Medieval Indian History
Domain overview
Medieval Indian History covers the early medieval regional kingdoms, the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526), Vijayanagara and Bahmani, the Mughals, and Bhakti-Sufi movements. The paper asks how states raised revenue, legitimised power and managed religious diversity.
Core concepts
- Delhi Sultanate: iqta assignments, khalisa land, Alauddin Khalji's market control, Muhammad bin Tughlaq's experiments.
- Vijayanagara: Hampi, nayankara and ayagar systems, irrigation, overseas trade; rivalry with Bahmani.
- Mughal: mansabdari (zat and sawar), zabti revenue, jagirdari; Akbar's sulh-i kul and the Ibadat Khana.
- Regional: Rajput states; Marathas under Shivaji with chauth and sardeshmukhi.
- Bhakti-Sufi: vernacular devotionalism, silsilas, shrine culture.
Worked example
Why did Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token copper currency fail? Answer: the state could not enforce a monopoly, counterfeiters flooded the market, and there was no credible convertibility or backing. Reasoning: a token currency needs trust and enforcement; the Sultanate lacked both. This is a standard policy-failure question, so explain the mechanism, not just the date 1329–30.
Traps
- Mixing Sultanate and Mughal institutions, e.g. calling iqta a Mughal system.
- Describing Vijayanagara only as a Hindu bulwark and ignoring its composite military and trade.
- Treating the Mughal state as uniformly centralised; the jagir crisis varied by reign.
- Forgetting that Bhakti and Sufi movements were both devotional and socially critical.