Important Dates in Indian History

Prithviraj Chauhan is generally considered to have died in 1192 CE. Link it with the event after the Second Battle of Tarain.

Correct answer: C, 1210 CE. Qutb-ud-din Aibak was the founder of the Mamluk, or Slave, dynasty in the Delhi Sultanate and ruled for a short period after establishing his authority in North India. To solve the question, identify the event being asked—his death—and compare the dates. 1206 CE is important because it marks the beginning of his rule as an independent sultan, not his death. He died in 1210 CE after an accident while playing chaugan, commonly described as polo. Option A, 1192 CE, is associated with the Second Battle of Tarain, before Aibak became sultan. B is his accession year, not his death year. D, 1236 CE, is much later and is associated with the death of Sultan Iltutmish’s daughter Razia Sultan. Memory cue: Aibak—rule begins 1206, death comes four years later in 1210.

Shams ud-Din Iltutmish was an important ruler of the Delhi Sultanate and died in 1236 CE. He succeeded Qutb ud-Din Aibak and helped consolidate the Sultanate’s authority in northern India. His reign is remembered for strengthening administration, dealing with rival claims, and giving the early Sultanate a more stable political foundation. These background facts help distinguish the date from those of other Delhi Sultanate rulers.

Option B gives 1236 CE, so it is correct. The year 1210 CE belongs to the death of Qutb ud-Din Aibak, not Iltutmish. The dates 1240 CE and 1266 CE belong to later periods and do not match Iltutmish’s life. The answer should therefore be selected by linking Iltutmish with the year 1236, while remembering that his historical importance lies in consolidating, rather than merely founding, the Delhi Sultanate.

Razia Sultan died in 1240 CE. In exams, remember her as the first woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate.

Ghiyas ud din Balban died in 1287 CE. He ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1266 to 1287 CE and strengthened royal authority and strict administration. 1266 CE was the year of his accession, not his death. Exam tip: Remember Balban’s reign as 1266–1287 CE.

Correct answer: B, 1316 CE. Alauddin Khalji was a major ruler of the Khalji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. He is remembered for administrative measures such as market regulation, military expansion and campaigns in the Deccan. The key is to separate the dates of rulers and events. 1296 CE was the year Alauddin became sultan after Jalaluddin Khalji’s death; it was not Alauddin’s own death year. He died in 1316 CE. 1320 CE marks the end of the Khalji dynasty and the rise of the Tughlaq dynasty under Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, so C is not correct. 1325 CE is associated with the death of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, so D is also wrong. A therefore confuses his accession with his death. Memory cue: Alauddin ruled from 1296 and died twenty years later in 1316.

The direct answer is C: Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq died in 1325 CE. He founded the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled the Delhi Sultanate before his son Muhammad bin Tughlaq succeeded him. The historical sequence helps: the dynasty began with Ghiyas-ud-din in 1320, and his death occurred in 1325, about five years later. Option C is correct. Option A, 1316, is earlier and belongs to the period before the Tughlaq dynasty was founded. Option B, 1320, is mainly remembered as the year Ghiyas-ud-din came to power and founded the dynasty, not the year of his death. Option D, 1351, is much later and is associated with the death of Muhammad bin Tughlaq and the accession of Firuz Shah Tughlaq. Thus the key is to distinguish accession from death. Memory cue: Tughlaq dynasty begins in 1320; its founder dies in 1325.

Muhammad bin Tughlaq died in 1351 CE. In exams, link him with capital transfer and token currency.

Firuz Shah Tughlaq died in 1388 CE. He ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1351 CE to 1388 CE and is known for canals and several public works. 1398 CE was the year of Timur's invasion of India, not the year of Firuz Shah Tughlaq's death. Exam tip: Remember Firuz Shah Tughlaq's reign as 1351–1388 CE.

The direct answer is option B: 1405 CE. Timur, also known as Tamerlane, died in 1405 CE. To avoid confusion, keep two separate facts in sequence: he invaded Delhi in 1398 CE, and he died later in 1405 CE. Thus the calculation is not an arithmetic operation; it is a chronological check: 1398 was the invasion, 1405 was the death, so the death must be linked with 1405. Option A, 1398 CE, is wrong because that is the year of his invasion of Delhi, not his death. Option B, 1405 CE, is correct. Option C, 1451 CE, is too late and does not match Timur’s lifetime. Option D, 1486 CE, is also much later and belongs to neither the accepted death date nor the Delhi invasion. A reliable exam approach is to pair the person with both event and year instead of remembering isolated numbers. Memory cue: “Delhi 1398, death 1405.”

Kabir is generally considered to have been born in 1440 CE. Link him with Nirguna Bhakti and social criticism.

Guru Nanak Dev, the first Guru of Sikhism and a major spiritual teacher of medieval India, died in 1539 CE. His teachings emphasized devotion to one God, honest work, sharing with others, equality, and rejection of empty social distinctions. His message is often studied alongside the wider Bhakti and devotional traditions, although Sikhism developed its own distinct religious path and institutions.

