1. The Battle of Talikota (Bannihatti), in which Vijayanagara was crushed by the combined Deccan states, was fought in which year?
2. Which fertile tract was claimed by both Ahmadnagar and Bijapur, and remained a persistent bone of contention between them?
3. Ahmadnagar sought to annex which northern territory, in addition to contesting Bidar?
4. Consider the following statements regarding the Deccani states before the Mughal advance:
(I) Ahmadnagar and Bijapur agreed that Bijapur would expand against Vijayanagara while Ahmadnagar overran Berar
(II) Golconda sought to extend its territory at the cost of Vijayanagara
(III) Gujarat's rulers actively aided Ahmadnagar against Berar
Which of the above is/are correct?
5. Which ruler of Bijapur, who ascended the throne in 1535, is credited with actively winning over the Marathas by entertaining a large body of Maratha bargis and favouring them in revenue administration?
6. The title of Peshwa was accorded to which Brahman by the rulers of Ahmadnagar?
7. The Mughal conquest of Gujarat, which created a new situation for potential Mughal advance into the Deccan, took place in which year?
8. In which year did a Mughal army first invade Khandesh and compel its ruler to submit?
9. For how many years did Akbar remain at Lahore watching the northwestern situation, during which Deccan affairs deteriorated?
10. Which Deccani state adopted Shiism as its state creed?
11. The concept of sulh-kul was put forward by Akbar largely out of apprehension that which phenomenon prevailing in the Deccani states would spill over into the Mughal empire?
12. Saiyid Muhammad, who proclaimed himself the Mahdi and established dairas across India including the Deccan, was born at which town?
13. In 1591, Akbar sent embassies to all the Deccani states inviting them to accept Mughal suzerainty. Which was the only state to accept this demand?
14. Consider the following statements on the succession crisis in Ahmadnagar after 1595:
(I) Burhan Nizam Shah died in 1595, triggering factional fighting among the Nizam Shahi nobles
(II) Bahadur, son of the deceased ruler, had the strongest claim to the throne
(III) Chand Bibi was the sister of Burhan and widow of a former ruler of Bijapur
Which of the above is/are correct?
15. The Mughal invasion of Ahmadnagar in 1595–96 was jointly led by prince Murad and which other commander?
16. By the 1596 agreement ending the first siege of Ahmadnagar, which territory was ceded to the Mughals in return for their recognition of Bahadur's claim?
17. Chand Bibi, who had played a valiant role in defending Ahmadnagar, ultimately met her end when she was
18. The city and fort of Ahmadnagar were captured by the Mughals, and the boy-king Bahadur Nizam Shah was sent to the fortress of Gwaliyar, in which year?
19. The fort of Asirgarh in Khandesh, reputed to be the strongest fort in the Deccan, surrendered to Akbar after a tight siege in which year?
20. Prince Daniyal died in 1602 shortly after his marriage to the daughter of which ruler?
21. Malik Ambar, the Abyssinian noble who rose to prominence in Ahmadnagar, was originally sold as a slave in the market of which city?
22. After the fall of Ahmadnagar, Malik Ambar set up a Nizam Shahi prince as Murtaza Nizam Shah II while assuming for himself the title of
23. Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan inflicted a crushing defeat on Malik Ambar in 1601 at which place in Telengana?
24. Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur granted Malik Ambar the powerful fort of Qandahar in Telengana for storing his treasures and provisions, and also lent him a body of horsemen numbering
25. The marriage alliance cementing the treaty between Bijapur and Malik Ambar, celebrated with great rejoicing including about Rs 80,000 spent on fireworks, took place in which year?
26. In 1616, Khan-i-Khanan, aided by Maratha sardars such as Jagdev Rai and Udaji Ram, inflicted a crushing defeat on the combined forces of Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda, after which the Mughals occupied and burnt which Nizam Shahi capital?
27. Jahangir sent a grand army under which prince, moving himself to Mandu, to press Malik Ambar into submission in 1618?
28. Following renewed Deccani resistance after 1618, Malik Ambar was forced to restore Mughal territories and cede an additional area, while the Deccani states paid an indemnity of
29. In administering the Nizam Shahi state, Malik Ambar abolished the ijara system of land revenue and introduced which system, modelled on Todar Mal's reforms?
30. Malik Ambar died in 1626 at the age of
31. Shahji Bhonsale, father of Shivaji, defected to the Mughal side and was granted a mansab of 5000 along with jagirs in which region?
32. In 1632, which son of Malik Ambar, after being appointed Peshwa, murdered the Nizam Shah and secretly negotiated with Shah Jahan, reading the khutba and striking the sikka in the Mughal emperor's name?
33. The Nizam Shahi dynasty of Ahmadnagar was finally extinguished when Mahabat Khan forced the surrender of which fort in 1633?
