Medieval India
Medieval India
Medieval India
N
.
1.
2.
King/sultan
Dynasty
Ghazni
3.
Mahmud of ghazni
Muizzuddin
Muhammad aka
Muhammad Ghori
Qutbuddin Aibak
4.
Iltutmish
5.
Razia
6.
Ghiyasuddin
Balbanaka Ulugh
Khan
Jalaluddin Khalji
7.
8.
9.
13.
Alauddin Khalji
Ghazi Malik aka
Ghiyasuddin
Tughlaq
Muhammad bin
Tughlaq aka Ulugh
Khan
Firoz Tughlaq
Naseer ud din
Mahmud
Khizr Khan
14.
15.
16.
17.
Mubarak Shah
Muhammad Shah
Alam Shah
Buhlul Lodi
18.
Sikandar Lodi
10.
11.
12.
Dynasty
Period
997 - 1030
1192-
Capital
Slave /Mamluk
Qutubi(1206 1290)
Slave /Mamluk
-First Ilbari
(1211-1266)
Slave /Mamluk
- First Ilbari
Slave /Mamluk
- Second Ilbari
(1266 - 1290)
Khalji
(1290-1320)
Khalji
Tughlaq
(1320- 1414)
1206 1210
Indraprasta,
Delhi/Lahore
Ghazni
Ghazni
1290-1296
Delhi
1296-1316
1320-1325
Delhi
Delhi
Tughlaq
1325-1351
Delhi
Tughlaq
Sayyid
(1414 1451)
1414
1421
Lodi
(1451-1526)
Lodi
Delhi
-1445
1445-1451
1451-1489
Delhi
1489-1517
Delhi
19.
20.
Ibrahim Lodi
Babur
21.
22.
Humayun
Farid Aka Sher
Shah
Akbar
Jahangir
Shah Jaha
Aurangjeb
Bahdurshah I
Jahandar Shah
(Julfiqar Khan)
Farrukh Siyar
(nephew)
(Saiyid Brothers)
Muhammad Shah
(Saiyid Brothers)
Ahmad Shah
Alamgir II
Shah Alam II
Akbar II, aka
Akbar Shah II
Bahadur Shah Zafar
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
S.N
Department
1.
2.
3.
4.
Diwan-i- Wizarat
Diwan-i-Ariz
Diwan-i- Rasalat
Diwan-iMustakhraj
5.
Diwan-i- Riyasat
Lodi
Mughal
(1526 -1857)
Mughal
Sur
1517-1526
1526-1530
Mughal
Mughal
Mughal
Mughal
Mughal
Mughal
1556 -1605
1605 -1627
1627 -1658
1658 -1707
1707-1712
1712-1713
Agra
Agra
Agra
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi
Mughal
1713-1719
Delhi
Mughal
1719-1748
Delhi
Mughal
Mughal
Mughal
Mughal
1748-1754
1754 -1759
1759 -1806
1806-1837
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi
Mughal
1837-1858
Delhi
Introduction
By
Balwan
Alauddin Khalji
Alauddin Khalji
Delhi
Delhi
1530-1540 Delhi
1540 -1555 Delhi
Purpose
Officer
Finance
military
Religious affairs
Dept of
Revenue,
Arrears ( Check
corruption in
Revenue)
Day to Day
Admin
Wazir
Ariz-i-mumalik
chief Sadr
Naib-i-Riyasat
(Most powerful
after Sultan)
6.
Diwan-i-Kohi
Muhammad bin
Tughlaq
7.
Diwan-i- Insha
8.
Diwan-i-Khairat
Firoz Tughlaq
9.
Firoz Tughlaq
10.
Diwan-iBandgan
Judicial
S
N
Sultanat
e
1.
2.
Sultanat
e
Iqta
3.
4.
Shiq
Pargana
5.
Village
Agricultural
Correspondence
between the
ruler and the
officials
To care Orphan
and Widow
Affairs of slaves
Chief Qazi
Officer
Vijaynaga
r
Empire
Division
Officer
Muqtis or
Walis
nobles
Shiqdar
Amil
Mandalam
Mandaleswara Suba
or Nayak
Muqadda
m or
Chaudhari
Grama
Division
Mugha Officer
l
Empire
Sultan
Nadu
Sthala
Cirkar
Pargana
Or
Mahal
Fauzdar
S.
N
Book
Writer
Description
1.
Kitab-ulYamini &
Tareekh-iYamini
Utbi
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Kitab-ulHind
Shah Nama
Sangeet
mimansa,
Sangeet
Raj,
Sangeet
Ratnakar
Man
Kautuhal
Tabaqat-iNasari
Alberunis
It is written in Arabic.
