Satish Chandra Test: The Mughal Empire- 1 - UPSC MCQ

Akbar introduced a new system for regulating imperial services which was called Mansabdari system. It was introduced in 1570 A. D. All the gazette imperial officers of the state were styled as Mansabdars. They were classified into (66) grades, from the rank of (10) to ten thousands (10,000) constituted. The (10) was the lowest rank and the ten thousand (10,000) was the highest. The Mansabdars belonged to both Civil and Military department.

The term “ Zawabit” literally mean “ State laws” in Persian language but it is used contextually as “ Secular Decrees” issued by the Mughal state undersigned by the ruler.

the law of escheat (zabti), according to which when a Mansabdar died, all his property was confiscated by the king. The Mansabdari system, introduced by Akbar, was a unique feature of the administrative system of the Mughal empire.

During era of Babur and Humayun, it had the powers of prime minister while during early era of Akbar, Vakil Bairam Khan acted as regent and ruled on the behalf of Emperor.

B is the correct option.

• Jahangir’s assessation took place in 1605.
• Akbar had been deeply disappointed with Khusrau's father Jahangir. Perhaps due to this background, Khusrau rebelled against his father in 1606 to secure the throne for himself.
• The rebellion of Khurram absorbed the Mughal's attention, so in the spring of 1623 a Mughal envoy arrived at the Shah's camp with a letter from the Emperor accepting the loss of Kandahar and putting an end to the conflict.
• Jahangir died on 28 October 1627.

A is the correct option.In the treaty, it was agreed that:

• The ruler of Mewar, will not be bound to present himself in person at Mughal court, instead, a relative of the Rana would wait upon the Mughal Emperor and serve him.

• It was also agreed that the Ranas of Mewar would not enter matrimonial relations with the Mughals.

• Mewar would have to keep a contingent of 1500 horsemen in the Mughal service.

• Chittor and other Mughal occupied areas of Mewar would be returned to the Rana, but Chittor fort would never be repaired. The reason for this last condition was that the Chittor fort was a very powerful bastion and the mughals were wary of it being used in any future rebellion.

• The Rana would be given a Mughal rank of 5000 zat and 5000 sowar.

• The rulers of Dungarpur and Banswarra (who had become independent during Akbars reign) would once again become vassals of Mewar and pay tribute to the Rana

As a result of Nur Jahan's machinations against Jahangir, Mahabat Khan decided to take action, and so in 1626, he led an army of loyal Rajput soldiers to Punjab. He had also brought the wives and families of many of them, so that, if driven to extremity, they would fight to the last for the lives and honour of themselves and their families. Meanwhile, Jahangir and his retinue were preparing to head to Kabul, and were encamped on the banks of the River Jhelum. Mahabat Khan and his forces attacked the royal encampment, and successfully took the emperor hostage; Nur Jahan, however, managed to escape.

Prince Khurram feared that in his absence Nur Jahan would attempt to poison his father against him and convince Jahangir to name Shahryar the heir in his place. This fear brought Prince Khurram to rebel against his father rather than fight against the Persians.

The Tomb of Jahangir is a 17th-century mausoleum built for the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The mausoleum dates from 1637, and is located in Shahdara Bagh in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, along the banks of the Ravi River.The site is famous for its interiors that are extensively embellished with frescoes and marble, and its exterior that is richly decorated with pietra dura.

Option D is correct. All of the events listed occurred during Shahjahan's reign. The Rebellion of Bundela Rajputs took place in 1635, the death of Nur Jahan occurred in 1645, and the suppression of the Portuguese in Bengal happened in 1631.

Option C is correct. The immediate cause of Shahjahan's rebellion against Jahangir was that Shahjahan refused to go to Qandhar, which had been besieged by the Persians. Shahjahan believed that Jahangir's orders were reckless and that he should not have to risk his life in such a risky campaign. This led to a rift between the two and eventually resulted in Shahjahan's rebellion against Jahangir.

A is the correct option.As a result of Nur Jahan's machinations against him, Mahabat Khan decided to take action, and so in 1626, he led an army of loyal Rajput soldiers to the Punjab. ... Mahabat Khan and his forces attacked the royal encampment, and successfully took the emperor hostage; Nur Jahan, however, managed to escape.

