SSC CGL History · Free notes
Medieval India: SSC CGL History
Medieval India has 118 questions in the SSC CGL Tier I bank: 40 from the 2023 shifts, 33 from the 2024 shifts and 45 from the 2025 shifts, and 65 of them MODERATE or HARD. The 2025 shifts leaned on two topics: 17 of their 45 questions were on temples, forts and Mughal buildings, and ten on the kingdoms of 650 to 1200 CE. Most questions still ask one thing: which ruler did this, which book is whose, which department did what. Each page below is a set of tables in time order, from the struggle for Kannauj to Panipat in 1761, with the decoys SSC sets in its options.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Early Medieval Kingdoms
23 PYQsThe kingdoms of 650 to 1200 CE: the three powers that fought over Kannauj, the Pallavas and Cholas of the south, and the Rajput and Kashmir rulers of the north up to Muhammad Ghori.
Delhi Sultanate
23 PYQsThe five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate in order with the deeds of their great Sultans, and the departments, coins, markets and taxes they set up.
Vijayanagara Empire
15 PYQsVijayanagara's kings and visitors, its battle of Talikota, the titles and the people of the empire, and the Bahmani kingdom and the five Deccan sultanates that faced it.
Mughal Empire and Administration
23 PYQsBabur's battles, Humayun's fall to Sher Shah and the Afghan interlude, Akbar's court, revenue and provinces, and the later Mughals, Marathas and Rajput rulers to 1761.
Literature, Music and Travellers
14 PYQsThe chronicles and poems of medieval India with their authors, the great books on music, and the foreign travellers with the ruler each one visited.
Temple and Monument Architecture
20 PYQsThe great regional temples of Odisha, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, the forts and cities of the Sultans and Rajputs, and Mughal buildings from Humayun's Tomb to the Red Fort.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 16 reference tables · 20 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 16 reference tables · 20 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (4)
- Rashtrakutas, not Chalukyas→ Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas
- Sabha for Brahmin villages, Ur for the rest→ Pallavas and Cholas
- The Bahmanis were not southern Tamil kings→ Pallavas and Cholas
- 1192 ended Prithviraj, 1206 began the Sultanate→ Rajputs, Kashmir and Muhammad Ghori
Reference tables (2)
The Sultans and their deeds6 rows
| Sultan | Reign | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Qutbuddin Aibak | 1206 to 1210 | Founded the Slave dynastyQ |
| Raziya | 1236 to 1240 | The only woman SultanQ |
| Balban | 1266 to 1287 | Sijda and paibos; consolidationQ |
| Alauddin Khalji | 1296 to 1316 | Malik Kafur's southern campaignsQ |
| Muhammad bin Tughlaq | 1324 to 1351 | Token currency; DaulatabadQ |
| Ibrahim Lodi | Died 1526 | The last SultanQ |
Departments, coins, markets and taxes7 rows
| Term | Meaning | Linked with |
|---|---|---|
| Diwan-i-Arz | Military department | BalbanQ |
| Diwan-i-Insha | Royal correspondence | Dabir-i-KhasQ |
| Diwan-i-Amir-i-Kohi | Agriculture | Muhammad bin TughlaqQ |
| Dagh and huliya | Branding horses; roll of soldiers | Alauddin KhaljiQ |
| Sarai-i-Adl | Cloth market | Alauddin KhaljiQ |
| Tanka and jital | Silver and copper coins | IltutmishQ |
| Iqta | Revenue of a territory for service | Copied by the BahmanisQ |
Watch out for (4)
- Balban was a Slave Sultan, not a Khalji→ The Sultans and their deeds
- Tughril Khan, not Bughra Khan→ The Sultans and their deeds
- Kharaj, jizya and khums are three different taxes→ Departments, coins, markets and taxes
- The tanka was what Tughlaq replaced→ Departments, coins, markets and taxes
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (3)
- The victors at Talikota were not sacked→ Kings, visitors and Talikota
- Gajapati is Odisha's title→ Titles and people of the empire
- Bidar is Barid Shahi, Berar is Imad Shahi→ The Bahmani kingdom and the Deccan sultanates
Reference tables (2)
Watch out for (3)
- Khanwa against Sanga, Chanderi against Medini Rai→ Babur, Humayun and Sher Shah
- Bidar was never a Mughal provincial capital→ Akbar's empire and the later Mughals
- Baji Rao Ballal is Baji Rao I→ Akbar's empire and the later Mughals
Reference tables (3)
Chronicles and poems5 rows
Books on music3 rows
| Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Sangeet Ratnakara | Sharangadeva |
| Raga Tarangini | Lochana KaviQ |
| Sangeet Raj | Rana Kumbha |
Foreign travellers4 rows
Watch out for (3)
- Barani is the historian, Khusrau the poet→ Chronicles and poems
- The Natya Shastra is far older→ Books on music
- Megasthenes is 2,000 years early→ Foreign travellers
Reference tables (3)
Mughal buildings5 rows
| Building | Built by | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Humayun's Tomb | Under Humayun's widow, 1572 | First garden tomb; model for the Taj |
| Agra Fort | Akbar | Finished about 1573Q |
| Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra | Completed under Jahangir | Terraced, no central domeQ |
| Red Fort, Delhi | Shah Jahan | Finished 1648Q |
| Pietra dura made popular | Shah Jahan | Inlay of coloured stones in marbleQ |
Watch out for (3)
- Gopurams and vimanas are southern→ Temples of the regional kingdoms
- Ajmer's mosque has another name→ Sultanate and Rajput forts and cities
- Pietra dura began under Jahangir→ Mughal buildings
PYQ weightage by concept
16 concepts · 118 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
16 concepts · 118 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pallavas and Cholas | 9 | 8% |
| Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas | 8 | 7% |
| Rajputs, Kashmir and Muhammad Ghori | 6 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Sultans and their deeds | 12 | 10% |
| Departments, coins, markets and taxes | 11 | 9% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kings, visitors and Talikota | 6 | 5% |
| Titles and people of the empire | 6 | 5% |
| The Bahmani kingdom and the Deccan sultanates | 3 | 3% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Babur, Humayun and Sher Shah | 12 | 10% |
| Akbar's empire and the later Mughals | 11 | 9% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Chronicles and poems | 6 | 5% |
| Foreign travellers | 5 | 4% |
| Books on music | 3 | 3% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sultanate and Rajput forts and cities | 7 | 6% |
| Mughal buildings | 7 | 6% |
| Temples of the regional kingdoms | 6 | 5% |
Test yourself on Medieval India
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.