Explore our comprehensive guide to Medieval India GK questions, perfect for competitive exams and history enthusiasts. Dive into the rich heritage of Medieval India with our expertly curated questions, designed to enhance your knowledge and boost your exam readiness. Start mastering your Medieval India trivia today!
1. Where is Muslim mosque situated where a hair of pagamber Mohammad Saheb has been preserved ?
Correct Answer:-C ( Srinagar )
Description:- The Hazratbal Shrine is a Muslim shrine in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India. It contains a relic believed by many Muslims of Kashmir to be a hair of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The name of the shrine comes from the Arabic word Hazrat, meaning holy or majestic, and the Kashmiri word bal, (bal is a corrupted form of Sanskrit Vala which means an enclosure) meaning place
2. Which is the correct chronolo-gical order of following ‘Acharyas’?
Correct Answer:-A ( Shankara–Ramanuja– Madhav–Chaitanya )
Description:- Shankara (9th century)– Ramanuja (AD 1017-1137) Madhavacharya (AD 1238-1317)– Chaitanya (AD 1486- 1533) Adi Shankara was a 9th century reformer of Hinduism who is honored as Jagadguru, a title that was used earlier only to Lord Krishna. Ramanuja (traditionally 1017–1137) was a theologian, philosopher, and scriptural exegete. He is seen by Hindus in general as the leading expounder of Vishishtadvaita, one of the classical interpretations of the dominant Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Madhavacharya (1238– 1317), also known as Purna Prajna and Ananda Tirtha, was the chief proponent of Tattvavada ‘Philosophy of Reality’, popularly known as the Dvaita (dualism) school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedanta philosophies. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (AD 1486-1533) was a Vaishnava saint and social reformer in eastern India in the 16th century, worshipped by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the full incarnation of Lord Krishna.
3. The capital city ‘Daydo’ established by Kublai Khan is situated at—
Correct Answer:-B ( Beijing )
Description:- Kublai Khan (1215-1294) was the founder of the Yuan Dynasty. After defeating his younger brother Alibuge who intended to grab the crown in 1264, Kublai Khan took the throne, with ‘Zhiyuan’ as the reign title. Afterwards, he moved the capital to Yanjing (the current Beijing) and renamed it ‘Dadu’. In 1271, Kublai Khan set ‘Yuan’ as the official name of the nation and then confirmed Dadu as the capital in 1272.
4. The Mughal painting reaches its/ zenith during the reign of :
Correct Answer:-B ( Jahangir )
Description:- Mughal paintings reached its climax during the reign of Jahangir. He employed a number of painters like Abul Hasan, Bishan Das, Madhu, Anant, Manohar, Govardhan and Ustad Mansur. Sometimes, many painters painted a single picture. Other than hunting scenes, court scenes, battle scenes, portrait painting and painting of animals acquired importance. European influence is also noticeable in the paintings. The principle of foreshortening, whereby near and distant people and things could be placed in perspective was adopted from European style.
5. The capital of the Yadava rulers was :
Correct Answer:-D ( Devagiri )
Description:- The Seuna, Sevuna or Yadavas of Devagiri (850– 1334) was an Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri (present-day Daulatabad in modern Maharashtra). The Yadavas initially ruled as feudatories of the Western Chalukyas. Around the middle of the 12th century, as the Chalukya power waned, they declared independence and established rule that reached its peak under Singhana II.
6. The Bahmani kingdom was founded by
Correct Answer:-B ( Alauddin Hasan )
Description:- The sultanate was founded on 3 August, 1347 by governor Ala-ud-Din Hassan Bahman Shah, a Persian (Tajik) descent from Badakhshan, who revolted against the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Nasiruddin Ismail Shah who had revolted against the Delhi Sultanate stepped down on that day in favour of Zafar Khan who ascended the throne with the title of Alauddin Bahman Shah. His revolt was successful, and he established an independent state on the Deccan within the Delhi Sultanate’s southern provinces.
