History Test - 9

The correct answer is Turkish.

Key Points

Mughal Empire 

• Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire.
• His grandson, Akbar, was considered the greatest Mughal Emperor.
• Turkish was the mother tongue of Mughals, but it was Akbar who made Persian the leading language of the Mughal court.
• Hence the correct answer is option 2.
• Persian became Indianised by absorbing local idioms.
• Urdu sprang from the interaction of Persian with Hindavi.

The correct answer is Abul Fazl

Key Points

The Paintings of the Mughal Period 

• Abu’l Fazl described the painting as a ‘magical art’, but the production of painting was largely criticised by the Ulama, as it was prohibited by the Quran as well as by the ‘hadis’.
• Hence the correct answer is 4.
• Hadis described the life event of the prophet Muhammad which restricted the deception of living beings as they regarded it as a function of God.
• The Safavid kings and the Mughal Emperors patronised the finest artists like Bihzad, Mir Sayyid Ali, Abdus Samad, etc.

The correct answer is Sir William Jones.

Key Points

Asiatic Society of Bengal  

• The Asiatic Society of Bengal founded by Sir William Jones in 1784 undertook the editing, printing and translation of many Indian manuscripts, including Akbar Nama and Badshah Nama.
• The Badshah Nama was written by Abul Hamid Lahori about the reign of Shahjahan.
• Later, it was revised by Sadullah Khan.
• Asiatic Society of Bengal, a scholarly society founded on Jan. 15, 1784, by Sir William Jones, a British lawyer and Orientalist, to encourage Oriental studies. Hence the correct answer is option 3.

The correct answer is Muhammad Husayn of Kashmir.

Key Points

Calligraphy 

• Akbar’s favourite calligraphy style was the nastily, a fluid style with long horizontal strokes.
• Muhammad Husayn of Kashmir was one of the finest calligraphers at Akbar’s court who was honoured with the title ‘Zarrin Kalam’ (Golden pen).
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• Abdul Fazl was the Grand vizier of the Mughal emperor Akbar and author of the Akbarnama.

The correct answer is Kornish

Key Points

Language 

• Kornish was a form of ceremonial salutation in which the courtier placed the palm of his right hand against his forehead and bent his head.
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• It suggested that the subject placed his head in the seat of the senses and the mind into the hand of humility, presenting it to the royal assembly.
• Axis Mundi is a Latin phrase for a pillar or pole that is visualised as the support of the earth.
• (Akbar) holds court (darbar) a large drum is beaten, the sounds of which are accompanied by Divine praise.
• In this manner, people of all classes receive notice.
• His Majesty’s sons and grandchildren, the grandees of the Court, and all other men who have admittance attend to make the kornish and remain standing in their proper places.
• Learned men of renown and skilful mechanics pay their respects, and the officers of justice present their reports. 

The correct answer is Akbar.

Key Points

• Also known as the "Door of Victory", the Buland Darwaza was built by Mughal emperor Akbar in 1601 A.D. Hence, option 1 is correct. 
• He built the gateway to commemorate his conquest of Gujrat in 1573.
• It is located 43 km from Agra, as the main entrance to the Fatehpur Sikri complex.
• It is the highest gateway in the world.

The correct answer is option 3

Key Points

Manuscripts 

• Imperial Kitabkhana were the main centres for the creation of manuscripts.
• Painters played an important role in the creation of Mughal manuscripts.
• All books in Mughal India were handwritten manuscripts and were kept in Kitabkhana i.e. scriptorium.
• Hence the correct answer is option 3.
• The creation of a manuscript involved paper makers, scribes or calligraphers, gilders, painters, bookbinders, etc.
• The authors of Mughal chronicles were invariably courtiers.
• The famous chronicles are Akbar Nama, Shahjahan Nama and Alamgir Nama.

The correct answer is Akbar

Key Points

Different Chronicles of Mughals 

• Chronicles commissioned by the Mughal emperors are an important source for studying the empire and its court.
• The authors of Mughal chronicles were invariably courtiers.
• The famous chronicles are Akbar Nama, Shahjahan Nama and Alamgir Nama.
• Turkish was the mother tongue of Mughals, but it was Akbar who made Persian the leading language of Mughal court.
• Hence the correct answer is option 3.
• Persian became Indianised by absorbing local idioms.
• Urdu sprang from the interaction of Persian with Hindavi.

The correct answer is Bahadur Shah

Key Points

• Bahadur Shah was known as Shah-I-Bekhabar. Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• This name was given by Khafi Khan because he liked to appease all parties by profuse grants of titles and rewards.
• He ruled for five years from 1707 to 1712.
• He was also the governor of Akbarabad, Kabul and Lahore from 1696 to 1707.
• When he was young, he conspired to overthrow his father and ascend to the throne a number of times but his plans were intercepted by the ruler, who then imprisoned him several times.
• His reign was disturbed by Sikhs under the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur, Rajputs and fellow Mughal Kam Baksh but slowly and gradually all of them were successfully suppressed.

The correct answer is Abul Hamid Lahori.

Key Points

Historical Text of Mughals: Akbar Nama and the Badshah Nama -

• The Akbar Nama written by Abu’l Fazl is divided into three books, of which the third one is Ain-i Akbari which provided a detailed description of Akbar’s regime.
• The Badshah Nama was written by Abul Hamid Lahori about the reign of Shahjahan.
• Hence the correct answer is option 4.
• Later, it was revised by Sadullah Khan.
• The Asiatic Society of Bengal founded by Sir William Jones in 1784 undertook the editing, printing and translation of many Indian manuscripts, including Akbar Nama and Badshah Nama.
• Gulbadan Begum wrote Humayun Nama.
• It gives us a glimpse into the domestic world of Mughals.
• In 1668, Alamgir Nama was written by Muhammad Kazim. It gives a historical account of the first decade of Aurangzeb’s rule.
• In 1589, Babur Nama was translated in Persian and Abu’l Fazl wrote the Akbar Nama.