GK Test - 12

Key Points

• Iltutmish (1211-1236):
  • He succeeded to the throne after Qutub-ud-din-Aibak.
  • He was the third ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, belonging to the Mamluk dynasty.
  • He constituted corp of forty loyal slave Amirs known as Turkan-i-Chihalgani also called Chalisa.
  • He introduced the silver coin (tanka) and cooper coin (jittal).
  • He made Delhi the capital in place of Lahore.​

Additional Information

• Firoz Shah Tughlaq:
  • He was the third ruler of Tughlaq dynasty that ruled over Delhi from 1351 to 1388 AD.
  • He established the Diwan-i-Khairat - office for charity
  • He established the Diwan-i-Bundagan -- department of slave
  • He is known to establish four new towns, Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar.
  • He appointed Khan-i-Jahan Maqbal, a Telugu Brahmin convert as wazir (prime minister). 
    • The wazir helped the Sultan in his administration and maintained the prestige of the Sultanate during this period.
• Mohammad bin Tughlaq (1325-1351):
  • He shifted his capital from Delhi to Deogir and renamed it as Daulatabad.
  • Daulatabad is situated in Maharashtra. 
  • He built a road from Delhi to Deogir and also set up rest houses for the people.
  • He introduced bronze coins of the same value as Silver coins.
  • He established a new department of agriculture known as “Diwan-i-Kohi".
  • He also provided agricultural loan “Takavi” to the farmers.
• Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah (1580-1612):
  • He was the fifth sultan of the Qutub Shahi dynasty of Golkonda
  • He founded the city of Hyderabad, in South-central India and built its architectural centrepiece, the Charminar. 
  • He founded the city of Hyderabad and named it as Bhagyanagar after his Hindu mistress Bhagamati.​

Key Points

• Mulla Do-Piyaza is often cited as the wise and witty advisor of the Home Affairs of Akbar’s court.
• He was often used by Akbar to settle disputes and solve problems.
• He was also a skilled poet and musician.
• The person in this position is in charge of the country’s internal security, namely, the police force. 
• However, many scholars believe that Mulla Do-Piyaza is a fictional character.

Additional Information

Key Points

• The Sun temple of Konark was built by Narasimhadeva I.
• Narasimhadeva I belong to the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
• Konar sun temple was built in the 13th century.
• The temple is mainly dedicated to the god sun.
• It is situated at Konark 35 km northeast of the Puri on the coastline of Odisha India.
• Konark is a small town in the district Puri of Odisha.
• The temple is shaped in the giant form of a chariot.
• It is consist of seven horse and twenty-four wheels of the chariot.

Important Points

• The Eastern Ganga dynasty was a medieval Indian dynasty that ruled from the 11th century to the early 15th century.
• The territory ruled by the dynasty consisted of the Indian state of Odisha as well as parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Additional Information

• The magnificent Sun Temple at Konark is the culmination of Odisha temple architecture.
• It is one of the most stunning monuments of religious architecture in the world.
• Sun has been the most popular deity in India since the Vedic period.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e., Qutub-ud-din Aibak

• Qutub-ud-din Aibak was the founder of the Slave dynasty in India, who ruled from 1206 to 1210.
• Qutub-ud-din Aibak was also known as Lakh Baksha Sultan because of his generosity.
• He laid the foundation of Qutub Minar which was later completed by Iltutmish.
• The Quwwat-al-Islam mosque was also commissioned by him.
• He built the famous 'Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra' mosque in the city of Ajmer, Rajasthan.
• In 1210, while playing Chaugan, he fell from the horse and died. His tomb is located in Anarkali Bazaar at Lahore.

Key Points

• Al-Biruni was an Iranian scholar.
• He is considered the father of modern geodesy.
• Kitab-ul-Hind is an Arabic book authored by Al-Biruni in the 11th century.
  • Kitab-ul-Hind is also known by the name of Tarikh-ul-Hind.
  • The book deals with the “caste system” in India.
  • He extensively compared the Indian culture with other cultures in this book.

Important Points

• Al-Biruni called Kerala as Malabar.
• Kitab al-Tafhim is the book authored by Al-Biruni in both Persian and Arabic languages.
• He traveled to the Indian subcontinent in 1017.
• Notable work of Al-Biruni are: 
  • The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries.
  • Gems.
  • The Mas'udi Canon.
  • Understanding Astrology.

Additional Information

• Al-Bukhari was a Persian Islamic scholar who was born in Bukhara.
• Al-Khwarizmi was a Muslim mathematician who introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and the concepts of algebra into European mathematics.
• Al-Kindi is popularly called “the philosopher of the Arabs.”

