Delhi Sultanate

Topic: Turkic Invasions and the Delhi Sultanate · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 2 "Reshaping India's Political Map"

Meaning

The Delhi Sultanate was a line of Muslim rulers of Turkic-Afghan origin who ruled from Delhi under five dynasties in turn: Mamluk, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi. NCERT dates its making from the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in 1192. Most textbooks date its formal start to 1206, when Qutb-ud-din Aibak became the first sultan. It lasted until 1526, when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat.

It matters for two reasons. It was the first time rulers from outside India settled down and ruled from Delhi instead of raiding and going home. Its rule was violent and unstable, yet it also produced some of India's best-known monuments, such as the Qutub Minar complex.

Explanation

How it began: from raids to rule

• Earlier pattern: raid and return. The Ghaznavids and Ghurids attacked north India, took plunder and went back home.
• New pattern: stay and rule. After Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated in 1192, the Turkic commanders stayed on and ruled from Delhi.
• Why 'Mamluk' or 'Slave dynasty'. A mamluk was a soldier who was bought as a slave, trained for war, then freed and promoted.
• Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first ruler, rose in this way [4].
• This meant a general who had once been a slave could become king.

The five dynasties in order

Order	Dynasty	Dates	Key point
1	Mamluks ('Slave dynasty')	ruled until the Khiljis took power in 1290	Qutb-ud-din Aibak was the first ruler [4]
2	Khiljis (Khaljis)	1290–1320 [4]	Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khalji seized power in 1290. Alauddin Khalji (born Juna Khan) ruled until 1316 [4]
3	Tughlaqs	1320–1414 [4]	Founded by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq. Muhammad bin Tughlaq ruled 1325–1351 [4]
4	Sayyids	c. 1414–1451 [4]	The family claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad (sayyid) [4]
5	Lodis (Lodhis)	1451–1526 [4]	Afghan in origin. The first ruler was Bahlul Lodi (r. 1451–89), a chief from Punjab [4]

• The Khiljis were Turkic, but the Khalji tribe had lived in Afghanistan for a long time before coming to India [4].
• The Khiljis made Delhi an imperial power by pushing its rule into the south [4].
• Muhammad bin Tughlaq's reign was both the high point and the start of the decline of the Sultanate [4].

The nature of Sultanate rule

• Violent succession was normal. Almost two out of three sultans came to power by killing or removing the ruler before them.
• The average reign lasted only about nine years. This had three effects:
• A new sultan spent his first years fighting rivals instead of building anything.
• Nobles and generals knew a coup could succeed, so plotting was worth the risk.

• Policies changed with each sultan, so long-term plans rarely lasted.

• Military campaigns were destructive. Armies raided villages and cities and took plunder. They also destroyed temples and seats of learning, which means libraries, schools and monasteries, not only shrines.

• Three sources of money paid for the court's luxury:
• plunder taken in war
• taxes forced out of ordinary people and conquered regions

• the slave trade: enslaved people either worked for free at home or were sold far away in Central Asia.

• This money system weakened itself.

• Raids on trade networks made merchants stop moving goods.
• Raids on farming areas meant villages produced less.
• So each round of plunder left less wealth to tax the next time.

Limits and end

• Delhi never ruled all of India. The Eastern Gangas in the east and the Hoysalas in the south stopped Delhi's advance.
• These kingdoms were not just military rivals. They did well on their own as centres of art, culture and administration.
• End: the Lodis were the last dynasty. The Sultanate ended in 1526 when Babur won at Panipat. This led to the Mughal Empire.

Time, place and evidence

• Period: 1192 (NCERT's starting point) or 1206 (Aibak becomes sultan) to 1526.
• Centre: Delhi. Under the Khiljis, rule spread into the south [4].
• Key people: Qutb-ud-din Aibak, Iltutmish, Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khalji, Alauddin Khalji, Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Bahlul Lodi.
• Evidence from buildings: the Qutub Minar complex, Delhi
• Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (the name means 'Might of Islam') was begun under Aibak. The ASI dates it to AD 1198 and calls it the earliest surviving mosque built by the Delhi Sultans [2].
• Its inscription says the mosque used materials from 27 destroyed Hindu and Jain temples. (UNESCO's description says "some 20 Brahman temples" [3]. Use NCERT's figure of 27 in the exam.)
• Qutb Minar: Aibak laid the foundation in AD 1199 so that the mu'azzin (the man who calls people to prayer) could give the call from a height. Aibak built only the first storey. Iltutmish (AD 1211–36) added three more storeys [2].
• Size: a red sandstone tower, 72.5 m tall, 14.32 m wide at the base and 2.75 m at the top. Its outer wall has ribs (flutings) that are angular and rounded in turn [3].
• Heritage status: a UNESCO World Heritage Site ("Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi"). The complex also contains the Alai Darwaza (built 1311), Alauddin Khalji's madrasa, Iltutmish's tomb, the Alai Minar and the Iron Pillar [3].

Don't confuse with

• Ghaznavid and Ghurid raids: these raiders took plunder and went home. The Delhi Sultanate began when the Turkic commanders stayed and ruled from Delhi after 1192.
• Mughal Empire: the Mughals began in 1526 when Babur won at Panipat, so they came after the Sultanate. The Sultanate's five dynasties all ruled before 1526.
• Sayyids and Lodis: the Sayyids claimed descent from the Prophet. The Lodis were Afghan, and their first ruler was Bahlul Lodi [4].
• Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and Qutb Minar: the mosque dates to 1198 [2]. The Minar's foundation was laid in 1199, and Iltutmish finished its upper storeys [2].

Prelims Hooks

• Correct order: Mamluk → Khilji → Tughlaq → Sayyid → Lodi.
• NCERT dates the making of the Sultanate from the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in 1192.
• The Khilji dynasty was founded by Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khalji in 1290. The Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414) was founded by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq [4].
• The Lodis (1451–1526) were Afghan. Their first ruler was Bahlul Lodi (r. 1451–89) [4].
• Qutb Minar: Aibak built the first storey (1199) and Iltutmish added three storeys. It is 72.5 m tall. The Alai Darwaza in the same complex was built in 1311 [2][3].
• Kingdoms that resisted Delhi: the Eastern Gangas (east) and the Hoysalas (south).

Mains Points

• The instability was built into the system.
• There was no fixed rule about who would be the next sultan, so force decided it.
• Almost two in three sultans killed or removed the ruler before them, and reigns lasted about nine years on average.

• This kept administration weak and made sultans depend on slave-soldiers and nobles. It also explains how quickly the Sayyids and Lodis lost ground before 1526.

• Plunder brought wealth but did not create lasting growth.

• The court's luxury was paid for by plunder, taxes and the slave trade.
• The same raids damaged trade routes and farming, so each round of plunder left less to tax.

• This is useful for contrast with later rulers who had settled revenue systems.

• Monuments and limits must both be shown in a balanced answer.

• The Qutub Minar complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a great building achievement [3]. It is also a record of destruction, because its mosque inscription names 27 demolished Hindu and Jain temples.
• The Eastern Gangas and Hoysalas survived and did well on their own. So the period from 1206 to 1526 was not one single empire over all of India. The Khilji push into the south [4] shows ambition, not lasting control.

Related concepts

• Mamluk dynasty
• Iltutmish
• Turkan-i-Chahalgani
• Sultan Ghari
• Raziya Sultan
• Ghiyasuddin Balban
• Theory of kingship of Balban
• Sijda and paibos
• Sayyid dynasty
• Lodi dynasty

Read more

• The five dynasties and the character of Sultanate rule