Firdausi
Rana Kumbha
Tareekh-iAmir Khusro
Dilli
Khazain-ul- Amir Khusro
Futuh
Tughlaq
Nama
Fatwa-iJahandari
Kitab-ulRehla
Tarikh-iFirozShahi
Futuhat-iFiroz Shahi
Tarikh-iMubaraksh
ahi
Rajatarangi
ni
Amir Khusro
It is written in persian, a
general history of Muslim
dynasties up to 1260.It is
devoted to sultan
Nasiruddin Mahmud, a
younger son of Iltutmish.
It is about Alauddins
conquests.
It deals with the rise of
Ghyiasuddin Tughlaq
Barani
Ibn- Batuta
Barani
Feroz Shah Tughlaq
Yahiya-bin-Ahemad
Kalhana
16. Premvatika,
Raskhan
17.
HAZRAT SHAH
MOHAMMAD GHOUSE
Sujan
Rskhan
Jawahir-eKhamsa ,
Piran-e-Pir
Bijak
Kabir
It comprise of Ad-mangal,
Sakhi, Sabads, and Ramaini.
Amar Mul contains his dialogue
with Dharamdas.
Telgu
20.
Sanskrit
18.
21.
lyadha
Jambavati
Kalyanam
and
Ushaparinay
am
Maduravijay
am
22. Manucharit
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
am,Harikat
hasaram
Kavi Priya,
Ram
Chandrika,
Rasik Priya
Tareekh-eFarishta
Kitab-eNavras
Tuzuk-iBaburi
Humayunn
ama
Tabaqat-iAkbari
Gangadevi
Allasani Peddanna
Keshavdas(1555-1617)
Mohammad
Qasim Farishta
Ibrahim Adil Shah II
Babur
Gulbadan Begum
Nizammudin Ahmad
29. Ain-i-
Abul Fazal
Akbari and
Akbar
Nama
30. Ramznama
Abul Faizi
31. Anwar-I-
Abul Fazal
Translation of
mahabaharta to Persian
Translation of panctantra
to Persian
Autobiography
Suhaili
32.
Tuzuk-iJahangiri
33. Padshah
Jahangir
Abdul Hamid Lahori
Nama
34. Shah Jahan Inayat Khan
Nama
Dara Shikoh
35. Sirr-eAkbar
36. Majma-ul- Dara Shikoh
Bahrain
S
N
Name of
Foreigner
1.
Alberuni
2.
Ibne Batuta
3.
4.
5.
Nicolo de Conti
Abdur Razzak
Domingo Paes
6.
Ralph Finch
7.
Francisco Pelsaert
Time
Translation of upnishad in
Farsi.
It was his original work.
King
/Empero
r
Mahmud
Gaznavi
Muhammad
Bin Tughlaq
Deva Raya
Krishna
Deva Raya
15831591
Akbar
Jahangir
Description
8.
9.
Peter Mundy
Jean-Baptiste
Tavernier
10.
Franois Bernier
11.
Niccolao Manucci
16381663
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
(1639
1708)
Shah Jahan.
Jahangir reign.
Italian Traveler
He was a 17th-century
French gem merchant and
traveler. He wrote TravelsIn-India.
He was a
french physician and traveler.
He was briefly personal
physician to Prince Dara
Shikoh and after him
attached to the court of the
Emperor Aurangzeb for
around 12 years during his
stay in India.
He was an Italian writer and
traveller. He worked in
the Mughal courtin the
service of Dara Shikoh as
topachi. Manucci is famous
for his work "Storia do
Mogor", an account of
Mughal history and life.
S.N
.
1.
Sultanate
Founder
Description
Nizamshahi of
Ahmednagar
2.
Qutubshahi of
Golconda
(Hyderabad)
3.
4.
Baridshahi of Bidar
Imadshahi of Berar
5.
Adilshahi of Bijapur
S.N. Name
Genghis
1.
Khan
Timur
2.
Nadir shah
3.
Ahmad
4.
Shah Abdali
Indian King
Iltutmish
Time
1211-1236
Naeeruddin Mahmud
Muhammad Shah
1398
1739
1748-1761
2.
3.
Yusuf Adil
Shah
War
3rd war of
Panipat
Description
Between Babur and Mahmud Lodi in
5may, 1529. It was the last battle of
Babur.
Rajput Kingdoms
The Gurjara-Pratiharas were the earliest of the Rajput rulers. Its
first great leader was Harischandra with his capital at Bhinmal.
Gurjaras were in different branches. One branch ruled Gujarat
and another at Avanthi.
The Pratiharas involved themselves in a three-cornered contest
with the Palas of Bengal and the Rashtrakutas of Deccan.Later the
Pratiharas became weak.
The Chauhans, the most valiant of the Rajput races, ruled Ajmir.
Vigraharaj was their most important king, who occupied Delhi.
The Paramaras were also important Rajput rulers of this period. The
most important king was Bhoja.
Prophet Muhammad (570 -632)
The religion Islam was born at Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 570 AD. Its
founder was Prophet Muhammad. He migrated to Medina in 622 A.D.,
which was the starting point of the Muslim calendar and the
Muslim era called Hijra. After eight years he returned to Mecca with
his followers. He died in 632 A.D. The followers of Muhammad set up
an empire called the Caliphate. The Umayyads and the Abbasids
were called the caliphs.
