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Medieval Indian History --- मध्यकालीन इतिहास

Sunday, 24 July 2022 9:37 AM

Medieval India Class 01

***Refer maps attached in the pdf in ancient history classes***

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Books Need To Refer:

• Trend: 5 Questions Asked In 2021 Prelims and 1 Questions in Mains; 2020- 2 questions; 2019- 5 Questions

SOURCES OF MEDIEVAL INDIA

• Chach Nama: It describes the history of Sindh on the eve of the Arab Invasion (711-712). Sindh was ruled by the Rai
Dynasty. After the Death of the last king, Rai Sahasi his Brahmin Minister Chach married the widowed Queen and declared
himself King. His son Dahir faced the Arab onslaught by Mohd. Bin Qasim. Dahir along with his family perished. Sindh
became the territory of the Umayyad Caliphate.

• Al-Biruni (973-1050): He was from Uzbekistan. He was a Polyglot and Polymath who came to India with Invading Horses
of Mehmood and stayed here for many years. He wrote Kitab-ul-Hind in Arabic which was translated into Persian. He
described the socio-religious condition of India during the invasion of Mehmood of Ghazni. He adopted a distinctive
structure in each chapter beginning with a question and concluding with Comparisons with other cultures. For example, he
finds the caste system to be similar to 4 social categories in Persia. However, was aghast by Untouchability and the notion
of pollution.

• Utbi - Kitab-ul-Yamini(exaggerates in favour of ghazni)

• Hasan Nizami: wrote Tajul-E-Maasir : He deals with Mohammad Gauri Invasion and Defeat of Prithviraj III and also talks
about Qutubud-din Aibak and Iltutmish

• Amir Khusrao (1253-1325)

• He was not a historian but a poet. He was a prominent representative of Indo-Muslim Culture for 4 decades with Delhi
Sultanate was at the apex of glory.
• He was known as Tut-e-Hind (Parrot of Hind), Father of Qawwali Music and Hindustani Music.
• He was a scholar of both Persian and Urdu.
• He was a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya.
• His personal letters and documents - Ijaz-e-khusravi are used by Historians.

• Ziauddin Barani (1285-1358)

• He wrote Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi considered one of the greatest works of history of Medieval India
• He was Patronised by Both Mohd. bin Tughlaq and Firozshah Tughlaq
• He also wrote a book Fatwa-i-Jahandari which describes the political philosophy of the Delhi sultanate

• Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi - wrote Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi - He talks about the Sayyid dynasty

• Farishta (Muhammad Qasim Farishta)(Contemporary of Mughals)

• He wrote two books-Tarikh-e - farishta and Gulshan-i-Ibrahimi
• He served Deccan Sultans
• In 13 Volumes wrote a detailed history of different regions of India

• Ibn-Batuta (1304-69)
• A traveller from Morocco wrote his travelogue Kitab-ul-rihla.(also called as rihla)
• He was appointed as Qazi of Delhi during the reign of Mohd. Bin Tughlaq

EARLY ISLAMIC CONQUEST IN INDIA

• A kingdom with a capital at Ghazni (now in Afghanistan) emerged in the late 10th century

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• Mehmood Ghazni ascended the throne in 998 AD and ruled till 1030 AD
• He invaded India 17 times destroyed temples and looted wealth from these temples.
• He was celebrated as a hero by Contemporary Islamic historians as his empire became prosperous with the loot from India
• Firdausi known for writing Shahnama was his court poet.
• Shahi dynasty and their rulers Jaipal and Anand Pal resisted his attack many times but were defeated
• He plundered Thanesar, Kannauj, Mathura and Somnath

RAJPUTS
• The origins of Rajput's are not very clear but they considered themselves to be Kshatriyas.
• There are as many as 36 clans of Rajput's most of them traced their lineage either to the sun family (suryavanshi) or the
Moon family (chandravanshi)
• 4 clans of Rajput's considered themselves to be from the Fire family (Agni kula) - Pratiharas; Chauhan's; Pawar; Solanki's.
• These clans of Rajputs often fought among themselves. because of this, no kingdom emerged strong enough to resist the
Islamic invasion

• Paramaras of Malwa - (9 - 14th century)

• Paramaras were successors of the Rashtrakutas, who controlled Malwa from the early ninth century with their capital at Dhar.
• Upendra or Krishnaraja was the founder of the Paramara dynasty.
• The last known Paramara king, Mahalakadeva, was defeated and killed by the forces of Delhi's Alauddin Khalji in 1305 CE

• Paramara kings were Shaivites

• Bhoja (1010-1055 CE)
○ He took the title Parameshvara-Paramabhattaraka
○ He is said to have founded Bhojpur and is credited with the construction of not only the Bhojeshwar Temple but also
three dams in the area.
○ He is regarded as a righteous scholar king who was also a polymath. His works cover a wide range of subjects, including
grammar, poetry, architecture, yoga, and chemistry.
○ He founded the Bhoj Shala, a centre for Sanskrit studies in Dhar.

GAHADVALAS OF KANNAUJ
• Govindchandra is a great king of the dynasty who had kannauj and Banaras at his capital
• He successfully defended against the Islamic invasion, Chauhan of Ajmer.

• Yadava dynasty
• Yadavas initially feudatories of the Western Chalukyas.
• Yadava kingdom reached its peak under Simhana II
• it was annexed by the Khalji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in 1308 CE.

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Chauhan's of Ajmer

• Vigrahraja-Was a great Chauhan ruler. He established Sanskrit college at Ajmer (Ajmaimeru)

• Prithviraj III - is the most famous king of the dynasty who fought with Gauri. He also fought with Chandel king Parmardi. In
this battle, Alha and Udal lost their life.

