Medieval India Questions for CDS

Delhi Sultanate — Five Dynasties at a Glance

The Delhi Sultanate lasted from 1206 to 1526 AD across five dynasties. CDS frequently tests dynasty order, key rulers, and their contributions. Remember the order with the mnemonic: Sly Khiljis Till Lodi Surrender. Each dynasty has one or two headline rulers that keep appearing in PYQs.

• Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty 1206-1290: Qutb-ud-din Aibak founded it; Iltutmish consolidated; Razia Sultana was first female ruler; Balban enforced blood and iron policy.
• Khilji Dynasty 1290-1320: Alauddin Khilji — market reforms, price control, Mongol repulsion, Deccan expansion through Malik Kafur.
• Tughlaq Dynasty 1320-1414: Muhammad bin Tughlaq — shifting capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, token currency; Firuz Shah Tughlaq — canals, hospitals, no torture policy.
• Sayyid Dynasty 1414-1451 and Lodi Dynasty 1451-1526: Relatively weak; Ibrahim Lodi defeated by Babur in First Battle of Panipat 1526.
• Ibn Battuta and Amir Khusrau were important figures of this era — Khusrau invented sitar and tabla according to tradition and wrote Tughlaqnama.

Key Battles of Medieval India

Battles are a favourite CDS question type. You need the year, location, who fought whom, and the result. Think of battles as turning points — each one changed who ruled India.

• First Battle of Tarain 1191: Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Muhammad Ghori.
• Second Battle of Tarain 1192: Ghori defeated Prithviraj — beginning of Turkish rule in India.
• First Battle of Panipat 1526: Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi — Mughal Empire founded.
• Second Battle of Panipat 1556: Akbar (Bairam Khan) defeated Hemu — Mughal power restored.
• Third Battle of Panipat 1761: Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated Marathas — Maratha expansion checked.
• Battle of Khanwa 1527: Babur defeated Rajput chief Rana Sanga — confirmed Mughal dominance.

Mughal Empire — Rulers and Their Signatures

The Mughals ruled from 1526 to 1857 nominally. CDS loves matching rulers with reforms, buildings, and books. The six great Mughals are Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb — remember them as BHAJAS (like bhajiya).

• Babur: Founded Mughal Empire; wrote autobiography Baburnama in Turki; introduced gunpowder warfare in India.
• Humayun: Lost empire to Sher Shah Suri (Sur Empire 1540-1555); regained it in 1555; died falling from library stairs.
• Akbar: Din-i-Ilahi, Ibadat Khana, Mansabdari system, Todar Mal land revenue reform, Navratnas at court including Birbal and Tansen.
• Jahangir: Known for justice chain; married Nur Jahan who wielded real power; Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri is his autobiography.
• Shah Jahan: Built Taj Mahal, Red Fort Delhi, Jama Masjid; called the Engineer King; reign called golden age of Mughal architecture.
• Aurangzeb: Reimposed Jizya tax; Deccan campaigns exhausted empire; issued Fatawa-e-Alamgiri; last great Mughal.

Sher Shah Suri — The Reformer Sultan

Sher Shah Suri ruled only 5 years (1540-1545) but his reforms were so impactful that CDS treats him as a standalone topic. Akbar later copied many of his systems. Think of him as the original administrator that Akbar polished.

• Grand Trunk Road from Sonargaon (Bengal) to Peshawar — still exists today.
• Introduced Rupiya (silver coin) — ancestor of modern rupee.
• Land revenue reform — measured land using Gaz-i-Sikandari and fixed rates.
• Postal system using horses (Dak chowki) across the empire.
• Divided empire into Sarkars and Parganas — local administration unit system.

Bhakti and Sufi Movements

These socio-religious movements get 1 to 2 questions in almost every CDS paper. The Bhakti movement emphasized personal devotion to God without caste barriers. Sufi movement came from Islam emphasizing love of God and humanity. Both movements promoted communal harmony.

