India and the World

Manor– castle of the feudal lord

Samantas– feudal lords

Surya Siddhanta– work on astronomy revised and reformed by Aryabhatta

Northern Age- Age of the 3 Empires

aprabhamsha– corrupt languages considered forerunners of the modern Indian languages

antahpur- officials of the riyal household

bhukti– provinces

mandala/visaya– districts

uparika– governor of province/bhukti

visayapati – head of a district

samantas/bhogapati– chieftains/village headmen

pattala – administrative unit below visaya

grama mahajana/mahattara– village elders

nad-gavundas/desa-gramakutas– hereditary revenue officers in the Deccan

The Chola Empire

mandalams– provinces

valanadu/nadu– further division of povinces

agraharas– Brahman villages

Ur,sabha/mahasabha– assemblies in rural areas- meant for local self govt

mandap -pillared hall

Garbhagriha– chief deity room

devadasis– women dedicated to service of Gods

Gopurams– lofty gates of temples

Tirumaris–  writings of Nyanars and Alvars in Tmail,collected under 11 volumes in 12th century- often called the 5th Veda.

Nyanars– saint devotees of Shiva

Alvars– saint devotees of Vishnu

Economic and Social Life, Educational and Religious Beliefs

shrenis/sanghas– trade guilds- emerged as sub castes with time

dvadasa shreni– guild which became a sub caste of the vaishyas

munja– a kind of grass

samanta/ranak/rautta– feudal class,rajputs

bhoga– revenue

Mahasamantadhipati – high titles assumed by ministers,officials and feudal chiefs

kotisvara– millionaire

utpala saka– a wild vegetable of bitter taste

Basadis– Jain temples

Mahastambhas- pillars

Advaitvada– doctrine of non dualism

The Age of Conflict

amir-ul-umra– meaning Commander of commanders-title granted by Caliph to generals who were able to carve out a separate sphere of authority

Shikan– destroyer of images

Deul/Garbhagriha– chief deity room

jahan soz- meaning world burner- title of Sultan Alauddin because he ravaged Ghazni

The Delhi Sultanate-I

chahalgani- meaning- ‘the forty’- Turkish chiefs

chhatr– royal insignia

diwani arz– military department

sijada and paibos– prostration and kissing of monarch’s feet – under Balban

The Delhi Sultanate- II

malik naib – vice regent of the empire

shahna– high officer who controlled the market,merchants and prices

banjaras– traders – asked in UPSC prelims earlier.

dam – paisa

jitals– unit of currency

tankas– currency

sawar– cavalryman

khuts and muqaddams– landlords/village headmen

amils– local officials

diwani-amir-i-kohi– dept to improve cultivation in the doab

jizyah – tax on non Muslims

karkhanas– royal workshops

The agricultural and land revenue system of the early Turkish Sultans rested on two foundations viz. the 

• Iqta (assignment of land revenue,tax farming)
• Kharaj (Land Revenue).

Under Iqta System, the land of the empire was divided into several large and small tracts called Iqta and assigned these Iqtas to his soldiers, officers and nobles. In the beginning, an Iqta was based upon salary. Later, under Firoz Shah Tughlaq it became hereditary.

Government,and Economic and Social Life under the Delhi Sultanat

Khutba– islamic rulers accepting moral leadership of the Caliph

ulama– religious class

wazir– key administrative figure,earlier used for a military leader,later an expert on revenue matters

diwan-i-arz– military department

ariz-i-mamalik– head of military dept.

dagh – branding system of horses

diwan-i-risalat– dept of religious matters- headed by ‘sadr’

diwan-i-insha– dept of state correspondence

barids– intelligence agents

wakil-i-dar– officer in charge of  dept of slaves under Firuz Tughlaq

muqtis/walis– holders of iqtas

Provinces were divided into the Shiqs and shiqs were divided into parganas.

amil- head of pargana

patwari – village accountant

Rais– autonomus Hindu landlords

tanka/dirham– currency

muslin– fine cotton cloth from Bengal

dhunia- cotton handler’s bow

rahat– miscalled the persian wheel- used for lifting water for irrigation

zawabit – sultans had to supplement the Muslim law by framing their own regulations

jahandari– state based on worldly or secular considerations

zimmis– status given to Hindu subjects as protected people who accepted muslims rule and agreed to pay jizyah

• Firoz tughlaq made jizyah a separate tax from land revenue.