Important Dates in Indian History

Brahmagupta was born in 598 CE. Link him with the tradition of zero and mathematical rules.

Brahmagupta is generally considered to have died in 668 CE. Remember him with Brahmasphuta Siddhanta.

Harshavardhana is generally considered to have been born in 590 CE. Remember him as a ruler of Kannauj and North India.

Muhammad bin Qasim is generally considered to have been born in 695 CE. He is remembered in Indian history for the Sindh campaign.

Muhammad bin Qasim is generally considered to have died in 715 CE. In exams, link him with the Sindh invasion of 712 CE.

Prithviraj Chauhan is generally considered to have been born in 1166 CE. Remember him with the Battles of Tarain.

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

Qutb-ud-din Aibak died in 1210 CE. Remember him as an early ruler of the Delhi Sultanate.

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.

Alauddin Khalji died in 1316 CE. Remember him with market control and southern campaigns.

Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq died in 1325 CE. Remember him as the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty.

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.

Timur died in 1405 CE. In Indian history, remember him with the invasion of Delhi in 1398 CE.

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.