MEDIEVAL HISTORY TERMS
UPSC has been focusing on terms from Ancient and Medieval Indian History in recent years Prelims examinations. Here is the compilation of all such terms from NCERT specifically and other sources in general.
We have given chapter wise as per old NCERT so that aspirants get the idea about the time period when these terms were prevalent,one must do it even if one has studied from new NCERT books because terms remain the same.
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.
Age of the Vijayanagara and the Bahmanids ,and the Coming of the Portuguese
huns/perdaos– currency
Malik-ul-tujjar– chief of the merchants
tarafs– provinces
tarafdar– governor
khalisa – tract of land
rajyas/mandalams– provinces
nadu– district
sthala– subdistrict
grama– village
amaram– territory- was given to military chiefs
palaiyagar/palegar/nayaks– military chiefs
janissaris– land soldiers
Struggle for Empire in North India – I
Kirti sthambha– victory tower
Maliq-us-sharq– Lord of the east- title given to Malik Sarwar
gazz-i-sikandari- new measurement of a yard
Cultural Developments in India- 13 -15 century
arabesque– arabic script design combining geometrical and floral patterns with verses from Quran
Kitab-ul-Hind– Albiruni’s book
rahab– a stringed musical instrument played by Guru Nanak’s attendant Mardana
tauhid-i-wajudi- arab doctrine of Unity of Being
Tauhid– unity of all religions
fatawa-i-alamgiri– Digest of laws proposed by a group of jurists under Aurangzeb
sabaq-i-hindi- style of India- new style of persian poetry
sama– religious musical gatherings
masnavi– persian form of Bhakti poems
Nayak– title of Amir Khusrau- master of both theory and practice of music
Struggle for Empire in North India- II- 1525-1555
Sher Shah Administration
shahna– custodian of a sarai
qasbas– market towns
dak-chowki– sarais used as stages for news service
pargana – group of villages
shiqdar– incharge of pargana- looked after law and order and general administration
munsif/amil- officer for collection of land revenues
patta- paper containing details of crop,area and taxes on peasants etc
chehra– descriptive roll of a soldier
dagh– branding system of horses
Age of Akbar
khan-i-khanam– wakil of the kingdom- Bairam khan
ray – crop rate
qanungos– hereditary holders of land as well as local officials conversant with local conditions
karoris– officials responsible for collection of a crore of dams(rs 250000)
Dahsala– Akbar’s system under which the average produce of different crops as well as the average prices over last 10 years were calculated.One third produce was state share.
Zabti system-system of measurement and assessment of land revenue- associated with Raja Todar Mal,hence also known as Todar Mal’s ‘bandobast’.
Batai/ghalla bakshi– system of assessment in which produce was divided between peasants and the state in fixed proportion
nasaq/kankut– rough assessment of dues based on inspection of crops and past experiences
polaj– land which was cultivated every year
parati– fallow uncultivated land
chachar– land which was fallow for 2-3 years
banzar– land which was fallow for more than 2-3 years
taccavi– loan given to farmers for cultivation
Mansabdari system– Every officer was assigned a rank – mansab- under this system
Ranks were divided into two-
- zat– personal status
- sawar– based on cavalryman
bandukchi – musketeer
Mansabdars– persons holding rank below 500 zat
Amirs– persons with rank from 500-2500 zat
Amir-i-umda/umda-i-azam– persons with rank above 2500 zats
Fauzdar– officer in charge of law and order
Amalguzar– officer in charge of land revenue
3 divisions of territories-
- Jagirs– allotted to nobles and royal family
- Khalisa– income from these villages went directly to the royal exchequer
- Inam– land allotted to religious scholar
wazir– Central Asian and Timurid tradition of an all powerful official under whom all heads of departments functioned
diwan/diwani-ala- Akbar used the term in place of wazir- responsible for all income and expenditure and held control over khalisa,jagir and inam lands
Mir bakshi – head of military dept- also considered the head of the nobility,head of intelligence and information agencies
Barids– intelligence officers
Waqia-navis– news reporters
Mir saman– in charge of imperial household,provisions for inmates of the harem or female apartments
qazi -head of judicial dept
sadr– responsible for all charitable and religious endowments
sanads– records of grants of lands
ghusal khana– bathing apartment,later it was term for private consultation chamber
farr-i-izadi – ‘divine illumination’ – according to Abu Fazl,office of the true ruler depended on this illumination
sulh-kul– policy of ‘peace to all’,equal toleration and respect to all sections
ibadat khana– Hall of Prayer – built by Akbar in Fatehpur sikri
mahzar– declaration
mujtahids– those who were considered fit to interpret Quran
tauhid-i-ilahi– word used by Abu Fazl and Badayuni for the new path/faith floated by Akbar,literally meaning ‘Divine Monotheism’.
murids– disciples of emperor,pirs etc
insan-i-kamil– Perfect Man of that age
Pabos– kissing th floo before the emperor
Shast– formula given to murids of emperor /new faith,in Sufi language,which they were to repeat and concentrate upon.