Option C gives 1539 CE and is correct. The year 1469 CE is his birth year, so it should not be selected for the question asking when he died. The dates 1526 CE and 1606 CE relate to other major historical events or figures and do not identify his death. The reliable date pair to remember is birth in 1469 and death in 1539.

Babur was born in 1483 CE. Remember him with the First Battle of Panipat and the beginning of Mughal rule.

Sher Shah Suri is generally considered to have been born in 1486 CE. Remember him with administrative and road reforms.

Mirabai is generally considered to have been born in 1498 CE. Link her with Krishna devotion and the Bhakti movement.

The correct answer is B: Humayun was born in 1508 CE. Humayun was the son of Babur and later became the second Mughal emperor. To solve this, remember the sequence: Babur founded Mughal rule after the First Battle of Panipat in 1526; Humayun succeeded him; Sher Shah defeated Humayun for a time; and Humayun later regained the Mughal throne. Option A, 1483 CE, is Babur’s birth year, not Humayun’s. Option B, 1508 CE, is correct. Option C, 1530 CE, is the year Humayun became emperor after Babur’s death, not his birth year. Option D, 1556 CE, is associated with Humayun’s death and Akbar’s accession. Memory cue: Babur’s son Humayun—born 1508, became emperor in 1530.

Humayun died in 1556 CE after falling from the stairs in Delhi. After his death, Akbar became the Mughal emperor. The year 1540 CE refers to Humayun's defeat by Sher Shah Suri and his departure from India, not his death. Exam tip: Remember 1556 CE as both the year of Humayun's death and Akbar's accession.

Akbar was born in 1542 CE at Umarkot, during a period when his father Humayun faced political difficulties. He later became one of the most influential Mughal emperors and ruled from 1556 to 1605. Akbar is remembered for expanding and organizing the empire, developing administration, and following policies that, especially in the later part of his reign, emphasized accommodation and cooperation among communities.

Option B, 1542 CE, is correct. The year 1556 was the beginning of Akbar’s reign after his accession, not his birth. The year 1605 marks his death, while 1508 is too early and does not match his life. The useful sequence is birth in 1542, accession in 1556, and death in 1605. This sequence makes it easier to reject the other options without confusing his birth with major events of his reign.

Maharana Pratap died in 1597 CE. In exams, remember him with independence and the bravery of Mewar.

Correct answer: B, 1569 CE. Jahangir was born as Prince Salim, the son of Mughal emperor Akbar, in 1569 CE. He later became emperor in 1605 after Akbar’s death and ruled until 1627. This sequence helps distinguish the dates: birth comes first, accession comes later, and death comes later still. Option A, 1542 CE, is the birth year of Akbar, Jahangir’s father. Option C, 1605 CE, is the year Jahangir became emperor, not the year he was born. Option D, 1627 CE, is the year of his death. Thus B is the only option that matches his birth. Memory cue: Akbar was born in 1542, Jahangir in 1569, and Jahangir’s reign began in 1605.

Correct answer: B, 1592 CE. Shah Jahan was born as Prince Khurram in 1592 CE. He was the son of Mughal emperor Jahangir and later became emperor in 1628. He is strongly associated with Mughal architecture, including the Taj Mahal, although those later achievements should not be confused with his birth date. Option A, 1569 CE, is Jahangir’s birth year, so it belongs to Shah Jahan’s father. Option C, 1627 CE, is close to the end of Jahangir’s reign and is not Shah Jahan’s birth year; Shah Jahan became emperor in 1628. Option D, 1666 CE, is the year of Shah Jahan’s death. Therefore B is correct. Memory cue: Jahangir was born in 1569, Shah Jahan in 1592, and Shah Jahan died in 1666.

Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor associated with a highly celebrated phase of Mughal architecture, died in 1666 CE. His reign is commonly linked with the Taj Mahal, built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, as well as important construction at Agra and Delhi. After the succession conflict, he was confined at Agra Fort during the later part of his life and died there in 1666.

Option C, 1666 CE, is therefore correct. The year 1627 marks the death of his father, Jahangir, and 1658 is associated with Shah Jahan’s deposition by Aurangzeb, not his death. The year 1707 belongs to Aurangzeb’s death. Remembering the sequence—Shah Jahan’s accession in 1628, deposition in 1658, and death in 1666—helps distinguish the correct option from the nearby dates.

Aurangzeb was born in 1618 CE. He was the son of Shah Jahan and later became one of the major Mughal emperors. Remembering his birth year helps place him in the Mughal period, before he became emperor in 1658. Therefore, option B is correct. The other years refer to different events or do not match his birth: 1658 was the year he took the throne, while 1707 was the year of his death. The key distinction is between the date of birth and important dates from his reign.

A useful way to remember the sequence is: Aurangzeb was born in 1618, became emperor in 1658, and died in 1707. Since the question asks only for his birth year, the correct choice must be 1618 CE. His reign is generally placed in the later Mughal period, and this date fits that historical timeline. Thus, option B follows directly from the known chronology.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in 1630 CE. In exams, link him with Maratha Swarajya and the Raigad coronation.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj died in 1680 CE. Remember him as a great builder of Maratha power and Swarajya.