History
The Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for the Delhi Sultanate: dynasties, dates, reforms, departments, taxes, monuments and books in tables for Prelims and Mains.
The Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526) on one page: rulers, reforms, administration, monuments and sources. For explanations, go back to the chapter.
How to use this sheet
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1191 | First Battle of Tarain: Prithviraj Chauhan defeats Muhammad Ghori |
| 1192 | Second Battle of Tarain: Ghori wins |
| 1194 | Battle of Chandawar: Jaichand of Kannauj defeated |
| 1206 | Ghori assassinated; Aibak takes charge at Lahore |
| 1210 | Aibak dies after a fall at chaugan |
| 1221 | Chengiz Khan at the Indus; Iltutmish refuses Mangbarni shelter |
| 1229 | Iltutmish receives the Abbasid Caliph’s manshur |
| 1236–1240 | Raziya, the only woman Sultan |
| 1266–1287 | Balban |
| 1290 | Khalji Revolution |
| 1296 | Alauddin raids Devagiri; kills Jalaluddin; becomes Sultan |
| 1299–1305 | Gujarat, Ranthambore (1301), Chittor (1303), Malwa (1305) |
| 1307–1311 | Malik Kafur: Devagiri, Warangal, Dwarasamudra, Madurai |
| 1311 | Alai Darwaza |
| 1320 | Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq founds the Tughlaq dynasty |
| 1323 | Warangal annexed (Ulugh Khan) |
| c. 1324 | Annamdev founds the Kakatiya kingdom of Bastar (tradition) |
| 1326–27 | Capital shifted to Daulatabad |
| 1329–30 | Token currency |
| 1333 | Ibn Battuta reaches Delhi |
| 1336 / 1347 | Vijayanagara / Bahmani founded |
| 1349 | Madwa Mahal near Bhoramdeo (Phani Nagavanshi) |
| 1351–1388 | Firuz Shah Tughlaq |
| 1356 | Topra pillar moved to Delhi |
| 1368 | Lightning damages Qutb Minar; Firuz rebuilds top |
| 1398 | Timur sacks Delhi |
| 1414 | Khizr Khan founds the Sayyid dynasty |
| 1451 | Bahlul Lodi |
| 1504 | Agra developed by Sikandar Lodi (usual date) |
| 1517–18 | Tomb of Sikandar Lodi |
| 1526 | First Battle of Panipat (21 April): Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodi |
Ruler and Measure
| Ruler | Remember for |
|---|---|
| Aibak | Lahore; Lakh Bakhsh; began Quwwat-ul-Islam and Qutb Minar |
| Iltutmish | Delhi capital; tanka and jital; iqta; the Forty; caliph’s investiture 1229 |
| Raziya | Jamaluddin Yaqut (Amir-i-Akhur); Altunia |
| Balban | Zil-i-Ilahi, Niyabat-i-Khudai; sijda, paibos; Nauroz; crushed the Forty; Diwan-i-Arz; blood and iron |
| Alauddin | Sikandar-i-Sani; southern raids; market control; half produce; ghari, charai; dagh, huliya; Diwan-i-Riyasat, Diwan-i-Mustakhraj; Siri |
| Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq | Tughlaqabad; Warangal annexed; died at Afghanpur |
| Muhammad bin Tughlaq | Doab tax, Daulatabad, token currency, Khurasan, Qarachil; Diwan-i-Amir-i-Kohi; taqavi; Ibn Battuta |
| Firuz Shah | Canals; Firuzabad, Hisar, Jaunpur, Fatehabad; Diwan-i-Khairat, Diwan-i-Bandagan; Dar-ul-Shifa; jizya on Brahmins; haqq-i-sharb; hereditary iqtas; Futuhat-i-Firuz Shahi |
| Khizr Khan | Rayat-i-Ala; Shah Rukh in the khutba |
| Bahlul Lodi | First Afghan; conquered Jaunpur; Bahluli coin |
| Sikandar Lodi | Agra; Gaz-i-Sikandari; Gulrukhi |
| Ibrahim Lodi | Panipat 1526 |
Administration and Taxes
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Diwan-i-Wizarat | Finance; wazir |
| Diwan-i-Arz | Army; Ariz-i-Mamalik |
| Diwan-i-Insha | Royal correspondence |
| Diwan-i-Risalat | Religious affairs; Sadr-us-Sudur |
| Diwan-i-Qaza | Justice; Qazi-ul-Quzat |
| Barid-i-Mamalik | Intelligence |
| Mustaufi / Mushrif | Auditor-general / accountant-general |
| Iqta | Revenue assignment in place of salary; muqti; transferable (hereditary under Firuz) |
| Khalisa | Crown land; revenue to the treasury |
| Shiq / shiqdar | 14th-century sub-division and its officer |
| Khut, muqaddam, chaudhuri, patwari | Village headmen and accountant |
| Kharaj | Land tax |
| Jizya | Tax on non-Muslims |
| Khams | One-fifth of booty to the state |
| Zakat | Religious tax on Muslims (2.5%) |
| Haqq-i-sharb | Irrigation tax (Firuz) |
| Sarai-i-Adl | Alauddin’s market for cloth and manufactured goods |
| Shahna-i-Mandi | Market superintendent |
Monuments and Books
| Item | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Qutb Minar | Aibak (c. 1199) → Iltutmish (c. 1220); 72.5 m; top rebuilt by Firuz after 1368 |
| Adhai Din ka Jhonpra | Ajmer; Aibak; screen by Iltutmish |
| Sultan Garhi | c. 1231; first Islamic tomb in India |
| Balban’s tomb | First true arch |
| Alai Darwaza | 1311; earliest surviving true dome |
| Tughlaq style | Sloping walls, rubble, austere |
| Sikandar Lodi’s tomb | 1517–18; early double dome; garden tomb |
| Tabaqat-i-Nasiri | Minhaj-us-Siraj |
| Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi | Barani (also Afif) |
| Fatawa-i-Jahandari | Barani |
| Khazain-ul-Futuh, Nuh Sipihr | Amir Khusrau (Tuti-i-Hind) |
| Futuh-us-Salatin | Isami |
| Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi | Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi |
| Rihla | Ibn Battuta |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Iltutmish created the Forty | vs | Balban crushed the Forty |
| Alauddin: tribute from the south | vs | Tughlaqs: annexation (Warangal 1323) |
| Tughlaqabad: Ghiyasuddin | vs | Firuzabad: Firuz Shah |
| Diwan-i-Riyasat: markets | vs | Diwan-i-Risalat: religion |
| Dagh: branding horses | vs | Huliya: descriptive roll |
| Balban’s tomb: first true arch | vs | Alai Darwaza: earliest surviving true dome |
| Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi | vs | Firuz’s own Futuhat-i-Firuz Shahi |
| Vijayanagara 1336 | vs | Bahmani 1347 |
| Panipat I 1526 (Ibrahim Lodi) | vs | Khanwa 1527 (Rana Sanga) |
Favourite MCQ trap
“Firuz Shah Tughlaq exempted Brahmins from jizya.” Wrong. Brahmins had been exempt earlier; Firuz extended jizya to them. Statement-based questions often flip this one fact.
Second favourite trap
“Alai Darwaza has India’s first true arch.” Wrong. The first true arch is in Balban’s tomb (c. 1287). Alai Darwaza (1311) has the earliest surviving true dome.
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