TURKISH CONQUEST
• After declining of the Ghaznavid empire no competent ruler emerged in the kingdom of Ghazni invasion was continued
however Rajputs were able to resist raids. During this period trade relationships flourished and Muslim religious preachers
called Sufis arrived in India
• Two Empires emerged in Persia and Central Asia - the Khwarzimi empire and Ghurid Empire.
• Muizuddin/Mohd. Ghor/ Mahmood Gauri ascended the throne in 1173 AD. He attacked Gujarat in 1178 but was defeated
by Chalukyan king Balmula Raja in the Battle of Kasharda. Gujarat was ruled by Regent queen Naikdevi. After this defeat,
Ghauri built a strong base in Punjab. Meanwhile, Chauhan's had captured Delhi from Tomer's and now wanted to extend to
Punjab

First Battle of Tarain (1191)

• It occurred over rival claims over tabarhind fort in Bhatinda
• Ghurid forces were completely routed by Prithviraj Chauhan. However, he did not attempt to Oust ghurid forces from
Punjab
• Ghauri reorganized his forces and attacked Chauhan's in the 2nd battle of Tarain fought in 1192.

Second battle of Tarain(1192):

• Chauhans were defeated many cities including Ajmer were captured. Prithviraj Chauhan was allowed to rule for some
time.
• After this battle, Ghauri left Indian affairs in the hands of one of his trusted slaves Qutubuddin Aibak
• Aibak attacked Gujarat parts of MP, Rajasthan, and Temples of Banaras were plundered by him.
• Nalanda was destroyed by Bakhtiyak khilji one of the commanders of Ghauri
• After plundering Nalanda he attacked Bengal and Lakshman sen of the Sena dynasty and defeated him. He defeated kama
rupa (modern Assam) however was defeated by raja prithurae of the khen Dynasty.
• Ghauri came back to India in a campaign against khokhars who were a tribe of western Punjab on his way back he was
assassinated.

CAUSES OF DEFEAT OF RAJPUTS

• There was social and organisational weakness among Rajputs. For example - The growth of feudalism weakened the
administrative structure and military organisation, the king was dependent on local chiefs who rarely coordinated.
• Turks had superior horses and could move as an organised body of horsemen
• They could also maintain a large standing army because of Iqta and khalisa system
• Turkish slaves were more loyal and trustworthy while Rajputs were fighting among themselves
• Rajputs also lacked strategic vision
• They never attempted to take back outer bastions of India such as Kabul and Lahore from Turks despite defeating them a
number of times.

Medieval India Class 02

Delhi Sultanate
• Key Technological Changes
○ Agriculture and Irrigation:
• Persian Wheel: This water-lifting device revolutionized irrigation,
• Hauz-i-Shamsi: Sophisticated reservoirs and water management systems
○ Architecture and Construction:
• True Arch, Dome, and Mortar: Islamic architectural styles introduced
• Indo-Islamic Architecture: The fusion of Indian and Islamic architectural elements
○ Military Technology:
• Firearms and Gunpowder : gunpowder-based weaponry like cannons and matchlocks
○ Trade and Craft:
• Paper Technology: Increased use of paper for administration
• New crafts: Glasswork, sericulture (silk production), bookbinding, leather production

SLAVE/MAMLUK DYNASTY:
क्यों आयी रज़िया बल्बन के पास

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Qutubuddin Aibak(1206-1210):
• His capital was Lahore.
• He consolidated his rule in India after severing his links with the Ghazni Kingdom.
• He is credited for Qutub Minar and Adhai(अड़ायीं) Din ka Jhopra at Ajmer.
• He died playing Chaughan (Horse Polo) and was succeeded by his son Araam(आराम) Shah.
• However, Araam Shah was deposed by Iltutmish, who was the son-in-law of Qutubuddin Aibak.

Iltutmish (1211-1236):

• He consolidated his rule in North India by shifting his capital to Delhi.

• He was a contemporary of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol empire, and the destroyer of the Khwarizmi empire of
Persia.
• He won both Bihar and Bengal from Ali Mardan, and Punjab from one of the slaves of Ghori named Qubacha.
• He appointed his daughter Razia to ascend to the throne as he did not consider his sons to be worthy of rule.
• He implemented the Iqta system of administrative grants in India.
• He also gave two basic coins of the Sultanate- Taka (silver coin) and Jittal (copper coin).
• He completed the work on Qutub Minar.
• He sent expeditions against Chalukyas of Gujarat but was defeated

Razia (1236-1239):
• She was the first female ruler of the Indian subcontinent.
• She had to contest against her brothers, Ulemas(something like मौलवी), and nobles.
• At that time, a group of forty nobles called Turkan-e-Chahalgani was very powerful.
• With the support of some of the nobles, she became the ruler.
• These nobles wanted a figurehead but she asserted authority.
• For example, she issued coins in her name, removed veils(पर्दा) from her court, made public appearances on elephants,
and appointed non-Turks to key positions.
• Finally, she was deposed in a rebellion against her.

Balban (1266-1287):
• His name was Ulugh Khan.
• He waited for the right opportunity by carefully and slowly removing all opposition to his rule before declaring himself the
Sultan.
• He developed great contempt for non-nobility.
• Indian muslims were excluded from authority.
• He employed spies called Barids who were only answerable to the sultan.
• During his reign, the Mongol invasion of India occurred.
• Balban employed both force and diplomacy to thwart the Mongol invasion.
• Punjab went under the control of Mongols however, Balban made arrangements to check Mongol aggression which was
later used by Alauddin Khilji.
• He assumed title of zil-i-illahi.

KHILJI DYNASTY (1290-1320):

• Khilji's had Turkish-Afghan Origin, despite their role in resisting Mongol invasion were not recognized much in Delhi.
• Balban had shown that with the support of the nobility and a strong army, any general could become a ruler.
• After the death of Balban, his grandson Shamshuddin became sultan, but he was deposed by Jalaluddin Khilji.
• However, Jalaluddin Khilji was treacherously killed by his nephew and son-in-law Alauddin Khilji.

Alauddin Khilji (1296-1316):

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• Alauddin was a ruthless ruler who gave severe punishment to his own family members and destroyed the old nobility.
• He took a series of regulations to strengthen his army and prevent the nobles from conspiring against him.
• Alauddin defeated many Rajput Kings such as kings of Gujarat, Chittor, Ranthambore, Malwa, etc.
• He also faced the Mongol invasion.
• Being the governor of awadh, He invaded and plundered Deogir accumulating a vast treasure.
• He not only defeated the Mongols but even ransacked their territory in Afghanistan.
• His military commander and slave - general Malik Kafur led multiple campaigns to Deccan and South and defeated many
kingdoms such as Devgiri, Kakatiya, Hoysalas, Pandyas, etc.
• After the death of Alauddin, Malik Kafur appointed his minor son as the next sultan, however, he was deposed by Mubarak
Shah who was another son of Alauddin.
• Mubarak Shah was also killed by Khusrau Khan who was his trusted adviser.

REFORMS OF ALAUDDIN KHILJI:

• He sought to fix the cost of all the commodities.
• He tried implementing this all across the kingdom, but the measure was only successful in Delhi.
• He started three markets for food-grains, expensive clothes, and horses and slaves.
• This was because he mainly had to feed a large standing army.
• Delhi became a big market of fine clothes where merchants bought the clothes at lower prices and sold them at other
markets.
• He started paying soldiers in cash.
• Good quality horses were only sold to the state.
• These horses were branded (Dagh system).
• Banjaras were registered to stop hoarding, and any type of hoarding was severely punished.
• No iqtas were assigned in the Ganga-Doab region and there the tax was directly collected by the state.
• All festivities and use of intoxicants were banned.
• Land revenue was assessed on the basis of measuring the land under cultivation.

TUGHLAQ DYNASTY(1320-1412):
GMFN (जी मोहम्मद फ़िरोज़ नालायक)

• Ghiyasuddin Tughlq rebelled against Khusro Khan and the Tughlaq dynasty was set up in Delhi.
• Three competent rulers emerged from this dynasty- Ghiysasuddin Tughlaq, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, and Ferozeshah
Tughlaq.

MUHAMMAD BIN TUGHLAQ (1325-1351) & HIS EXPERIMENTS:

• He is often called as wisest of fools because of his administrative experiments.
• His father died after he had organized a reception for him.
• The platform which was raised was not strong enough to sustain the weight of elephants. Mohammad Bin Tughlaq changed
his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (Devgiri) to effectively rule south India.
• However, he abandoned Daulatabad after a few years.
• He introduced token currency because of the shortage of silver.
• He issued bronze coins that had the same value as a silver Taka, however, people rejected them.
• He recruited a large army in order to occupy Ghazni, but this army was disbanded later.
• He invaded hilly regions, and took control of them, but at a huge cost.
• He set up a department Diwan-e-Amir Kohi to give loans to the farmers, but his officials were corrupt.
• He gave important offices to barbers, cooks, and winemakers.
• Many contemporary historians considered this great folly of Tughlaq.
• During his reign, the Delhi Sultanate reached its zenith, however, the empire became too big to govern, and the process of
disintegration started during his reign.
• Rebellion in the south led to the emergence of the Bahmani(बहमनी) Sultanate and the Vijayanagar empire.

Firoz Shah Tughlaq(1351- 1388):

• He was a nephew of Mohammad bin Tughlaq who appeased nobles and theologians.
• He lost South, Deccan, and Bengal and mainly focussed on the northern territory.
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• He attacked Odisha and destroyed and looted temples.
• He made the Iqta System hereditary, and the same was applied in the army.
• So the army was not merit-based and got weakened later.
• Jizyah became a separate tax which till now was a part of land revenue.
• He tried to implement the elements of Shariah law.
• New cities such as Hisar and Ferozabad were established by him.
• Introduced a separate department of slaves called diwan-i-bandagan
• He built and repaired large number of canals
• After his death, his successors were not competent enough to check the rebellions by local rulers and Zamindars.
• Ten years after his death in 1398 Amir Timur/Taimur invaded India, ransacked Delhi for seven days, and Tughlaqs were
unable to do anything.
• Delhi was then ruled by Nasiruddin Mohammad Tughlaq.
• He was the last tughlaq
• It is said that for his kingdom, “the dominion of the Lord of the universe extends from Delhi to Palam”.
• Post-Timur invasion, states like Gujarat, Bihar, Bengal, Kashmir, etc. declared independence from the Sultanate.

Sayyid Dynasty(1414-1450):
• By the end of Tughlaq's rule, many small kingdoms emerged in India.
• Timur appointed Khizr Khan as the ruler of Multan who attacked Delhi and founded the Saiyid Dynasty.
• Tarikh-e –Mubarak Shahi book by Yahya Sirhindi claimed Khizr khan was direct descend of Prophet Muhammad.

LODHI DYNASTY (first Afghans to rule Delhi):

• Bahlol Lodhi became sultan in 1451 and ruled till 1489.
• After the death of Bhalol Lodhi, Sikandar Lodhi became a sultan and was replaced by Ibrahim Lodhi in 1517.
• During the reign of Ibrahim Lodhi, many rebellions occurred.
• Daulat Khan, the Governor of Punjab not only rebelled but also sent an invitation to Babur at Kabul to invade India.
• Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.
• Thus Delhi Sultanate had its last breath in 1526 in Panipat which is only a few miles away from Tarain.(the place of the
second battle of Tarain 1192 where Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by Mohammad Ghori, and the foundation of the Delhi
Sultanate was laid)

Challenges faced by the sultanate:

• Attacks by Mongols and others such as Timur, the inner conflicts of nobility, provincial kingdoms, resistance by Indian
chiefs, etc.

Medieval India Class 03

ADMINISTRATIVE SETUP OF SULTANATE
• Sultanate was an example of a despotic regime with the sultan at the top. However, at the same time Power of the sultan is
dependent upon his personal character. In general, the sultan was always under pressure from religious ulemas and
nobles
• Central administration constituted of the following key positions -

• Wizarat - Headed by Wazir- he was a general supervisor of all departments. His main functions included Looking after
financial organisations, Important advisory to sultans, Supervision payments to the army and on occasions leading military
expeditions.
• Many small departments worked under wazir for example-
a. Mustaufi-i-mamalik (He was auditor general)

i.

b. Musharif-i-Mumalik (Accountant general)

i.

c. Majumdar (Keeper of loans and balances from the treasury)

d. Diwan-e-Amir Kohi (Bring an uncultivated land into cultivation through state support)
e. Diwan-i- Arz: The department looked after a military organisation headed by Ariz-e-mumalik
f. Diwan-i- Insha: This department looks after state correspondence headed by Dabir-e-Khas.
g. Barid-e-Mumalik was the head of state news who gathered intelligence from local level spy Barids.
h. Diwan-i-Rasalat: This department dealt with the administration of justice which was headed by sadr-u-sudur. He
was also Qazi-e-Mumalik (Chief judge) who appointed Qazi's (Judge) at a different level. He also approved
many charitable grants such as waqf, wazifa, idrar, etc.(mainly religious endowments)

• The much smaller department was also present at the central level. For example,
• Wakil-e-dar looked after the personal services of the Sultan
• Amir-e-akhur looked after royal Horses
• The royal workshops called karkhanas played an important role in administrative setup. The needs of royal
households were met through karkhanas.

• Provincial administration
• Provinces were partitioned in Shiqs administered by Shiqdar
• Another important position was fauzdar
• The function of Fauzdar is not clearly articulated.
• The duty of the two positions often overlapped. Kotwals(more like governor) were responsible for law and order was placed
under fauzdar(more like superintendent of army and police)

IQTADARI SYSTEM
• The land was classified mainly into 3 categories- Iqta, Khalisa and Inam land

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• In Khalisa land Sultan directly collected taxes
• Inam land was assigned or granted to religious leaders or religious institutions
• Iqta land was assigned to officials as iqtas instead of payment of their services(in lieu of their services)
• Army commanders, Nobles, Important functionaries were given territories to administer and collect the revenue
• Iqta holders were called Iqtadar or Muqtis
• Iqtas were transferrable and Iqtadars were transferred from one region to another every 3-to 4 years
• However, Firozshah Tughlaq made it hereditary (यह करी गयी घोर मूर्खता)
• Muqtis were expected to send extra income called fawazil to the sultans. this was done by Balban

Local Administration:
• khut, Muqaddam and Patwari were important functionaries at the local level.
• Khuts and Muqaddams were often local landlords or headmen in the village
• The number of villages formed Pargana
• The important officials at the Pargana level were Amil (Revenue collector) and Karkun (Accountant)

Commercial Practices and Economy

• Agriculture was the backbone of the economy. Food crops, cash crops and various spices were produced
• Tughlaqs especially Firozshah Tughlaq invested a lot into irrigation systems such as a network of canals
• Wheel method of irrigation adopted from Persia called Araghatta became popular
• Delhi sultanate is also known for introducing an innovative commercial practice called Hundis
• Hundis were essentially bills of exchange
• A paper document that promises the payment of money after a fixed period of time at a certain place
• Sarraf was employed by sultans who played a key role in the Hundi transactions.

VIJAYNAGAR EMPIRE (1336 - 1565)

• During the reign of Mohammad bin Tughlaq, a spate of rebellions occurred in many provinces. This led to the
emergence of 3 regional kingdoms in Deccan and South
○ Madurai Sultanate - Under Hasan shah
○ Vijayanagar Kingdom - Under Harihara and Bukka Roy
○ Bahamanid Sultanate - Under Bahaman shah
• The kingdom of Vijaynagar was set up by 2 brothers Hariyar and Bukka Roy in 1336 with the blessings of a great
sage of Medieval India- Vidyaranya
• Vijaynagar kingdom was ruled by 4 dynasties- Sangama; Saluva; Tuluva and Aravidu dynasty

SANGAM DYNASTY (1336-1485)

○ Harihara became the first king who was succeeded by Bukka Roy.
○ Deva Raya II (1422-1446) was the greatest ruler of the dynasty who enlisted many Muslim cavalries gave them
jagirs
○ Ferishta writes that bahamani only maintained their superiority by Vellore
• It was Vijayanagara that was more prosperous in terms of wealth, power and territory

Saluva Dynasty (1485-1505)

○ Founded by Saluva Narsimha
○ Dynasty came to an end only after a brief period of two decades.

Tuluva Dynasty (1505-1542)

○ It was established by Vir Narasimha ray who was succeeded by his half brother Shri Krishna deva ray. He ruled
from 1509 - 1529.

Shri Krishna deva Ray(1509 - 1529)

• The period of Shri Krishna deva rai is considered the golden age of Vijayanagar history. He was a great
warrior, statement and administrator and patron of art.
• He occupied Raichur doab from Bahamanis and extended his dominion in the east by defeating gajpatis of
Orissa
• Telugu language and literature flourished under his reign. Sanskrit was also patronised. Krishna deva rai
himself authored a great Telugu work called amukta malyada (It describes the wedding of lord rang
Nayak and avatar of Vishnu and Goda Devi also knowns as Andal, Tamil Alvar poet)

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• His court known as Bhuvan Vijayam was adorned by Great poets known as ashta diggaj. One of the
greatest Telugu poets Allasani paidana was one of the poets.
• Tenaliramakrishna was also one of the ashta diggaj.
• "Jambavati Kalyanam" written by him has story of Lord Krishna’s marriage to Jambavati.
•

Aravidu dynasty
○ The successor of Krishna deva Raya is not competent. The real power lay with Rama Raya. He soon became
king and established the dynasty. He was able to play various Muslim rulers against each other. However in
1565 combined forces of Bijapur, Ahmednagar. Golconda and Bidar defeated him in the battle of Talikotta. This
battle is known as the Battle of Raksasa thangadi. Rama Raya was imprisoned and executed. The city of
Vijayanagara was completely destroyed and the population massacred. The kingdom existed for about another
century. However, this battle is considered the end of the Vijayanagar empire.

ADMINISTRATION OF VIJAYNAGAR
○ The empire was divided into different administrative units called Mandalams->Nadus->Sthalas(स्थलस)-
>Gramas
• MVNSG
○ Governor of Mandalam - known as mandeleshwara or Nayak
○ Nayaks were given a lot of authority in administration.
○ Land revenue tributes and gifts from local chiefs customs collected at the ports and taxes on various professions
were the main sources of revenue for the state
○ Land revenue was generally fixed at 1/6th of the produce
○ Harsh punishments were given to criminals such as mutilation and throwing at elephants.
○ The army was well organized and efficient.
○ Top officers of the army were known as Nayaks or Poligars.
○ Generally, they were granted land in lieu of their services. These lands were called amaram.
○ Soldiers were usually paid in cash.

BAHAMANIS (1347)

• Founded by Allauddin Hasan

○ Often known as Hasan gangu because he had risen in the service of his brahmin patron pandit Gangadhar
Shastri.
○ He took the title of Alauddin Hasan Bahaman shah
• The greatest king of the bahaminid sultanate was Firoz shah bahamani (1397-1422) who was not only a great warrior
but a great learned person because of his knowledge in theology, jurisprudence, botany, geometry, etc.
○ He also inducted many Hindus into his administration
• Mahmood gawan(1463-1482) was a great PM who served many sultans.
○ The kingdoms were divided into 8 provinces called tarafs and governed by tarafdars.
○ Mahmud Gawan was continuously caught in a struggle between the ruling indigenous Muslim elite of the
Bahmanids, called the Deccanis, and the foreign newcomers such as himself.
○ He tried to reconcile the conflict among nobles but could not succeed. He was assassinated later.
• Bahmani sultanate was divided into 5 principality
○ BAG
• आदिल ईमानदारी से आमिर के साथ निज़ाम के बुलावे पर क़ु तुब मीनार देखने गया।
○ Bijapur Sultanate- Yusuf Adil shah and Adil Shahi dynasty
• Ibrahim Adil Shah - लिबरल लाइक मिल
• Called as Jagadguru by his subjects
○ Berar Sultanate- Imat shah and Imat shahi dynasty
○ Bidar Sultanate- amir ali barid shah
○ Ahmednagar Sultanate- Malik Mohammad and Nizam shah dynasty
○ Golconda Sultanate- Qutub shah dynasty
• The history of Vijayanagara and Bahamanis is intertwined. Because of a series of conflicts in the following regions-
○ Tungabhadra doab
○ Krishna Godavari delta
○ Marathwada

Mughal empire

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• Babar (Timurid dynasty) ascended the throne at Farghana in 1494 at the age of 12 years old after the death of his father.
• He had plans of moving toward India for a long so when Daulat Khan, Governor of Punjab invited Babar to invade India, he
used this opportunity, and in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, he defeated the forces of Ibrahim Lodhi(he was a Afghan).
• Even though Ibrahim Lodhi had numerical superiority, Babar adopted effective military tactics which he called the Rumi
method(Tulguma) which was adopted by the Ottomans to defeat Persia.
• Babar founded the Mughal dynasty in India.
• However, he faced three sets of challenges.
• His nobles were eager to return to Central Asia, and Rajputs were rallying around under the leadership of Rana Sanga(King
of Mewar) and Afghans who even though were defeated at Panipat, they still were a formidable force in Eastern UP, Bihar,
and Bengal.
• In the Battle of Khanwa, in 1527, the forces of Babar and Rana Sanaga met, Rana Sanga was defeated once again due to
the superior military tactics of Babar.
• Rana Sanga was more formidable adversary then Ibrahim Lodhi
• In 1528, during the Battle of Chanderi, Medini Rai, another Rajpur ruler was defeated and resistance across Rajputana was
completely shattered.
• Babar died in 1530.
• However, the rulers of Gujarat, Malwa, and Bengal enjoyed substantial military power and were not suppressed.

Humayun
• He ruled from 1530 to 1540.
• He faced many problems.
• He did not command the respect of Mughal nobility.
• Afghans were hostile to him.
• He also could not completely trust his brother Kamran who was ruling Afghanistan and Punjab.

Sher Shah Suri(1540-1545)

• His name was Farid.
• He was the son of the Jagirdar under the Jaunpur kingdom.
• He emerged as the most powerful military commander in the Eastern Provinces in 1539 at the battle of Chausa.
• Sher Shah attacked Humayun and defeated him.
• This battle occurred at the banks of the river Karmnasa
• Humayun was again defeated in the battle of Kannauj in 1540.
• Thus, a second Afghan empire came into existence in Delhi, and by 1545
• From 1545 he consolidated his rule from Sindh, Punjab, Rajputana, and Bengal.
• In 1545, He died in an accidental blast of gun powder.
• His son Ismail Shah succeeded him.
• However, the Sur kingdom declined gradually and by 1555, Humayun recovered both Agra and Delhi

Changes in administration by Sher Shah

• Sher Shah invested a lot in the law and order.
• The dacoity significantly reduced during his reign.
• He along with his son Smile Shah can be credited for the codification of many laws.
• Improved Infrastructure and Communication Network
• He invested a lot into infrastructure and trade. For example, the Grand Trunk road from the Indus River to Bengal was
constructed.
• Custom duties needed to be placed only at two places Indus river and SikariGali.
• He invested in the construction of Sarais every few kilometres with a Chowkidar called Shahna.
• He had first-hand knowledge of problems faced by peasant's inland revenue, he made many changes to different rates
were decided for different crops.
• Efficient Revenue System:
• The land was divided into good, bad and middling.
• Everything was recorded on a Patta maintained by Patwari.
• Peasants were given the option to pay in cash or kind.
• Extra cess for the famine was levied.
• The branding of horses called the Dagh system was borrowed from Allaudin Khilji.
• Jizyah Continued.
• Purana Kila in Delhi is an architectural heritage of the Sur kingdom.
• Padmavat was completed by Malik Mohammad Jaysi during his reign.(book on rani padmavati)

Akbar(1556-1605)
• From 1556-to 1560, Bairam Khan ruled as regent in fact in the second battle of Panipat Hemu and Afghan forces were
defeated by forces led by Bairam Khan.
• He was removed by Akbar.
• His son Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana(rahim ke dohe) went on to become noble under Akbar.
• Akbar faced the following problems:
• Rajputs mainly in Rajasthan
• Afghans in Gujarat, Bihar, and Bengal
• Deccan Sultanate
• Mughal factions were ruling Kabul and Kandhar.
• Akbar was able to consolidate his authority in almost all parts of India except Deccan and the South.
• He also entered into matrimonial alliances with Rajput rulers.
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• He faced a serious challenge from Maharana Pratap ruler of Mewar who did not submit before Akbar.
• After a prolonged struggle, the forces of Maharana Pratap were defeated in the Battle of Haldighati(1576)
• In 1595, Mughal forces invaded Ahmad Nagar.
• The ruler of Ahmad Nagar Chand Bibi faced Mughals and Berar seceded which became a Mughal territory.
• However, with the help of Nizam Shahi, Qutab Shahi, and Adil Shahi, Berar was taken back by Chand Bibi.
• In terms of territorial expansion, little was done by Jahangir and Shahjahan.
• It was Aurangzeb who continued his campaign against Deccan Sultanate and by 1687, the Deccan region became part of
the Mughal territory.
• However, Aurangzeb faced fears of opposition from Marathas.
• Aurangzeb has also captured Assam from Ahom's.
• By 1680, Ahom's succeeded in recapturing Assam.
• Maktab Khana - bureau of records and translation established by Akbar
• Mahabharata was translated into Razmanama
• Ramayana
• Rajatranjini
• Nastaliq is persian script used by akbar - used long horizontal strokes

The administrative structure under Mughals

• Mughals retained many features of the sultanate and Sher Shah.

• A new territorial unit called Suba was formalized.
• Institutions of Jagir and Mansab were introduced.

Central Administration:
• The emperor was the supreme head who controlled all military and judicial powers.
• Wazir of Babar and Humayun were powerful.
• However, Akbar tried to curb the powers of Wazir by taking away financial powers.
• Diwan-e-Kul: He was the chief diwan responsible for revenue and finances.

Mir Bakshi:
• He looked after matters pertaining to military administration.
• The appointment of Mansabdars and their salary papers were endorsed by him.

Sadr-e- Sudur:
• His chief duty was to protect the laws of Shariyat.
• The office of Sadr also distributed allowances and stipends to religious institutions.
• Akbar to curb the power of Sadr promulgated a rule which is called the promulgation of Mahzar in 1580.
• According to this, if there were conflict among religious scholars Akbar's view will prevail.
• To implement public morality Muhtasibs were appointed

Mir Saman:
• He was in charge of royal Karkhanas.
• He supervised all purchases and their storage for the royal household.

Provincial Administration
• The empire was divided into twelve provinces or Subas by Akbar which later became 20 with the expansion of the Mughal
empire.
• A Subedar was appointed as the head of the Province responsible for the maintenance of general law and order.
• The revenue department in the Suba was headed by Diwan.
• The office of Diwan also provided loans called Taqavi to peasants.
• The role of Mir Bakshi was performed by Bakshi at the provincial level.
• Similarly, Sadr was responsible for the welfare of those who were engaged in religious activities and learning at the
provincial level.
• He also looked after the judicial department and the working of Qazi's.
• To maintain proper communication channels Darogai-i- Dak was appointed.
• Waqainavis and Waqainigars were appointed to provide news of provinces directly to the emperor.

Local administration:
• Subahs were divided into Sarkars.
• Sarkars were divided into Parganas which constituted many villages.
• Suba > Sarkar > Pargana (सुबह सर पर)
• At the level of Sarkar's, two important functionaries existed:
• Fauzdar to maintain law and order.
• Amal Guzars or Amil was revenue collector.
• Amil was expected to increase the land under cultivation and induce the peasants to pay revenue willingly.
• Revenue assessed through 'batai' and 'nasaq' systems.
• At the level of Pargana, Shiqdar was the executive officer who assisted Amils as the executive officer.
• the Quanungo kept all the records of the land in the Pargana.
• Kotwals were appointed mainly in towns to maintain law and order.
• Muqaddam was the village headman and Patwari looked after village revenue records.
• The services of the Zamindars were also utilised for the maintenance of law and order.
• Forts were placed under an officer called Qiladar.

• The port administration was independent of Provincial authority.

• The governor of the port was called Mutasaddi(Muta-saddi) who was directly appointed by the emperor.
• He collected tax on merchandise and maintained the custom house.

• Mansabdari system:
• It evolved during the reign of Akbar and some modifications were done by later Emperors.
• The word Mansab Literally means position or rank.
• The Mansab awarded to an individual in the Mughal administration fixed both his status in the official hierarchy and his
salary.

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• It also fixed the number of armed retainers the holders of the Mansab were to maintain.
• Initially, a single number represented the rank.
• However, later the Mansab came to be denoted by two numbers Zat and Sawar.
• Zat denoted the personal rank of an official.
• Sawar indicated the size of the contingent(horses) maintained by Mansabdars.
• Based on these two numbers, three categories of Mansabdars came into existence:
1. Zat=Sawar(सबसे बेचारा)
2. 2*Sawar > Zat > Sawar
3. Zat > 2*Sawar (elites)
• Thus, Sawar's rank was either equal to or less than Zat rank.
• Even if the Sawar rank was higher, the Mansabdar position in the official hierarchy was decided by the Zat rank.
• Jahangir introduced new provisions in the Sawar rank, Sawar rank was termed as Du-aspa or Sih-aspa in the case of
selected Mansabdars.
• Shah Jahan further modified were to compensate for the gap between Jama(estimated income) and Hasil(actual
realisation).
• He introduced the concept of a monthly scale.
• Aurangzeb created an additional rank called Mashrut which was an attempt to increase the Sawar rank temporarily.

Jagir System
• Under the Mughals, the area ascended to nobles was called Jagir and holders Jaghirdars.
• The land was broadly divided into Khalisa and Jagir, the revenue from the first went to the imperial treasury and from Jagir
ascended to Jagirdars in their services.
• The salary of Mansabs was given either in cash or in Jagir later being the preferable mode.
• Jagirdari was not hereditary
• Also, the percentage of Khalisa and Jagir land fluctuated for different emperors during Aurangzeb's reign the number of
claimants for jagir increased with an increase in the number of Mansabdars this led to the Jagirdari crises

• Battle of Dharmat was fought between Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh by 1658 for Shahjahan's throne.

Medieval India Class 05

Regional Dynasty
Orissa
• It has been always a very important kingdom and it has been ruled by a strong ruler.
• Eastern Ganga Dynasty and Gajpati Rulers

Eastern Ganga Dynasty (1038 to 1434 AD)

• It consisted of almost the whole of modern-day Orissa, parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
• The capital was Kanlinganagara (Mukhalinga).
• Two of the greatest rulers of the dynasty were Anang Bhima Deva III (1211 to 1238) and Narshimha Deva (1238-1264
AD).
• Eastern Ganga Rulers are most remembered as builders of the world's most renowned temples such as Konark temple(sun
temple) and Jagannath Puri temple.
• The dynasty declined with the invasion of Firoz Shah Tughlaq from 1353 to 1358 AD.
• They were finally replaced by the Gajapati Dynasty.
• They covered a large eastern coastal area and thus trade was important for them.

Gajpati Dynasty (1435-1568 AD)

• It was set up by Kapilendra Deva. His son Hamirdeva conquered Hampi the capital of Vijaya Nagar in mid of 15th
century He further defeated many southern kingdoms and adopted the title of Dakshin Kapileswara.
• By Sixteenth Century the Dynasty declined and became the part of Bengal Sultanate.
• In 1512, the Gajpati ruler was defeated by Sri Krishna Deva Raya of Vijaya Nagar. The last important ruler of this dynasty
was Pratap Rudra Deva who was greatly influenced by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Kakatiya Dynasty(1123-1323)

• Their kingdom is comprised of modern-day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with their capital at Warangal.
• Early Kakatiya rulers were feudatories of Rashtrakuta and Chalukyas. However, in 1163, Pratap Rudra won established an
independent kingdom.
• The kingdom was expanded by the Ganapati deva in 13th century.
• Kakatiya dynasty is also known for one of very few queens in Indian history Rudrama Devi, She ruled from 1262 to 1289
AD.
• Marco Polo who visited India in the late 13th century wrote about her rule and praised her administrative style.
• The empire declined because of attacks by Malik Kafur and later by Tughlaqs.
• Ramappa Temple also known as the Rudreshwara temple built during the Kakatiyan period under rulers Rudradeva and
Recharla Rudra. Recently it was inducted into the UNESCO world heritage site.
• Ramappa temple is the only temple to be named after its architect.
• Kohinoor which was mined from the Kollur belongs to Kakatiya's.
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• Motupalli Port was the most famous port of the Kakatiya's.

Hoysala Kingdom

• Capital - Belur, Dwarsamudra(Helebidu, Karnataka)

• They ruled from 11th to 14th Century

• The kingdom was founded by Vinayaditya in 1006. However, the first distinguished ruler was Vishnu Vardhan Raya. He
ruled from 1108 to 1152 AD.

• Vir Ballala I, and Vir Ballala II are considered great rulers of the dynasty.
• The dynasty declined by the attacks of Maliq Kafur and later by Madurai Sultanate.
• Hoysala paved the way for the rise of Mysore into a big kingdom. They were great patrons of Art and Architecture as well
as of Kannada literature.
• They were defeated by Vijaynagar dynasty.

Provincial Kingdoms during the Reign of Delhi Sultanate

Jaunpur (1399 to 1500 AD)

• It was ruled by the Sharqi dynasty. It included a significant part of modern Uttar Pradesh.
• Malik Sarwar was the governor of the Jaunpur(under Firoz Tughlaq) who led the foundation of the kingdom. However, he
himself did not declare himself as Sultan.
• His adopted son Mubaraq Shah became the first ruler of the Sharqi dynasty. His younger brother Ibrahim Shah is
considered one of the greatest rulers of the dynasty under whom Jaunpur became a centre of learning and a distinct style
of Architecture called Sharqi Style evolved.
• It is marked by lofty gates and huge arches.
• Atala Mosque is famous under the Sharqi Style

• The kingdom declined with defeat by Bahlol Lodi in late 15th Century.

Malwa
• After the death of Firoz Shah Tughlaq Malwa emerged as an independent Kingdom under Ala Khan who acquired the title
of Hoshang Shah. He made Mandu his capital. It was based on a distinct style known as the Mandu Architecture style.
• Mahmud Khalji is considered as one of the great rulers of Malwa. His reign led to a powerful kingdom. However, during the
reign of Akbar, Malwa became a province under the Mughal Empire.
• Baz Bahadur 1551 to 1561 was the last Sultan of Malwa. He was famous for his association with queen Rupmati.

Gujarat
• Jafar Khan the governor of Gujarat declared his independence after Amir Timur's invasion in 1398 AD.
• Ahmad Shah was one of the famous rulers of Gujarat after whom the city Ahmadabad was named.
• Mahmud Begarha ruled from 1459 to 1511 was the most famous ruler of Gujarat. Gujarat emerged as a powerful state. He
also led an expedition against the Portuguese who were interfering in trade.
• He was very famous because of his appearance (large beard and moustache and his appetite).
• Gujarat became a Mughal territory in 1572 under Akbar.

Bengal
• Haj Iliyas ruled from 1342 to 1357, who united Bengal and became its ruler.
• Bengal was invaded by the Firoz Shah but was not successful.
• Another ruler Ghiyasuddin Azam is famous for maintaining a prosperous trade with China.
• In 1494, the Hussain Shahi dynasty came to power in Bengal under Allaudin Hussain Shah.
• He also captured Orissa and parts of Assam.
• In 1538 Sher Shah Suri made Bengal a part of his empire.

Kashmir
• Shamsuddin Shah in 1339 became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir.
• An intolerant king Sikandar Shah destroyed many temples levied taxes on non-Muslims and forced peoples, especially the
Brahmins to convert to Islam.
• He earned the title of But-Shikan (Idol Destroyers) for destroying idols.
• Zain-Ul-Abideen from 1420-1470 AD is considered the greatest ruler of Kashmir in the Medieval period. He paid the
greatest attention to the economic growth of Kashmir.
• Kashmir became famous for many Art and Craft forms such as wood carving, stone cutting, carpet weaving, etc.
• He himself was a great scholar and ordered the translation of Mahabharat and Rajtaringini into Persian.
• In 1586, Kashmir was annexed by Akbar and became part of the Mughal Empire.
• Queen Didda was the women ruler of Kashmir.(she was shown in great contempt in 'Rajtarangini by Kalhana)

Assam
• There is a very little written record of reconstructing the history of Assam and the North East. Gupta inscriptions such as
Prayag Prashasti mention the Kamrup Kingdom. In the 4th Century, it was ruled by Pushya Burman of the Buman Dynasty.
• During the medieval period, two texts Kalika Puran(10th Century) and Yogini Tantra(16-17th century) are used to know
about the society of Assam.
• In the Medieval Period, there were two kingdoms. The most important kingdom is the Ahom Kingdom of the East and the
Kamata Kingdom in the West.

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• Ahom's were a Mongloid tribe from North Burma who established a strong kingdom in the 13th Century and accepted Vedic
religion. The dynasty was established by Sukaphaa in 1228 AD. Ahom's ruled Assam for more than 500 years and the
dynasty only ended in 1826 AD, when the British East India Company annexed Assam under the Treaty of Yandabo.
• One of the great rulers of Ahom Kingdom was the Suhungmung from 1497 to 1539 who adopted the title of Swarg Narayan
and expanded his territory in all directions.
• In the 15th Century Shankar Deva, a Vaishnavite reformer played a vital role in propagating Vaishnavism in the region.
• The Ahom Kingdom reached its zenith under the Swargdeva Rudra Singh who ruled from 1696 to 1714. He himself was
illiterate but became a great patron of art and learning. Because of this, he is often compared with Akbar. He established
his capital at Rangpur and became a great patron of Assamese Folklore and culture.

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