RAS question
The Sayyid dynasty was founded by:
Correct answer: (B) Khizr Khan.
Khizr Khan founded the Sayyid dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in 1414 CE.
Explanation
Khizr Khan founded the Sayyid dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in 1414 CE. In NCERT, Our Pasts-II, the table of Delhi rulers places the Sayyid dynasty after the Tughluqs and lists Khizr Khan as its ruler from 1414 to 1421. He claimed descent from Prophet Muhammad, which is why the dynasty is identified as Sayyid. Among the five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate, the Sayyid dynasty is regarded as the weakest; it ruled for about 37 years before the Lodis replaced it. Therefore, the founder was Khizr Khan, the dynasty's first ruler, not one of its later rulers.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Muhammad Shah was the third Sayyid ruler, so he ruled within the dynasty but did not found it.
- (C) Mubarak Shah was the second Sayyid ruler, so he came after the first ruler, Khizr Khan, and did not found the dynasty.
- (D) Alam Shah was the last Sayyid ruler, so he marks the dynasty's end, not its foundation.
Concept
This question tests the Delhi Sultanate's dynastic sequence—Tughluqs followed by Sayyids and then Lodis—and the identity of the Sayyid founder. Such founder-and-chronology facts anchor medieval Indian political history and recur in RAS.