UPSC Prelims 2021 Q38: Chengiz Khan, Timur, Vasco da Gama Timelines

Consider the following statements:

1. It was during the reign of Iltutmish that Chengiz Khan reached the Indus in pursuit of the fugitive Khwarezm prince.

2. It was during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq that Taimur occupied Multan and crossed the Indus.

3. It was during the reign of Deva Raya II of Vijayanagara Empire that Vasco da Gama reached the coast of Kerala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2
  3. 3 only
  4. 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 only

Statement-wise explanation

  • 1: correct — Chengiz (Genghis) Khan chased Jalal al-Din Mingburnu, the Khwarezm prince, through the Khyber Pass to the Indus. He defeated him at the Battle of the Indus in 1221, and Jalal al-Din escaped by swimming his horse across the river. Iltutmish ruled Delhi from 1211 to 1236, so this happened in his reign. Iltutmish refused to give the prince shelter, which kept the Mongols out of the young Sultanate.
  • 2: incorrect — Timur invaded north India in 1398. He crossed the Indus on 24 September 1398 and sacked Delhi in December. The Sultan at the time was Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah Tughluq, a late and weak Tughluq ruler. Muhammad bin Tughluq ruled from 1325 to 1351 and had died 47 years before Timur came.
  • 3: incorrect — Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut (Kozhikode) on 20 May 1498. Deva Raya II of the Sangama dynasty died in 1446, more than 50 years earlier. In 1498 Vijayanagara was under the Saluva family. Real power was held by the regent Narasa Nayaka, who governed for Saluva Narasimha's young sons from about 1490 to 1503.

How to eliminate

This question tests dates, but option logic cuts the work. Statement 2 is the easiest to test: Timur's invasion in 1398 is a standard date, and Muhammad bin Tughluq's reign (1325–1351) ended long before it. Once statement 2 is out, the two options that include it are gone, so the choice is between '1 only' and '3 only'. Now you need only one more fact. Vasco da Gama's 1498 arrival is well known, and Deva Raya II belongs to the mid-15th century. The Persian envoy Abdur Razzaq visited his court in the 1440s. So statement 3 fails. If instead you know that Iltutmish (1211–1236) ruled when Chengiz Khan came to the Indus in 1221, statement 1 alone settles it. No wording trick helps here. Remember these three pairs: 1221 with Iltutmish, 1398 with Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Tughluq, and 1498 with the Saluva period of Vijayanagara.

Know more

Invaders and the rulers they met. UPSC often pairs a foreign arrival with an Indian ruler and asks whether the two lived at the same time. The fix is to tie each event to its year, then to the ruler of that year.

Event Year Ruler in power
Chengiz Khan reaches the Indus chasing Jalal al-Din Mingburnu 1221 Iltutmish, Delhi (1211–1236)
Timur crosses the Indus and sacks Delhi 1398 Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah Tughluq, Delhi
Vasco da Gama lands at Calicut 1498 Zamorin of Calicut (local); Saluva period at Vijayanagara, regent Narasa Nayaka
Nadir Shah sacks Delhi 1739 Muhammad Shah, Mughal

Mongols and Iltutmish. Iltutmish would not shelter Jalal al-Din. That kept the Sultanate out of the Mongol–Khwarezm war. Chengiz Khan turned back without entering the Delhi Sultanate.

Timur and the end of Tughluq power. Firuz Shah Tughluq ruled from 1351 to 1388, and civil war followed his death. In 1398 Timur crushed Mahmud Tughluq's army and sacked Delhi. He then left for Samarkand. Khizr Khan held Lahore, Dipalpur and Multan for Timur. In 1414 Khizr Khan founded the Sayyid dynasty.

Vijayanagara dynasties. There were four:

  • Sangama: 1336 to about 1485. Deva Raya II was its strongest later ruler and died in 1446.
  • Saluva: about 1485 to 1505.
  • Tuluva: Krishnadeva Raya, 1509–1529.
  • Aravidu.

Vasco da Gama dealt with the Zamorin, the Hindu ruler of Calicut. He did not deal with Vijayanagara directly.

NCERT Concepts to Revise

  • Iltutmish: Statement 1 depends on Iltutmish's reign dates, 1211–1236, and how he handled the Mongol threat on the Indus.
  • Timur's invasion: Statement 2 turns on the year of Timur's attack and which Tughluq sultan was ruling Delhi then.
  • Mamluk dynasty: Iltutmish belonged to the Mamluk dynasty. Knowing its span helps you date the Mongol arrival in statement 1.
  • Firuz Shah Tughlaq: Firuz Shah succeeded Muhammad bin Tughluq in 1351. His reign helps you judge how far Timur's invasion is from Muhammad bin Tughluq.

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