This post was published to IAS Help at 18:52:09 25/02/2010

Indian History #15 | Study Material::General Studies | IAS Help

Category Indian History

DELHI SULTANATE
Overview
The Delhi Sultanate was a period from the 13
th
to the 16
th
centuries when several Turkic and
Afghan dynasties ruled northern India from Delhi
The dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate were
o Mamluk dynasty (1206-1290)
o Khilji dynasty (1290-1320)
o Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1413)
o Sayyid dynasty (1414-1451)
o Lodi dynasty (1451-1526)
The Delhi Sultanate was established upon the death of Muhammad Ghori in 1206 CE and
was absorbed by the newly emerging Mughal Empire in 1526 CE

Mamluk Dynasty
Also known as the Slave Dynasty, the Mamluk dynasty was the first dynasty of the Delhi
Sultanate and ruled from 1206-1290 CE
The Mamluks were essentially a Turkic people
It was established by Qutub-ud-din-Aybak, a slave and general of Muhammad Ghori, who
took over Ghoris Indian territories following the latters death in 1206 CE
Important rulers of the Mamluk dynasty include
o Qutub-ud-din-Aybak (1206-1210 CE)
o Shams-ud-din-Iltutmish (1211-1236)
o Razia Sultana (1236-1240)
o Ghiyas-ud-din-Balban (1266-1287)
The Qutub Minar (New Delhi) was commissioned by Qutub-ud-din-Aybak in 1193 CE. At
72.5 m, it is the worlds tallest brick minaret and is one of the earliest and most prominent
examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is part of the Qutub Complex a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
Balbans tomb is located in Mehrauli, New Delhi
The Sultan Ghari, also in New Delhi, is the oldest Islamic mausoleum in India. It was built
by Iltutmish for his son Nasir-ud-din Mahmud in 1231 CE
Razia Sultana was the first female ruler of a Muslim kingdom anywhere in the world

Khilji Dynasty
The Khiljis were the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate. They ruled north and
northwestern India 1290-1320 CE
They were Turko-Afghan people
The greatest ruler of the Khilji dynasty was Ala-ud-din-Khilji (1296-1316 CE)
Khilji attacked Chittor in 1303 after hearing of the beauty of queen Padmini, wife of king
Rawal Ratan Singh. This event is the setting of the epic poem Padmavat written by Malik
Muhammad Jayasi (in 1540 CE), in the Awadhi language
Khiljis plunder of Gujarat in 1297 CE is noted for the loot of the Somnath temple and the
destruction of the Sivalingam into pieces.
Ala-ud-din-Khilji is noted for the first Muslim invasions of southern India. Khiljis general,
Malik Kafur, conquered Devagiri and Warangal, caused the collapse of the Hoysalas, and
went as far south as Madurai, which was occupied for a brief period of time
Ala-ud-din-Khiljis most important achievement was repelling repeated Mongol invasions
of India between 1294 CE and 1308 CE, which would inevitably have brought destruction
and devastation on a colossal scale
Tughlaq Dynasty
The Tughlaq dynasty ruled from 1321 to 1394 CE
They were of Turkic origin
The Tughlaq dynasty was founded by Ghiyas al-din Tughlaq in 1321 CE
The most important ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty was Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325-1351
CE)
Muhammad bin Tughlaq was a renown scholar, was tolerant towards other religions and an
innovative administrator. However, his experiments in reforming public administration often
failed, earning him much satire
He was responsible for the expansion of the Delhi Sultanate southwards into the Deccan
region
In order to strengthen his hold on newly conquered territories in peninsular India,
Muhammad bin Tughlaq moved the capital of the Sultanate from Delhi to Devagiri in
Maharashtra (which was renamed Daulatabad). Due to poor planning and facilities, the
capital had to be moved back to Delhi two years later.
Muhammad bin Tughlaq also introduced copper-based token currency, the first such
experiment in India. Although the copper currency was backed by gold and silver in
government reserves, the switch was not embraced by the public and the experiment had to
be abandoned
Muhammad bin Tughlaq was succeeded by his cousin Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388 CE).
Firoz Shah Tughlaq re-built the top two storeys of the Qutub Minar with white marble,
when the earlier structure was partially destroyed by lightning
Sayyid Dynasty
The Sayyid dynasty ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1414 CE to 1451 CE
The Sayyids came to power following a power vacuum induced by Timurs invasion and
devastation of Delhi in 1398 CE
Lodi Dynasty
The Lodi dynasty ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 CE to 1526
They were of Afghan origin
The Lodi dynasty was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi in 1451 CE
Sikandar Lodi (1489 CE-1517) founded the city of Agra in 1504. He attacked Gwalior five
times but was repulsed each time by Maharaja Mansingh of Gwalior
Sikandar Lodi is known for his benevolence to Muslim subjects and extreme harshness to
Hindu subjects
The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty was Ibrahim Lodi (1489 CE-1526).
Ibrahim Lodi was defeated by the Afghan Mughal Babur in the Battle of Panipat in 1526.
With this, the Delhi Sultanate was dissolved and the Mughal Empire was established
Legacy of the Delhi Sultanate
Perhaps the greatest contribution of the Delhi Sultanate was insulating the Indian
subcontinent from the devastation of Mongol invasions in the 13
th
century
However, the Delhi Sultanate failed to prevent the sacking of Delhi by Timur (aka
Tamerlane). Timur sacked and pillaged Delhi in 1398 CE, leading to widespread devastation
and destruction
The Delhi Sultanate established a network of market centres through which traditional
village economies were both exploited and stimulated
Agricultural practices of shifting to cash crops (like sugarcane) instead of food crops were
encouraged