• Key Bhakti saints: Kabir (Hindu-Muslim unity), Mirabai (devotion to Krishna), Tukaram (Maharashtra), Chaitanya (Bengal, Vaishnavism), Ramanuja (South India, Vishishta Advaita), Guru Nanak (founded Sikhism).
• Kabir was disciple of Ramananda — his verses are in Guru Granth Sahib.
• Sufi orders (Silsilas): Chishti order most popular in India — Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer, Nizamuddin Auliya at Delhi.
• Suhrawardi, Qadiri, and Naqshbandi were other Sufi orders active in India.
• Bhakti was a bottom-up movement challenging caste; Sufism challenged orthodox Islam — both were reformist.

Medieval Architecture — Who Built What

Architecture questions in CDS are straightforward match-the-column type. Just learn the builder-monument pairs. Indo-Islamic architecture blended Persian arches and domes with Indian decorative elements.

• Qutb Minar: Started by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, completed by Iltutmish — oldest minaret in India.
• Alai Darwaza: Alauddin Khilji — first true use of Islamic arch in India.
• Tughlaqabad Fort: Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
• Taj Mahal: Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
• Fatehpur Sikri: Akbar — capital city near Agra, blends Hindu and Islamic styles.
• Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur: Muhammad Adil Shah — largest dome in India.

Revenue and Administrative Systems

CDS occasionally tests the administrative vocabulary of medieval India. These terms appear as match-the-definition questions. Know the key terms briefly.

• Mansabdari System (Akbar): Ranks called Mansabs assigned to officers — dual rank of Zat (personal) and Sawar (cavalry). Mansabdars paid by jagirs.
• Iqta System (Sultanate): Land grants given to nobles for administrative and military services — predecessor to Jagirdari.
• Zabt System (Todar Mal under Akbar): Land measured, average produce calculated over 10 years, revenue fixed in cash — also called Ain-i-Dahsala.
• Jizya: Tax on non-Muslims, abolished by Akbar, reimposed by Aurangzeb.
• Diwan-i-Khas and Diwan-i-Aam: Private and public audience halls — both built by Shah Jahan in Red Fort.

• Confusing Second Battle of Panipat (1556, Akbar vs Hemu) with Third Battle of Panipat (1761, Abdali vs Marathas) — remember Akbar came second, Marathas came third.
• Mixing up Muhammad bin Tughlaq (token currency, capital shift) with Firuz Shah Tughlaq (canals, reforms) — they are different rulers, both Tughlaqs.
• Attributing Rupiya coin to Akbar — it was actually introduced by Sher Shah Suri.
• Thinking Qutb Minar was entirely built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak — he only started it; Iltutmish completed the main structure.
• Confusing Chishti Sufi order with Naqshbandi — Chishti (Moinuddin, Nizamuddin) was most popular in India and avoided royal patronage; Naqshbandi was closer to the Mughal court.

• Delhi Sultanate dynasty order mnemonic: SKTLS — Slave, Khilji, Tughlaq, Lodi, Sayyid — or say Sly Khiljis Troubled Lodi Seriously.
• Six great Mughals: BHAJAS — Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb — like the snack bhajiya.
• Three Battles of Panipat: 1526 Babur wins, 1556 Akbar wins, 1761 Marathas lose — think ascending century: 1500s Mughals rise, 1700s Mughals fall.
• Sher Shah Suri 5Rs: Road (GT Road), Rupiya, Revenue reform, Rest houses (Sarais), Record-keeping — all start with R.

• CDS typically asks 4 to 6 Medieval India questions per GK paper. They are mostly factual — builder of monument, ruler associated with policy, correct chronological order.
• Match the column questions are very common: match ruler with book, monument, or reform. Prepare a quick table in your mind linking each major ruler to one book, one building, and one reform.
• Battles with correct years are asked as statement-based questions. Often two statements are given and you must identify which is correct — the trap is usually the year or the loser.
• Bhakti saint to region or God matching is a recurring pattern — Mirabai with Krishna, Chaitanya with Bengal, Tukaram with Maharashtra, Guru Nanak with Punjab.
• Avoid spending more than 30 seconds per history question. If you know the fact, mark and move. If not, eliminate one or two options using dynasty timelines and guess — negative marking is 0.83 so blind guessing is risky but educated guessing from 2 options is worth it.