DELHI SULTANATE

DELHI SULTANATE

Overview

• The Delhi Sultanate was a period from the 13^th to the 16^th centuries when several Turkic and Afghan dynasties ruled northern India from Delhi
• The dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate were
  • Mamluk dynasty (1206-1290)
  • Khilji dynasty (1290-1320)
  • Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1413)
  • Sayyid dynasty (1414-1451)
  • Lodi dynasty (1451-1526)
• The Delhi Sultanate was established upon the death of Muhammad Ghori in 1206 CE and was absorbed by the newly emerging Mughal Empire in 1526 CE

Mamluk Dynasty

• Also known as the Slave Dynasty, the Mamluk dynasty was the first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate and ruled from 1206-1290 CE
• The Mamluks were essentially a Turkic people
• It was established by Qutub-ud-din-Aybak, a slave and general of Muhammad Ghori, who took over Ghori’s Indian territories following the latter’s death in 1206 CE
• Important rulers of the Mamluk dynasty include
  • Qutub-ud-din-Aybak (1206-1210 CE)
  • Shams-ud-din-Iltutmish (1211-1236)
  • Razia Sultana (1236-1240)
  • Ghiyas-ud-din-Balban (1266-1287)
• The Qutub Minar (New Delhi) was commissioned by Qutub-ud-din-Aybak in 1193 CE. At 72.5 m, it is the world’s tallest brick minaret and is one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is part of the Qutub Complex – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  
• Balban’s tomb is located in Mehrauli, New Delhi
• The Sultan Ghari, also in New Delhi, is the oldest Islamic mausoleum in India. It was built by Iltutmish for his son Nasir-ud-din Mahmud in 1231 CE
• Razia Sultana was the first female ruler of a Muslim kingdom anywhere in the world

Khilji Dynasty

• The Khiljis were the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate. They ruled north and northwestern India 1290-1320 CE
• They were Turko-Afghan people
• The greatest ruler of the Khilji dynasty was Ala-ud-din-Khilji (1296-1316 CE)
• Khilji attacked Chittor in 1303 after hearing of the beauty of queen Padmini, wife of king Rawal Ratan Singh. This event is the setting of the epic poem Padmavat written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi (in 1540 CE), in the Awadhi language
• Khilji’s plunder of Gujarat in 1297 CE is noted for the loot of the Somnath temple and the destruction of the Sivalingam into pieces.
• Ala-ud-din-Khilji is noted for the first Muslim invasions of southern India. Khilji’s general, Malik Kafur, conquered Devagiri and Warangal, caused the collapse of the Hoysalas, and went as far south as Madurai, which was occupied for a brief period of time
• Ala-ud-din-Khilji’s most important achievement was repelling repeated Mongol invasions of India between 1294 CE and 1308 CE,which would inevitably have brought destruction and devastation on a colossal scale

Tughlaq Dynasty

• The Tughlaq dynasty ruled from 1321 to 1394 CE
• They were of Turkic origin
• The Tughlaq dynasty was founded by Ghiyas al-din Tughlaq in 1321 CE
• The most important ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty was Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325-1351 CE)
• Muhammad bin Tughlaq was a renown scholar, was tolerant towards other religions and an innovative administrator. However, his experiments in reforming public administration often failed, earning him much satire
• He was responsible for the expansion of the Delhi Sultanate southwards into the Deccan region
  
• In order to strengthen his hold on newly conquered territories in peninsular India, Muhammad bin Tughlaq moved the capital of the Sultanate from Delhi to Devagiri in Maharashtra (which was renamed Daulatabad). Due to poor planning and facilities, the capital had to be moved back to Delhi two years later.
• Muhammad bin Tughlaq also introduced copper-based token currency, the first such experiment in India. Although the copper currency was backed by gold and silver in government reserves, the switch was not embraced by the public and the experiment had to be abandoned
  
