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 is the founder to remember for the Sayyid dynasty. The NCERT table of Delhi rulers places the Sayyid dynasty after the Tughluqs and lists Khizr Khan under it for 1414-1421, matching the standard exam fact that he founded the dynasty in 1414 CE. Khizr Khan claimed descent from Prophet Muhammad, which is why the line is identified as Sayyid. In Delhi Sultanate chronology, the Sayyids are treated as a short, weak dynasty; they ruled for about 37 years before the Lodis replaced them. So the question is not asking for a famous later Sayyid ruler, but for the first ruler who began the dynasty.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Muhammad Shah was the third Sayyid ruler, so he belongs within the dynasty but did not found it.
- (C) Mubarak Shah was the second Sayyid ruler, which places him after Khizr Khan rather than at the dynasty's beginning.
- (D) Alam Shah was the last Sayyid ruler, so he marks the dynasty's end, not its foundation.
Concept
This tests the Delhi Sultanate dynastic sequence, especially the transition from the Tughluqs to the Sayyids and then the Lodis. RAS repeats such founder-and-chronology facts because they anchor medieval Indian political history.