Author: selfstudyhistory

Bring out the essential features of the administration of Ala-ud-din Khalji. [UPSC- 1979] Ans: Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316) built the most centralised and authoritarian administration of the Delhi Sultanate. He was independent of the ulema (Muslim religious scholars) in matters of state, suppressed the nobility, kept a large standing army, carried out agrarian and revenue reforms, […]

Q. Examine the Mansab and Jagir system by Akbar and its subsequent failure in the 18th century. [UPSC- 2011] Ans: The mansabdari and jagirdari systems were the backbone of Mughal administration. Akbar gave them their mature form. Every officer held a mansab, a numbered rank fixing his status, pay and military obligations, and was usually […]

Q. What was the contribution of the Mughals to the development of education and literature? [UPSC- 1984] Ans: The Mughals (1526–1707) were highly cultured rulers and patrons of learning. They supported schools and colleges (maktabs and madrasas), gave land grants to scholars, built libraries and set up a translation bureau. Akbar also reformed the madrasa […]

Q. Analyze the influence of Persian traditions on the development of architecture and painting under the Mughals. To what extent did these art forms reflect a synthesis of Indian and Persian cultural elements? Discuss. [UPSC- 2026] Ans: The Mughals brought to India the Persian and Timurid artistic traditions of Herat, Samarqand and Safavid Iran. In […]

Q. Discuss the causes of the rise and growth of regional kingdoms with special reference to Deccan in the 18th century. [UPSC- 2011] Ans: After Aurangzeb’s death (1707), the Mughal Empire fragmented into a number of regional kingdoms. Their rise had two sources. Some causes were negative: the Mughal centre declined through succession wars, factional […]

Q. What impact did Kabir and Nanak leave on Indian Society and Culture? [UPSC- 2003] Ans: Kabir (c. 1440–1518), a weaver of Banaras, and Guru Nanak (1469–1539), born at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib) in Punjab, were the leading voices of the nirguna bhakti (or sant) tradition, which worshipped a God without form. Both taught devotion to […]

Q. What European features were incorporated in the Mughal school of paintings? Did it absolve the traditional Persian influences of the Mughal paintings? Evaluate. [UPSC- 2026] Ans: From the 1580s, European art reached the Mughal court through Jesuit missionaries, traders and ambassadors. Mughal painters took up perspective, shading, naturalistic portraiture, Christian imagery and European symbols. […]

Q. Trace the formulation of the Mughal imperial authority from Akbar to Aurangzeb. Focus on the influence of Persian ideas of kingship in the construction of Mughal royalty. [UPSC- 2026] Ans: Mughal imperial authority was built not only through conquest and administration but also through an ideology of kingship. Much of that ideology came from […]

Q. “The relations of the Native States, however conducted are essentially relations with the British Crown and not with the Indian Government.” Comment. [UPSC- 1991] Ans: The statement sums up the view of the Indian States Committee (Butler Committee, 1928–29), chaired by Sir Harcourt Butler. The princes’ counsel, Sir Leslie Scott, argued the same case […]

Q. “The tensions between cultural revivalism and modernization shaped the trajectory of the socio-religious reform movements in 19th century India.” Discuss. [UPSC- 2025] Ans: The 19th-century socio-religious reform movements were Indian responses to colonial rule, Western education, Christian missionary criticism and the Orientalist rediscovery of India’s past. Two impulses pulled at them. The modernising impulse […]