Medieval Indian History Mind Map: Rajputs, Delhi Sultanate, Mughals, Vijayanagara and Marathas in One Page for SSC

This medieval Indian history mind map for SSC condenses the period from the Rajputs to the Marathas into a single page: the invasions, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals and the regional powers. Use it as the final revision sheet and test yourself with the practice questions.

The Mind Map

• Early Medieval India (700–1200)
  • Tripartite struggle for Kannauj: Palas (Bengal), Pratiharas (Gurjara) and Rashtrakutas (Deccan)
  • Rajput clans: Chauhans, Paramaras, Solankis (Chalukyas of Gujarat), Chandelas, Gahadavalas
  • Cholas in the south (Rajaraja I, Rajendra I)
  • Arab conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim (712)
  • Mahmud of Ghazni: 17 raids, Somnath in 1025; Al-Biruni wrote Kitab-ul-Hind
• Ghurid Conquest
  • Muhammad Ghori: first battle of Tarain 1191 (lost), second Tarain 1192 (won)
  • Battle of Chandawar 1194 (Jaichand)
  • Qutbuddin Aibak was his general and became the first Sultan of Delhi (1206)
• Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526)
  • Slave (Mamluk) dynasty: Aibak, Iltutmish, Razia Sultan, Balban
  • Khalji: Jalaluddin; Alauddin Khalji (market control, Malik Kafur, the southern campaigns)
  • Tughlaq: Ghiyasuddin; Muhammad bin Tughlaq (token currency, capital shifted to Daulatabad); Firoz Shah
  • Sayyid and Lodi: Bahlol, Sikandar and Ibrahim Lodi
  • Timur’s invasion in 1398; the end at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526
• Sultanate Administration and Culture
  • Iqta system, Sultan, Wazir; market control of Alauddin
  • Architecture: Qutub Minar, Alai Darwaza, Tughlaqabad
  • Amir Khusrau: poet, qawwali, Tuti-e-Hind
  • Persian chronicles: Ziauddin Barani, Minhaj-us-Siraj, Ibn Battuta (traveller)
• Bhakti and Sufi Movements
  • Bhakti saints: Ramananda, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Chaitanya, Tulsidas, Mirabai
  • Sufi silsilas: Chishti (Ajmer, Delhi), Suhrawardi (Multan), Naqshbandi, Qadiri
  • Rise of regional languages and literature
• Regional Kingdoms
  • Vijayanagara (1336): Harihara and Bukka; Krishnadevaraya; fell at Talikota in 1565
  • Bahmani Sultanate (1347): Gulbarga, Bidar; five Deccan sultanates later
  • Mewar: Rana Kumbha, Rana Sanga, Maharana Pratap (Haldighati 1576)
  • Bengal, Gujarat, Malwa, Jaunpur, Kashmir (Zain-ul-Abidin)
• Mughal Empire (1526–1707 and after)
  • Babur: Panipat I 1526, Khanwa 1527, Ghaghra 1529
  • Humayun lost to Sher Shah at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540); regained Delhi in 1555
  • Sher Shah Suri: Grand Trunk Road, revenue reforms, the rupee, the Sasaram tomb
  • Akbar: Panipat II 1556, Mansabdari, Din-i-Ilahi, Fatehpur Sikri, Todar Mal
  • Jahangir (Nur Jahan), Shah Jahan (Taj Mahal, Red Fort), Aurangzeb (jizya, Deccan wars, died 1707)
• Marathas and Sikhs
  • Shivaji: Raigad coronation 1674, Ashtapradhan, guerrilla warfare
  • Peshwas: Balaji Vishwanath, Baji Rao I, Balaji Baji Rao; Panipat III in 1761
  • Sikh Gurus: Nanak to Gobind Singh; Khalsa in 1699
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh: the Sikh empire; Treaty of Amritsar 1809
• Art, Architecture and Literature
  • Indo-Islamic style: arch, dome, minaret; Mughal gardens and pietra dura
  • Painting: Mughal miniatures (Akbar, Jahangir), Rajput and Pahari schools
  • Music: Tansen, Dhrupad; Hindi literature: Tulsidas, Surdas, Kabir
  • Books: Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari (Abul Fazl), Baburnama, Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri

Quick Dates

How to Use This Mind Map

1. Read one branch at a time and recall the details.
2. Draw the mind map from memory and check the gaps.
3. Revise the quick dates every day.
4. Test yourself with the practice questions.

Quick Tips

• Learn the dynasties of the Sultanate in order.
• Learn the Mughal emperors with their key work.
• Remember the three Panipat battles.
• Revise the quick dates daily.

Quick Revision Points

• The Delhi Sultanate began in 1206 with Qutbuddin Aibak.
• The Mughal Empire began after Panipat I in 1526.
• Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system.
• Vijayanagara was founded in 1336.
• Aurangzeb died in 1707.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. Who was the first Sultan of Delhi?
   Answer: Qutbuddin Aibak
2. Who started the market control policy?
   Answer: Alauddin Khalji
3. Who introduced the token currency?
   Answer: Muhammad bin Tughlaq
4. Who built the Grand Trunk Road?
   Answer: Sher Shah Suri
5. Who built the Taj Mahal?
   Answer: Shah Jahan
6. In which year was the First Battle of Panipat?
   Answer: 1526
7. Who wrote the Akbarnama?
   Answer: Abul Fazl
8. Who founded the Vijayanagara Empire?
   Answer: Harihara and Bukka
9. Who founded the Khalsa?
   Answer: Guru Gobind Singh
10. Who is called Tuti-e-Hind?
    Answer: Amir Khusrau

How to Practise This Chapter

Practise 10 questions every day and write the steps on paper. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the MindMaps notes page, read the previous topic Ancient Indian History Mind Map and the next topic English Grammar Mind Map.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate?

Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi.

Who founded the Mughal Empire?

Babur, after the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.

Which Mughal emperor started the Mansabdari system?

Akbar.

Who was Sher Shah Suri?

An Afghan ruler who defeated Humayun and built strong administration.

What was the Din-i-Ilahi?

A code of ethics started by Akbar.

Who was the last great Mughal emperor?

Aurangzeb.

What was the Bhakti movement?

A religious movement of devotion to a personal God.

Who was Krishnadevaraya?

The greatest ruler of Vijayanagara.

Who founded the Maratha Empire?

Shivaji.

Is this topic asked in SSC?

Yes. Medieval history is asked in every SSC history section.

What was the Third Battle of Panipat?

The 1761 battle in which Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas.

What is a mind map used for?

For quick revision of a topic in a single page.