Medieval Indian History Quiz

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His original name was Mool Shankar Tiwari because he was born in Dhanu Rashi and Mul Nakshatra. His father was Karshanji Lalji Kapadi, and his mother was Yashodabai. He was the founder (1875) of the Arya Samaj.

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Chaitanya Mahaprabhu founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism (Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya). He expounded Bhakti yoga and popularized the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. Yamunacharya renounced kingship and spent his last days in the service of the Lord at Srirangam and in laying the fundamentals of the Vishishta Advaita philosophy by writing four basic works on the subject.

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A chaitya refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple, math or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to space with a stupa and a rounded apse at the end opposite the entrance, and a high roof with a rounded profile.

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Nizamuddin Auliya: Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (1238-1325) was one of the most famous Sufi saints from the Indian subcontinent region.
Kabir: Kabir Das (1398/1440 — 1448/1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint.
Mirabai: Mirabai (1498–1546) was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna.
Tulsidas: Tulsidas (1532–1623) was a Ramanandi Vaishnava saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama.

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The “Worship of idols” is an aspect that is not common to both Bhakti movement and Sufi movement. The Sufis were mystics who called for liberalism in Islam. They emphasised on an egalitarian society based on universal love. The Bhakti saints transformed Hinduism by introducing devotion or bhakti as the means to attain God.

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Ajmer Sharif Dargah is a Sufi tomb (dargah) of the revered Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, located at Ajmer, Rajasthan. The shrine has Chishti’s grave (Maqbara).

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A khanqah is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or tariqa and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation.

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Located close to Takht Keshgarh Sahib, the second most important Sikh shrine (after the Golden Temple complex) in Anandpur Sahib, 85 km from Chandigarh, where the Khalsa Panth — a kind of Praetorian Guard — was founded by Guru Gobind Singh on April 13, 1699.

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Sant Ramdas was a philosopher, poet, writer and spiritual master, who was the political strategist and religious guru (teacher) of Chatrapati Shivaji.

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Muhammad-bin-Qasim was an Umayyad general who conquered the Sindh in 712 AD at a very young age of 17.

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The Moti Masjid was built by Emperor Shah Jahan at the highest point in the Agra Fort complex.

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The Grand Trunk Road, built by Shershah Suri Suri, a ruler of the Indian subcontinent in the 16th century AD.

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A Zagir was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. The zagirdari system was a system that allotted Zagirs to Zagirdars or landlords in return for the services rendered by them to the Mughal Empire. The Zagirdar system was abolished by the Indian government in 1951.

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Mohammad Bin Tughlaq was the sultan of Delhi Sultanate during Medieval India. He ruled over the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent and the Deccan from 1324 to 1351 AD. He was the only Delhi Sultan who had received a comprehensive literary, religious and philosophical education.

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The Peshwa was the appointed (and later hereditary) Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. The first Peshwa was Moropant Pingle, who was appointed as the head of the Ashta Pradhan (council of eight ministers) by Chhatrapati Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire.

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The Treaty of Bassein was a pact signed on 31 December 1802 between the British East India Company and Baji Rao II, the Maratha Peshwa of Poona in India after the Battle of Poona. It was a decisive step in the breakup of the Maratha confederacy.

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Ranthambhor was a Rajput fort. This Fort lies within the Ranthambore National Park, near the city of Sawai Madhopur, the park being the former hunting grounds of the Maharajahs of Jaipur until the time of India’s Independence.

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Vira Narasimha was succeeded by his brother Krishna Deva Raya (reigned 1509–29), generally regarded as the greatest of the Vijayanagar kings.

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‘Lakh Baksh’ (giver of lakhs) was a title given to the ruler Qutub-ud-din Aibak. He was called so because of his generosity and gave liberal donations.

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The magnificent ‘Ratha’ cave temples of Mahabalipuram (Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu) was built by the Pallava king Narsimha in the 7th and 8th centuries.

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The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 by the Ghurids against the Chahamanas and their allies, near Tarain. The Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori defeated the Chahamana king Prithiviraj Chauhan. Muhammad Ghori appointed Qutb-ud-din Aybakas his viceroy of his territories in India.

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Mughal presence in the Red fort was ceased by East India Company under Commander John Nicholsan with the fall of Bahadur Shah Zafar during the Revolt of 1857.

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Babur died in 1530 in Agra and Humayun succeeded him. Babur was first buried in Agra but, as per his wishes, his remains were moved to Kabul and reburied.