Deccan and South India- upto 1656
bargirs– loose auxillairies,Maratha troops had been employed as bargirs in Bahmani Kingdom
afaqis/gharibs– newcomers in political map of Deccan
ijara system– system of giving land on contract to peasants
ahdnama – treaty
huns– currency
abla baba– ‘friend of the poor’- title of Ibrahim Adil Shah 2.
Kitab-i-nauras– book on music written by Ibrahim Adil Shah 2.
India in the First Half of the 17th Century
khan-i-saman– post reserved for nobles in who, emperor had full confidence,during Shah Jahan
padshah-i-islam– Ottoman and Usmanli Turks had assumed this title after overrunning Asia Minor and Eastern Europe and conquering Syria,Egypt and Arabia.
du-aspah-sih-aspah system– system by Jahangirm whereby selected nobles could be allowed to maintain a large quota of troopers without raising their zat rank.
jama dami– register indicating assessed income -jama – of various areas in ‘dams’
ahadis– gentlemen troopers with high salaries
baraq andaz– skilled musketeers
tir andaz– bowmen
walashahis– royal bodyguards
piyadgan– footmen
banduqchi– matchlock bearers
Economic and Social Life Under the Mughals
kamin– landless untouchable peasants and labourers class
khudkasht – peasants who woned the land they tilled
muzarian – tenants who generally paid land revenue at higher rates
chay– red dye
taccavi– loans to peasants by Mghal state for cultivation
mandis– covered markets
talluqa/zamindari– villages from which zamindars had hereditary rights to collect land revenues
garhis – forts of zamindars
Deshmukh/Patils/Nayaks– zamindar class
madad-i-maash/Sasan in Rajasthan – small tracts of land granted to scholars,religious divines for maintenance
seth,bihra,modi– long distance and inter region traders
beoparis/baniks -local retail traders
banjaras– traders who specialised in carrying bulk goods over long distances
patola– silk
gumashtas– trading agents
dalals– commission agents
hundi– letter of credit payable after a period of time on discount-often included insurance
sarrafs/shroffs– specialised in changing money,dealt with hundis.
rahdari – road cess
Zabti system– land revenue was assessed and paid in cash
qasbas– small townships
Religious Developments
baolis– water tank or well
pietra dura– practice of putting up buildings entirely of marble and decorating the walls with floral designs made of semi precious stones- popular under Shah Jahan rule,used it in Taj Mahal
kiosks– chhatris
Hindavi – local language
Sachcha padshah– ‘true sovereign’- title given to Gurus by their followers
nipakh– non sectarian path
tauhid– concept pf pantheistic mysticism
Climax and Disintegration of the Mughal Empire- I
wali-ahd– successor
zawabit – seculatr decrees by Aurangzeb
zawabit-i-alamgiri– compendium of all his decrees
muhtasibs– officials appointed in all provinces to see that people lived in accordance with the ‘shara’
naubat– royal musical band
jharokha darshan – emperor appearing for public view in balcony
peshkars/karoris– petty revenue officials
wajib – meaning obligatory, referring to jizyah tax here.
abwabs– cesses
dar-ul-harb– land of infidels
dar-ul-islam– land inhabited by Muslims
khalisa– mughal administration
hukumat-ri-bahi- contemporary Rajasthani work
Climax and Distribution of the Mughal Empire – II
Shivaji’s Adminstration
bhumia– land holder
Haindava-Dharmoddharak – protector of the Hindu faith- title of Shivaji
Ashtapradhan – 8 ministers in Shivaji system of administration
sar-i-naubat– senapati
majumdar – accountant
wakenavis– official for intelligence, posts and household affairs
surunavis/chitnis– helped the king with his correspondence
dabir – master of ceremonies,also helped king in dealing with foreign powers
nyayadhish – incharge of justice
panditrao– incharge of charitable grants
saran-jam – revenue grants given to soldiers
paga– regular army
silahdars– loose auxiliaries in army
havaldars– supervisors in army with fixed salaries
deshmukhi– zamindari system
mokasa– jagirs
mirasdars– those with hereditary rights in lands
chauthai/chauth– one fourth of total land revenue
muqaddams– local zamindars and village headmen
pahis/uparis- migrant peasants
khanazads -mughal nobles
Swarajya – term used by Maratha writers for the state carved out by Shivaji
Assessment and Review
Varnashrama Dharma– Dharma of upholding the four fold division of society
dadni system– system of putting out
Link to Ancient Indian History terminology
ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORY TERMS (FULL NCERT COVERED)
