CDS History · Medieval India
The Mughals and the Marathas
Mughal kingship and the mansab system, the books and paintings of the Mughal court, Shivaji's rise and rule, and the later Mughals and Awadh in the 18th century.
Why this matters
Sixteen CDS questions, fourteen of them HARD: the hardest page of the chapter. They ask who wrote, painted or translated a named work, and the options are other real names from the same court, so learn each work with its author.
Concept 1 of 3: Emperors, kingship and the mansab
The Mughals ruled through an idea and a system. The idea: the king receives a divine light from God. The system: every officer held a numbered rank, the mansab, that fixed his pay and the soldiers he kept.
Definition
- Babur (1526 to 1530) followed the Naqshbandi shaikh Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar, and put one of Ahrar's works into Turkish verse.
- Abul Fazl described Akbar's kingship as resting on farr-i izadi, a light passed from God to the king. The idea was first developed by the Iranian Sufi Shihabuddin Suhrawardi (died 1191).
- Akbar's policy was sulh-i kul, peace with all. By a farman of 1598 he allowed the Jesuits to build a church at Cambay (Khambhat).
- Mansab ranks: zat fixed a mansabdar's position and salary; sawar fixed the number of horsemen he had to keep. In the 17th century, holders of a zat of 1,000 or more were the nobles (umara).
- Muqarrab Khan, a physician and noble, was a favourite of Jahangir (1605 to 1627).
| Emperor | Reign | Fact asked |
|---|---|---|
| Babur | 1526 to 1530 | Follower of the Naqshbandi Khwaja Ubaydullah AhrarQ |
| Akbar | 1556 to 1605 | Kingship as farr-i izadi, an idea from Shihabuddin SuhrawardiQ CDS 2018 (I): Suhrawardi, not Ibn al-Arabi or Nizamuddin Auliya. |
| Akbar | 1598 | Farman allowing a church at CambayQ |
| Akbar onward | 16th and 17th centuries | Zat fixes rank and pay; sawar fixes horsemen; umara at zat 1,000 or moreQ CDS 2020 (I): the nobility line rests on zat, not sawar. |
| Jahangir | 1605 to 1627 | Muqarrab Khan was his favouriteQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2018 · CDS (I) 2018 — General Knowledge · Q96Hard
Example 1 · Medieval India · The Mughals and the Marathas
The idea of 'Farr-i Izadi', on which the Mughal kingship was based, was first developed by which one of the following Sufi saints?
Nobles by zat, not sawar
A statement that mansabdars with 1,000 or more sawar were the umara is false. The line was a zat of 1,000 or more.
Suhrawardi's light, not Ibn al-Arabi's
Farr-i izadi was first developed by Shihabuddin Suhrawardi. Ibn al-Arabi is known for a different idea, the unity of being, and is the usual distractor.
Concept 2 of 3: Books and painting at the Mughal court
The Mughal court was a workshop of books. Historians wrote the reign, translators turned Sanskrit works into Persian, and painters, first brought from Persia by Humayun, illustrated it all.
Definition
- Humayun brought Persian painters to his court, among them Mir Sayyid Ali, Abd al-Samad and Dost Musawwir. Bihzad, the great master of Herat, never worked for him.
- Histories of Akbar's reign: Tarikh-i-Akbari by Arif Qandahari, Tabaqat-i-Akbari by Nizamuddin Ahmad, Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh by Badauni, the Akbarnama and Ain-i Akbari by Abul Fazl.
- Faizi, Abul Fazl's brother and Akbar's poet laureate, translated Bhaskaracharya's Lilavati into Persian.
- The Ain-i Akbari lists the Indian sciences a Sanskrit student should learn: Vyakarana (grammar), Nyaya, Vedanta and Patanjala.
- Under Jahangir, Abul Hasan (titled Nadir-uz-Zaman) painted the famous picture of Jahangir embracing Shah Abbas of Persia.
| Work | By | Reign |
|---|---|---|
| Paintings of Humayun's atelier | Mir Sayyid Ali, Abd al-Samad, Dost Musawwir (not Bihzad) | HumayunQ CDS 2021 (I): Bihzad was the painter NOT associated with Humayun. |
| Tarikh-i-Akbari | Arif Qandahari | AkbarQ |
| Lilavati in Persian | Faizi | AkbarQ CDS 2021 (I): Faizi, not his brother Abul Fazl. |
| Ain-i Akbari's Indian sciences | Abul Fazl lists Vyakarana, Nyaya, Vedanta, Patanjala | AkbarQ CDS 2025 (I): Vyakarana is on the list; Ayurveda, Ganita and Jyotisha are not. |
| Jahangir embracing Shah Abbas | Abul Hasan | JahangirQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2021 · CDS (I) 2021 — General Knowledge · Q62Hard
Example 2 · Medieval India · The Mughals and the Marathas
Which one of the following scholars of Akbar's court translated Bhaskaracharya's Lilavati into Persian ?
Bihzad never painted for Humayun
Bihzad was the famous master of Herat, a generation earlier. Humayun's painters were Mir Sayyid Ali, Abd al-Samad and Dost Musawwir.
Faizi translated, Abul Fazl chronicled
The two brothers sit side by side in the options. Faizi, the poet, translated the Lilavati; Abul Fazl wrote the Akbarnama and the Ain-i Akbari.
Concept 3 of 3: Shivaji, the Marathas and the later Mughals
In the 17th century Shivaji built a Maratha kingdom fort by fort, against Bijapur and the Mughals. After Aurangzeb died in 1707, Mughal emperors became puppets of powerful nobles, and governors such as those of Awadh became rulers in their own right.