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Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a French merchant and traveller of the Mughal period. He had left an expert’s description of the Peacock Throne (Takht-i-Taus). Takht-i-Taus was a dazzling and spectacular display of Mughal architecture.

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Balban introduced the famous Persian festival of Nowruz in India to impress the nobles and people with his wealth and power. The festival is a New Year celebration of Spring Equinox.

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A new coin called the ‘Rupia’ was issued by Sher Shah Suri in 1540-45. Today, the Reserve Bank of India issues currency under the RBI Act 1934.

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Amir Khusrau was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, historian, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent.

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The famous traveller Ibn Batuta came from Morocco. In 1325, at age 21, he left his homeland (Morocco) for the Middle East. He intended to complete his hajj—the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca—but he also wished to study Islamic law along the way.

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The Mongol Empire launched several invasions into the Indian subcontinent from 1221 to 1327. They were able to conquer the area around Indus River and crossed to invade Punjab. Iltutmish was the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate during these invasions.

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The Battle of Waihand in 1008-09 AD was fought between Mahmud of Ghazni and Anandapala. Anandapala was a ruler of the Hindu Shahi dynasty in present-day Pakistan. His reign began in 1001 CE and ended in or about 1010.

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Aurangzeb spent the last 25 years of his life (1682-1707) in the Deccan. He was an advocate of direct conquest of the Deccan states due to the strategic importance of the Deccan states and the administrative and economic necessity of the Mughal empire.

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In 1657 Shahjahan fell ill, precipitating a struggle for succession between his four sons, Dara Shikoh, Murad Baksh, Shah Shuja, and Aurangzeb. The victor, Aurangzeb, declared himself emperor in 1658 and strictly confined Shah Jahān in Agra Fort until his death. There was no codified Law of Succession for the Mughal dynasty.

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Alauddin chose to pay his soldiers salaries in cash rather than iqtas (grants of land).

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The Battle of Chausa was a notable military engagement between the Mughal emperor, Humayun, and the Afghan, Sher Shah Suri. It was fought on 26 June 1539 at Chausa. Humayun escaped from the battlefield to save his life.

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During the reign of Alauddin Khilji, ‘amils’ were government agents to collect land revenue. The amil was responsible for collection of revenue with the assistance of the village headman, who was paid a commission of 2.5% of the collections of the full rental.

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Muhtasibs duty was to see that people lived their lives in accordance with the ‘Sharia’

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Most Khajuraho temples were built between 885 AD and 1050 AD by the Chandella dynasty. The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions, Hinduism and Jainism, suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains in the region.

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The Battle of Khanwa was fought near the village of Khanwa, in Bharatpur Rajasthan, on March 16, 1527. It was fought between the invading forces of the first Mughal Emperor Babur and the Rajput forces led by Rana Sanga of Mewar, after the Battle of Panipat.

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Alauddin Khalji declared himself as Sikandar-i Sani (the second Alexander). Allauddin’s ambition was to conquer the whole world but had to be satisfied with conquering only India. Even then, he issued coins with the title Sikandar (Alexander – II).

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Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi.

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The Peacock Throne was a famous jeweled throne that was the seat of the emperors of the Mughal Empire in India. It was commissioned in the early 17th century by emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences, or Ministers’ Room) in the Red Fort of Delhi.

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Kohinoor Diamond had been mined from Kollur Mine on the south bank of the Krishna River in the Golconda Andhra Pradesh.

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In the early 14th century, the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji instituted price controls and related reforms in his empire.

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Kanchipuram was the capital of the Pallava dynasty who ruled most of present-day Tamil Nadu from the 6th to 9th centuries AD.

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Nur Jahan was the twentieth wife of the Mughal emperor Jahangir and is considered by historians to have been the real power behind the throne for much of her husband’s reign. The original name of Nur jahan was born Mehrunnisa, the daughter of a Grand Vizier who served under Akbar.

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Vijayanagar is now known as Hampi. Hampi is an ancient village in the south Indian state of Karnataka. It’s dotted with numerous ruined temple complexes from the Vijayanagara Empire.

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Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. It was designed by Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The dome of Taj Mal has exactly the same height and length of base i.e. 35metres.

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Sir Thomas Roe arrived at the port of Surat in September 1615 with a letter from King James I to the then reigning Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, seeking a trade agreement.

