RAS question
Iltutmish, the real consolidator of the Delhi Sultanate, introduced which silver coin?
Correct answer: (D) Tanka.
Iltutmish introduced the silver Tanka as a basic coin of the Delhi Sultanate.
Explanation
Iltutmish ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1211 to 1236 and is remembered as the ruler who firmly consolidated it. As part of his monetary reform, he introduced the silver Tanka and the copper Jital as the two basic coins of the Sultanate period. Mintage World associates these coins with a standard weight of 175 grains, showing that the reform formed part of a standardised coinage system rather than merely giving currency a new name. Iltutmish was also the first Delhi Sultan to receive formal recognition from the Abbasid Caliph, and he completed the Qutub Minar. The silver coin specifically associated with him is the Tanka.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Dam was not Iltutmish's silver coin; it was a copper coin associated with Sher Shah.
- (B) Jital was associated with Iltutmish, but it was the copper coin rather than the silver coin.
- (C) Rupiya does not fit because its introduction is associated with Sher Shah Suri, not Iltutmish.
Concept
Coinage and a standardised monetary system were part of the political consolidation of the Delhi Sultanate. RAS often tests this area because rulers, administrative measures and coin names are concise factual markers of state formation in medieval India.