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Indian HistoryHardAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GK

Who among the following Mughal emperors was a follower of the Naqshbandiyya leader, Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar?

  1. A.Babur
  2. B.Humayun
  3. C.Akbar
  4. D.Jahangir

Correct answer

A. Babur

Explanation

The correct answer is A, Babur. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, was a devoted follower of the Naqshbandi saint Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar.

The Naqshbandi order was the leading Sufi silsila of Central Asia, and Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar (died 1490) of Samarkand was its most powerful leader in the fifteenth century. The Timurid family, including Babur's father Umar Shaikh Mirza, revered him. Babur wrote in his memoir, the Baburnama, that the saint appeared to him in a dream before he captured Samarkand, and he later put one of Ahrar's works into Turki verse.

B is wrong because Humayun is not remembered as a disciple of Khwaja Ahrar, who had died long before his reign. C is wrong because Akbar was drawn to the Chishti saint Shaikh Salim Chishti. D is wrong because Jahangir lived a century after Khwaja Ahrar and even imprisoned the Naqshbandi Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi for a time.

Exam tip: Babur = Naqshbandi (Khwaja Ahrar); Akbar = Chishti (Salim Chishti); Sirhindi = Naqshbandi under Jahangir.

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IEasy

The Buddhist text Majjhima Nikaya is in

  1. A.Sanskrit
  2. B.Pali
  3. C.Prakrit
  4. D.Telugu
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Pali

The Majjhima Nikaya is part of the Pali Canon, the Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism. The Tipitaka has three baskets: the Vinaya Pitaka on rules for monks and nuns, the Sutta Pitaka on the Buddha's discourses, and the Abhidhamma Pitaka on philosophy.

Q2.Indian HistoryHard

Which of the following best describes the common weakness of the pre-Congress political associations?

  1. A.They demanded complete independence too early
  2. B.Their membership and reach were confined largely to the English-educated and the presidency towns
  3. C.They refused to send petitions to the British Parliament
  4. D.They were all controlled by the Indian Civil Service
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Their membership and reach were confined largely to the English-educated and the presidency towns

The associations of 1836 to 1885 were run by landlords, lawyers, teachers and journalists, drew their membership from the English-educated and propertied classes, and worked mainly in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras and Poona.

Q4.Indian HistoryMedium

The National Conference of 1883, held in Calcutta, was organised by which body?

  1. A.The British Indian Association
  2. B.The Indian Association
  3. C.The Madras Mahajana Sabha
  4. D.The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Indian Association

Surendranath Banerjee's Association called the first National Conference in Calcutta in December 1883, bringing delegates from several parts of India to discuss questions of national importance, and it held a second conference in December 1885.

Q5.Indian HistoryEasy

The Madras Mahajana Sabha was founded in which year?

  1. A.1852
  2. B.1870
  3. C.1884
  4. D.1885
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 1884

The Madras Mahajana Sabha was founded that year by M. Viraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer and P. Anandacharlu as a presidency-wide body for southern India, and it held a conference in Madras in December 1884 that brought together representatives of local associations.