In Shivaji’s Council of Ministers the Prime Minister was called
(a) Peshwa
(b) Sachiv
(c) Mantri
(d) Samanta
Solution: (a)
A Peshwa was the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emperor Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. The word Peshwa has roots in the Persian language meaning ‘foremost’. After the coronation of Shivaji in 1674, he appointed Moropant Trimbak Pingle as the first Peshwa.
The most important Sufi shrine in India is at
(a) Pandua
(b) Bidar
(c) Ajmer
(d) Shahjahanabad
Solution: (c)
Ajmer is famous for the Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti which is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, and consists of several white marble buildings arranged around two courtyards, including a massive gate donated by the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Akbari Mosque, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It contains the domed tomb of the saint. Akbar and his queen used to come here by foot on pilgrimage from Agra every year in observance of a vow when he prayed for a son.
Which of the following aspects is not common to both Bhakti movement and Sufi movement?
(a) Personal love for God
(b) Worship of idols
(c) Mysticism
(d) Visit to holy shrines
Solution: (b)
The Bhakti Movement stressed on the mystical union of the individual with God. The sufi movement laid great emphasis on love and devotion as the bond between God and the individual soul. The stress was on direct communion with God and forsaking dogmatic rituals.
Mughal presence in the Red Ford ceased with the fall of
(a) Aurangzeb
(b) Muhammad Shah
(c) Shah Alam
(d) Bahadur Shah ‘Zafar’
Solution: (d)
The Red Fort is a 17th century fort complex constructed by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in the walled city of Old Delhi (in present day Delhi, India) that served as the residence of the Mughal Emperors. It served as the capital of the Mughals until 1857, when Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British Indian government.
Who was the greatest Bhakti poet of Maharasthra?
(a) Ramdas
(b) Tukaram
(c) Namdeva
(d) Eknath
Solution: (b)
Saint Tukaram (1608–1645) was a prominent Varkari Sant (Saint) and spiritual poet during a Bhakti movement in India. Dilip Purushottam Chitre, a well known Marathi Scholar, identifies Tukaram as the first modern poet of Marathi. Chitre believes that Tukaram was the second saint after Sant Dnyaneshwar who denied caste hierarchy in Hindu religion and attacked rituals present in Hindu Dharma.
Goa was captured by the Portuguese in the year—
(a) 1508
(b) 1608
(c) 1510
(d) 1610
Solution: (c)
The Portuguese State of India was established in 1505 as a viceroyalty of the Kingdom of Portugal, six years after the discovery of a sea route between Portugal and India, to serve as the plenipotentiary governing body of a string of Portuguese fortresses and colonies overseas. In the year 1509, Alfonso de Albuquerque was appointed the second governor of the Portuguese possessions in the East. In 1510, Alfonso de Albuquerque defeated the Bijapur sultans with the help of Timayya, on behalf of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire, leading to the establishment of a permanent settlement in Velha Goa (or Old Goa).
Which was the birth place of Guru Nanak?
(a) Gurdaspur
(b) Amritsar
(c) Lahore
(d) Talwandi
Solution: (d)
Guru Nanak was the founder of the religion of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak was born on 15 April 1469, now celebrated as Prakash Divas of Guru Nanak Dev, into a Hindu Khatri family in the village of Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, Pakistan. Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan.
The medieval city of Vijayanagar is now known as
(a) Chandragiri
(b) Halebidu
(c) Hampi
(d) Kondavidu
Solution: (c)
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India. The name translates as ‘City of Victory’, from vijaya (victory) and nagara (city). As the prosperous capital of the largest and most powerful kingdom of its time in all of India, Vijayanagara attracted people from all around the world.
The Khilji Sultans of Delhi were
(a) Mongols
(b) Afghans
(c) Turks
(d) A Jat tribe
Solution: (c)
The Khilji dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Turkic Khalaj origin. The Khiljis ruled large parts of South Asia between 1290 and 1320. They were the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate of India. Led by their ruler, Ala-ud-din Khilji, they are noted for having repeatedly defended India against the Mongol invasions of India.
The Qutub Minar was completed by the famous ruler
(a) Qutub-ud-din Aibak
(b) Iltutmish
(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
(d) Alauddin Khilji
Solution: (b)
The construction of Qutb Minar was begun by Qutub-ud-din Aibak in 1192 and was completed by Iltutmish. The soaring conical tower is an exquisite example of Indo-Islamic Afghan architecture. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Delhi.
