Delhi Sultanate — Set 9

Correct Answer: A. Slave, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi

• Correct order: **Slave (1206) → Khilji (1290) → Tughlaq (1320) → Sayyid (1414) → Lodi (1451)**. • The Sultanate lasted **320 years** (1206–1526) — ended when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat. • Memory trick: **'SKTSL'** — Slave, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi — in strict chronological order. • 💡 Option B (Sayyid before Tughlaq) and D (Tughlaq before Khilji) are reversed — Option A is the only correct order.

Correct Answer: B. 1526

• **First Battle of Panipat** = **April 21, 1526** — Babur vs. Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat (Haryana). • Babur used **artillery (tulughma tactics + cannons)** — Ibrahim's cavalry was no match for gunpowder. • Ended **Delhi Sultanate (320 years)** and established **Mughal Empire** — Ibrahim died on the battlefield. • 💡 **1556** = Second Panipat (Akbar vs Hemu); **1761** = Third Panipat (Marathas vs Afghans); **1527** = Battle of Khanwa.

Correct Answer: D. Amir Khusrau

• **Amir Khusrau** = **'Tuti-e-Hind'** (Parrot of India) — prolific poet, musician, and scholar. • Served under **7 Sultans** — lived 1253–1325 AD; most famous under Alauddin Khilji. • Wrote in both **Persian and Hindavi** — credited with inventing **Sitar, Tabla**, and Khayal style of music. • 💡 Ibn Battuta = Moroccan traveler; Al-Biruni = wrote Kitab-ul-Hind; Faizi = Akbar's court poet — not 'Tuti-e-Hind'.

Correct Answer: C. Alauddin Khilji

• **Alauddin Khilji's Market Control Policy** fixed prices of **grain, cloth, cattle, and horses**. • Set up **4 markets** in Delhi: grain market, cloth market, cattle/horse market, and general goods market. • Administered by **Shahna-i-Mandi** (market controller) and spy network — violations punished harshly. • 💡 Firoz Tughlaq = welfare schemes; Sher Shah = road/postal reforms; Akbar = no price-fixing; Alauddin = market control only.

Correct Answer: D. Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki

• **Qutub Minar** named after Sufi saint **Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki** — not after Aibak. • Aibak was a devoted follower of this **Chishti Sufi saint** based in Delhi. • The minar was started by Aibak (1193) as a **minaret for the call to prayer (Azan)** for the Quwwat mosque. • 💡 Nizamuddin Auliya, Moinuddin Chishti, Baba Farid — all Chishti saints but none named the Qutub Minar.

Correct Answer: C. Muhammad bin Tughlaq

• **Muhammad bin Tughlaq** shifted capital from Delhi to **Daulatabad (Devagiri)** — for better Deccan control. • Forced the **entire Delhi population** to relocate ~1,500 km south — thousands died of hardship. • Experiment failed due to **logistics and Doab famine** — capital returned to Delhi within a few years. • 💡 Firoz Tughlaq = Firozabad; Alauddin = Siri; Ibrahim Lodi = no capital shift — only Muhammad Tughlaq did this.

Correct Answer: B. Muhammad bin Tughlaq

• **Muhammad bin Tughlaq** = **'Wise Fool'** — highly educated but impractical in execution of plans. • Two famous failures: **Token Currency** (copper coins forged massively) and **Capital shift to Daulatabad** (thousands died). • Was fluent in multiple languages, interested in philosophy and science — acknowledged by Ibn Battuta. • 💡 Balban = stern and successful; Alauddin = effective reformer; Firoz = welfare Sultan — 'Wise Fool' is uniquely Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Correct Answer: A. Qutbuddin Aibak

• **Qutbuddin Aibak** founded the **Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty** in **1206 AD** — beginning of Delhi Sultanate. • Was a **slave-general** of Muhammad Ghori — took power after Ghori's assassination in 1206. • Capital was at **Lahore** initially — Iltutmish later shifted it to Delhi. • 💡 Iltutmish = 2nd ruler, called 'real founder'; Mahmud Ghazni = earlier invader (not Sultanate); Ghori = Aibak's master.

Correct Answer: A. Ibrahim Lodi

• **Ibrahim Lodi** = last ruler of Lodi dynasty — defeated by **Babur** in **First Battle of Panipat, 1526**. • Only Sultan in the entire Sultanate history to **die on the battlefield** — all others died of illness or fled. • His arrogance toward nobles (including Daulat Khan Lodi) led them to **invite Babur** — his downfall. • 💡 Bahlul Lodi = founder; Sikandar Lodi = capable; Daulat Khan = governor who invited Babur — Ibrahim was the last.

Correct Answer: D. Balban

• **Balban** followed the 'Iron and Blood' policy. • It involved harsh punishments to suppress rebellions and robbers. • It was crucial for restoring the authority of the Sultanate. • 💡 **Iltutmish** = Turkan-i-Chahalgani; **Akbar** = Mughal emperor, not Sultanate; **Alauddin** = market reforms — **Balban** is right.