razia = undermined by it; Alauddin = no Chahalgani existed in his time.

Correct Answer: C. Muhammad bin Tughlaq

• **Muhammad bin Tughlaq** introduced **Token Currency** — copper coins given the value of silver Tanka. • Failed catastrophically because citizens **counterfeited copper coins** at home — treasury was drained. • Sultan had to **recall all copper coins** and exchange them for silver — a huge financial loss. • 💡 Sher Shah = successful silver Rupiya; Iltutmish = successful Tanka/Jital; Alauddin = no currency experiment.

Correct Answer: C. Morocco

• **Ibn Battuta** came from **Morocco (North Africa)** — one of the greatest medieval travelers. • Visited India during **Muhammad bin Tughlaq's** reign (1334–1342) — served as Qazi and ambassador. • Wrote **'Rihla' (Kitab-ul-Rahla)** = Book of Journeys — key source on 14th-century India. • 💡 Persia = Al-Biruni; China = Hiuen Tsang (earlier Buddhist pilgrim); Turkey = no famous medieval traveler.

Correct Answer: A. Alauddin Khilji

• **Alauddin Khilji** adopted **'Sikandar-i-Sani'** = 'The Second Alexander' — to show world-conquest ambition. • Title appears on his **coins and inscriptions** — also considered founding a new religion (abandoned). • Despite the title, he mainly defended India from Mongols and expanded southward into Deccan. • 💡 Sikandar Lodi = pen name 'Gulrukhi' but not 'Sikandar-i-Sani'; Balban = Zill-i-Ilahi; Iltutmish = no title like this.

Correct Answer: D. Alauddin Khilji

• **Alauddin Khilji** built the **Alai Darwaza** in **1311 AD** — southern gateway to the Qutub Minar complex. • Features the **first true dome** built in India — also the first proper use of **true arch** in gateway. • Made of **red sandstone and white marble** — finest. • 💡 Iltutmish = built his tomb (no dome); Firoz Tughlaq = repaired Qutub top; Aibak = started Quwwat mosque.

Correct Answer: D. Ibrahim Lodi

• The Delhi Sultanate ended with the defeat of **Ibrahim Lodi**. • He was defeated by Babur in **1526**. • This event established the Mughal dynasty. • 💡 **Rana Sanga** = Rajput ally of Babur; **Sikandar Lodi** = died earlier in 1517; **Daulat Khan** = invited Babur — **Ibrahim** was defeated.