Here is Question No. 57 a part of our series on UPSC Prelims 2022.
Q57. With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:
- The first Mongol invasion of India happened during the reign of Jalal-ud-din Khalji.
- During the reign of Ala-ud-din Khalji, one Mongol assault marched up to Delhi and besieged the city.
- Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq temporarily lost portions of the north-west of his kingdom to Mongols.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 and 2
b) 2 only
c) 1 and 3
d) 3 only
Answer – b
- Statement 1 is incorrect: The first Mongol invasion of India took place in the reign of Sultan Shams-ud-din lltutmish. Changez Khan reached Indus during the reign of Iltutmish in 1221 AD, chasing the Khwarizmi prince Jalaluddin.
- Statement 2 is correct: The Mongols attacked at the worst time possible for Alauddin Khilji – when he was busy laying siege to Chittor. This time the Mongols traveled light. An army of 12,000 under Targhi’s leadership moved to Delhi in a swift attack; many governors could not send their troops to Delhi in time. Alauddin Khilji was forced to retreat to Siri for about two months. The Mongols attacked and pillaged not only the surrounding areas but Delhi itself. Alauddin Khilji continued to hold the fortress at Siri; Targhi withdrew the siege after a few months and left the area. Barani, a contemporary historian at that time, attributed this “marvel” to the prayers of the Sufi mystic Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya.
- Statement 3 is incorrect: Mongols did not annex the northwest part of the kingdom of Muhammadbin-Tughlaq. The next major Mongol invasion took place after the Khiljis had been replaced by the Tughlaq dynasty in the Sultanate. In 1327 the Chagatai Mongols under Tarmashirin, who had sent envoys to Delhi to negotiate peace the previous year, sacked the frontier towns of Lamghan and Multan and besieged Delhi. The Tughlaq ruler paid a large ransom to spare his Sultanate from further ravages. Muhammad bin Tughluq asked the Ilkhan Abu Sa’id to form an alliance against Tarmashirin, who had invaded Khorasan, but an attack didn’t materialize. Tarmashirin was a Buddhist who later converted to Islam. Religious tensions in the Chagatai Khanate was a divisive factor among the Mongols.
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