[Mission 2023] INSIGHTS STATIC QUIZ, 22 June 2022 – Ancient & Medieval India

Solution: b)

The Emperor Akbar in his profound sagacity classified the lands and fixed a different revenue to be paid by each.

Polaj is land which is annually cultivated for each crop in succession and is never allowed to lie fallow.

Parauti is land left out of cultivation for a time that it may recover its strength.

Chachar is land that was allowed to lie fallow for three or four years.

Banjar is land uncultivated for five years and more.

Solution: a)

As the empire expanded to encompass different regions the Mughals recruited diverse bodies of people. From a small nucleus of Turkish nobles (Turanis) they expanded to include Iranians, Indian Muslims, Afghans, Rajputs, Marathas and other groups.

• Those who joined Mughal service were enrolled as mansabdars.
• The term mansabdar refers to an individual who holds a mansab, meaning a position or rank.

Mansabdars received their salaries as revenue assignments called jagirs which were somewhat like iqtas.

But unlike muqtis, most mansabdars did not actually reside in or administer their jagirs. They only had rights to the revenue of their assignments which was collected for them by their servants.

Rank and salary were determined by a numerical value called zat. The higher the zat, the more prestigious was the noble’s position in court and the larger his salary.

The mansabdar’s military responsibilities required him to maintain a specified number of sawar or cavalrymen.

The mansabdar brought his cavalrymen for review, got them registered, their horses branded and then received money to pay them as salary.

Solution: d)

Important Features of Mughal Architecture:

• Blend of Indian, Persian, and Turkish architectural style.
• Different types of buildings, such as majestic gates (entrances), forts, mausoleums, palaces, mosques, sarais, etc.
• Building material: Mostly, red sandstone and white marble were used.
• Specific features such as the Charbagh style (garden layout) of the mausoleums, pronounced bulbous domes, slender turrets at the corners, broad gateways, beautiful calligraphy, arabesque, and geometric patterns on pillars and walls, and palace halls supported on pillars.
• The arches, chhatri, and various styles of domes became hugely popular in the Indo-Islamic architecture and were further developed under the Mughals.

It became so widespread especially in north India that these can be seen further in the colonial architecture of Indo-Sarcenic style.

Solution: c)

Akbar built the city of Fatehpur Sikri which was the first planned city of the Mughals and served as his capital from 1571 to 1585.

Shah Jahan is called ‘the prince of builders’ as the Mughal architecture reached its zenith under his reign.

Overall the Mughal architecture saw a decline in the Aurangzeb’s reign.

Solution: d)

Humayun’s Tomb, also known as the precursor of the Taj Mahal was the first imposing structure of the Mughals which was built by his widow Hamida Begum and designed by Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas.

The mausoleum built upon a raised platform is a mix of Indian and Persian artistry using red sandstone and white marble.

It has a Persian Charbagh style. The tomb was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.