C is the correct option. The unusual chain was according to some accounts made of gold, was eighty feet long, and had sixty bells attached to it, linking Agra Fort to a post by the nearby riverbank. It was known simply as the "chain of justice," and forging it was one of Nuruddin Jahangir's first acts as leader of the Mughal Empire
 

(i) and (ii) only

• In 1646-1647, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan launched a military expedition to conqueror Balkh and the neighbouring province of Badakhashan. This campaign was to be the first step in the expansion of Mughal rule into Central Asia, where the Ferghana valley lay.
• Ferghana valley was the homeland of the Babur, the first Mughal Emperor and the founder of the dynasty in India.
• Following are the reasons why Emperor Shah Jahan undertook this campaign-
• The first and foremost reason was the proclaimed desire on the part of the Mughal emperors to recover their ancestral lands. As direct descendants of Tamerlane, the Mughals of India considered Central Asia their true home and ancestral domain.
• In 1628, Nazr Mohammed launched a large-scale invasion of Mughal territory with the intention of capturing Kabul. Shahjahan wanted to punish Nar Muhammad the ruler of Balkh and Badakhashan, who had an eye on Kabul.
• Hence, Shah Jahan dispatched an army of 60,000 to Kabul, and then to Badakhshan and Balkh, with his son Murad Baksh as the commander-in-chief. Shahjahan never wanted to enthrone Prince Dara Shukoh as an independent ruler of Balkh.
• Shah Jahan appointed Prince Aurangzeb, then serving as the governor of Gujarat, to lead operations in Central Asia. But he never desired to assign Badakhshan in Jagir to prince Aurangzeb.
• Aurangzeb arrived in Kabul in April 1647 and set out for Balkh to reinforce the Mughal forward positions and expand the campaign. 
• By the middle of 1647, both sides had suffered considerably from the back-and-forth fighting.  Shortly after Aurangzeb had returned to Balkh, negotiations were opened with Nadr Mohammed, the exiled ex-ruler of the territories occupied by the Mughals since 1645.
• A settlement was concluded by Nadr Mohammed's grandsons and Balkh was formally handed over to the grandsons, and the Mughals began the withdrawal to Kabul.

During the reign of Shahjahan, the Mughals lost the city of Qandhar to the Persians. Shahjahan was the fifth Mughal Emperor and ruled from 1628 to 1658. During his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its peak and he was known for his architectural achievements, such as the Taj Mahal.

When Babur attacked India there were six Muslim states, viz., Khandesh, Berar, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Golkunda and Bidar and one Hindu state, i.e., Vijayanagar in the South. According to Babur, the state of Vijayanagar was the strongest among them. However, Babur and Humayun could not pay any attention towards the South.

By the time Akbar interfered in politics of the Deccan, the political situation had changed there. In January 1565 A.D.,Ahmadnagar was annexed and Bijapur and Golkunda were defeated.

The tomb of Jahangir was built after the Mughal emperor's death in 1627 and completed in 1637, in the reign of his son and successor, Shah Jahan, when the Mughal Empire held sway over the entire Indian subcontinent and Lahore was an important urban center.

The sons of Shahjahan who fought in the war of succession in 1657-58 A.D. were Dara Shikoh, Shuja, Aurangzeb, and Murad. These four brothers were all contenders for the Mughal throne after Shahjahan's illness and eventual death in 1657. The war of succession lasted for over a year and ultimately resulted in Aurangzeb's victory and his ascension to the Mughal throne.

Option A is correct. Shahjahan's Central Asian policy was a failure because Qandhar was lost to the Mughals once and for all. This was a significant blow to the Mughal Empire and contributed to the decline of Mughal power in the region. The Mughals also had to vacate Balkh in 1647 and a lot of money was spent on these campaigns, but these were not the primary reasons for the failure of Shahjahan's Central Asian policy.

Option A is correct. The main cause for the war of succession among the four sons of Shahjahan was that the Mughals did not follow any definite law of succession. Shahjahan had not named a successor and the four brothers all believed they had a valid claim to the throne. This led to a power struggle and ultimately resulted in the war of succession in 1657-58 A.D.