Delhi Sultanate
The Muslim invasions into India had ultimately resulted in the
establishment of Delhi Sultanate which existed from A.D. 1206 to
1526.
Five different dynasties the Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyids and
Lodis ruled under the Delhi Sultanate.
Slave Dynasty
The Slave dynasty was also called Mamluk dynasty. Mamluk was the
Quranic term for slave. The Slave dynasty ruled Delhi from A.D. 1206
to 1290. In fact, three dynasties were established during this period.
1. Qutbi dynasty (1206-1211) founded by Qutbuddin Aibak.
2. First Ilbari dynasty (1211- 1266) founded by Iltutmish.
3. Second Ilbari dynasty (1266-1290) founded by Balban.
Indus and sought asylum from Iltutmish. Iltutmish refused to give him
shelter in order to save his empire from the onslaught of the Mongols.
He also annexed Sind and Multan into the Delhi Sultanate. He
received the mansur, the letter of recognition, from the Abbasid
Caliph in 1229 by which he became the legal sovereign ruler of
India. In this way Iltutmish was first free Muslim king of Delhi.
Later he nominated his daughter Raziya as his successor. Hence
hereditary succession to Delhi Sultanate was initiated by
Iltutmish.
Minhaj-us-Siraj, Taj-ud-din, Nizam-ul-mulk ,Muhammad Janaidi, Malik
Qutb-ud-din Hasan and Fakhrul-Mulk Isami were his contemporary
scholars.
He built a magnificent mosque at Ajmir.
Iltutmish had also created a new class of ruling elite of forty powerful
military leaders, the Forty- Turkan iChahalgani or Chalisa.
Raziya (1236-1240)
Although Iltutmish nominated his daughter Raziya as his successor, the
Qazi of Delhi and Wazir put Ruknuddin Feroz on the throne. When
the governor of Multan revolted, Ruknuddin marched to suppress that
revolt. Using this opportunity, Raziya with the support of Amirs of Delhi
, seized the throne of Delhi Sultanate.
She appointed an Abyssinian slave Yakuth as Master of the Royal
Horses.
In 1240, Altunia, the governor of Bhatinda revolted against her.
She went in person to suppress the revolt but Altunia killed Yakuth and
took Raziya prisoner.
In the meantime, the Turkish nobles put Bahram, another son of
Iltutmish on the throne. However, Raziya won over her captor, Altunia,
and after marrying him proceeded to Delhi. But she was defeated and
killed.
When Balban died, one of his grandson Kaiqubad was made the
Sultan of Delhi. After four years of incompetent rule, Jalaluddin Khalji
captured the throne of Delhi in 1290.
Khalji Dynasty(1290-1320)
The founder of the Khalji dynasty was Jalaluddin Khalji. Alauddin
Khalji treacherously murdered his father-in-law Jalaluddin Khalji
and usurped the throne of Delhi.
Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316)
He created a kingdom which was free from sharia. He wanted to
start a new religion and conquer the world. He took the title Sikander
e-Sani.
He was convinced that the general prosperity of the nobles, intermarriages between noble families, inefficient spy-system and
drinking liquor were the basic reasons for the rebellions.
He confiscated the properties of the nobles. The intelligence system
was reorganized and all the secret activities of the nobles were
immediately reported to the Sultan. The public sale of liquor and drugs
was totally stopped. Social gatherings and festivities without the
permission of Sultan were forbidden.
Alauddin Khalji introduced the system of dagh(branding of horses)
and prepared huliya(descriptive list of soldiers).
Alauddin Khalji introduced the system of paying salaries in cash to
the soldiers led to price regulations popularly called as Market
Reforms. Alauddin Khalji established four separate markets in
Delhi, one for grain; another for cloth, sugar, dried fruits, butter
and oil; a third for horses, slaves and cattle; and a fourth for
miscellaneous commodities.
Each market was under the control of a high officer called
Shahna-i-Mandi. There were secret agents called munhiyans who
and defeated and killed Ibrahim Lodi in the first battle of Panipat
(1526).
INDIA UNDER THE DELHI SULTANAT
Administration
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic state with its religion Islam.
Though Barni saw this not as Islamic state as most of the people didnt
follow Islam.
The Sultans considered themselves as representatives of the
Caliph. They included the name of the Caliph in the khutba( prayer
) and inscribed it on their coins.
Iltutmish, Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firoz Tughlaq obtained
Mansur or letter of permission from the Caliph.
There was no clear law of succession during this period. All the sons
had equal claim to the throne.
Central Government
The post of Naib was the most powerful one. The Naib practically
enjoyed all the powers of the Sultan and exercised general
control over all the departments. Next to him was the Wazir who
was heading the finance department called Diwan-i- Wizarat.
