Chapter Overview

The Delhi Sultanate (दिल्ली सल्तनत) ruled much of north India, and for a time large parts of the Deccan, from 1206 to 1526 under five dynasties: Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi. It began with Muhammad Ghori’s victory at Tarain (1192) and ended with Babur’s victory at Panipat (1526). In between, it built a centralised military state on the iqta system, fought off the Mongols, and introduced the true arch and dome to Indian architecture.

Prelims tests it through “which Sultan did what”, chronological ordering, department–function and author–book matching, and architectural “firsts”. Mains asks you to evaluate rulers (Iltutmish, Balban, Alauddin, Muhammad bin Tughlaq), explain the iqta system and the decline, and describe Indo-Islamic architecture.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Name the five dynasties with their founding years and the key rulers of each
Explain why Iltutmish is called the real founder and how Balban restored royal authority
Describe Alauddin Khalji’s conquests, Mongol defence and his revenue, market and army reforms as one system
Evaluate Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s five experiments and Firuz Shah’s welfare measures
Explain the iqta system, the central ministries and the main taxes (kharaj, jizya, khams, zakat)
Identify the signature monuments and “firsts” of Indo-Islamic architecture and the main Persian chroniclers
Link the period to Chhattisgarh: the Kalachuris, the Phani Nagavanshis and the Kakatiya kingdom of Bastar (c. 1324)

Prerequisites

Early Medieval India: the Rajput and regional kingdoms the Sultanate confronted
Kalachuris of Ratanpur and Raipur: Chhattisgarh’s own rulers during these centuries

Learning Path

Follow the topics in this order:

graph TD
    A["1. Mamluks and Khaljis
Tarain to 1320: Aibak, Iltutmish,
Raziya, Balban, Alauddin"] --> B["2. Tughlaqs, Sayyids, Lodis
1320 to 1526: experiments,
Firuz, Timur, Panipat"]
    B --> C["3. Administration
Ministries, iqta, taxes,
market control, army"]
    C --> D["4. Art, Architecture, Literature
Qutb complex to Lodi tombs,
Khusrau, Barani"]
    D --> E["5. Quick Revision
One-page sheet"]
    E --> F["Next chapter:
Bhakti and Sufi Movements"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers
1	Foundation, Mamluks and Khaljis (1192–1320)	Tarain and Chandawar; Aibak, Iltutmish, Raziya, Balban’s kingship; the Khalji Revolution; Alauddin’s conquests and Malik Kafur’s southern campaigns
2	Tughlaqs, Sayyids and Lodis (1320–1526)	Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s five experiments, Ibn Battuta, breakaway states, Firuz Shah, Timur (1398), Sayyids, Lodis, Panipat; causes of decline; the Bastar link
3	Administration, Revenue and Military	Nature of the state, ministries and special departments, iqta and khalisa, taxes, Alauddin’s market and army reforms
4	Art, Architecture and Literature	True arch and dome; Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq and Lodi buildings; Persian chroniclers; Amir Khusrau
—	Quick Revision	Every dynasty, date, department, tax, monument and book on one page

Where It Is Asked

Paper	What to expect
Prelims P-I (Part 1, India GS)	Ruler–measure matching (Iltutmish’s tanka, Balban’s sijda, Alauddin’s dagh, Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s token currency, Firuz’s canals); chronological ordering; department and tax meanings; monument “firsts”; author–book pairs
Mains P-III (GS-I), History of India	Short answers (iqta, Amir Khusrau, Alai Darwaza, token currency) and longer analytical answers (Iltutmish as founder, Balban’s kingship, Alauddin’s market reforms, Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s projects, decline of the Sultanate, features of Indo-Islamic architecture)

Exam focus

High-yield: the five dynasty dates (1206, 1290, 1320, 1414, 1451, 1526); Iltutmish’s investiture (1229); Alauddin’s reforms; token currency (1329–30); Firuz Shah’s departments; Sultan Garhi, Balban’s tomb, Alai Darwaza and Sikandar Lodi’s tomb as “firsts”.
Common mistakes: crediting Balban with creating the Forty (Iltutmish did); calling Alauddin’s southern policy annexation (it was tribute); saying Firuz exempted Brahmins from jizya (he imposed it).
Chhattisgarh angle for Mains: the region stayed outside lasting Sultanate rule; the Kakatiya kingdom of Bastar traces itself to Annamdev after the fall of Warangal (1323); the Madwa Mahal (1349) shows temple building continuing.

Quick Reference: The Five Dynasties

Dynasty	Years	Founder	Rulers to know	Signature facts
Mamluk	1206–1290	Qutbuddin Aibak	Iltutmish, Raziya, Nasiruddin Mahmud, Balban	Delhi capital; tanka and jital; the Forty; Zil-i-Ilahi; Qutb Minar
Khalji	1290–1320	Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji	Alauddin	Southern campaigns; market control; dagh and huliya; Alai Darwaza
Tughlaq	1320–1414	Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq	Muhammad bin Tughlaq, Firuz Shah	Warangal annexed 1323; Daulatabad; token currency; canals; Timur 1398
Sayyid	1414–1451	Khizr Khan	Mubarak Shah, Alam Shah	Rayat-i-Ala; Timurid suzerainty; small territory
Lodi	1451–1526	Bahlul Lodi	Sikandar, Ibrahim	First Afghans; Agra; Gaz-i-Sikandari; Panipat 1526

Start Learning

Begin with the first topic:

→ Foundation, Mamluks and Khaljis (1192–1320)