When Shah Jahan fell ill, a struggle for the throne started between his four sons - Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh. Shuja immediately crowned himself the emperor and took imperial titles, November 1657.
He marched with a large army, backed by a good number of war-boats in the river Ganges. However, he was beaten by Dara's army in a hotly contested Battle of Bahadurpur near Banares (in modern Uttar Pradesh, India). Shuja turned back to Rajmahal to make further preparations. He signed a treaty with his elder brother Dara, which left him in control of Bengal, Orissa and a large part of Bihar, 17 May 1658.
The battle of Dharmat was fought between his sons Dara Shikoh (the eldest son and heir apparent) and his two younger brothers Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh (third and fourth sons of Shah Jahan).
Battle of Samugarh, Jang-e-Samugarh, (May 29, 1658), was a decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659) between the sons of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan after the emperor's serious illness in September 1657.
 

The correct option is Option B.

Birth of Aurangzeb - 3 November 1618

Accession of Aurangzeb - Aurangzeb was the emperor of India from 1658 to 1707, the last of the great Mughal emperors.

Coronation of Aurangzeb - 13 June 1659 at Shalimar Bagh, Delhi

Death of Aurangzeb - 3 March 1707

Aurangzeb, the sixth emperor, re-introduced and levied jizya on non-Muslims in 2nd April ​1679. His goal was to promote Islam and weaken the Hindu religion.

Option A is correct. Aurangzeb appointed special officers called Muhtasibs, whose function was to see that the Muslims led their lives according to the Quranic law. The Muhtasibs were responsible for enforcing Islamic laws and customs, and they had the authority to punish those who violated these laws. The other options listed are incorrect.

Option C is correct. Aurangzeb discouraged painting because he believed it was against the sanctions of Islam. Aurangzeb was a devout Muslim and believed that painting, along with other forms of art, was a form of idolatry and therefore prohibited according to Islamic law. The other options listed are incorrect.

The correct answer is option B. Aurangzeb discontinued the practice of inscribing Kalima on the coins because he believed that it would have been dishonoured by coming under the feet of the people. Aurangzeb was a devout Muslim and believed strongly in the Islamic faith. As part of his beliefs, he believed that it was wrong to have the Kalima (Islamic creed) inscribed on coins, as it would be dishonoured by coming under the feet of the people. He also believed that it would diminish the sanctity of the coins and the Islamic faith. He thus decided to discontinue the practice of inscribing the Kalima on coins, as he believed it would be disrespectful to the faith.

The correct answer is B: It was a Hindu practice. Aurangzeb abolished the practice of Jharokha darshan due to his belief that it was a form of idol worship and a non-Islamic practice. The practice of Jharokha darshan was started by Mughal emperor Akbar, Aurangzeb's great grandfather, as a Hindu tradition in which the emperor would daily address the public audience from a balcony known as a jharokha. Aurangzeb believed that the practice of Jharokha darshan diminished the prestige and authority of the emperor and thus decided to abolish it. He also banned the practice of Tuladan, the practice of weighing the emperor in gold, which was also started by Akbar.

The correct answer is C as all the years are correctly matched with the kings

There were instances where peasants refused to pay land revenue and such villages were designated as mawas and zor-talab. Initially the acts of defiance by the peasantry were mere isolated incidents perhaps due to varied level of distress, but later on in this struggle the peasants and zamidnars usually joined hands. The zatnindars could be chieftains or could be a person having rights over portion of a village, but they formed a distinct class enjoying common rights like commanding armed retainers and were the leader of caste group. Some of these zamidnars' like Shobha Singh's rebellion (1695-98) in Bengal had, in fact, shaken the empire and similarly in Kuch-Behar, Bhim Narayan was able to expel the Mughal troops and officials.24 These frequent rebellion produced agrarian crisis. The Jats of Agra region, the Satnamis, the Sikhs and many more rose in revolt during Aurangzeb's reign because of the Agrarian Crisis.

Aurangzeb followed an aggressive policy towards the Rajputs because Aurangzeb did not want the Rajputs to hinder the Islamisation of India.