The military department was called Diwan-i-Ariz. It was introduced
by Balwan. It was headed by Ariz-i-mumalik. He was responsible
for recruiting the soldiers and administering the military
department. He was not the commander-in-chief of the army. The
Sultan himself was the commander-in-chief of the army. Under
Alauddin Khalji the strength of the army crossed three lakh soldiers.
Diwan-i- Rasalat was the department of religious affairs. It was
headed by chief Sadr. Grants were made by this department for the
construction and maintenance of mosques, tombs and
madrasas.
The head of the judicial department was the chief Qazi. Muslim
personal law or sharia was followed in civil court. The Hindus were
governed by their own personal law and their cases were dispensed by
the village panchayats.
The criminal law was based on the rules and regulations made by
the Sultans.
Javabit implied law of land in sultanate period.
The department of correspondence was called Diwan-i- Insha. All
the correspondence between the ruler and the officials was dealt
with by this department.
Local Administration
The provinces under the Delhi Sultanate were called iqtas. They
were initially under the control of the nobles. The governors of the
provinces were called the muqtis or walis. They were to maintain law
and order and collect the land revenue.
Fawazil in the Sultanate period means excess amount paid to the
exchequer by the iqtadars.
The provinces were divided into shiq and the next division was
pargana.The shiqwas under the control of shiqdar. The pargana
comprising a number of villages was headed by amil.The village
remained the basic unit of the administration.The village headman
was known as muqaddam or chaudhri. The village accountant was
called patwari.
Economy
The lands were classified into three categories:
Iqta land lands assigned to officials as iqtas instead of payment
for their services.
Khalisa land land under the direct control of the Sultan and the
revenues collected were spent for the maintenance of royal court
and royal household.
Inamland land assigned or granted to religious leaders or
religious institutions.
The peasantry paid one third of their produce as land revenue, and
sometimes even one half of the produce.
Muhammad bin Tughlaq created a separate agricultural
department, Diwan-i -Kohi.
Sultans like Muhammad bi Tughlaq and Firoz Tughlaq took efforts to
enhance agricultural production by providing irrigational facilities and
by providing takkavi loans.
A number of cities and towns had grown during this period. Lahore,
Multan, Broach, Anhilwara, Laknauti, Daulatabad, Delhi and Jaunpur
were important among them. Delhi remained the largest city in the
East.
Overseas trade was under the control of Multanis and Afghan
Muslim. Inland trade was dominated by the Gujarati Marwari
merchants and Muslim Bohra merchants.
Sarais or rest houses on the highways were maintained for the
convenience of the travelers.
Cotton textile and silk industry flourished in this period. Sericulture
was introduced on a large scale which made India less dependent on
other countries for the import of raw silk.
The system of coinage had also developed during the Delhi
Sultanate. Ltutmish introduced the Arabic coinage into India.
Iltutmish issued several types of coins as silver tankas and Jitals
(Copper).The silver tanka weighing 175 grams became a standard
coin in medieval India.
Alauddin Masud shah put name of last caliph in his coin.
Social Life
Traditional caste system with the Brahmins on the upper strata of
the society was prevalent. The subservient position of women also
continued and the practice of sati was widely prevalent.
The seclusion of women:-The Arabs and Turks brought the purdah
system into India and it became widespread among the Hindu women
in the upper classes of north India.
During the Sultanate period, the Muslim society remained divided into
several ethnic and racial groups. The Turks, Iranians, Afghans and
Indian Muslims developed exclusively and there were no
intermarriages between these groups.
Hindu converts from lower castes were also not given equal
respect. The Muslim nobleso ccupied high offices and very rarely
the Hindu nobles were given high position in the government.
The Hindus were considered zimmi or protected people for which
they were forced to pay a tax called jiziya. In the beginning jiziya
was collected as part of land tax. Firoz Tughlaq separated it from
the land revenue and collected jiziya as a separate tax. Sometimes
Brahmins were exempted from paying jiziya.
Music
Few musical instruments such as sarangi and rabab were
introduced during this period. The invention of Sitar(fusion of Veena
and Irani Tambura) and tabla was also attributed to Amir Khusrau.
Amir Khusrau introduced many new ragas such as ghora and
sanam. He evolved a new style of light music known as qwalis by
blending the Hindu and Iranian systems.
Literature
Sultan of Delhi sultanate accepted Farsi as court Language.
The most famous historians of this period were Hasan Nizami,
Minhaj-us-Siraj, Ziauddin Barani, and Shams-Siraj Afif.
Alauddin Khalj patronized poets like Amir Khusrau and Amir
Hasan.