• Muhammad bin Tughlaq was succeeded by his cousin Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388 CE). Firoz Shah Tughlaq re-built the top two storeys of the Qutub Minar with white marble, when the earlier structure was partially destroyed by lightning

Sayyid Dynasty

• The Sayyid dynasty ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1414 CE to 1451 CE
• The Sayyid’s came to power following a power vacuum induced by Timur’s invasion and devastation of Delhi in 1398 CE

Lodi Dynasty

• The Lodi dynasty ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 CE to 1526
• They were of Afghan origin
• The Lodi dynasty was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi in 1451 CE
• Sikandar Lodi (1489 CE-1517) founded the city of Agra in 1504. He attacked Gwalior five times but was repulsed each time by Maharaja Mansingh of Gwalior
• The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty was Ibrahim Lodi (1489 CE-1526).
• Ibrahim Lodi was defeated by the Afghan Mughal Babur in the Battle of Panipat in 1526. With this, the Delhi Sultanate was dissolved and the Mughal Empire was established
  

Legacy of the Delhi Sultanate

• Perhaps the greatest contribution of the Delhi Sultanate was insulating the Indian subcontinent from the devastation of Mongol invasions in the 13^th century
• However, the Delhi Sultanate failed to prevent the sacking of Delhi by Timur (aka Tamerlane). Timur sacked and pillaged Delhi in 1398 CE, leading to widespread devastation and destruction
• The Delhi Sultanate established a network of market centres through which traditional village economies were both exploited and stimulated
• Agricultural practices of shifting to cash crops (like sugarcane) instead of food crops were encouraged

DECCAN SULTANATES

Overview

• The Deccan Sultanates were five Muslim ruled kingdoms located in the Deccan plateau
• They ruled south central India from 1527 to 1686
• The Deccan Sultanates were established following the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate in 1527
• The five kingdoms of the Deccan Sultanates were
  • Ahmadnagar (1490-1636)
  • Bijapur (1490-1686)
  • Berar (1490-1572)
  • Golkonda (1518-1687)
  • Bidar (1528-1619)
• The Deccan Sultanates were generally rivals but united against the Vijayanagara Empire in the Battle of Tallikota in 1565
• An important cultural contribution of the Deccan Sultanates was the development of Dakhani Urdu – drawn from Arabic, Persian, Marathi, Kannada and Telugu
• The period is also famous for the development of Deccani miniature paintings, which flourished in Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golkonda

Ahmadnagar Sultanate

• The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was located in northwestern Deccan, between the Gujarat and Bijapur sultanate
• The Sultanate was established by Malik Ahmad in 1490, who founded the Nizam Shahi dynasty
• The capital city of the Sultanate was initially Junnar, which was later shifted to Ahmadnagar
• The earliest examples of miniature paintings are found in the manuscript Tarif-i-Hussain Shahi (c. 1565)
• This period is also known for the encyclopaedia Nrisimha Prasada written by Dalapati
• The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb (during the reign of Shah Jahan) in 1636

Berar Sultanate

• The Berar Sultanate was established by Imad-ul Mulk in 1490
• It was annexed by the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in 1572

Bidar Sultanate

• The Bidar Sultanate was established by Qasim Barid in 1490
• Bidar was sandwiched between the Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda sultanates
• Bidar was annexed by Ibrahim Adil Shah II of the Bijapur Sultanate in 1619
• An important type of metalwork called Bidri originated in Bidar. These metalworks were carried out on black metal (mainly zinc) with inlaid designs of silver, brass and copper
  

Bijapur Sultanate

• The Bijapur Sultanate was established by Yusuf Adil Shah in 1490, who founded the Adil Shahi dynasty
• The Bijapur Sultanate was located in northern Karnataka, with its capital at Bijapur
• Under the Adil Shahi dynasty, Bijapur became an important centre of commerce and culture in India
• The Begum Talab was a 234 acre tank constructed by Mohammad Adil Shah in 1651 in memory of Jahan Begum. Underground pipes, encased in masonry supplied water from the tank to the city residents
• Ibrahim Adil Shah II wrote a book of songs in Dakhani urdu called Kitab-i-Navras. This work contains a number of songs set to different ragas
• The Bijapur Sultanate was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb in 1686