34. Under the 1636 treaty between Shah Jahan and Bijapur, the Adil Shah agreed to recognise Mughal suzerainty and pay an indemnity of
35. Consider the following statements on the 1636 treaty between Shah Jahan and Golconda:
(I) The Qutb Shah agreed to exclude the Iranian emperor's name from the khutba
(II) Golconda was required to pay an annual tribute of two lakh huns to the Mughal emperor
(III) This tribute replaced an earlier annual payment of four lakh huns that Golconda had been paying to Bijapur
Which of the above is/are correct?
36. In the territorial conquests of the Karnataka region undertaken by Bijapur and Golconda after 1636, the spoils were divided between them in what proportion?
37. The developments of rising Mughal-Deccan tension came to a head in 1656 following the death of Muhammad Adil Shah and the arrival of which prince as Mughal viceroy of the Deccan?
38. Which ruler of Bijapur (d. 1580) was known for holding discussions with Hindu and Muslim saints, was called a Sufi, and invited Catholic missionaries to his court even before Akbar did so?
39. Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur, who ascended the throne at the age of nine, earned the title "abla baba" for his solicitude towards the poor, and was also known by which honorific reflecting his broad, tolerant religious approach?
40. Ibrahim Adil Shah II composed a book called Kitab-i-Nauras, in which songs were set to various ragas, and freely invoked which goddess of music and learning?
41. Ibrahim Adil Shah II extended patronage to Pandharpur, a centre associated with the worship of which deity, which became a hub of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra?
42. Under Ibrahim Qutb Shah (d. 1580), which figure rose to the position of Peshwa in Golconda, second only to the Mir Jumla or wazir?
43. Consider the following statements about Golconda administration:
(I) From 1672 until Mughal absorption in 1687, its administrative and military affairs were dominated by the brothers Madanna and Akkanna
(II) The Nayakwaris formed a military-cum-landed element that remained influential since the dynasty's foundation
Which of the above is/are correct?
44. Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, a contemporary of Akbar and a noted poet, wrote his diwan in Persian, Telugu and which other language, in which he was the first to introduce a secular note?
45. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah's most famous architectural work, completed in 1591–92 at the centre of his newly founded city of Hyderabad, is the
46. Nusrati, the poet laureate who flourished during the middle of the seventeenth century and wrote a romantic tale of Prince Manohar of Kanak Nagar and Madhu Malati, composed at which Deccani court?
47. Consider the following pairs of Bijapuri monuments and their descriptions:
(I) Ibrahim Rauza – mausoleum built for Ibrahim Adil Shah
(II) Gol Gumbaz – built in 1660, has the largest single dome ever constructed
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
48. Based on the chronology of major events in the Deccan between 1565 and 1656, in which year did the Nizam Shahi dynasty formally come to an end with the fall of Daulatabad?
49. Besides their claims over Bidar and Berar, Bijapur and Golconda clashed over the possession of which fort/tract?
50. Consider the following statements on Deccani factional politics in the late sixteenth century:
(I) Among the Deccanis, the Habshis and Afghans formed separate factional groups
(II) Hostility existed between the Deccanis and newcomers, referred to as afaqis or gharibs
Which of the above is/are correct?
51. Akbar's apprehension about the growing power of the Portuguese was heightened by their interference in pilgrim traffic bound for
52. A Portuguese attempt to seize which port city was thwarted by the timely arrival of a Mughal commander?
53. Prince Murad, who led the 1595–96 Mughal invasion of Ahmadnagar along with Khan-i-Khanan, held which governorship at the time?
54. Chand Bibi, besides being Burhan Nizam Shah's sister, was the widow of a former ruler of Bijapur who stood in which relation to Ibrahim Adil Shah II?
55. Malik Ambar, before returning to Ahmadnagar and enrolling in the Habshi party opposed to Chand Bibi, had first gone to try his fortune at which court?
56. By what year had all the gains made by Akbar in the Deccan been lost, as Malik Ambar forced Khan-i-Khanan to retreat to Burhanpur?
57. In his Memoirs, Jahangir described the Marathas as a hardy lot who were the centre of what, in the Deccan?
58. Which Mughal noble was deputed by Shah Jahan against the Nizam Shah, failed in the enterprise, was recalled, and subsequently rebelled and joined the Nizam Shah?
59. To isolate Ahmadnagar diplomatically, Shah Jahan offered to cede to Bijapur roughly what proportion of the Ahmadnagar state in exchange for cooperation against it?
60. Jadhav Rao, a prominent Maratha noble in Nizam Shahi service, was treacherously murdered on a charge of conspiring with the Mughals, prompting the defection of which relation to the Mughal side?
61. After Fath Khan surrendered to the Mughals in 1632, Shah Jahan transferred to him the jagir previously held around Poona by Shahji, an act that caused Shahji to
62. Following the surrender of Fath Khan, Shah Jahan appointed whom as Mughal viceroy of the Deccan before returning to Agra?
63. Facing combined opposition from Bijapur and local Nizam Shahi nobles, Mahabat Khan lost control of the fort of Parenda, which surrendered to
64. Bijapur sent a large army to aid in the surrender and provisioning of Daulatabad, commanded by Randaula Khan and which other commander?
