HISTORY

NOTES – THE DELHI SULTANS.

Q1. Which dynasty first established its capital at Delhi?
Ans. Ananga Pala from the Tomara dynasty of Rajputs first established his capital at Delhi.
Q2. What was the language of administration under the Delhi Sultans?
Ans. The language of administration under the Delhi Sultans was Persian.
Q3. In whose reign did the Sultanate reach its farthest extent?
Ans. The Delhi Sultanate reached its farthest extent during the rule of Muhammad Tughluq of
the Tughluq dynasty.
Q4. From which country did Ibn Battuta travel to India?
Ans. Ibn Battuta travelled to India from Morocco, a country in North Africa.
Q5. According to the ‘circle of justice’, why was it important for military commanders to
keep the interests of the peasantry in mind?
Ans. According to the ‘circle of justice’, it was important for military commanders to keep the
interests of the peasantry in mind because a king could not survive without soldiers.
Soldiers got salaries from the revenue collected. Peasants could pay the revenue only
when they were prosperous and happy. This could happen only when the king promoted
justice and honest government.
Q6. What was the impact of the Mongol invasions on the Delhi Sultanate?
Ans. To deal with the Mongol invasions, the Sultans of Delhi took the following measures.
 They had to mobilise a large standing army.
 Garrison towns had to be built to house troops.
 Taxes had to be collected on a large scale to sustain the armies.
 The combined effect of all this was the weakening of the Delhi Sultanate.
Q7. How did the Delhi Sultans protect their internal frontiers? Elaborate.
Ans. The Delhi Sultans did the following to protect their internal frontiers -
 The Sultanate aimed at consolidating the hinterlands of the garrison towns.
 Forests were cleared in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab and hunter-gatherers and pastoralists
were expelled from their habitat.
 Peasants were given lands and agriculture was encouraged.
 New fortresses and towns were established to protect trade routes and to promote
regional trade.
Q8. Discuss the Iqta system of Alauddin Khalji.
 Alauddin Khalji appointed military commanders as governors of territories of varying
sizes called iqta and their holders were called iqtadar or muqti.
 In exchange for their military services, the muqtis collected revenues from their iqtas as
salaries.
 They also paid their soldiers from these revenues.
 Accountants were appointed by the state to check the amount of revenue collected by
the muqtis.
 The state made sure that a muqti kept only the required number of soldiers and collected
only the state prescribed taxes.

Q9. State the importance of tawarikh.

Ans. Tawarikh (plural of History) are an important source to learn about the Delhi Sultanate.
They were written in Persian. The authors of the tawarikh were learned men – administrators,
secretaries, poets, courtiers, etc. They recorded the events as well as advised the rulers on
governance. They wrote history to please their rulers in the hope of being rewarded.
These authors laid emphasis on an ‘ideal social order’ which highlighted birth right and gender
distinctions.

Q10. Write 3 differences in the policies adopted by Alauddin Khilji and Muhammad Tughlaq
to deal with the Mongol attacks. / What were the administrative challenges faced by
Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Tughlaq while maintaining a large standing army?
Ans.
ALAUDDIN KHALJI MUHAMMAD TUGHLAQ
1. To deal with Mongol attacks, he 1. To deal with Mongol attacks, he raised a
raised a large standing army and large standing army to plan attacks on
adopted a defensive policy. Transoxiana.
2. He constructed a new garrison town 2. He made the residents of Dehli –i– Kuhna
called Siri for his soldiers. vacate the city and move to Daulatabad to
station his soldiers there.
3. Tax was collected from the Ganga 3. Additional taxes were imposed to meet the
Yamuna doab to feed the soldiers. expenses of the large army. This
disgusted the people.
4. Soldiers were paid in cash, prices of 4. He introduced token currency to pay
goods were regulated and there was soldiers in cash but it failed. His
efficient supply of goods in the campaigns were a failure. He had to
market. All this kept the soldiers disband his army. His policies led to
happy. widespread rebellion.

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