Amir Khusrau (1252-1325) was the famous Persian writer of this
period. He was born at Patiyali in Kasganj in UP. He called himself
Tuti-I-Hind. He created a new style of Persian poetry called
Sabaq-i-Hind or the Indian style. He put great effort in rise of Hindi
(Khadi boli). He is considered main architect of khadi boli. He was
disciple of sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya. He has seen tenure of 7
sultan Balban,Kaikubad,Jalaluddin khalzi, Alauudin khalzi,Mubarak
shah,Giyasuddin Tughlaq and Muhmmad Bin Tughlaq. He was a
poet ,musician and historian.
The book Tutu Nama or Book of the Parrot became popular and
translated into Turkish and later into many European languages.
Zia Nakshabi was the first to translate Sanskrit stories into Persian.
BHAKTI MOVEMENT IN MEDIEVAL INDIA
SN Name
1. Shankara
2.
3.
Ramanuj
a
Namdeva
Time
788820
10171137
12701350
King/Sultan
Description
He was a Tailor.
He was founder of
Varkari
Sampradaya.
4.
Kabira
13981518
5. Nanka
14691539
6. Chaitanya 14861536
7. Meera
14981557
8. Dadu
1544Dayal
1603
9. Tukaram
16081649
10. Tyagaraja 17671847
He was disciple of
Kabir.
Jehangir,Sahjahan,Shiva
Ji
The rise of Bhakti cult in Tamil Nadu started during the seventh and
eight centuries in direct influence to Shankaracharya. The Saivaite
Nayanmars and Vashnavaite Alwars preached the Bhakti cult
under the Pallavas, Pandyas and Cholas. Poyagai, Poodam and
Tirumangai was Alwar saints.
Chedi Kingdom edicts talk about Mattamayur which was a Shaiva
cult.
Medieval Bhakti movement revival in 15th&16th century was the direct
result of the influence of the spread of Islam in India. Monotheism
or belief in one God, equality and brotherhood of man and
CE. He was eighth in the line of succession from the founder of the
Chishti Order, Abu Ishq Shami. He became a disciple of
the Chishti saint Usman Harooni. He was also known as Gharb
Nawz "Benefactor of the Poor". He came with Muhamad Ghori. His
disciple was Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakthiyar Kaki.
Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Masood Ganjshakaraka aka Baba Farid
was son-in-law of Balban. He was disciple of Kaki. His writings are
included in Guru Granth Sahib.
Another famous Sufi saint was Nizamuddin Auliya who belonged to
the Chishti order and who was disciple of Baba Farid. Nizamuddin
Auliya has seen reign of 7 Sultans. He denied to meet Alauddin
Khalzi. He was famous as Mehboob-E-Elahi. He believed in advaitvad
and sama(music). He died at Giyaspur (Dargah),Delhi in 1325.
Another well known Sufi saint was Bahauddin Zakariya who came
under the influence of another famous mystic Shihabuddin
Suhrawardi.
Amongst last in Sufi order was Salim Chisti. He was famous as Sheik
Ul Hind. He used to live in Sikri.
Shah Muhammad Ghaus Gwaliyari was a 16th-century Sufi master
of the Shattari order and the author of Jawahir-i Khams (meaning
the Five Jewels). Ghaus taught the Mughal Emperor Humayun and
was also a tutor of the Tansen. He considered Krishna as
Auliya(saint).
Another Sufi saint was Haji Waris Ali Shah. An urs locally known
as Dewa mela is observed in OctoberNovember,Dargah of Haji Waris
Ali Shah in Dewa,Barabanki.
The "Ulama" and the Religious Classes of Islam were collectively
known as Dastar-bandan, or turban-wearers, because they wore
their official head dress, the turban.
Bhakti Movement
When the Sufi movement was becoming popular in India, about the
same time the Bhakti cult was gaining strength among the Hindus.
In the south, Alvars represented the emotional side of Tamilian
Vaishnavism and the Acharyas, who were their successors, represented
the intellectual and philosophical sides of Vaishnavism and made it popular.
Sankara
According to the Shringeri matha tradition, Sankara took birth in Kerala
around A.D. 788.The philosophy of Sankara is known as Advaita, meaning
'non-dual'.
He believed that absolute reality, called Brahma is non-dual.The greatest
achievement of Sankara is that he organised the ten branches of Advaita
school of Saivism, known as Dashanamis.
For the purpose of unity and integrity, and better interaction, he established
four mathas in four corners of the country. He sent his four disciples to each
one of these.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
The ten orders in which Sankara organised the ascetics are known as
'Giri (hills), Puri (city), Bharati (learning), Vana (wood), Aranya (forest),
Parvata (mountain), Sagara (ocean), Tirtha (temple), Ashrama
(hermitage) and Saraswati (true knowledge). Sankara died at the age of 32.
He was an Acharya par excellence who took the Hindu faith to a new glory.
Madhava
In the thirteenth century, Madhava from Kannada region
propagated Dvaita or dualism of Jivatma and Paramatma.
According to his philosophy, the world is not an illusion but a reality.
God, soul, matter are unique in nature.