Golconda Sultanate

• The Golconda Sultanate was established in 1518 by Qutb-ul-Mulk, who founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty
• The Golconda Sultanate was located in northern Andhra Pradesh
• The capital city was Hyderabad
• The Qutb Shahi dynasty was responsible for the construction of the Jami Masjid (1518), Charminar (1591) and Mecca Masjid (1617)
• Another famous structure from the period is the fort of Golconda
• The Shahi dynasty was instrumental in the development of Dakhani urdu
• Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah wrote the Kulliyat-i-Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in Dakhani urdu
• Golconda was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb in 1687

Chronology of Indian History

Chronology of Indian History

Ancient India 


B.C 23100-1750 The Harappa Culture, also known as the Indus Valley Civilisation. Traces of this culture have been discovered from Mohenjodorao and Harappa (now in Pakistan), Lothal (Gujarat), and Kalibangan(Rajasthan). More than 350 sites of the period have been identified (the chronology of the Harappa Culture is based on radio-carbon dating) 





2000-1500 Advent of the Aryans in India



1500-900 The Vedic Age – composition of the Hymns of the Rigveda – the period of the Rig, Samveda and Yajurveda.



900-500 Later Vedic period – the period of the Later Vedas – Atharvaveda, and Brahmanas, Arnyakas, Samhitas, early Upanishadas and Sutras.



563-483 Gautama Buddha – born at Lumbini (Nepal), attainment of Enlightenment – Bodh Gaya (Bihar), First sermon – Sarnath , near Varanasi (UP), death – Kusinara (Gorakhpur, UP



540 – 468 Mahavira – born at Kundangrama near Vaisali (Bihar) and passed away at Pavapuri (near Patna, Bihar)



519 Cyrus conquers parts of North-western India



542-490 Bimbisara, king of the Hryanka dynasty of Magadha



490-458 Ajatsatru, son of Bimbisara, king of Magadha



413-362 Sisunaga dynasty of Magadha. Sisunaga was a minister of the Haryankas, Annihilation of the power of the Pradyotas of Avanti



362-334 Mahapadma Nanda of the Nand Dynasty of Magadha



327-325 invasion of the Alexander of Macedonia 











Mauryan period (324 or 321



BC. To 183 or 185 B.C.)



324 or 321 to 300 or 289 Chandraguptta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan dynasty. 



315 Megasthenes, the ambassador of Seleucus, visited India and wrote Indika



Bindusara, son of Chadragupta Maurya 

Asoka-Conquest of Kalinga 262-62 B.C. 

232-185 Successors of Asoka. The last Mauryan king was Brihadratha who was assassinated by Pushyamitra’s Sunga, the General of the Mauryan Army



185-147 Pushyamitra’s Sunga, the founder of Sunga Dynasty



147-71 Later Sungas and end of the Sunga Dynasty (71 B.C.) 





Kanvas seize power from the Sungas 







The Age of Foreign invasions



c. 190 Greeks invade India and found Greek kingdoms in N. W. India 



180-165 Demetrius-Indo-Greek King



155-130 Menander, also known as Milinda



90 Sakas invade India. The first Saka ruler was Maues who was succeeded by Azes. As many as four Saka dynasties were founded in various parts of the country-North West India, Mathura, Western India and Central India. The two greatest Saka rulers were Nahapana (A.D. 119-124) and Rudradaman(A.D. 150)



