THE TUGHLAQ DYNASTY

History Chapter 7

I Question and Answers:

1. How was the Tughlaq dynasty founded?

Ans. In 1320 CE, the last Khilji ruler was killed by Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq. He then founded a
new dynasty called Tughlaq dynasty, that ruled India for the greater part of the 14 th
century CE.

2. Write a brief about Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.

Ans. Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq was the son of a Turkish father and an Indian mother. He was an
efficient administrator and a capable military efficient commander. He introduced
several reforms for the welfare of his subjects and suppressed revolts in distant
provinces. He restored peace and stability in the Delhi Sultanate. Ghiyasuddin died in a
deliberately planned accident. He was succeeded by his son Juana Khan who ascended
he throne under the title of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

3. Write a brief about Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.

Or
Why is Muhammad bin Tughlaq regarded as one of the most accomplished and
learned scholars of his times?
Ans. Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1324-51 CE) was one of the most learned and accomplished
scholars of his time. His intellectual curiosity and thirst for knowledge were boundless.
Gifted with an extraordinary memory and a keen intellect, he had mastered logic,
philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and physical sciences. He was a lover of Persian
literature and poetry, calligraphy, fine arts and music. He loved the company of learned
men.

4. Why did historians believe that Muhammad bin Tughlaq was mad?
Ans. The contradiction in Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s behavior has led some historians to
believe that he was mad. He has been variously described as the wisest fool, a mad man,
an idealist and a visionary. He was a diligent ruler and undertook many projects. These
projects were brilliantly conceived but poorly executed and always ended in failure.

5. Why did Muhammad bin Tughlaq increase taxes in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab
region?
Ans. Muhammad bin Tughlaq realized the important of a strong and powerful army to
strengthen and secure the position of the ruler. To increase military resources, he
 needed additional revenue. So he increased the land tax for the Ganga-Yamuna Doab
(the are between the Gange and the Yamuna rivers) which was a fertile region.

6. What did the peasants do to escape the tyranny of the tax collectors?
Ans. When the Ganga-Yamuna Doab land tax was increased, unfortunately the rains failed
and a severe famine broke out. People refused to pay the enhanced taxes. But the tax
collectors showed no mercy and continued to collect the taxes with such rigour that the
peasants were ruined. So to escape the tyranny of the tax collects, the peasants
abandoned their lands and fled to the jungles.

7. What are the reasons which prompted the sultan to transfer the capital from Delhi
to Devagiri?
Ans. Muhammad bin Tughlaq transferred the capital from Delhi to Devagiri (renamed
Daulatabad) in the Deccan. Two major reasons which prompted the transfer were
 Central location: With the expansion of the Delhi Sultanate into the Deccan,
Devagiri was centrally located and nearly equidistant from Delhi and other
important places.
 Mongol invasions: Repeated Mongol attacks posed a great threat to Delhi.
Daulatabad was at a safe distance from the invaders.

8. Why was the capital transferred from Delhi to Daulatabad?

Ans. Muhammad bin Tughlaq ordered the transfer of the entire population instead of shifting
only his court and the officials. Elaborate arrangements were made for the almost1,250
km journey. A broad road was built, with trees on both sides. Temporary huts were set
up along the way and provisions were made for the supply of free food and drinks
during the journey. However, the journey was long and arduous. Many died on the way.
The weary and homesick survivors could not adjust to the new and alien conditions of
the new capital.

8. Explain the consequences of the transfer of the capital to Daulatabad.

Ans. In the absence of the sultan, Delhi was now exposed to renewed attacks by the
Mongols. Realizing his folly, Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted his capital back to Delhi
after 2 years. The people were ordered to return. The suffering and mental agony caused
great resentment. The experiment was a dismal failure. It has drained the treasury and
reduced the grand and prosperous capital of Delhi to a mere shadow of its former self.
Daulatabad, a monument of misdirected energy became a deserted city.
9. Why do modern historians reject the account of a mass exodus from Delhi to
Daulatabad?
Ans. Modern historians however do not accept the account of a mass exodus. According to
them Delhi was never depopulated because there is evidence to prove that construction
work was carried out in Delhi during the period of transfer.

