The Khalji Dynasty and Alauddin's Reforms
NCERT Class 7 - Our Pasts II • NCERT Class 12 - Themes in Indian History Part II
The Khalji Dynasty and Alauddin's Reforms
The Khaljis ruled from 1290 to 1320. Alauddin Khalji, who ruled 1296-1316, was the first Sultan to attempt direct control of the market, the land revenue and the army - measures designed to fund a permanent force against the Mongols.
Conquests
- Jalaluddin Khalji founded the dynasty; Alauddin, his nephew and son-in-law, seized power after the Devagiri raid.
- In the north he took Gujarat, Ranthambore, Chittor, Malwa and Jalore.
- In the south his general Malik Kafur campaigned against Devagiri, Warangal, Dwarasamudra and Madurai, taking tribute rather than annexing.
- He repeatedly defeated Mongol invasions, which is the practical reason behind all his other reforms.
- He forbade nobles from holding festivities, intermarrying or drinking together, to prevent conspiracies, and set up a strong spy system.
Market control
- Prices of essential goods were fixed by the state, not left to the market.
- Three markets were regulated - one for grain, one for cloth and manufactured goods including the Sarai Adl, and one for horses, slaves and cattle.
- The department in charge was the Diwan-i-Riyasat under the Naib-i-Riyasat, and each market had a superintendent called the Shahna-i-Mandi.
- Grain was stored in state granaries and released when prices rose; hoarding was punished severely.
- Merchants had to register, and cheating in weight was punished by cutting an equal weight of flesh - the measure of how strictly the system was enforced.
- The purpose was not welfare but to let soldiers live on a fixed cash salary without the treasury being drained by inflation.
Revenue and military reforms
- Land revenue was raised to half the produce, assessed by measurement (masahat) of the land rather than by a share estimated on the spot.
- The privileges of intermediaries - khuts, muqaddams and chaudhuris - were withdrawn, so they paid the same taxes as ordinary cultivators.
- Taxes on grazing (charai) and houses (ghari) were levied.
- He created a large standing army paid in cash, which no earlier Sultan had done.
- Two controls prevented fraud - dagh, the branding of horses, and chehra, a descriptive roll of each soldier.
| Reform | Instrument | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Price control | Shahna-i-Mandi, state granaries | Cheap goods for a cash-paid army |
| Revenue | Measurement, half the produce | Larger and predictable income |
| Intermediaries | Privileges withdrawn | Direct link between state and peasant |
| Army | Dagh and chehra | Prevent fraud in men and horses |
Architecture and court
- He built the Alai Darwaza at the Qutb complex, an early example of the true arch and dome in India.
- He founded the city of Siri and had the Hauz Khas reservoir built.
- The poet Amir Khusrau adorned his court, and the historian Ziauddin Barani later wrote about his reign.
- After his death, Malik Kafur's brief dominance and family conflict ended the dynasty by 1320.
Exam me kaise aata hai
Factual questions ask the rate of land revenue, the name of the market officer, and the meaning of dagh and chehra. Application questions ask why Alauddin controlled prices - the expected answer is the cash-paid standing army, not public welfare.
UPSC / State PSC ke liye
Present the reforms as a single connected system: Mongol threat needs a standing army, a standing army needs cash salaries, cash salaries need low prices and high revenue, so prices are fixed and intermediaries removed. Note also that the price controls lapsed soon after his death, showing how much depended on personal enforcement.
Yahan confuse hote hain
✗ Alauddin annexed the southern kingdoms | ✓ He took tribute from the south; annexation came later
✗ Dagh means the descriptive roll of a soldier | ✓ Dagh is the branding of horses; chehra is the descriptive roll
✗ Market control was introduced for the welfare of the poor | ✓ It was designed to sustain a cash-paid standing army
Ek nazar me
- Khaljis ruled 1290-1320; Alauddin ruled 1296-1316.
- Conquests - Gujarat, Ranthambore, Chittor, Malwa; Malik Kafur led southern campaigns.
- Three regulated markets under the Diwan-i-Riyasat and the Shahna-i-Mandi.
- Land revenue raised to half the produce, assessed by measurement; intermediaries lost privileges.
- Standing army paid in cash, controlled by dagh (branding) and chehra (descriptive roll).
- Alai Darwaza, Siri and Hauz Khas; Amir Khusrau was at his court.