58-57 The Vikrama Samvat (era) introduced by King Vikramaditya of Ujjain 





Around the beginning of Parthians or Pahalvas invade UIndia



the Christian era 





A.D. 19-45 Gondophernes, the greatest Indo-Parthian king



45 The Yueh-chis (Kushanas) invade India



78-101 Kanishka, the Greatest Kushana king of India. The Fourth Buddhist Council held in Kashmir, Division of Buddhism into Mahayana and Hinyana



78 Saka Era



130-388 Saka Satraps in Ujjain (central India) 







The Gupta Dynasty (A.D. 320-540) 





320 -335 Chandragupta I, the founder of the Gupta Dynasty



335-376 Samudragupta



376-415 Chandragupta II Vikramaditya –the Chinese pilgrim Fa-hian visited India



415-454 Kumaragupta I



454 First Huna Invasion



455-467 Skadagupta 



495 Second Huna Invasion



467-540 Later Gupts and end of the Gupta Dynasty



606-647 Harsha of Kannauj. Huen-t-sang visited India (630-644) 







South India



1st to 3rd century A.D. The Sangam Age



50 B.C.-A.D. 250 Satavahana dynasty in the Deccan



86-114 Gautmiputra Satkarni, the greatest Satavahana king



c.300-888 Pallavas of Kanchi (Kanjeevaram) 





C.500-757 First Chalukya dynsty of Vatapi (W. and Central Deccan)



C.630-970 Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi (E.Deccan)



757-973 Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta



c. 850-1267 Cholas of Tanjore (Thanjavur)



985-1014 Rajaraja the Great, Starts a great land survey-A.D.1000



1014-44 Rajendra CHola. Conquers Sri lanka-1008; invades Bengal-1921; expedition to Kadaram (Sumatra and Malya peninsula)-1025 





Rajadhiraja I 

Rajendra II 

Virarajendra 

1070-1120 Kulottunga I, Annexes the Andhra country to Chola kingdom -1076 



1120-1267 Later Cholas



973-1189 Second Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani 











Early Medieval Dynasties of Northern India 







Arabs occupy Sindh 

c. 730 Yashovarman of Kannauj



C.760-1141 Palas of Bengal and Bihar



C.815-855 Devapala, the greatest Pala king, who maintained close cultural contacts with the far-eastern Islands of Java and Sumatra, and made magnificent grants to the University of Nalanda 



c. 800-1036 Gurjar Pratiharas of Kannauj



1080-1194 Gahadvalas of Kannauj. The Gahadvala ruler Jayachandra defeated and slain by Muhammad Ghori in the battle of Chandawar in 1194



c.916 -1203 The Chandellas of Bundelkhand. They were the builders of magnificent temples at Khajuraho



c.950-1195 Kalchuris of Tripuri(Madhya Pradesh)



C. 973-1192 Chahmans of Sakambhari (Ajmer – Rajasthan)



1179-92 Prithviraj III, also known as Rai Pithaura, who defeated Muhamamd Ghori in the first battle of Tarain, but was defeated and killed in the second battle of Tarain in 1192



c.974-1238 Chalukyas of Anhilwad (Gujarat)



974-1233 Parmars of Dhar (Malwa, Madhya Pradesh)



1000-55 Bhoja, the most striking and versatile Parmara ruler. Author of about two dozen books on different subjects. Known as “one of the greatest scholar kings of India.



1118-90 Senas of Bengal



c.630-955 Karkotaka dynasty of Kashmir



c.724-60 Lalitaditya Muktapida, the greatest king of the Karkotaka dynasty, who built the famous Martand (sun ) temple



855-939 Utapala dynasty of Kashmir



939-1339 The Loharas of Kashmir



980-1003 Empress Didda, one of the most interesting figures in the history of Kashmir, and also one of the most well-known women rulers of India



883-1026 The Shahis or Hind Shahiyas of Kabul and Punjab



1030 The great Arab traveller and author of Kitab-ul-Hind, Alberuni in iNdia 







Turkish Invasions 





Invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni 

Ahmad Niyaltgin invades Varanasi