Tag: history

Nobles (aristocrats) included Sultan and his relatives, courtiers and holders of Iqta, Hindu and Muslim chieftains, merchants, bankers etc. Almost all the wealth and power was concentrated in this group. They lived in luxury and style.

The rulers of Delhi were great patons of art and architecture. New musical instruments such as sarangi and rabab were introduced during this period. Amir Khusrau, a musician patronized by Sultan Alauddin Khalji invented the sitar and tabla.

 During the Delhi Sultanate period, some of the evil social practices like Sati, Child marriage and Purdah became prevalent. In Sati, widow burns herself on her husband's pyre or takes her own life in another fashion shortly after her husband's death. No measures were taken by the Sultans for abolishing these practices, it was the Mughal emperor Akbar who came forward to stop these evil practices.

The lowest stratum of the society of Delhi Sultanate was peasants. They lived in villages, paid taxes to state as land revenue. Peasants life was in severe poverty.

During the Sultanate period, Islam was opposite to the Hinduism of the day as it talked of equality, brotherhood, and monotheism. Hence many lower class people attracted to Islamic principles and converted to Islam.

 Kathak is one the eight classical dance forms in India. Kathak is found in three distinct forms, named after the cities where the Kathak dance tradition evolved – Jaipur, Banaras and Lucknow. It developed during Delhi Sultanate period, combines Hindu themes and Persian costumes. The main focus of the dance are the eyes and the foot movements.

Qawwali is a chorus of hand-clapping qawwals who sing with an aim to lead the listeners to spiritual union with Allah. It is a form of music practiced by Sufis to inspire religious devotion and instruction. The Indian composer and Persian-language poet Amīr Khusrow is the popularly acknowledged creator of qawwali.

Maharana Kumbha was one of the famous rulers of Mewar. He was born in1417. He ascended the throne of Mewar in 1433. There are different sources that tell us about his life and achievement. We can get information about him through Prashasthis which were composed by his court poet. Famous Prashastis - Kumbhalgarh Prashasti, Rankapur Prashasti, Kirti Stambh etc. We can also get information about him "Eklinga Mahtamaya". Eklinga Mahatamaya tells us that he was well versed in Vedas, Smritis, and Upanishads.

Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji who was one of the salves of Muhammad Ghori attacked Bengal in 1202. In around 1202-04 he defeated Lakshmana Sena, the ruler of Sena dynasty of Bengal. Later Khalji became the viceroy of Bengal.

The Battle of Haldighati was a battle fought on 18 June 1576 between Maharana Pratap and the Mughal emperor Akbar's forces, led by Man Singh I of Amber.