7. The Dilwara temple at Mount Abu in Rajasthan were built by the followers of
Correct Answer:-B ( Jainism )
Description:- The Jain Dilwara temples of India are located about 2½ kilometers from Mount Abu, Rajasthan’s only hill station. These temples built by Chalukya between the 11th and 13th centuries AD are world famous for their stunning use of marble. The five legendary marble temples of Dilwara are a sacred pilgrimage place of the Jains. Some consider them to be one of the most beautiful Jain pilgrimage sites in the world.
8. Alberuni came to India with
Correct Answer:-A ( Mahmud of Ghazni )
Description:- The first significant intrusion of Islam into India was led by Mahmud of Ghazni. In 1017, Mahmud of Ghazni took Rey. Most scholars, including al-Biruni, were taken to Ghazna, the capital of the Ghaznavid dynasty. Biruni was made court astrologer and accompanied Mahmud on his invasions into India, living there for a few years. Biruni became acquainted with all things related to India. He may even have learned some Sanskrit. During this time he wrote the Kitab ta’rikh al-Hind, finishing it around 1030.
9. Which of the following is in the World Heritage list ?
Correct Answer:-C ( Hampi ruins )
Description:- Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other monuments belonging to the old city. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.
10. Where did the traveller Ibn Batuta come from ?
Correct Answer:-A ( Morocco )
Description:- Ibn Batuta was a Berber Muslim Moroccan explorer, known for his extensive travels, accounts of which were published in the Rihla (‘Journey’). Over a period of thirty years, he visited most of the known Islamic world as well as many non-Muslim lands; his journeys including trips to North Africa, the Horn of Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the West, and to the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in the East, a distance surpassing threefold his near-contemporary Marco Polo. Ibn Batuta is considered one of the greatest travellers of all time.
11. Who built the Khajuraho temples?
Correct Answer:-D ( Chandela Rajputs )
Description:- The Khajuraho Group of Monuments are located in Khajuraho, a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculptures. The city was the cultural capital of Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10-12th centuries. The political capital of the Chandelas was Kalinjar. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of 200 years, from 950 to 1150. The Chandela capital was moved to Mahoba after this time, but Khajuraho continued to flourish for some time. Khajuraho has no forts because the Chandel Kings never lived in their cultural capital.
12. The ‘Kirti Stambha’ (Tower of Victory) at Chittor was built by—
Correct Answer:-B ( Rana Kumbha )
Description:- Kirti Stambh is situated at Chittorgarh fort in Rajasthan, India. The 22 metre high tower was built by a Rana Kumbha to commemorate his victory against Mahmud Khilji of Malwa. The tower is built in the Solanki style. It is 30 feet at the base and narrows down to 15 feet at the top . It is dated approximately around the 12th century AD. Kirti Stambh is older than another tower in the same fort, known as the Vijay Stambh (Tower of Victory).
13. Who got the monumental ‘Rayagopurams’ in front of the temples at Hampi, Tiruv-annamalai, Chidambaram, Srirangam, Tirupati, etc., constructed?
Correct Answer:-B ( Krishnadevaraya )
Description:- Rajagopuram literally means Royal Tower, an entrance that is fit for royalty but especially for the God in the Temples. Krishnadevaraya is credited with the building of thousand pillared mandapas and the rayagopurams which were spread out throughout the country- side in South India.
14. Which of the following architectural wonders was not constructed in the 12th A.D.?
Correct Answer:-A ( Sun-temple of Konark )
Description:- Konark Sun Temple is a 13th century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Orissa. It was constructed from oxidized and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva-I (1238- 1250 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is an example of Orissan architecture of Ganga dynasty. The temple is one of the most renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site.
15. Where was saint Kabir born ?
Correct Answer:-B ( Varanasi )
Description:- Not much is known of Kabir’s birth parents, but it is known that he was brought up in a family of Muslim weavers. He was found by a Muslim weaver named Niru and his wife, Nima, in Lehartara, situated in Varanasi. Kabir’s family is believed to have lived in the locality of Kabir Chaura in Varanasi. Kabir ma?ha, located in the back alleys of Kabir Chaura, celebrates his life and times.