Definition
- Shivaji's rise in order: captured Torna (about 1646), annexed Javli (1656), killed Afzal Khan (1659), raided Shaista Khan at Poona (1663), crowned at Raigad (1674).
- At the coronation the council of eight ministers, the Ashta Pradhan, was completed with set duties. Shivaji used Marathi in place of Persian and had Sanskrit terms coined for government.
- He sent an envoy to the English at Bombay, seeking help against the Siddis of Danda-Rajpuri (Janjira) and a supply of grenades, mortars and ammunition.
- In Maratha villages, mirasdars held hereditary rights in land, while uparis were tenants who farmed without those rights.
- The Sayyid brothers were 'kingmakers': they overthrew Jahandar Shah (who had been raised by Zulfiqar Khan), put Farrukhsiyar on the throne in 1713, followed a tolerant policy (they abolished the jizya) and made an agreement with Shahu in 1719.
- Awadh: Saadat Khan founded the line as Nawab; his successor Safdarjung became wazir of the empire in 1748, the first Nawab Wazir.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| About 1646 | Shivaji captures Torna |
| 1656 | Annexation of Javli |
| 1659 | Afzal Khan killed at Pratapgarh |
| 1663 | Night raid on Shaista Khan at PoonaQ CDS 2023 (II): the order is Torna, Javli, Afzal Khan, Shaista Khan. |
| 1674 | Coronation; Ashta Pradhan completed; Marathi in place of PersianQ |
| 1713 | Sayyid brothers overthrow Jahandar Shah and enthrone FarrukhsiyarQ CDS 2017 (II): the Sayyids did NOT bring Jahandar Shah to power. |
| 1719 | Sayyid brothers' agreement with Shahu |
| 1748 | Safdarjung becomes wazir: the first Nawab Wazir of AwadhQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (II) 2023 — General Knowledge · Q50Hard
Example 3 · Medieval India · The Mughals and the Marathas
Arrange the following events associated with Shivaji in chronological order :
1. Attack on Afzal Khan
2. Capture of Torna
3. Attack on Shaista Khan
4. Annexation of Javli
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Nawab first, Nawab Wazir second
Saadat Khan founded Awadh's line as Nawab. The title Nawab Wazir began with Safdarjung, who became wazir of the empire. Read which title the stem asks for.
Mirasdar owns, upari rents
A mirasdar held a hereditary right in his land; an upari was a tenant without it. Neither word means a soldier or a village headman.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Emperors, kingship and the mansab5 rows
| Emperor | Reign | Fact asked |
|---|---|---|
| Babur | 1526 to 1530 | Follower of the Naqshbandi Khwaja Ubaydullah AhrarQ |
| Akbar | 1556 to 1605 | Kingship as farr-i izadi, an idea from Shihabuddin SuhrawardiQ CDS 2018 (I): Suhrawardi, not Ibn al-Arabi or Nizamuddin Auliya. |
| Akbar | 1598 | Farman allowing a church at CambayQ |
| Akbar onward | 16th and 17th centuries | Zat fixes rank and pay; sawar fixes horsemen; umara at zat 1,000 or moreQ CDS 2020 (I): the nobility line rests on zat, not sawar. |
| Jahangir | 1605 to 1627 | Muqarrab Khan was his favouriteQ |
Books and painting at the Mughal court5 rows
| Work | By | Reign |
|---|---|---|
| Paintings of Humayun's atelier | Mir Sayyid Ali, Abd al-Samad, Dost Musawwir (not Bihzad) | HumayunQ CDS 2021 (I): Bihzad was the painter NOT associated with Humayun. |
| Tarikh-i-Akbari | Arif Qandahari | AkbarQ |
| Lilavati in Persian | Faizi | AkbarQ CDS 2021 (I): Faizi, not his brother Abul Fazl. |
| Ain-i Akbari's Indian sciences | Abul Fazl lists Vyakarana, Nyaya, Vedanta, Patanjala | AkbarQ CDS 2025 (I): Vyakarana is on the list; Ayurveda, Ganita and Jyotisha are not. |
| Jahangir embracing Shah Abbas | Abul Hasan | JahangirQ |
Shivaji, the Marathas and the later Mughals8 rows
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| About 1646 | Shivaji captures Torna |
| 1656 | Annexation of Javli |
| 1659 | Afzal Khan killed at Pratapgarh |
| 1663 | Night raid on Shaista Khan at PoonaQ CDS 2023 (II): the order is Torna, Javli, Afzal Khan, Shaista Khan. |
| 1674 | Coronation; Ashta Pradhan completed; Marathi in place of PersianQ |
| 1713 | Sayyid brothers overthrow Jahandar Shah and enthrone FarrukhsiyarQ CDS 2017 (II): the Sayyids did NOT bring Jahandar Shah to power. |
| 1719 | Sayyid brothers' agreement with Shahu |
| 1748 | Safdarjung becomes wazir: the first Nawab Wazir of AwadhQ |
Watch out for (6)
- Nobles by zat, not sawar→ Emperors, kingship and the mansab
- Suhrawardi's light, not Ibn al-Arabi's→ Emperors, kingship and the mansab
- Bihzad never painted for Humayun→ Books and painting at the Mughal court
- Faizi translated, Abul Fazl chronicled→ Books and painting at the Mughal court
- Nawab first, Nawab Wazir second→ Shivaji, the Marathas and the later Mughals
- Mirasdar owns, upari rents→ Shivaji, the Marathas and the later Mughals
Test yourself on Medieval India
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.