10. Why did the Sultan introduce the token currency?

Ans. The failure of the sultan’s schemes had led to a heavy drain on eth royal treasury, so
Muhammad bin Tughlaq then decided to experiment with token currency in 1329-30
CE to tide over the financial crisis.

11. Discuss the effects of introduction of token currency.

Ans. In the year 1329-30 CE Muhammad bin Tughlaq introduced the token currency. Copper
coins, having the same value as gold and silver coins, were issued and people were
ordered to use these token coins in all their transactions. However, the sultan took no
steps to ensure that the minting of coins was the monopoly of the government. Every
house became a mint and people started making counterfeit coins. There were no
arrangements to check the minting and circulation of fake coins. Foreign merchants
refused to accept the token currency. Trade came to a standstill. Fake coins were used to
pay taxes to the government. The economic system began to collapse. Muhammad bin
Tughlaq had to withdraw the token currency. The idea of token currency was a
progressive one, but it was far ahead of the times. It failed due to faulty execution. The
government resources and the prestige of the sultan suffered a serious blow.

12. Why did Muhammad bin Tughlaq abandon his scheme of territorial expansion?
Ans. Muhammad bin Tuglaq abandoned his scheme of territorial expansion because he
realized that it would not be easy to send such a large army across the snowy
Himalayan passes. When he had sent an expedition to conquer the Himachal region, the
army suffered heavy casualties and only 10 soldiers returned to Delhi.

13. Discuss the causes and results of the taxation scheme in the Doab.
Ans. The taxation scheme was introduced by Muhammad bin Tughlaq to collect additional
revenue to increase military resources. On introduction of the taxation scheme,
unfortunately the rains failed, a severe famine broke out and people refused to pay the
enhanced taxes. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Muhammad bin Tughlaq ordered
relief measures such as free kitchens, loans to farmers, improved irrigation facilities,
etc. However, the remedy came too late. The damage had already been done.
Agriculture suffered a severe setback.
14. What arrangements did Muhammad bin Tughlaq make to achieve his ambition of
a world empire? Why did his scheme fail?
Ans. Muhammad bin Tughlaq dreamt of establishing a world empire. He decided to conquer
Khurasan, Persia (Iran) and Iraq. A huge army was mobilized, equipped and paid one
full year’s salary in advance. A year later, the project was abandoned because the sultan
realized that it would not be easy to send such a large army across the snowy
Himalayan passes. He also sent an expedition to conquer the Himachal region. The
army suffered heavy casualties and only 10 soldiers returned to Delhi.

15. What was the result of the failure of the schemes introduced by Muhammad bin
Tughlaq?
Ans. Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s experiments and poorly executed schemes had exhausted the
treasury and undermined the prestige and position of the sultan. Revolts broke out in all
parts of the Sultanate. The Rana of Mewar recovered Ranthambore and Chittor and
built a powerful kingdom in Rajasthan. In the south, two new kingdoms were
established – the Hindu Vijayanagar kingdom and the Muslim Bahmani kingdom. The
Deccan and South India became independent once again. Bengal and Sind also asserted
their independence.

16. What was the condition of the Delhi Sultanate at the end of Muhammad bin
Tughlaq’s reign?
Ans. In 1351 when Muhammad bin Tughlaq died after a reign of more than 25 years, the
sultanate was in a state of decay and disintegration. He was succeeded by his cousin,
Firoze Shah Tughlaq who was nominated by the ulema and the nobles.

17. Name one important literary source of information about the reign of Muhammad
bin Tughlaq.
Ans. Important literary source of information about the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq are
writings of Ibn Batuta such as Travelss of Ibn Batuta, the Travels in Asia and Africa
(1325-1354), Travis del Islam.

18. Mention the economic reform introduced in the Doab region by Firoze Shah
Tughlaq.
Ans. The economic reform introduced by Firoze Shah Tughlaq were
- Land taxes were reduced in the Doab. All loans given during the famine were
cancelled. Many taxes were abolished.
- Old canals were repaired and new canals were built.
- Hundreds of wells were sunk and a number of dams were constructed.
 - He also built many new towns which exist even today, such as Hissar-Firuzah or
Hissar and Firozabad.

