Post-Gupta India and the Delhi Sultanate
Domain focus
This section tests the transition from Gupta rule to regional kingdoms and the Delhi Sultanate: five dynasties, administration, economy, architecture and sources.
Core concepts
- Harsha ruled in the north; after him regional powers such as the Rajputs, Palas, Cholas and Chalukyas rose.
- Delhi Sultanate dynasties: Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi.
- Iqta was a revenue assignment; the sultanate depended on military elites and local officials.
- Alauddin Khalji controlled markets and prices and expanded taxation; Muhammad bin Tughlaq experimented with token currency and capital shift.
- Persian chronicles, inscriptions, coins and architecture are key sources.
Worked example
A question asks why Alauddin Khalji regulated markets. Reasoning: he needed a large army and cash salaries; price controls and market supervision aimed to keep soldiers content and prevent inflation. The measure shows strong state intervention, not a modern welfare policy.
Traps
The Sultanate did not rule all India at once. Slave dynasty is a later label; do not treat it as a single family. Do not confuse Muhammad bin Tughlaq with Alauddin. Court chronicles are biased toward rulers.