Medieval India Test - 3

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (called the Lion of the Punjab) (1780-1839) was a Sikh ruler of the Punjab. His tomb is located in Lahore, Pakistan. He is remembered for uniting the Punjab as a strong state and his possession of the Koh-i-noor diamond. He took the title of Maharaja on April 12, 1801 (to coincide with Baisakhi day), with Lahore having served as his capital from 1799.

Raja Todar Mal, as the finance minister of Akbar, introduced a new system of revenue known as zabt and a system of taxation called dahshala. He took a careful survey of crop yields and prices cultivated for a 10-year period 1570-1580. On this basis, tax was fixed on each crop in cash.

Tansen (c. 1500 – 1586), also referred as Tan Sen or Ramtanu, was a prominent figure of Hindustani classical music. Born in a Hindu family, he learned and perfected his art in the northwest region of modern Madhya Pradesh. He began his career and spent most of his adult life in the court and patronage of the Hindu king of Rewa, Raja Ramchandra Singh (r. 1555–1592), where Tansen's musical abilities and studies gained widespread fame.

Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram (5 January, 1592 – 22 January, 1666), better known by his regnal name, Shah Jahan, was the fifth Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1628 to 1658. His reign represented the height of the Indian architecture, most notably the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan left behind a grand legacy of structures constructed during his reign. He was one of the greatest patrons of Mughal architecture.

Abdul Hamid Lahori was a traveller and historian during the period of Shah Jahan, who later became a court historian of Shah Jahan. He wrote the book Padshahnama, also referred as Badshahnama, about the reign of Shah Jahan.

Babar and Jahangir were the two Mughal emperors who wrote their own memoirs.

Babar wrote 'Baburnama' that consisted mainly of the history of his reign and was written in Chagatai language.

Jahangir wrote 'Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri', also called 'Jahangirnama'. Apart from the history of his reign, Jahangir also wrote about art, politics, and his family.

Babur laid the foundation of Mughal Empire by defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the first Battle of Panipat in 1526.