19. Give one example to show that Firoze Shah was concerned about the welfare of his
poor subjects.
Ans. Examples to show that Firoze Shah was concerned about the welfare of his poor
subjects was
- He built rest houses for travelers and traders and set up free hospitals for the
poor.
- A charity department for the benefit of widows, orphans and other needy people
was established.
- An employment bureau provided jobs to the unemployed.
- A separate department was set up to look after slaves.

20. Mention one radical reform introduced in the judicial system.

Ans. The judicial system was reformed and made humane. A savage system of torturing
suspected criminals that included cutting off of hands and feet, tearing out the eyes,
pouring molten lead down the throat, etc, prevailed in those days. Firoze Shah abolished
this system of torture. Even when suspects were found to be guilty, they were given
mild punishments.

21. How did the orchards built by Firoze Shah benefit the economy?
Ans. Firoze Shah laid out 1,200 gardens and orchards around Delhi. These orchards
produced so much fruit that it became a rich source of revenue for the state treasury.

22. Who defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat?

Ans. Babur, a descendant of Timur, invaded India in 1526 CE and killed Ibrahim Lodi in the
First Battle of Panipat.

23. To what would you attribute the failure of Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s schemes –
personal character or prevailing conditions? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. I feel Muhammad bin Tughlaq was not personally responsible for his failure. His
intellectual curiosity and thirst for knowledge were boundless. He was explorative and
came up with several new concepts. However, his projects failed because of the
conditions and prejudices of those times. People were backward and not receptive to
new ideas and radical reforms.

24. Mention Firoze Shah’s contribution in the fields of (a)architecture and

(b)education and learning.
Ans. (a) Architecture: Firoze Shah was a great builder of works of public utility. He built
many towns such as Firozabad (Firoz Shah Kotla), Firozpur, Jaunpur, Hissar etc. He
laid out 1200 gardens and orchard around Delhi. These orchards produced so much fruit
that it became a rich source of revenue for the state treasury.

(b)Education and learning: Firoze Shah promoted education and learning. Many school
and colleges were built. Learned scholars were encouraged to translate Hindu religious
texts, books on music, etc., from Sanskrit into Persian.

25. Why was Firoze Shah’s foreign policy a failure?

Ans. Firoze Shah lacked the basic qualities of a military leader. His feeble attempts to
recover Bengal ended in failure. He showed no interest in recovering al the provinces
that had become independent during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. The death of
Firoze Shah was followed by the disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate. One by one the
provinces declared their independence. Only Punjab and the area around Delhi
remained in the hands of the Tughlaq Dynasty.

26. Give a brief account of the invasion of Timur. What effect did it have on India’s
political history?
Ans. The final blow to the Sultanate was dealt by Amir Timur or Timur, the Mongol ruler of
Samarkand in Central Asia. Taking advantage of the weak Tughlaq ruler, Timur
invaded India in 1398-99 CE to plunder its wealth. On reaching Delhi, he went on a
rampage. Men, women and children were mercilessly killed. Then he returned to his
capital because he had no intentions of ruling India. He carried back with him the
enormous wealth he had looted.

27. Who was Khizr Khan?

Ans. Before leaving Delhi, Timur appointed Khizr Khan as his viceroy. Khizr Khan
overthrew the last Tughlaq sultan and established the rule of the Sayyid dynasty in
1414 CE. Khizr Khan was the first ruler of the Sayyid dynasty. The Sayyids ruled Delhi
for 38 years. In 1451 CE, the Sayyid dynasty was replaced by an Afghan dynasty called
the Lodis, founded by Bahlul Lodi.

28. Give a brief about the Lodis.

Ans. The Sayyid dynasty was replaced by an Afghan dynasty called the Lodis (1451-
1526CE), founded by Bahlul Lodi. The control of the Lodis was confined to Punjab and
the Doab area. Sikander Lodi, the greatest of the Lodi rulers, was succeeded by Ibrahim
Lodi, the last Lodi ruler. Ibrahim Lodi was harsh, cruel and unpopular. Babur, a
 descendant of Timur, invaded India in 1526 CE and killed Ibrahim Lodi in the First
Battle of Panipat.

29. Why was the First Battle of Panipat considered a major turning point in the
history of India?
Ans. The First Battle of Panipat was a major turning point in the history of Indian because it
was a momentous event that marked the end of the Delhi Sultanate and the beginning of
Mughal rule in India.