16. Which of the following languages was in vogue during Mughal period in the courts of India ?
Correct Answer:-B ( Persian )
Description:- Although early Mughals spoke the Chagatai language and maintained some Turko-Mongol practices, they became essentially Persianized and transferred the Persian literary and high culture to India, thus forming the base for the Indo-Persian culture. Persian language became the lingua franca of the court and empire.
17. The writer of Ram Charit Manas, Tulsidas, was related to which ruler ?
Correct Answer:-D ( Akbar )
Description:- Akbar and Tulsidas were contemporary. It was because of the close friendship between the two that Akbar ordered a firman that followers of Rama, Hanuman & other Hindus, should not be harassed in his kingdom. Abdur Rahim Khankhana, famous Muslim poet who was one of the Navaratnas (nine-gems) in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar, was a personal friend of Tulsidas. The historian Vincent Smith, the author of a biography of Tulsidas’ contemporary Akbar, called Tulsidas as the greatest man of his age in India and greater than even Akbar himself.
18. Which Sufi’s dargah is at Ajmer?
Correct Answer:-C ( Moinuddin Chisti )
Description:- Moinuddin Chishti, also known as Gharib Nawaz ‘Benefactor of the Poor’ was the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent who introduced and established the order in South Asia. Dargah Sharif or Ajmer Sharif is a sufi shrine of sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti located at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. The shrine has the grave (Maqbara) of the revered saint, Moinuddin Chisti. It is said that the brass candlesticks taken from the Kalika temple after its destruction were given to the Dargah Sharif shrine of Moinuddin Chishti is in Ajmer, a shrine that Akbar vowed to rebuild after his victory.
19. Who was the architect who designed ‘Taj Mahal’ ?
Correct Answer:-B ( Ustad-Isa )
Description:- Isa Muhammad Effendi or Ustad Isa was a Persian architect from Iran he and his colleague Ismail Effendi entered the service of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan after the Ottoman Sultan Murad IV and the Mughals exchanged ambassadors. Isa Muhammad Effendi is often described as the chief architect of the Taj Mahal. Recent research suggests the Persian architect, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri was the most likely candidate as the chief architect of the Taj, an assertion based on a claim made in writings by Lahauri’s son Lutfullah Muhandis.
20. The Assam State derives its name from that of a tribe that conquered the region. Where did the tribesmen come from ?
Correct Answer:-D ( Siam (now Thailand) )
Description:- The state of Assam derived its name from the word ‘Asom’ which means unequal or unrivalled. True to the meaning of its name, the state is unrivalled in terms of its natural beauty and the simplicity of the people. In the Mahabharata and the Puranas, Assam has been referred to as ‘Kamarupa’. The inhabitants of the state are a mixture of the Mongol-Aryan culture. The Ahoms ventured into Assam somewhere around 1228 A.D. The present name Assam derives from the name of a Sino-Tibetan tribe, the Ahoms, who came to Assam from China and Thailand, began their rule from 1228 AD and remained a force to reckon with in the political arena till 1828 AD.
21. Shah Jahan built the Moti Masjid at
Correct Answer:-C ( Agra )
Description:- The Moti Masjid in Agra was built by Shah Jahan. During the rule of Shah Jahan the Mughal emperor, numerous architectural wonders were built. Most famous of them is the Taj Mahal. Moti Masjid earned the epithet Pearl Mosque for it shined like a pearl. It is held that this mosque was constructed by Shah Jahan for his members of royal court. The Moti Masjid boasts of extensive white marble facing, a typical stylistic feature of architecture during the reign of Shah Jahan.
22. Select the incorrectly matched pair of philosophers and their philosophies :
Correct Answer:-C ( Chaitanya-Vishistha-Advaita )
Description:- Vishishtadvaita is a sub-school of the Vedanta (literally, end or the goal of Knowledge, Sanskrit) school of Hindu philosophy, the other major sub-schools of Vedanta being Advaita, Dvaita, and Achintya-Bheda- Abheda. VishishtAdvaita (literally ‘Advaita with uniqueness/ qualifications’) is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy. Ramanuja, the main proponent of Visishtadvaita philosophy contends that the Prasthana Traya (‘The three courses’) i.e. Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Brahma Sutras are to be interpreted in way that shows this unity in diversity, for any other way would violate their consistency.
