On which one of the following conditions, did the Marathas agree to serve the Mughal king with a cavalry contingent of 15,000 in the early 18th century?
- A.Grant of the jagir of Malwa province
- B.Control of the resources of Gujarat
- C.The right to levy chauth and sardeshmukhi in the Deccan and South India
- D.The right to mint coins in their own name
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, the right to levy chauth and sardeshmukhi in the Deccan and South India. This was the heart of the 1719 agreement between Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath and the Mughal court.
In 1718 Balaji Vishwanath, the first great Peshwa of Shahu, made a deal with the Sayyid brothers, the king-makers at Delhi. In 1719 the new emperor Muhammad Shah confirmed it. Shahu was recognised as king of Swaraj, the old territory of Shivaji, and the Marathas got the right to collect chauth (one-fourth of the revenue) and sardeshmukhi (an extra one-tenth) from the six Mughal provinces of the Deccan. In return they agreed to keep 15,000 horsemen in the emperor's service and pay an annual tribute. The historian Richard Temple called this the Magna Carta of the Maratha empire.
A is wrong because Malwa came under Maratha control later, under Baji Rao I. B is wrong because Gujarat was won by force in the 1720s and 1730s, not granted in 1719. D is wrong because the right to mint coins was not part of this deal.
Exam tip: 1719, Balaji Vishwanath, Sayyid brothers, chauth and sardeshmukhi of six Deccan subas, 15,000 cavalry.
Practice Questions
View allThe ancient Indian medical treatise for horses called Ashvashastra is attributed to which one of the following persons?
- A.Vagbhatta of the seventh century
- B.The sage Shalihotra
- C.Bhartrihari of the seventh century
- D.Varahamihira of the sixth century
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Indian tradition credits Shalihotra with the science of horses, and veterinary medicine for horses came to be called Shalihotra Shastra after him.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements with reference to Jainism: 1. Vardhamana Mahavira attained Kaivalyajnana outside the town of Jrimbhikagrama, on the banks of river Rijupalika and in the field of a householder named Samaga. 2. The state when the Karma particles actually begin to flow towards the Jiva to bind it is known as Asrava. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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Both statements match the Jaina tradition: the place of Mahavira's enlightenment and the meaning of asrava. Mahavira left home at about thirty and spent some twelve years in hard penance.
Read the full explanation →Arrange the following foreign travellers to India in chronological order, beginning with the earliest : 1. Peter Mundy 2. Antonio Monserrate 3. Afanasii Nikitich Nikitin 4. Ibn Battuta Select the answer using the code given below:
- A.2-1-4-3
- B.2-3-4-1
- C.4-3-2-1
- D.3-4-1-2
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Ibn Battuta came in the 14th century, Nikitin in the 15th, Monserrate in the 16th and Peter Mundy in the 17th.
Read the full explanation →During the Industrial Revolution, who among the following designed the 'flying shuttle loom'?
- A.Samuel Crompton
- B.Edmund Cartwright
- C.John Kay
- D.Richard Arkwright
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John Kay, an English inventor, patented the flying shuttle in 1733, one of the first machines of the Industrial Revolution.
Read the full explanation →In the Harappan Civilization, traces of canals have been found at
- A.Banawali
- B.Lothal
- C.Shortughai
- D.Dholavira
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Shortughai, a Harappan trading settlement in north-eastern Afghanistan, is the site where traces of irrigation canals have been found. Most Harappan farmers relied on river floods and wells, and no canals have been found in the Indus heartland.
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