RAS question
Muhammad bin Tughlaq's Deccan expedition aimed to:
Correct answer: (D) Suppress revolts in the newly conquered southern territories.
Muhammad bin Tughlaq's Deccan expedition aimed to suppress revolts in the newly conquered southern territories and preserve Delhi Sultanate control there.
Explanation
Muhammad bin Tughlaq inherited a southern problem after the Tughlaqs annexed Telingana and Ma'bar and tried to run the Deccan through Sultanate revenue and administrative machinery. The eGyanKosh unit notes that he made Daulatabad a second administrative centre because the southern provinces were hard to manage from Delhi, but that arrangement did not secure control. Distance, difficult terrain and powerful officers weakened the Sultan's hold; a series of rebellions followed, including the Sagar revolt and later risings by Deccan officers and governors. His policy therefore centred on suppressing these revolts and keeping the newly conquered southern territories tied to Delhi, though the process eventually helped the Bahmani Sultanate emerge in 1347.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Muhammad bin Tughlaq's southern policy involved Telingana, Ma'bar, Daulatabad and Deccan rebellions, not a campaign to conquer Sri Lanka.
- (B) Muhammad bin Tughlaq sought administrative and military control over annexed territory, not trade links with Southeast Asia.
- (C) Daulatabad was developed as a second administrative centre to help manage and check the southern provinces, but Muhammad bin Tughlaq's Deccan expedition aimed at suppressing revolt, not building a new capital.
Concept
Delhi Sultanate expansion and control in the Deccan exposed the limits of Muhammad bin Tughlaq's centralising policies. RAS repeats this theme because it links medieval administration, regional resistance and the rise of Deccan powers such as the Bahmani Sultanate.