Nimbarkacharya
Nimbarka is known for propagating the Vaishnava Theology of
Dvaitadvaita, duality in unity. Telungana region. He belongs to
Sanakadik or Nimbarka Sampradaya.
Vallabhacharya (14791531 CE)
Vallabhacharya accepted Vishnuswami Sampradaya (Rudra
Sampradaya). Rudra Sampradaya is one out of the four Vaishnava
Sampradaya. Vallabhacharya also propagated the Shuddha advaita
(Pure Non-dualism)/Pushtimarga.
Vallabhacharya was also other preachers of Vaishnavite Bhakti in
the Telungana region. Surdas was the disciple of Vallabhacharya
and he popularized Krishnacult in north India.
Ramananda, Kabir and Nanak
In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Ramananda, Kabir and
Nanak remained great apostles of the Bhakti cult.
They helped the common people to shed age-old superstitions and
attain salvation through Bhakti or pure devotion. Unlike the early
reformers, they were not linked with any particular religious creed and
did not believe in rituals and ceremonies. They condemned
polytheism and believed in one god. They also denounced all
forms of idolatry. They strongly believed in Bhakti as the only
means of salvation. They also emphasised the fundamental unity
of all religions.
Ramananda
Kabir
Kabirs object was to reconcile Hindus and Muslims and establish
harmony between the two sects. He denounced idolatry and rituals
and laid great emphasis on the equality of man before God.
He is regarded as the greatest of the mystic saints and his followers
are called Kabirpanthis.
Guru NanaK (1469 -1539 )
Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh religion in Sikander Lodis reign and a
disciple of Kabir.
He was born in Talwandi near Lahore. He denounced caste
distinctions and rituals like bathing in holy rivers. He didnt believe
in reincarnation of God. His conception of religion was highly
practical and sternly ethical. He exhorted people to give up selfishness, falsehood and hypocrisy and to lead a life of truth, honesty.
Abide pure amidst the impurities of the world was one of his famous
sayings.
His life was dedicated to establishing harmony between Hindus and
Muslims. His followers were known as Sikhs. He died in 1539 in
derababa.
The Adi Granth/Guru Granth Sahib, was first compiled by the fifth
Sikh guru, Guru Arjun (15631606), from hymns of the first five
Sikh gurus and 15 other great saints, or bhagats, including some
from both Hindu and Muslim faiths(Sufi Saint Baba Farid).
Jahangir executed guru Arjun Dev.
Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Aurangazeb. His son guru Govind
singh converted Sikhs to Warrior Khalsa Panth. He was killed in
Nanded by a Afghan sardar.
Chaitanya
Chaitanya was another well-known saint and reformer of Bengal who
popularised the Krishna cult.
He proclaimed the universal brotherhood of man and condemned
all distinction based on religion and caste.
Tulsidas
He was born in Chitrakoot. His famous books are Ramcharitmanas and
Vinay Patrika.
MeeraBai
She was contemporary of Tulsidas. She was daughter of Mewar raja
Ratan Singh Rathore. She was married to eldest son of Rana Sanga
Kunwar Bhojraj.
Shankar Deva
Saluva dynasty
The next dynasty, Saluva dynasty founded by Saluva Narasimha
reigned only for a brief period (1486- 1509).
Immadi Narasimha Raya was last ruler. He was son of Saluva
Narasimha
Tuluva dynasty
The Tuluva dynasty was founded by Vira Narasimha. The greatest of
the Vijayanagar rulers, Krishna Deva Raya (1509 1530) belonged
to the Tuluva dynasty. Krishna Deva Raya was brother of Vira
Narasimha
The Muslim armies were decisively defeated in the battle of
Diwani by Krishna Deva Raya.
Then he invaded Raichur Doab which had resulted in the
confrontation with the Sultan of Bijapur, Ismail Adil Shah. But,
Krishna Deva Raya defeated him and captured the city of Raichur in
1520. From there he marched on Bidar and captured it.
Bahmani Kingdom
The founder of the Bahmani kingdom was Alauddin Hasan aka
Bahman Shah aka Hasan Gangu in 1347. Bahmanid Sultanate was
the first independent Islamic Kingdom in South India. The
Bahmani capital was Ahsanabad (Gulbarga) between 1347 and 1425
when it was moved to Muhammadabad (Bidar) by Ahmad Wali
Shah.
The power of the Bahmani kingdom reached its peak under the rule of
Muhammad Shah III and guidance of Mahmud Gawan. Mahmud
Gawan was a Persian merchant. He waged successful wars against
Vijayanagar, Orissa and the sea pirates on the Arabian sea. His
Sonargaon to Sind
Agra to Burhampur
Jodhpur to Chittor
Lahore to Multan
Akbar (1556-1605)
Delhi was seized by the Afghans. Their commander-in-Chief, Hemu,
was in charge of it. In the second Battle of Panipat in 1556, Hemu
was almost on the point of victory. But an arrow pierced his eye and
he became unconscious. The Mughal victory was decisive.
