The medieval era in India starts approximately with
the rise of the Rajputs. The Rajputs were an image of feudalism and
chivalry. Though they were devoted warriors, the Rajputs fought among
themselves and weakened their empire. The medieval history of India is
largely dominated by incidents of foreign rule and invasion due to lack
of stability in Indian rulers. This was the main reason that attracted
invaders from outside India to come here and establish their kingdoms.
The Indian medeival history is full of such incidents where you find
foreign rulers coming here and ruling India.
The weakening of the Rajputs attracted the Turks who invaded India on
every given opportunity. The Turks were not just interested in India's
wealth but also wanted to establish their empires and take over other
kingdoms. The ruler of Delhi and one of the bravest Rajput soldiers
Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by the Turkish invader Mohammad Ghori.
He captured Delhi and appointed one of the military slaves Qutub-ud-din
Aibak as the in-charge. Qutub-ud-din Aibak started a series of new
rulers and thus arose the Slave dynasty. This marked the beginning of
the Delhi Sultanate.
After the Slave dynasty came the Khilji dynasty. The Khilji dynasty was
marked by gruesome battles and capturing of power from one another. The
last ruler of the Khilji dynasty was not an able ruler and was murdered
which ended the Khilji dynasty. Then came the Tughlaqs, Sayyids and
Lodhis who ruled Delhi one after the other in quick succession. After
this, the first battle of Panipat took place which marked the end of the
Lodhi dynasty and the start of the Mughal rule in India. Medieval India
also saw the rise of a culture called Sikhism and was also influenced by
Sufism. Medieval architecture was a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles of
architectures. Our related sections shall discuss each and every aspect
in detail.
