Turkish Invasions
and
the Delhi Sultanate
Exercise
A. Fill in the blanks.
1. Mahmud of Ghazni was the first Turkish sultan to invade India.
2. The Second Battle of Waihind was fought between Hindu Shahi King Anandapal and Sultan Mahmud.
3. The First Battle of Tarain was fought in the year 1191 CE.
4. Qutubuddin Aibak established the slave Dynasty.
5. Iltutmish was titled as the sovereign of India by the Caliph of Baghdad.
6. Qutubuddin Aibak built the iconic monument of Qutub Minar.
B. Match the following.
=
|
Ruler |
Feature |
|---|---|
|
1. Qutubuddin Aibak |
a. Leader of nobility. [4] |
|
2. Iltutmish |
b. Founder of Slave Dynasty. [1] |
|
3. Razia Sultan |
c. Completed Qutub Minar. [2] |
|
4. Balban |
d. Puppet ruler. [5] |
|
5. Nasiruddin |
e. Only female sultan. [3] |
C. Choose the correct answers.
1. The First Battle of Waihind was fought between Mahmud of Ghazni and ________
a. Anandapal. [ ]
b. Jaipal. [✓]
c. Prithviraj. [ ]
d. Muhammad Ghori. [ ]
2. ________ was Iltutmish's immediate successor.
a. Razia Sultan. [ ]
b. Ruknuddin Firoz Shah. [✓]
c. Nasiruddin Mahmud. [ ]
d. Ghiyasuddin Balban. [ ]
3. The Mamluk Dynasty was also called ______ Dynasty.
a. Slave. [✓]
b. Royal. [ ]
c. Turkish. [ ]
d. Afghan. [ ]
4. ________ introduced the practice of sijdah and paibos.
a. Balban. [✓]
b. Iltutmish. [ ]
c. Razia. [ ]
d. Firoz Shah. [ ]
5. ________ Dynasty took over the reins of the Delhi Sultanate after the death of Sultan Balban.
a. Ghaznavid. [ ]
b. Ghori. [ ]
c. Mamluk. [ ]
d. Khilji. [✓]
D. Answer the following questions in brief.
1. What lured Mahmud of Ghazni to India?
= Mahmud of Ghazni was lured by the immense riches in the temples of north India.
2. Name the five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate.
= The five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate are - the Slave Dynasty (1206 - 1290 CE), the Khilji Dynasty (1290 - 1320 CE), the Tughlaq Dynasty (1320 - 1414 CE), the Sayyid Dynasty (1414 - 1451 CE) and the Lodi Dynasty (1451 - 1526 CE).
3. Why was the 'Slave' Dynasty called so?
= The 'Slave' Dynasty was called so because when Qutubuddin Aibak established this dynasty and became a sultan, he was still a slave of Muhammad Ghori.
4. Why is Iltutmish considered the real founder of Turkish rule in India?
= Iltutmish is considered the real founder of Turkish rule in India because he was an able ruler who consolidated the scattered Ghori territories under one strong, well-administrated rule.
5. What do you understand by sijdah and paibos?
= Ghiyasuddin Balban introduced the Persian customs of sijdah and paibos. Anybody in his presence was expected to bow down and touch their forehead on the ground in respect. It is called sijdah. And the custom of kissing the feet of the sultan was known as paibos.
E. Answer the following questions in detail.
1. Describe the invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni in India. What was his main motive?
= Mahmud of Ghazni was an ambitious and powerful Turkish Sultan of the Ghaznavid Dynasty. To fulfil his political ambitions, sultan Mahmud needed money. He was attracted by the immense riches in the temples of north India. With the loot from these temples, the Sultan aimed to build a powerful army to expand his territorial kingdom in Central Asia.
North India, at that time, was divided between various Rajput clans, which were in conflict with each other.
Taking advantage of this situation, Mahmud invaded India 17 times in the span of 25 years between 1000 and 1025 CE and looted its riches. He had to fight two wars Battle of Waihind I and Battle of Waihind II.
The most significant of Mahmud's attacks was the loot of the temple of Somnath, famed for its riches. After three days of fierce fighting, Mahmud defeated the Rajput army of 50,000 soldiers, and returned home with immense wealth.
