Transfer of capital to Daulatabad
Topic: Turkic Invasions and the Delhi Sultanate · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 2 "Reshaping India's Political Map"
Meaning
In c. 1327, Muhammad bin Tughlaq moved his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, a city in the Deccan. Its old name was Devagiri, and it is near present-day Sambhaji Nagar. He may have chosen it because it was more central to his large kingdom. The plan failed, and the capital was moved back to Delhi. It is a classic example of a big idea that was carried out badly.
Example
People of Delhi were forced to travel more than 1,000 km to Daulatabad. According to some sources, many people died both on the way there and on the way back when the capital was shifted back to Delhi.
Don't confuse with
- Token currency: this was Muhammad bin Tughlaq's other failed experiment. He issued cheap copper coins that were meant to be worth as much as silver ones. It was a scheme about money, not about the capital.
Related concepts
- Tughlaq dynasty
- Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
- Tughlaqabad Fort
- Muhammad bin Tughlaq
- Daulatabad
- Token currency
- Diwan-i-Amir-i-Kohi
- Futuh-us-Salatin
- Musunuri Nayakas
- Firuz Shah Tughlaq