Key Points

• Mohammed bin Tughlaq was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate from 1325 to 1351.
• He is credited with introducing paper currency in India.
• He issued paper currency called the fasli, which was backed by gold and silver.
• However, the fasli was not successful and was eventually discontinued.
• Sher Shah Suri did not introduce paper currency in India.
• He was a ruler of the Suri Empire from 1540 to 1545.
• He introduced a new coin called the rupiya, which is the predecessor of the modern Indian rupee.
• However, he did not introduce paper currency.

Key Points

Vijayanagara Empire:-

• Founded in 1336 in the wake of the rebellions against Tughluq rule in the Deccan, the Vijayanagar empire lasted for more than two centuries as the dominant power in south India.
• The kingdom of Vijayanagar was founded by Harihara and Bukka, two of five brothers who had served in the administrations of both Kakatiya and Kampili before those kingdoms were conquered by the armies of the Delhi sultanate in the 1320s.
• Then they went to Kampili where they were imprisoned and converted to Islam.
• Later, they returned to the Hindu fold at the initiative of the saint Vidyaranya.
• They also proclaimed their independence and founded a new city on the south bank of the Tungabhadra river. It was called Vijayanagar meaning city of victory.
• Krishna Deva Raya was the greatest King of the Vijayanagar kingdom.
• This Battle of Talaikotta in 1565 was generally considered to mark the end of the Vijayanagar Empire.
• The last ruler of the Vijayanagar kingdom was Sri Ranga III.

Important Points

• Dynasties of the Vijayanagara Empire -
  • Sangama Dynasty - 
    • It was the first dynasty to rule over the Vijaynagar empire.
    • The founders of the empire, Harihar I and Bukka belonged to this dynasty.
    • It ruled from 1336 AD to 1485 AD.
  • Saluva Dynasty - 
    • Saluva dynasty was founded by Saluva Narasimha
    • It reigned only for a brief period (1486-1505).
  • Tuluva Dynasty - 
    • The Tuluva dynasty was founded by Vira Narasimha.
    • The greatest of the Vijayanagar rulers, Krishna Deva Raya belonged to the Tuluva dynasty.
    • It ruled from 1505 AD to 1570 AD.
  • Aravidu Dynasty - 
    • It was the last dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire.
    • Its rule lasted about a century.

Key Points

• Mughal Emperor Jahangir permitted the English East India Company to establish their factory in 1613 at Surat.

• The British East India Company came to India for trading in spices, an important commodity in Europe back then and as it was used to preserve meat.

• Apart from this, they primarily do trading in silk, cotton, indigo dye, tea, and opium.
• Mughal emperor Jahangir granted a Farman to Captain William Hawkins permitting the English to erect a factory at Surat in 1613. 
• In 1615, Thomas Roe, the Ambassador to James I, got an imperial Farman from Jahangir for doing trading and establish factories all across the Mughal empire.
•  In 1616, the company established its first factory in the south in Masulipattanam.
• Soon, the Vijaynagara Empire will also give the company permission to open a factory in Madras and the British company started to eclipse out the other European trading companies in their rising power.
• The 'East India Company' was formed in 1600.

Additional Information

• Jahangir was born to Maryam-uz-Zamani and Akbar on August 30, 1569.
• He was named Sultan Muhammad Salim after Shaikh Salim Chishti of Fatehpur Sikri.
• Akbar called him Sheik Babu.
• After his coronation, he assumed the title of Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir Badshah Ghazi.
• Jahangir was the only surviving son of Akbar who after his father’s death ascended the throne in 1604, at the age of 34 years.

The correct answer is Option 1 i.e. Chandellas

• The Khajuraho temples were built about 35 miles from the medieval city of Mahoba by the Chandela dynasty, in the Kalinjar region.
• They were popularly termed as Chandelas or the Jejakabhukti dynasty in Indian history.

• The Chandela dynasty came into notice for the first time in 9th century when Nanuka overthrew the Parihara Chieftain and established the dynasty of Chandelas of Jejakabhukti.

Key Points

• The founder of the medieval Chola empire, Vijayalaya Chola, provided the Chola empire with a strong base.
  • He was one of those rulers who, from nothing, greatly formed an empire and then conquered powerful neighboring empires such as Pandyas and Pallavas, and became a powerful force in all of ancient South India.
  • The early Cholas were very powerful, but they lost their authority to other kingdoms and became feudal princes.
  • Around 300 A.D., they went into darkness. Cholas have completely disappeared from their native land since this time.
  • A hero, with Chola blood, re-established Chola rule around 848 A.D, whom we now refer to as the great Vijayalaya Chola.

Additional Information