2. Who was Muhammad Ghori? Explain in brief the battles he fought in India.
= Ghor, a province near the city of Ghazni, was a vassal state of the Ghaznavid dynasty. However, after the death of Sultan Mahmud, it became an independent state, ruled by the brothers Ghiyasuddin Ghori and Muizuddin Muhammad, also known as Muhammad Ghori.
Unlike Sultan Mahmud, Muhammad Ghori not only aspired to plunder the riches of India, but also to expand his reign in the country. He started by conquering the frontier states of Multan, Sindh and Punjab. In his quest to conquer north India, he came into conflict with Prithviraj Chauhan.
First Battle of Tarain (1191 CE) : In 1191 CE, Prithviraj Chauhan, the Rajput ruler of Delhi and Ajmer, fought the Ghurid forces and defeated them in the First Battle of Tarain.
Second Battle of Tarain (1192 CE) : After a year of planning, in 1192 CE, Muhammad Ghori returned to India, to avenge his defeat in the first battle. Prithviraj tried to unify the Rajput kings against the formidable threat to their territories. The most powerful Rajput king, Raja Jaichandra refused to support Prithviraj. In the Second Battle of Tarain, Muhammad Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan and laid the foundation of his reign in India. He occupied Delhi, thereby ending Rajput rule in north India.
Battle of Chandawar (1194 CE) : After ascending the throne of Delhi, Muhammad attacked Raja Jaichandra of Kannauj and defeated him at the Battle of Chandawar in 1194 CE. This battle gave Muhammad control over most northern India, and strengthened his position in India.
3. Why were the Turkish invaders successful in India? What were the effect of their invasions?
= After the decline of the Gupta Empire, the next notable ruler in India was Harshavardhana, who reigned from 606 to 647 CE. After his death, his kingdom disintegrated into several small territories under different feudal lords, without any unifying force. These kingdoms were constantly at war with each other over several petty issues. This presented a perfect opportunity for the Turkish invaders to plunder the rich and diverse country of India.
As a result of it, the Turks invaded, looted and plundered India repeatedly and established their power in the country. The two most notable invasions were led by the states of Ghazni and Ghori.
4. What measures were taken by Iltutmish to consolidate his empire?
= Iltutmish was an able ruler who consolidated the scattered Ghori territories under one strong, well-administrated rule. He crushed anyone who challenged his rule in India. He destroyed the Turkish nobles who defined his claim to the throne, suppressed the Khilji revolt in Bengal, and subjugated the rulers of Ghazni and Multan. He was recognised as the sovereign Sultan of India by the Caliph of Baghdad.
Iltutmish also conquered the regions of the Rajput rulers of Ujjain, Ranthambore, Malwa, and Gwalior.
He refused protection to the king of Khwarizm, who was being pursued by the Mongols, thereby preventing a Mongol invasion.
Apart from military prowess, Iltutmish had strong administrative skills. He divided his empire into several provinces known as iqta which were administered by the noble class known as iqtadar. Iltutmish created an entire new class of ruling elite, called the chalisa or the group of forty.
5. Write a note on the reign of Ghiyasuddin Balban as the Sultan of Delhi.
= After the death of Nasiruddin in 1266 CE, Ghiyasuddin Balban ascended the throne and ruled for another 20 years. Balban's ascendancy to the throne marked the beginning of an era of centralised governance.
He reorganised the political structure of the Sultanate by decreasing the power of the nobles and making the sultan the absolute power in the state. He believed that the sultans were the representatives of the god on Earth and must be bestowed with equal devotion and respect.
He introduced the Persian customs of sijdah and paibos. Anybody in his presence was expected to bow down and touch their forehead on the ground in respect (sijdah) and kiss the feet of the sultan (paibos).
Balban followed a policy of blood and iron and crushed any rebellion with a heavy hand. He kept the nobility under strict control and created a strong spy system to keep them in check.
He established security and stability in the kingdom by strengthening the army. This led to favourable conditions for the development of agriculture, trade and commerce in the city, which led to prosperity in the kingdom. Balban also fortified his kingdom to prevent the invasion of the Mongols and others.
* According to legends, Balban was the grimmest ruler in India, who never smiled and permitted no one to joke or laugh in his presence.
* 'Mamluk' literally means 'owned', and was a specific warrior class which rose from the slaves in the middle ages.