Medieval Indian History

Diwan-i-Riyasat was related to market control. Remember it under Alauddin Khalji's economic reforms.

Ashtadiggajas were eight famous Telugu poets in Krishnadevaraya's court. Remember names linked with Vijayanagara literature separately.

The Battle of Khanwa was fought in 1527 between the Mughal ruler Babur and Rana Sanga, the powerful Rajput ruler of Mewar. Babur won this battle after using disciplined cavalry, field fortifications, firearms and artillery, techniques that had also helped him at Panipat. The battle strengthened Babur’s position in northern India and checked the major Rajput challenge to his rule. Therefore, option B is correct. Akbar and Rana Pratap belonged to a later generation and fought at Haldighati in 1576, not Khanwa. Humayun and Sher Shah fought in the sixteenth century during the struggle for the Mughal throne, while Jahangir and Malik Ambar were associated with a later period.

Sher Shah Suri is especially associated with the standardisation and wider circulation of the silver rupiya, which became an important basis for later Indian currency systems. The coin had a fixed standard of weight and fineness, helping taxation, trade and payments become more regular across his administrative area. Hence option A is correct. The dam was generally a copper coin used for smaller transactions, although it was also part of the currency system. The mohur was a gold coin, so it does not fit the description of a silver coin. The jital was an earlier small denomination associated with medieval monetary traditions, not the famous silver currency reform linked with Sher Shah. The key examination association is Sher Shah, silver rupiya and monetary standardisation.

The development and improvement of the Grand Trunk Road is especially associated with Sher Shah Suri. He repaired and extended the major route connecting Bengal, northern India and the north-western region, and supported travel by building serais, wells and facilities at intervals. These measures served traders, soldiers, officials and ordinary travellers and also improved communication and administration. Therefore, option B is correct. Earlier rulers had maintained or used important routes, and later Mughal rulers continued several roads, but the standard school-level association of systematic road improvement and serais is with Sher Shah. Akbar, Jahangir and Aurangzeb were important Mughal rulers, yet none is the best answer for this particular reform-based question.

Raja Todar Mal was the major official associated with the organisation of revenue administration under Akbar, so option D is correct. He is linked with the zabt or dahsala system, under which land revenue assessment was based on careful measurement, classification of land and the calculation of average produce and prices over a period of years. This helped the state demand a more systematic cash assessment rather than relying only on arbitrary collection. Birbal was chiefly known as a courtier and adviser, Abul Fazl as a historian and intellectual, and Tansen as a celebrated musician. They were important figures in Akbar’s court, but none of them held the same central association with revenue settlement as Todar Mal.

Abul Fazl wrote the Akbarnama and its important third volume, the Ain-i-Akbari, making option B correct. The Akbarnama narrates the history of Akbar’s reign and also presents the Mughal imperial viewpoint. The Ain-i-Akbari provides detailed information about administration, institutions, revenue, the army, society, geography and the emperor’s household. Together, these works are major sources for studying Akbar’s government and the Mughal Empire. Faizi was a distinguished poet and scholar at Akbar’s court, while Badauni was another historian who wrote a more critical account of Akbar’s policies. Nizamuddin Ahmad wrote Tabaqat-i-Akbari. Thus, the court association alone is not enough; the specific authorship of both named works identifies Abul Fazl.

Amuktamalyada is a celebrated Telugu literary work traditionally attributed to Krishnadevaraya, the most famous ruler of the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara. Therefore, option C is correct. The poem combines devotional themes with reflections on kingship, public welfare and the duties of a ruler, making it significant both as literature and as a source for understanding the ideals associated with Vijayanagara kingship. Krishnadevaraya was also known for supporting scholars and writers in several languages and for strengthening the empire politically and militarily. Harihara I founded the Vijayanagara Empire with Bukka, Devaraya II was an earlier important ruler, and Achyuta Raya succeeded Krishnadevaraya. Their historical importance does not make them the accepted author of Amuktamalyada.

Mahmud Gawan was the famous wazir and capable administrator of the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan, so option B is correct. He served under Bahmani rulers, helped strengthen central authority, reorganised provincial administration and supported learning. He is also associated with reforms that divided the kingdom into administrative units and with the establishment of a renowned madrasa at Bidar. His career illustrates the political and cultural importance of the Deccan during the later medieval period. The Delhi Sultanate was a separate northern power, while the Gujarat and Bengal Sultanates were independent regional states with their own ruling houses and officials. The word wazir means a chief minister, but identifying the office alone is insufficient; the historical association of Mahmud Gawan is specifically with the Bahmani state.

Dinpanah was founded at Delhi by Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, in the sixteenth century. The name is commonly associated with his attempt to establish a new imperial city near the area later connected with Purana Qila. Therefore option B is correct. Babur founded the Mughal empire in India but is not the ruler associated with Dinpanah’s foundation. Akbar later developed a powerful and extensive empire and is linked with important projects such as Fatehpur Sikri, while Jahangir is remembered mainly for his reign after Akbar. The question asks specifically for the founder of Dinpanah, not for the Mughal ruler who built or developed another city.