23. Who got constructed ‘Grand Trunk Road’ ?
Correct Answer:-C ( Shershah Suri )
Description:- The Grand Trunk Road is one of South Asia’s oldest and longest major roads. For several centuries, it has linked the eastern and western regions of the Indian subcontinent, running from Chittagong, Bangladesh through to Howrah, West Bengal in India, across north India into Peshawar (in present day Pakistan), up to Kabul, Afghanistan. The modern road was built by Sher Shah Suri, who renovated and extended the ancient route in the 16th century
24. What do you mean by Mughal Zagir ?
Correct Answer:-C ( giving officer a right to revenue )
Description:- Zagir was a piece of land held by the mansabdar which was granted by the Sultan. Mansabdars were given control over an area of land, a ‘Zagir’ whose revenue was to be used for maintaining troops; if not given a ‘Zagir’ they were paid in cash through a complicated accounting system, with deductions for various things including ‘the rising of the moon’; it was a normal practice to pay for only eight or ten months in the year. The Mansabdars were allowed to keep five percent of the income of the ‘Zagir’ or five per cent of the salaries received. In Mughal period, zagir was the practice giving officer a right to revenue.
25. Which among the following fort was known as the ‘Key of Deccan’?
Correct Answer:-C ( Asirgarh )
Description:- Asirgarh Qila is an Indian fortress (qila) situated in the Satpura Range, in Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh state. The fortress commands a pass through the Satpuras connecting the valleys of the Narmada and Tapti rivers, one of the most important routes from northern India to the Deccan in the southwest. It is known as the ‘key to the Deccan’.
26. Select the correct order–
Correct Answer:-A ( Nizamuddin Auliya, Kabir, Mirabai, Tulsidas )
Description:- Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent. Kabir (1440–1518) was a mystic poet and sant of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. Meerabai (c. 1498 – c. 1547 AD) was an aristocratic Hindu mystical singer and devotee of Lord Krishna from Rajasthan and one of the most significant figures of the Sant tradition of the Vaishnava bhakti movement. Tulsidas (1497/1532–1623) was a Hindu poet-saint, reformer and philosopher renowned for his devotion for the god Rama.
27. In Shivaji’s Council of Ministers the Prime Minister was called
Correct Answer:-A ( Peshwa )
Description:- A Peshwa was the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emperor Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. The word Peshwa has roots in the Persian language meaning ‘foremost’. After the coronation of Shivaji in 1674, he appointed Moropant Trimbak Pingle as the first Peshwa.
28. Muhammad-Bin-Tughlaq was proficient in
Correct Answer:-D ( Philosophy )
Description:- Muhammad Tughluq was a scholar versed in logic, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and physical sciences. He had knowledge of medicine and was skillful in dialectics. He was also a calligrapher. He was well versed with several languages like Persian, Arabic, Turkish and even Sanskrit.
29. The battle that led to the foundation of Muslim power in India was
Correct Answer:-B ( The second battle of Tarain )
Description:- The Battles of Tarain, also known as the Battles of Taraori, were fought in 1191 and 1192 near the town of Tarain, near Thanesar in present-day Haryana, between the Muslim Ghurid army led by Sultan Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri and the Hindu Rajput army led by Prithviraj Chauhan. Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated in the Second Battle of Tarain which led the foundation of the Sultanate of Delhi. Delhi remained under Muslim rule for over six centuries till 1857.
30. The most important Sufi shrine in India is at
Correct Answer:-C ( Ajmer )
Description:- Ajmer is famous for the Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti which is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, and consists of several white marble buildings arranged around two courtyards, including a massive gate donated by the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Akbari Mosque, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It contains the domed tomb of the saint. Akbar and his queen used to come here by foot on pilgrimage from Agra every year in observance of a vow when he prayed for a son.
