Medieval and Islamic History

Harsha Bhogle, a renowned Indian cricket commentator and journalist, wrote the biography 'Azhar' about Mohammad Azharuddin. Bhogle is well-known for his cricket writing and commentary. The correct answer is B (Harsha Bhogle). Options A (Azharuddin himself), C (Harbhajan Singh - a cricketer), and D (Azhar's mother) are incorrect.

Nadir Shah, the Persian ruler, invaded India in 1739 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah (also known as Rangeela). This invasion led to the brutal massacre in Delhi and the loss of the Peacock Throne. The other options are incorrect as Bahadur Shah and Shah Alam ruled at different periods.

Ancient Egyptian rulers were called Pharaohs. The term 'Pharaoh' means 'great house' and referred to the royal palace, eventually becoming the title for the king himself who was considered a living god.

Sir Thomas Roe, the English ambassador, visited India during the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1605-1627). He arrived in 1614 and spent four years at the Mughal court, establishing the first formal English contact with the Mughal Empire.

Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658) shifted the Mughal capital from Agra to Delhi in 1648, founding the new city of Shahjahanabad (now Old Delhi). He built the Red Fort and the famous Jama Masjid in Delhi. Jehangir ruled from Agra and Lahore, while Aurangzeb and Humayun did not make this shift.

Babur laid the foundation of Mughal Empire by defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the first Battle of Panipat  in 1526.

Muhammad Shah 'Rangeela' (reigned 1719-1748) was the last Mughal emperor to sit on the original Peacock Throne (Takht-i-Taus). The throne was looted and taken to Persia by Nadir Shah in 1739 during his invasion of Delhi. Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal emperor but ruled long after the Peacock Throne was gone.

Amir Khusrau (1253-1325), the famous Sufi poet and musician in the court of Alauddin Khilji, is credited with inventing the sitar. He is also associated with other musical innovations and was a pioneer in Indo-Persian musical fusion. The sarod, tabla, and shehnai have different origins and attributions.

The Shahnama (Book of Kings) is a monumental epic poem written by the Persian poet Firdausi (also spelled Ferdowsi) around 1000 CE. It chronicles the mythical and historical history of Iran from the creation of the world to the Islamic conquest. Firdausi spent over 30 years composing this 60,000-verse masterpiece at the court of Mahmud of Ghazni.

Muhammad bin Qasim invaded Sindh in 712 CE, making him the first Muslim invader of the Indian subcontinent. He was sent by the Umayyad Caliphate and defeated Raja Dahir of Sindh. Mahmud of Ghazni came later (11th century), while Babur founded the Mughal Empire in the 16th century.

Akbar started Din-i-Ilahi (Divine Faith) in 1582, combining elements from Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. Jahangir and Shah Jahan were his successors, while Muhammad bin Tughluq was a 14th-century Sultan.

Nawab Salimullah Khan founded the Muslim league  at Dacca on Dec 30 1906

During Akbar's reign, the Prime Minister was known as 'Vakil'. The Sadr-us-Sadr was the head of the judicial department, Mir Bakshi was in charge of the military, and Diwan or Wazir was the finance minister.