Master10
Indian History Module

Delhi Sultanate & Regional Kingdoms

Medieval Indian history between the thirteenth and early sixteenth centuries was defined by the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526 CE) across five successive dynasties: Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Lodi. Rulers such as Alauddin Khalji introduced rigorous market control regulations and the Dagh and Chehra military systems, while Muhammad bin Tughlaq implemented ambitious administrative experiments. Concurrently, peninsular India witnessed the heights of imperial Chola maritime trade and temple construction in Thanjavur, followed by the rise of the Vijayanagara Empire founded by Harihara and Bukka in 1336 CE. Vijayanagara reached its peak under Krishnadevaraya of the Tuluva dynasty, fostering sophisticated Nayankara military-agrarian administration and architectural mastery at Hampi.

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • Qutb-ud-din Aibak founded the Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty in 1206 CE and initiated construction of the Qutb Minar in Delhi.
  • Alauddin Khalji established price controls and market superintendents (Shahna-i-Mandi) to maintain a standing army.
  • The Vijayanagara Empire was founded along the Tungabhadra River in 1336 CE and reached its cultural peak under Krishnadevaraya.
  • The Battle of Talikota (Rakshasi-Tangadi) in 1565 CE resulted in the military defeat of Vijayanagara by the allied Deccan sultanates.
  • Iltutmish consolidated the Delhi Sultanate by organizing the 'Turkan-i-Chahalgani' (Corps of Forty) and introducing the silver Tanka and copper Jital coins.
  • Razia Sultan ascended the throne of Delhi in 1236 CE, becoming the first and only woman monarch to rule the Delhi Sultanate.
  • Ghiyas-ud-din Balban instituted the authoritarian royal court ceremonies of 'Sijda' (prostration) and 'Paibos' (kissing the monarch's feet) alongside the Persian festival of Nowruz.
  • Muhammad bin Tughlaq transferred the imperial capital from Delhi to Devagiri (renamed Daulatabad) in 1327 CE and experimented with copper and brass token currency.
  • Firoz Shah Tughlaq created dedicated administrative departments including Diwan-i-Khairat (charity), Diwan-i-Bandagan (slaves), and established new canal networks along the Yamuna and Sutlej.
  • Krishnadevaraya composed the Telugu political treatise Amuktamalyada and authored the Sanskrit play Jambavati Kalyanam.
  • The Chola king Rajendra I assumed the title 'Gangaikondachola' after leading a naval expedition across Southeast Asia (Srivijaya) and constructing the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholapuram in 1035 CE.
  • Shams-ud-din Iltutmish received formal investiture (manshur) from the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir of Baghdad in 1229 CE, legally legitimizing the Delhi Sultanate.
  • Balban established the Diwan-i-Arz (central military ministry) under Imad-ul-Mulk to modernize the armed forces and counteract Mongol incursions.
  • Alauddin Khalji implemented the branding of horses (Dagh) and descriptive rolls of soldiers (Chehra) to eliminate corruption in the imperial army.
  • Alauddin Khalji's military commander Malik Kafur led successful campaigns across southern India, subduing Devagiri, Warangal, Dwarasamudra, and Madurai.
  • Muhammad bin Tughlaq established the Diwan-i-Kohi, an agricultural ministry aimed at extending cultivable land through state loans (Sondhar/Taccavi).
  • Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveler, arrived in India in 1333 CE during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq and served as the Qazi (judge) of Delhi.
  • Firoz Shah Tughlaq founded new urban centers including Jaunpur, Firozabad, Hissar, and Fatehabad, and constructed major irrigation canals from the Yamuna.
  • Bahlul Lodi established the Lodi dynasty in 1451 CE, introducing an Afghan tribal confederacy model of kingship among equals.
  • Sikandar Lodi founded the city of Agra in 1504 CE and introduced the Gaz-i-Sikandari, a standardized measurement rod of 32 digits for land surveys.
  • Harihara I and Bukka Raya I established the Sangama dynasty of Vijayanagara in 1336 CE with guidance and blessings from sage Vidyaranya of Sringeri.
  • The Italian traveler Niccolo de' Conti visited Vijayanagara in 1420 CE during the reign of Devaraya I, leaving detailed accounts of city fortifications.
  • The Portuguese merchant Domingo Paes visited Vijayanagara during Krishnadevaraya's reign in 1520 CE, documenting its thriving markets and public welfare.
  • Allauddin Hasan Bahman Shah founded the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347 CE with its capital at Gulbarga (Ahsanabad), later shifted to Bidar in 1425 CE.
  • The Chola local self-government system, featuring autonomous village assemblies (Ur and Sabha) and lot-based selection (Kudavolai), is detailed in the Uttaramerur Inscriptions of Parantaka I.
  • Qutb-ud-din Aibak founded the Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty in 1206, assumed the title 'Lakh Baksh' (giver of lakhs) for his generosity, and died while playing Chaugan (polo) in Lahore.
  • Iltutmish introduced the silver 'Tanka' (175 grains) and copper 'Jital' currencies and established the elite administrative council of forty Turkish nobles known as 'Chahalgani' or 'Turkan-i-Chihalgani'.
