Medieval History

After the Mauryan rule Pushyamitra, the founder of the Sunga dynasty established his rule. The Sungas ruled for over a hundred years. The extent of the Sunga kingdom under Pushyamitra extended from Punjab and extended to the southern regions of the Narmada. The Sunga dynasty had a line of ten rulers. The last of the Sunga king was Devabhuti.

Zagir was a piece of land held by the mansabdar which was granted by the Sultan. Mansabdars were given control over an area of land, a ‘Zagir’ whose revenue was to be used for maintaining troops; if not given a ‘Zagir’ they were paid in cash through a complicated accounting system, with deductions for various things including ‘the rising of the moon’;

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 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.

Tavernier gives a detailed and vivid description of the “Peacock Throne” in his book Le Six Voyages de J. B. Tavernier- The Six Voyages of J. B. Tavernier. It was during Tavernier’s sixth voyage to India, which he undertook between 1663 and 1668, he had the privilege of visiting the court of the great Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, at Jahanabad, at the invitation of the Emperor himself.

In the Diwan-i-Aam or the Hall of Public Audiences of the Red Fort in Delhi, the emperor, seated in a canopied alcove, would hear complaints and pleas of the commoners through a jharokha (balcony).

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Meerabai was an aristocratic Hindu mystical singer and devotee of Lord Krishna from Rajasthan and one of the most significant figures of the Sant tradition of the Vaishnava bhakti movement. Some 1,200– 1,300 prayerful songs or bhajans attributed to her are popular throughout India and have been published in several translations worldwide.

The term Sayyid Brothers refers to Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha and Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha who were powerful Army generals of the Mughal Empire during the early 18th century. They became highly influential in the Mughal Court after Aurangzeb's death.

The city of Gulbarga was founded by the Bahmani Sultans in the 14th century as their capital. It remained the capital of the Bahamani Saltanate from 1347 to 1425 when Bidar was made the capital. Bidar continued as the capital till 1527.

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The Battle of the Hydaspes was fought in 326 BC between Alexander the Great and King Porus of the Paurava kingdom on the banks of the river Jhelum (known to the Greeks as Hydaspes) in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent (modern-day Punjab, Pakistan).

During Kanishka's reign, the centre of political activity shifted from Magadha to Purushapura (Peshawar).

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