Medieval India: Regional Kingdoms, Sultanates, Vijayanagara and the Mughals
Medieval Indian History
The exam tests early medieval regional states, the five Delhi Sultanate dynasties, the Vijayanagara-Bahmani rivalry, and Mughal administration. Expect questions on administrative terms, battles, and revenue systems.
Core rules and concepts
- Cholas: local assemblies such as ur and sabha; Brihadeshwara temple at Thanjavur; naval raids on Srivijaya.
- Delhi Sultanate: Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi dynasties. Alauddin Khalji's market controls, Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency and capital shift, Firuz Shah's canals.
- Vijayanagara: founded 1336 by Harihara and Bukka; Krishnadevaraya's Amuktamalyada; Hampi; defeat at Talikota in 1565.
- Bahmani: founded 1347 by Hasan Gangu; Mahmud Gawan's reforms; Bidar.
- Mughals: Babur at Panipat 1526; Akbar's mansabdari and jagir system; Shah Jahan's architecture; Aurangzeb's Deccan policy.
Worked example
Question: Why did Alauddin Khalji control markets? Reasoning: he needed a large standing army paid in cash. Price controls, dagh (horse branding), huliya (descriptive rolls), and spies were designed to keep salaries real and prevent inflation. The measure worked in the short run but required constant supervision. A good answer links army, cash payment, and prices.
Traps
Confusing iqta with mansabdari; calling Vijayanagara simply a Hindu empire; dating Talikota to 1565 but mixing it with Panipat; treating the Bahmani kingdom as identical to the Deccan Sultanates that succeeded it.