Relations with Rajputs
He married the Rajput princess Harka Bai, the daughter of
Kachhwaha Rajput Raja Bharamal. It was a turning point in the
history of Mughals. Rajput served the Mughals for four generations.
Raja Bhagawan Das and Raja Man Singh were given senior
positions in the administration by Akbar. One by one, all Rajput states
submitted to Akbar.
Ranas of Mewar continued to defy despite several defeats. In the
Battle of Haldighati, Rana Pratap Singh was severely defeated by the
Mughal army led by Man Singh in 1576. Following the defeat of Mewar,
Mansabdari System
Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system in his administration.
Under this system every officer was assigned a rank (mansab). The
lowest rank was 10 and the highest was 5000 for the nobles. Princes of
royal blood received even higher ranks. The ranks were divided into
two zat and sawar. Zat means personal and it fixed the personal
status of a person. Sawar rank indicated the number of
cavalrymen of a person who was required to maintain. Sawar(No of
horse) rank cant never be more than Zat(No of horse,no of
elephants etc).
Every sawar had to maintain at least two horses. The mansab
rank was not hereditary. All appointments and promotions as
well as dismissals were directly made by the emperor.
Mansabdari System was borrwed from army of mongol Ghenghis
Khan. The mansabdars were divided into 33 classes. The top three
commanding ranks, ranging from 7000 to 10000 troops, were normally
reserved for princes. Other ranks between 10 and 5000 were assigned
to other members of the nobility.It means Mansabdar could be
assigned to no military officers also.
10-500 - Umra
500-2500 Amir
2500-5000 Amir-i-Ajam
The empire's permanent standing army was quite small and the
imperial forces mostly consisted of contingents maintained by the
mansabdars. Persons were normally appointed to a low mansab and
then promoted, based on their merit as well as the favour of the
emperor. Each mansabdar was required to maintain a certain number
of cavalrymen and twice that number of horses. The number of horses
was greater because they had to be rested and rapidly replaced in
times of war. Akbar employed strict measures to ensure that the
Jahangir (1605-1627)
Prince Salim succeeded with the title Jahangir (Conqueror of
World) in 1605.His son Khusrau revolted in 1606 but was defeated
and imprisoned. One of his supporters, Guru Arjun Singh, the fifth
Sikh Guru, was beheaded.
Nur Jahan
In 1611, Jahangir married Mehrunnisa who was known as Nur Jahan
(Light of World).
English King James I sent William Hawkins(1608-1611) to Mughal
darbar. Jahangir awarded him title of English Khan. Sir Thomas
Row (1615-19) came later. He met to Jahangir in Ajmer.
Veer Singh Deo killed Abul fazal with tacit order of Jahangir. Prince
Khusro, Prince Khurram and Mahabat khan revolted against
Jahangir.
Aurangazeb (1658-1707)
Aurangazeb was one of the ablest of the Mughal kings. He assumed
the title Alamgir, World Conqueror.
Deccan Policy
The Deccan policy of the Mughals started from the reign of Akbar,
who conquered Khandesh and Berar. Jahangir fought against
Malik Amber of Ahmadnagar. During the Shah Jahans reign,
Aurangazeb, as governor of Deccan, followed an aggressive Deccan
policy. When he became the Mughal emperor, for the first twenty five
years, he concentrated on the northwest frontier. At that time, the
Maratha ruler, Sivaji carved out an independent Maratha
kingdom in the territories of north and south Konkan.
To contain the spread of the Marathas, Aurangazeb decided to invade
Bijapur and Golkonda. He defeated Sikandar Shah of Bijapur in
1686 and annexed his kingdom. Then, he proceeded against
Golkonda1687 and eliminated the Kutb Shahi dynasty. It was also
annexed by him. In fact, the destruction of the Deccan kingdoms was
a political blunder on the part of Aurangazeb. The barrier between the
Mughals and the Marathas was removed and there ensued a direct
confrontation between them. Also, his Deccan campaigns exhausted
the Mughal treasury. According to J.N. Sarkar, the Deccan ulcer ruined
Aurangazeb.
His son Muhammad Akabar rebelled against him due to his futile
policy against rajputs.
Religious Policy
The celebrated temples at Mathura and Benares were reduced to ruins.
In 1679, he reimposed jiziya and pilgrim tax. His invasions
against the Deccan sultanates were partly due to his hatred of the
Shia faith.The celebration of Muharram was stopped.
He was also against the Sikhs and he executed the ninth Sikh Guru
Tej Bahadur. This had resulted in the transformation of Sikhs into a
warring community.
He has maximum no of hindu commander i.e. 33 % in his army after
Shah Jahan.
He is called also Zinda Pir due to his simple lifestyle.
Causes for the Downfall of the Mughal
The weakness of the empire was exposed when Nadir Shah imprisoned
the Mughal Emperor and looted Delhi in 1739.
The neglect of the sea power by the Mughals was felt when the
Europeans began to settle in India.
