Reshaping India's Political Map Vocabulary

A comprehensive vocabulary set covering key historical terms, systems, titles, and events from the unit on reshaping India's political map.

Medieval Period (in Indian Context)

The period roughly spanning from the 11th to the 17th centuries in Indian history.

Turkic

Refers to peoples, languages, and cultures historically associated with a vast region stretching across Central Asia, all the way to Turkey and Siberia.

Sultanate

A territory ruled by a 'Sultan'—a title adopted by certain Muslim rulers.

Iconoclasm

The rejection or destruction of icons or religious images considered idolatrous.

Jizya

A tax levied on non-Muslim subjects by certain rulers to grant protection and exemption from military service.

Infidel

Literally, someone who does not share the faith of a given religion; in medieval Islam, it referred to Christians or, in India, Hindus, Buddhists, or Jains.

Rana

A royal title often used by Rajput kings.

Deccan Sultanates

Five independent states—Bijapur, Golconda, Berar, Ahmednagar, and Bidar—that emerged from the fragmentation of the Bahmani Sultanate.

Rājanīti

'Royal policy' or principles of good governance, expounded by Krishnadevaraya in a section of his Telugu epic poem Āmuktamālyada.

Battle of Talikota (1565)

A decisive confrontation in 1565 where a coalition of Deccan Sultanates defeated Vijayanagara forces, leading to the destruction of Vijayanagara city.

Baburnama

The candid autobiography of Babur ('Babur's Memoirs') detailing his life, military campaigns, observations of India, and reflections.

Jauhar

A heroic act of final resistance where women, such as Rajput women, jumped into mass fires to avoid capture, abuse, and enslavement by invading forces.

Sulh-i-kul

A policy promoted by Emperor Akbar translating literally to 'peace with all' or tolerance of all religious faiths.

Razmnama

The Persian translation of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, meaning 'Book of War', commissioned under Akbar.

Guerrilla Warfare

A style of fighting where small groups with intimate knowledge of the terrain conduct surprise attacks and ambushes to defeat larger armies.

Paik System

A administrative and military framework in the Ahom kingdom where every able-bodied man provided service or labor to the state in exchange for land rights.

Battle of Saraighat (1671)

A naval battle on the Brahmaputra River near Guwahati where Ahom commander Lachit Borphukan defeated a much larger Mughal force.

Khalsa

A martial brotherhood established in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh committed to justice, equality, and defense of the faith.

Iqta System

An administrative system under the Delhi Sultanate where land territories were assigned to nobles (iqtadars) to collect revenue and maintain troops.

Subahs

The administrative provinces into which Emperor Akbar divided the Mughal Empire.

Mansabdari System

A Mughal administrative system created by Akbar where officers (mansabdars) were given ranks (mansabs) requiring them to supply specific numbers of troops and war animals.

Jagirdars

Mughal officers or mansabdars who were compensated for their service through assignments of revenue-yielding land called jagirs.

Hundi

A written financial order or instruction to make payment to an individual across political borders, serving as an early precursor to modern banking.