DECCAN SULTANATES
Overview
The Deccan Sultanates were five Muslim ruled kingdoms located in the Deccan plateau
They ruled south central India from 1527 to 1686
The Deccan Sultanates were established following the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate in
1527
The five kingdoms of the Deccan Sultanates were
o Ahmadnagar (1490-1636)
o Bijapur (1490-1686)
o Berar (1490-1572)
o Golkonda (1518-1687)
o Bidar (1528-1619)
The Deccan Sultanates were generally rivals but united against the Vijayanagara Empire in
the Battle of Tallikota in 1565
An important cultural contribution of the Deccan Sultanates was the development of
Dakhani Urdu drawn from Arabic, Persian, Marathi, Kannada and Telugu
The period is also famous for the development of Deccani miniature paintings, which
flourished in Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golkonda

Ahmadnagar Sultanate
The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was located in northwestern Deccan, between the Gujarat and
Bijapur sultanate
The Sultanate was established by Malik Ahmad in 1490, who founded the Nizam Shahi
dynasty
The capital city of the Sultanate was initially Junnar, which was later shifted to Ahmadnagar
The earliest examples of miniature paintings are found in the manuscript Tarif-i-Hussain
Shahi (c. 1565)
This period is also known for the encyclopaedia Nrisimha Prasada written by Dalapati
The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb (during the
reign of Shah Jahan) in 1636
Berar Sultanate
The Berar Sultanate was established by Imad-ul Mulk in 1490
It was annexed by the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in 1572
Bidar Sultanate
The Bidar Sultanate was established by Qasim Barid in 1490
Bidar was sandwiched between the Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda sultanates
Bidar was annexed by Ibrahim Adil Shah II of the Bijapur Sultanate in 1619
An important type of metalwork called Bidri originated in Bidar. These metalworks were
carried out on black metal (mainly zinc) with inlaid designs of silver, brass and copper
Bijapur Sultanate
The Bijapur Sultanate was established by Yusuf Adil Shah in 1490, who founded the Adil
Shahi dynasty
The Bijapur Sultanate was located in northern Karnataka, with its capital at Bijapur
Under the Adil Shahi dynasty, Bijapur became an important centre of commerce and culture
in India
The Begum Talab was a 234 acre tank constructed by Mohammad Adil Shah in 1651 in
memory of Jahan Begum. Underground pipes, encased in masonry supplied water from the
tank to the city residents
Ibrahim Adil Shah II wrote a book of songs in Dakhani urdu called Kitab-i-Navras. This work
contains a number of songs set to different ragas
The Bijapur Sultanate was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb in 1686
Golconda Sultanate
The Golconda Sultanate was established in 1518 by Qutb-ul-Mulk, who founded the Qutb
Shahi dynasty
The Golconda Sultanate was located in northern Andhra Pradesh
The capital city was Hyderabad
The Qutb Shahi dynasty was responsible for the construction of the Jami Masjid (1518),
Charminar (1591) and Mecca Masjid (1617)
Another famous structure from the period is the fort of Golconda
The Shahi dynasty was instrumental in the development of Dakhani urdu
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah wrote the Kulliyat-i-Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in Dakhani
urdu
Golconda was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb in 1687

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