Thus the decline and downfall of the Mughal Empire was due to the
combination of political, social and economic factors.
Darwaza or the Lofty Gate. The height of the gateway is 176 feet. It
was built to commemorate Akbars victory over Gujarat.
Other important buildings at Fatepur Sikri are Diwan-i-Aam ,Diwani-Khas , Birbal house, Ibadat Khana ,Jodh Bais palace and Panch
Mahal with five storeys. It has taken inspiration from Budha
Vihara.
During Akbars reign, the Humayunstomb was built at Delhi, in
supervision of Humayun wife Hazi Begum and it had a massive
dome of marble. It may be considered the precursor of the Taj Mahal.
Maham Anga also built a mosque, 'Khairul Manazil' /madarsa -e
-begum in 1561 CE in Mughal architecture. It now stands
opposite, Purana Qila, Delhi on Mathura Road, south east to Sher Shah
Gate.
Jahangir
Akbars tomb at Sikandara near Agra was completed by Jahangir.
Nur Jahan built the tomb of Itimaddaulah at Agra. It was
constructed wholly of white marble with floral designs made of semiprecious stones on the walls. This type of decoration was called pietra
dura. It is used extensively in Taj Mahal.
Jahangir Mausoleum is in Shahadara ,Lahore.
Shah Jaha
The Moti Masjid at Agra was built entirely in white marble. The
Jama Masjid at Delhi was built in red stone.
The famous Red Fort at Delhi with its Rang Mahal, Diwan-i-Am
and Diwan-i-Khas was is of Shah Jahan creation. Red fort has two
gate :-western gate is known Lahori Gate and southern gate is known
as Delhi gate.
Musamman Burj also known as the Saman Burj or the Shah-burj, is
an octagonal tower standing close to the Shah Jahan's private hall
Diwan-e-Khas in Agra Fort.
Humayun
Humayun brought with him two painters Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdal
Samad to India.
Akabar
Baswan, Miskina and Daswant attained great positions as Akabars
court artists.
Illustrations of Persian versions of Mahabharata and Ramayana
were produced in miniature form. Indian fables became the miniature
paintings in the Art Studio established by Akbar.
The most important work is Dastan-i-amir Hamza or Hamznama,
which consisted 1200 paintings. Indian colours such as peacock blue,
Indian red began to be used. It was completed by Abdal Samad.
Historical works such as Akbar Nama also remained the main
themes of Mughal paintings.
Akbar patronized Tansen of Gwalior. Tansen composed many ragas.
Tansen and Swami Haridas were prominent dhrupad singer in
Akbar reign.
Jahangir
Mughal paintings reached its climax during the reign of Jahangir.He
employed a number of painters like Abul Hasan (Nadir-ul-zama) ,Ustad
Mansur (Nadir-ul- Asra ), Bishan Das, Madhu, Anant, Manohar and
Govardhan. Ustad Mansur(Mansoor-masoori-nature) has expertise
in Bird painting while Abul Hasan has exptertise in person
paintaing.
Subject of paintings were natural scnery,birds ,animals,darbar and
wars.
Mughal painting didnt influence Kalighat art.
Aurangzeb
He was proficient in playing Veena.
Language and Literature
Babur
Humayun
Gulbadan Begum was the daughter of Humyaun. She wrote
Humayunnama.
Akbar
Persian language became widespread in the Mughal Empire by the
time of Akbars reign. Nastalq is one of the main calligraphic hands
used in writing the Perso-Arabic script of Farsi language in Medival
period.
Abul Fazl was a great scholar and historian of his period. Abul Fazl
wrote Ain-i-Akbari and Akbar Nama.
Abul Fazal translated Panchtantra in Farsi as Anwar-I-Suhaili.
The leading poet of that period was his brother Abul Faizi. The
translation of Mahabharata Titled the Razmnama (Book of War)
into the Persian language was done under his supervision. Utbi and
Naziri were the two other leading Persian poets.
Badayuni translated ramayan into farsi.
Mukammal Khan was given the title of Jari Kalam by Akbar.
Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, also known as Rahim was a poet who
wrote Rahim Satsai. He was one amongst Navaratnas. He
contributed most in development of hindi amongst muslim
scholar. Akbar Reign is considered golden period of Hindi language
development.
.
Jahangir
Jahangirs autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri was famous for its style.
It is written in Farsi.
He also patronized many scholars like Ghiyas Beg, Naqib Khan and
Niamatullah.
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan also patronized many writers and historians like Abdul
Hamid Lahori, author of Padshah Nama and Inayat Khan who
wrote Shah Jahan Nama.
Dara Shikoh translated the Bhagavat Gita and Upanishads into the
Persian language. He translated the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and
Yoga-Vasishta into Persian directly from Sanskrit and called it Sirr-eAkbar (The Great Mystery).
Majma-ul-Bahrain is original text written by Dara Shikoh.