  • Iltutmish secured legal recognition for the Delhi Sultanate in 1229 CE by receiving a formal investiture robe (Manshur) and title of 'Nasir Amir-ul-Muminin' from the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir.
  • Razia Sultana, nominated by Iltutmish as his successor, ruled as the first female monarch of Delhi (1236–1240 CE) and discarded the veil to conduct court affairs openly.
  • Ghiyas-ud-din Balban instituted the Persian court etiquette of 'Sijdah' (prostration) and 'Paibos' (kissing the monarch's feet) and enforced an autocratic policy of 'Blood and Iron' (Lauh aur Rakt).
  • Balban established the central military department named 'Diwan-i-Arz' headed by the Ariz-i-Mumalik to modernize army recruitment and counter Mongol raids.
  • Alauddin Khilji instituted strict market control regulations through three specialized markets in Delhi supervised by a superintendent known as 'Shahna-i-Mandi'.
  • Alauddin Khilji introduced the 'Dagh' (branding of cavalry horses) and 'Chehra/Huliya' (descriptive roll of soldiers) systems to eliminate corruption in military muster.
  • Malik Kafur, Alauddin's military general, led historic southern campaigns defeating the Yadavas of Devagiri, Kakatiyas of Warangal, Hoysalas of Dvarasamudra, and Pandyas of Madurai.
  • Muhammad bin Tughlaq established the agricultural development department 'Diwan-i-Amir Kohi' to extend arable land and disburse crop loans known as 'Sondhar'.
  • Muhammad bin Tughlaq transferred the imperial capital from Delhi to Devagiri (renamed Daulatabad) in 1327 CE and introduced token bronze/copper currency between 1329 and 1330 CE.
  • Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveller, visited Delhi during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, served as Qazi of Delhi for eight years, and authored the travelogue 'Rihla'.
  • Firoz Shah Tughlaq constructed extensive irrigation canal networks from the Yamuna and Sutlej rivers and founded cities including Firozabad, Hissar, Fatehabad, and Jaunpur.
  • Firoz Shah Tughlaq established the welfare department 'Diwan-i-Khairat' for destitute women, the public hospital 'Dar-ul-Shifa', and the slave management bureau 'Diwan-i-Bandagan'.
  • Timur (Tamerlane) of Samarkand invaded northern India in 1398 CE during the reign of Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah Tughlaq, plundering Delhi and crippling the sultanate.
  • Khizr Khan founded the Sayyid Dynasty in 1414 CE, ruling not as an independent Sultan but as a tributary deputy (Raiyat-i-Ala) of Timur's son Shah Rukh.
  • Bahlul Lodi founded the first Afghan dynasty in Delhi in 1451 CE and maintained power through a tribal confederacy model, treating Afghan chiefs as equals (Masnad-i-Ali).
  • Sikandar Lodi founded the city of Agra in 1504 CE, shifted his capital there in 1506 CE, and introduced the standardized measurement unit 'Gaz-i-Sikandari' (32 digits).
  • Harihara I and Bukka Raya I founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336 CE on the banks of the Tungabhadra River with the spiritual blessings of Saint Vidyaranya of the Sringeri Matha.
  • Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529 CE) of the Tuluva Dynasty wrote the Telugu political treatise 'Amuktamalyada' and patronized the 'Ashtadiggajas' (eight Telugu court poets) led by Allasani Peddana.
  • The combined armies of the Deccan Sultanates (Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar) defeated Vijayanagara in the Battle of Talikota (Rakshasi-Tangadi) in 1565 CE.
  • Ala-ud-din Hasan Bahman Shah founded the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347 CE, establishing his capital at Gulbarga (Ahsanabad) before it was shifted to Bidar in 1424 CE.
  • Mahmud Gawan, prime minister of the Bahmani Sultanate, established a three-storeyed madrasa at Bidar in 1472 CE equipped with a vast library of 3,000 manuscripts.
  • Zain-ul-Abidin (1420–1470 CE), celebrated as the 'Akbar of Kashmir' (Bud Shah), abolished Jizya, patronized Sanskrit translations of Mahabharata and Rajatarangini, and built the artificial island Zaina Lank in Wular Lake.
  • Rana Kumbha of Mewar built the nine-storeyed Vijay Stambha (Tower of Victory) at Chittorgarh to commemorate his triumph over the combined forces of Malwa and Gujarat in 1448 CE.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: NCERT Class VII Our Pasts II, NCERT Class XI Medieval India (Satish Chandra), Nilakanta Sastri's 'A History of South India'.

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

Who was the only female sovereign ruler of the Delhi Sultanate?

Q2.MEDIUM

Who founded the Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty in Delhi in 1206 CE?

Q3.MEDIUM

Which Delhi Sultan established strict market price regulations and market inspectors (Shahna-i-Mandi)?

Q4.MEDIUM

Which Chola monarch erected the granite Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur c. 1010 CE?

Q5.MEDIUM

In which year was the Third Battle of Panipat fought between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Durrani?

Q6.HARD

Which Vijayanagara Emperor composed the celebrated Telugu statecraft poem 'Amuktamalyada'?

Q7.EASY

Who was the only woman monarch to formally ascend the throne of the Delhi Sultanate?

Q8.EASY

Who was the founder of the Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty and the first Sultan of Delhi in 1206 CE?