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The Battle of Rajasthan is a battle (or series of battles), taken place in 738 A.D., somewhere on borders on modern Sind-Rajasthan. In the battle, the Gurjar Hindu alliance of Nagabhata I of the Pratihara Dynasty and Vikramaditya II of the Chalukya dynasty defeated the Arab invaders.

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The phrase “Seven Pagodas” refers to a myth that has circulated in India, Europe, and other parts of the world for over eleven centuries. The group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, including the Shore Temple, was built in the 7th century under the reign of Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty.

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St. Thomas is said to have come to India to preach Christianity in the reign of Gondophernes. Gondophernes was a Parthian ruler who invaded India.

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Ibn Batuta (1333-1347 AD) was a Moroccan traveller. He reached Delhi during the reign of Muhammad-bin Tughluq and with him, he bought several precious presents for the Sultan of Delhi.

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Gol Gumbaz is the tomb of king Mohammed Adil Shah, Adil Shahi Dynasty. It is situated in northern Karnataka. The seventh ruler of the Adil Shahi empire, Mohammed Adil Shah started the construction of the tomb right after he became the Sultan in 1626.

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1. During its 1299 invasion of Gujarat, Alauddin Khalji’s army, led by Ulugh Khan, defeated the Vaghela king Karna and sacked the Somnath temple.
2. Sindh was conquered in c. 711 by Muhammad ibn Qasim.
3. The Indigo Rebellion (Neel Bidroho) took place in Bengal in 1859-60 and was a revolt by the farmers against British.
4. Chengez Khan of the Mongol Empire invaded India during the reign of Iltumish.

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The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble magnificent mausoleum, situated outside Agra Fort. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself.

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Babur died in Agra at the age of 47 on 5 January 1531. He was first buried in Agra but, as per his wishes, his mortal remains were moved to Kabul and reburied in Bagh-e Babur in Kabul sometime between 1539 and 1544.

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The Vijaya Stambha is an imposing victory monument located within Chittor Fort in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. The tower was constructed by the Hindu king Rana Kumbha of Mewar in 1448 to commemorate his victory over the combined armies of Malwa and Gujarat sultanates led by Mahmud Khilji.

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1. Ilbari Turks: Slave Dynasty or Mamluks or Ilbari Turks (AD 1206-1290)
2. Khiljis: The Khalji or Khilji dynasty was a Turko-Afghan dynasty which ruled nearly three decades between 1290 and 1320.
3. Tughlaqs: Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. The dynasty ended in 1413.
4. Sayyids: The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, with four rulers ruling from 1414 to 1451.
5. Lodis: Lodī dynasty, (1451–1526), the last ruling family of the Delhi sultanate of India.

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The Lodi dynasty was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when he replaced the Sayyid dynasty.

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Harshavardhana was an Indian emperor who ruled North India (present-day Haryana) from 606 to 647 CE. He was a member of the Vardhana dynasty. Pulakeshin II defeated Harsha on the banks of Narmada in the winter of 618-619 CE.

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Akbar remained illiterate and uneducated all his life. He had to occupy the throne at the early age of 13 years after the untimely death of his father Humayun.

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The Satvahanas predominantly minted their coins in lead. They also used ‘potin’ an alloy of silver and copper to mint coins.

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Tarabai personally led the war and continued the insurgency against the Mughals. A truce was offered to the Mughals in such a way that it was promptly rejected by the Mughal emperor, and Tarabai continued the Maratha resistance.

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Shivaji Maharaj was formally crowned as Chhatrapati at the Raigad fort in Maharashtra on June 6, 1674.

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Nalanda was destroyed three times but was rebuilt only twice. It was ransacked and destroyed by an army of the Mamluk Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate under Bakhtiyar Khalji (Muhammad-bin-Bhaktiyar) in 1202 CE.

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Mughal Paintings reached their Zenith during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

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The Battle of Haldighati was a battle fought on 18 June 1576 between the armies of the Rana of Mewar, Maharana Pratap, and the Mughal emperor Akbar’s forces.

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It was commissioned in the early 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Diwan-i-Khas in the Red Fort of Delhi. The original throne was subsequently captured and taken as a war trophy in 1739 by King Nadir Shah of Iran along with other spoils.

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The Qutb Minar 72.5 m tall, built as a celebratory victory tower. The minar is attached to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The construction of Qutb Minar was begun by Qutub-ud-din Aibak in 1192 and was completed by Iltutmish in 1215.

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The correct Match is as follows: