The Dehli Sultans

The Delhi Sultans

(Exercise) 

Let's Recall

1. Which ruler first established his or her capital at Delhi?
Answer:  Tomara ruler Ananga Pala of the Rajput Dynasty first established his capital at Delhi.
2. What was the language of administration under the Delhi Sultans?
Answer: Persian was the language of administration under the Delhi Sultans.
3. In whose reign did the Sultanate reach its farthest extent?
Answer: During the reign of Muhammad Tughluq, the Sultanate reached its farthest extent and had marched across a large part of the subcontinent.
4. From which country did Ibn Battuta travel to India?
Answer: Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah popularly known as Ibn Battuta was a fourteenth-century traveler who came to India from Morocco, Africa.

Let's Understand

5. According to the “circle of justice”, why was it important for military commanders to keep the interests of the peasantry in mind?
Answer: According to the “circle of justice”, it was important for military commanders to keep the interests of the peasantry in mind, because the salaries of the military commanders came from the revenue collected from peasants. However, the peasants were able to pay their revenue only when they were prosperous and happy. Thus, the military commanders promoted justice and honest governance.

6. What is meant by the “internal” and “external” frontiers of the Sultanate?Answer: The “internal” frontiers of the Sultanate means the consolidation of the hinterlands of the garrison towns. During these campaigns, forests were cleared in the Ganga-Yamuna doab and hunter-gatherers and pastoralists were expelled from their habitat and these lands were handed over to the peasants. They also promoted regional trade through the establishment of New fortresses and garrison towns.

The “external” frontiers of the Sultanate meant the military expeditions into southern parts of India, which started during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and ended with the reign of Muhammad Tughluq.

7. What were the steps taken to ensure that muqtis performed their duties? Why do you think they may have wanted to defy the orders of the Sultans?

Answer: The muqti or iqtadar was a military commander appointed by the Khalji and Tughlug monarchs as governors of territories of varying sizes. These lands were called ‘Iqta’. The duties of the muqtis were as follows:

• To lead military campaigns and maintain law and order in their iqtas.
• To collect the revenues of their iqtas as salary in exchange for their military services.
• To pay their soldiers from these revenues.
• Their office was not inheritable and they were assigned iqtas for a short period of time before being shifted.
• Accountants were appointed by the state to check the amount of revenue collected by the muqtis. Care was taken that the muqti collected only the taxes prescribed by the state and that they kept the required number of soldiers.

The muqtis may have wanted to defy the orders of the Sultans because restrictions imposed on them were very rigorous.Their appointment was temporary.

8. What was the impact of the Mongol invasions on the Delhi Sultanate?Answer: Mongol attacks on the Delhi Sultanate increased during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and in the early years of Muhammad Tughluq’s rule. Both Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Tughluq constructed a new garrison town for their soldiers and collected tax from lands between the Ganga and Yamuna to keep the soldiers fed. Alauddin chose to pay his soldiers in cash rather than iqtas, whereas Muhammad Tughluq used a token currency made out of cheap metals.

Let's Discuss

9. Do you think the authors of tawarikh would provide information about the lives of ordinary men and women?

Answer: I don’t think like that. It is because the authors of tawarikh lived in cities mainly Delhi. They were not in touch of village people. They often wrote their histories for Sultans in the hope of rich rewards. They had nothing to do with common mass. Hence, it was obvious that the information provided by them would lack ordinary men and women.

10.  Raziyya Sultan was unique in the history of the Delhi Sultanate. Do you think women leaders are accepted more readily today?

Answer: We think that even today women leaders are not accepted more readily. We can see this in respect of 33% reservation of women in parliament.

11. Why were the Delhi Sultans interested in cutting down forests? Does deforestation occur for the same reasons today?

Answer: The Delhi Sultans were interested in cutting down forests to expand their kingdom which was till then restricted to the Delhi Sultanate.
No, deforestation does not occur for the same reasons today. Today it occurs for additional land for habitation, road expansion, road construction, industries, and urbanization.

12. Discuss the contribution of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin to economy and society of Kashmir.
Answer: Zain - ul - Abidin (1420 - 1470) popularly known as Badshah established law and order and transformed Kashmir into a prosperous region. He revived the existing crafts and introduced some new ones e.g. carpet weaving, paper making, paper machine etc 
He built towns like Zain Nagar, Zainagir, Zainapur, artificial islands like Rupa Lanka and Sona Lanka and the canals like Zainagir Canal, Chakdar, Awantipura, Mar, Krala and Lalkul etc. All these developments contributed greatly to the economy of Kashmir.

Let's Do

13. Find out whether there are many buildings built by the Delhi Sultans in your area. Are there any other buildings in your area that were built between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries? Describe some of these buildings, and draw sketches of them.
Answer: The Delhi Sultanate never ruled over kashmir, therefore there are no building build by them in our area. Some of the Buildings built between 12th and 15th century in Kashmir are: 

• Mausoleum of mother Noor Zaina by Budshah. 

• Khanqah of Sayyid Mohammad Madni at Srinagar. 

• Jamia Masjid in Srinagar. 

• Aali Masjid in Srinagar. 

• Amburiq Masjid in Shigar, Gilgit-Baltistan. 

• Chaqchan Masjid in Khaplu, GilgitGilgit-Baltistan. 

The sketch of these buildings can be drawn by students themselves.