RAS question
Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (Devagiri) in which year?
Correct answer: (C) 1327.
In 1327, Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted his capital from Delhi to Deogiri, later called Daulatabad.
Explanation
1327 is the correct year. According to the Maharashtra Tourism Department, Muhammad bin Tughlaq undertook a major administrative experiment that year: he shifted the capital of the Delhi Sultanate from Delhi to Deogiri, later called Daulatabad. Delhi's entire population was also forcibly relocated there. The experiment failed because of difficulties in putting the plan into practice, lack of resources, local resistance, the roughly 1,500 km distance from Delhi, water scarcity along the route, and the difficulty of controlling North India from the Deccan. Within a few years, the capital was moved back to Delhi.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1320 belongs to the foundation of the Tughlaq dynasty, not to Muhammad bin Tughlaq's transfer of the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad.
- (B) By 1335, the failed experiment had already been reversed and the capital had been moved back to Delhi, so it cannot be the year of the transfer.
- (D) 1330 is associated with Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token-currency experiment of 1329-30, whereas the capital transfer took place in 1327.
Concept
This question tests the Delhi Sultanate section of medieval Indian history, especially Muhammad bin Tughlaq's administrative experiments. RAS often asks such facts because the capital shift connects chronology and geography with administrative experimentation, capital policy, and governance failure.