RAS question
Timur invaded Delhi in which year, leading to massive destruction and the weakening of the Tughlaq dynasty?
Correct answer: (A) 1398.
Timur invaded Delhi in 1398, launching a devastating attack that left the city in ruins and badly weakened Tughlaq power.
Explanation
Timur's invasion belongs to 1398, not to the later or earlier dates in the options. The NCERT timeline for the Delhi Sultanate marks 1398 as the year when Timur attacked Delhi, and its narrative describes the end of the 14th century attack as devastating: Delhi was a thriving city, large numbers were killed or enslaved, and the city was left in ruins before Timur withdrew with plunder. This raid took place in the reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Tughlaq, and Timur plundered Delhi for 15 days. Together, these details explain why 1398 is treated as the decisive blow that effectively ended the Tughlaq dynasty's power.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 1412 is too late for Timur's Delhi raid; the invasion is fixed in the question and NCERT timeline at 1398, while Khizr Khan and the Sayyid phase belong to the aftermath.
- (C) 1388 is associated here with the death of Firoz Shah Tughlaq, not with Timur's attack on Delhi.
- (D) 1370 is far earlier than Timur's attack at the end of the 14th century in 1398.
Concept
This tests the late Delhi Sultanate timeline, especially the external shocks that accelerated the decline of Tughlaq authority. RAS often asks such dates because they connect a single event with dynastic transition and political fragmentation.