Medieval Indian Art, Architecture, Literature and Music
BPSC demand
Use monument–patron–feature and author–work–language pairs. Avoid popular but doubtful invention claims in music. A reliable answer names the work, court or tradition that can be verified.
Architecture anchors
Monument/feature
Safe clue
Qutb Minar
Construction begun by Qutb al-Din Aibak and substantially continued by Iltutmish.
Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque
Early Delhi Sultanate mosque in the Qutb complex.
Alai Darwaza
Alauddin Khalji; Qutb complex.
Tughlaqabad
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq; sloping/battered walls are a key visual clue.
Hampi
Vijayanagara capital and monumental complex.
Humayun’s Tomb
Delhi; commissioned by Haji Begum; important early Mughal garden tomb.
Texts and music
Person/work
Safe clue
Minhaj-us-Siraj / Tabaqat-i Nasiri
Persian chronicle of the Delhi Sultanate.
Ziauddin Barani / Tarikh-i Firuz Shahi
Persian chronicle.
Amir Khusrau
Persian poet connected with the Delhi Sultanate and Nizamuddin Auliya.
Abul Fazl / Akbarnama, Ain-i Akbari
Akbar’s court; Mughal administration and history.
Tansen
Musician at Akbar’s court; associated with the dhrupad tradition.