Medieval History – UPSC Prelims PYQs

Consider the following fruits : I. Papaya II. Pineapple III. Guava

How many of the above were introduced in India by the Portuguese in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?

Who of the following rulers of medieval India gave permission to the Portuguese to build a fort at Bhatkal ?

Consider the following dynasties :

1. Hoysala
2. Gahadavala
3. Kakatiya
4. Yadava

How many of the above dynasties established their kingdoms in early eighth century AD?

Who among the following rulers of Vijayanagara Empire constructed a large dam across Tungabhadra River and a canal-cum-aqueduct several kilometres long from the river to the capital city?

Who among the following rulers of medieval Gujarat surrendered Diu to Portuguese?

In medieval India, the term “Fanam” referred to :

With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements :

1. The first Mongol invasion of India happened during the reign of Jalal-ud-din Khalji.
2. During the reign of Ala-ud-din Khalji, one Mongol assault marched up to Delhi and besieged the city.
3. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq temporarily lost portions of north-west of his kingdom to Mongols.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

With reference to Indian history, who of the following were known as "Kulah-Daran" ?

Consider the following pairs : King : Dynasty

1. Nannuka — Chandela
2. Jayashakti — Paramara
3. Nagabhata II — Gurjara-Pratihara
4. Bhoja — Rashtrakuta

How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?

“Yogavāsistha” was translated into Persian by Nizamuddin Panipati during the reign of :

The world's second tallest statue in sitting pose of Ramanuja was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India at Hyderabad recently. Which one of the following statements correctly represents the teachings of Ramanuja ?

According to Portuguese writer Nuniz, the women in Vijayanagara Empire were expert in which of the following areas?

1. Wrestling
2. Astrology
3. Accounting
4. Soothsaying

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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?

With reference to medieval India, which one of the following is the correct sequence in ascending order in terms of size?

With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs : Famous Place — Present State

1. Bhilsa — Madhya Pradesh
2. Dwarasamudra — Maharashtra
3. Girinagar — Gujarat
4. Sthanesvara — Uttar Pradesh

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?

With reference to Mughal India, what is/are the difference/differences between Jagirdar and Zamindar?

1. Jagirdars were holders of land assignments in lieu of judicial and police duties, whereas Zamindars were holders of revenue rights without obligation to perform any duty other than revenue collection.
2. Land assignments to Jagirdars were hereditary and revenue rights of Zamindars were not hereditary.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Consider the following statements :

1. In the revenue administration of Delhi Sultanate, the in-charge of revenue collection was known as 'Amil'.
2. The Iqta system of Sultans of Delhi was an ancient indigenous institution.
3. The office of 'Mir Bakshi' came into existence during the reign of Khalji Sultans of Delhi.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements :

1. Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar.
2. Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which one of the following foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds and diamond mines of India ?

Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom ?

Regarding the taxation system of Krishna Deva, the ruler of Vijayanagar, consider the following statements :

1. The tax rate on land was fixed depending on the quality of the land.
2. Private owners of workshops paid an industries tax.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to the cultural history of medieval India, consider the following statements :

1. Siddhas (Sittars) of Tamil region were monotheistic and condemned idolatry.
2. Lingayats of Kannada region questioned the theory of rebirth and rejected the caste hierarchy.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Banjaras during the medieval period of Indian history were generally

In the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs : Term

1. Eripatti : Land, revenue from which was set apart for the maintenance of the village tank
2. Taniyurs : Villages donated to a single Brahmin or a group of Brahmins
3. Ghatikas : Colleges generally attached to the temples

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

With reference to the economic history of medieval India, the term 'Araghatta' refers to

Consider the following pairs : Medieval Indian State Present Region

1. Champaka : Central India
2. Durgara : Jammu
3. Kuluta : Malabar

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Consider the following : The arrival of Babur into India led to the

1. introduction of gunpowder in the subcontinent
2. introduction of the arch and dome in the region’s architecture
3. establishment of Timurid dynasty in the region

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Who of the following founded a new city on the south bank of a tributary to river Krishna and undertook to rule his new kingdom as the agent of a deity to whom all the land south of the river Krishna was supposed to belong?

With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential element/elements of the feudal system?

1. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority
2. Emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of land
3. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

In medieval India, the designations ‘Mahattara’ and ‘Pattakila’ were used for

Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was

Consider the following Bhakti Saints :

1. Dadu Dayal
2. Guru Nanak
3. Tyagaraja Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over?

With reference to the religious history of medieval India, the Sufi mystics were known to pursue which of the following practices?

1. Meditation and control of breath
2. Severe ascetic exercises in a lonely place
3. Recitation of holy songs to arouse a state of ecstasy in their audience

Select the correct answer using the codes given below :

With whose permission did the English set up their first factory in Surat?

During the time of which Mughal Emperor did the English East India Company establish its first factory in India?

Assertion (A): Muhammad bin Tughlaq issued a new gold coin which was called Dinar by Ibn Batutah.

Reason (R): Muhammad bin Tughlaq wanted to issue token currency in gold coins to promote trade with West Asian and North African countries.

Which one of the following is the correct chronological order of the Afghan rulers to the throne of Delhi?

In Indian history, who was Abdul Hamid Lahori?

When Raja Wodeyar founded the kingdom of Mysore, who was the ruler of the Vijayanagar Empire?

Which one of the following is the correct statement?

Consider the following statements:

1. Narasimha Saluva ended the Sangama dynasty and seized the throne for himself and started the Saluva dynasty.
2. Vira Narasimha deposed the last Saluva ruler and seized the throne for himself.
3. Vira Narasimha was succeeded by his younger brother, Krishnadeva Raya.
4. Krishnadeva Raya was succeeded by his half-brother, Achyuta Raya.

Which of these statements given above are correct?

Who was the last ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate?

How did the dynasty of Nizam Shahis of Ahmadnagar come to an end?

Consider the following statements about Sikh Gurus:

1. Banda Bahadur was appointed as the military leader of the Sikhs by Guru Tegh Bahadur.
2. Guru Arjun Dev became the Sikh Guru after Guru Ram Das.
3. Guru Arjun Dev gave to Sikhs their own script – Guru mukhi.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Alam Khan, one of those who invited Babar to invade India was

The battle of Dharmat was fought between

How did the Mughal Emperor Jahandar Shah’s reign come to an early end?

Consider the following statements:

1. The Cholas defeated Pandya and Chera rulers and established their domination over peninsular India in early medieval times.
2. The Cholas sent an expedition against the Sailendra empire of South-East Asia and conquered some of the areas.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

Assertion (A): Emperor Akbar marched towards Afghanistan in 1581 with a huge army.

Reason (R): He was on his way to reclaim his ancestral country of Ferghana in Central Asia.

Assertion (A): Saluva Narasimha put an end to the old dynasty and assumed the royal title.

Reason (R): He wanted to save the kingdom from further degeneration and disintegration.