65. Following Ambar's earlier precedent, after the fall of Daulatabad in 1633, Shahji raised a Nizam Shahi prince as ruler and, aided by Bijapur, swelled his own force to approximately how many horsemen?
66. Consider the following statements on the 1636 treaty between Shah Jahan and Bijapur:
(I) The Adil Shah agreed not to interfere in the affairs of Golconda, which was brought under Mughal protection
(II) Any future dispute between Bijapur and Golconda was to be referred to the Mughal emperor for arbitration
(III) The Adil Shah agreed to help reduce Shahji to submission and, if he entered Bijapuri service, to post him away from the Mughal frontier
Which of the above is/are correct?
67. Under the 1636 treaty, in return for the concessions granted, the Mughals ceded to Bijapur Ahmadnagar territory worth approximately how many lakh huns annually?
68. Which Maratha families, apart from old established houses, rose to prominence in Bijapur as a result of Ibrahim Adil Shah's policy of favouring the Marathas?
69. In the Deccan, powerful Maratha zamindars who had risen in Bahmani service, such as the More, Nimbalkar and Ghatge families, were locally known by which term?
70. Before Mahabat Khan's final success, Bijapur had also offered a large sum of money to Fath Khan in an unsuccessful bid to secure which fort?
71. As descendants of the old Bahmani rulers, the Nizam Shahis of Ahmadnagar claimed a hegemonistic position in the Deccan; this territorial claim was contested by Bijapur and also by the rulers of which region?
72. In a hard-fought battle in 1597 over Berar, the Mughals defeated a combined Deccani force that outnumbered them by roughly what proportion?
73. After the Bijapuri and Golconda forces withdrew following their 1597 defeat at Berar, who was left alone to face renewed Mughal pressure at Ahmadnagar?
74. Consider the following statements on the Deccan campaigns of Bijapur and Golconda in the Karnataka region after 1636:
(I) The territory was ruled by several petty principalities, including the Nayaks of Tanjore, Jinji and Madurai
(II) These Nayaks owed nominal allegiance to the Rayal, the former ruler of Vijayanagara
Which of the above is/are correct?
75. During whose reign did painting reach a high state of development among the Deccan states?
76. The Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur, with its harmoniously proportioned dome balanced by tall corner minarets, is noted for which distinctive acoustic feature?
77. Jahangir sent prince Parvez to the Deccan with a large army against Malik Ambar, but Parvez was unable to meet the challenge and had to conclude what kind of peace with Ambar?
78. As a reward for murdering the Nizam Shah and submitting to Shah Jahan in 1632, Fath Khan was taken into Mughal service and given the jagir around which town, previously held by Shahji?
79. On his march to study the Deccan situation, Akbar advanced into Malwa and then Khandesh, where he learnt that the new ruler of Khandesh had failed to show due respect to which prince passing through his territory?
80. Consider the following statements on the settlement following the first Mughal siege of Ahmadnagar in 1600:
(I) A Mughal garrison was stationed at Ahmadnagar
(II) Balaghat was added to the Mughal empire in the same year
Which of the above is/are correct?
81. Chand Bibi, before the Mughal invasion of Ahmadnagar, had virtually ruled Bijapur for almost how many years when Ibrahim Adil Shah II was a minor?
82. The Maratha troopers employed as loose auxiliaries in the Deccani armies, skilled in rapid movement and cutting off enemy supplies, were commonly known as
83. During his campaign for the recovery of Sholapur, Malik Ambar burnt Nauraspur, the new capital built by Ibrahim Adil Shah II, forcing him to flee for shelter to the fort; this episode is regarded as
84. After 1622, Malik Ambar was able to recover many territories earlier ceded to the Mughals, taking advantage of turmoil in the Deccan caused by the rebellion of which prince against Jahangir?
85. Consider the following statements on Shah Jahan's background in Deccan affairs before his accession:
(I) He had commanded two expeditions to the Deccan as a prince
(II) He had spent a considerable period in the Deccan during his rebellion against his father, Jahangir
Which of the above is/are correct?
86. Which Sanskrit scholar was appointed by Ali Adil Shah to his library at the Bijapur court?
87. The growth of Dakhini Urdu as a literary language in the Deccan states was significant because it later spread to north India in which century?
88. Consider the following statements on the development of Dakhini Urdu literature in the Deccan:
(I) Writers drew on Hindi and Telugu for forms, idioms, themes and vocabulary, in addition to Persian
(II) Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah was the first to introduce a secular note in this poetry, writing also about nature, love and social life
Which of the above is/are correct?
89. Shah Jahan sent to the Adil Shah a solemn document guaranteeing that the terms of the 1636 treaty would never be violated; this farman was distinctively impressed with what mark?
90. Consider the following statements on the spread of Sufi and learned figures into the Deccan:
(I) After the decline of the Delhi Sultanat, many Sufi saints and persons in search of employment migrated to the court of the Bahmani rulers
(II) The conquest of the Deccan by the Tughlaqs had earlier improved communications between north and south India
Which of the above is/are correct?
