MasteryExams
History • Medieval IndiaHard

Analyze the financial and administrative reforms introduced by Alauddin Khalji to maintain a massive permanent standing army: 1. He fixed the market prices of essential commodities such as food grains, cloth, and horses through strict state regulations. 2. He abolished the traditional revenue-free land grants and compelled nobility to pay cash revenue based on standard land measurement. 3. He replaced the traditional assignment of revenue-yielding jagirs to soldiers with direct cash salaries paid from the imperial treasury. Which of the statements given above are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3✓ Correct Answer

💡 Solution & Explanation

All three statements correctly reflect the revolutionary economic and military measures implemented by Alauddin Khalji. To sustain a large standing army without bankrupting the state treasury, he capped commodity prices, revoked rent-free grants like milkheri and waqf, and paid cash salaries to his soldiers. The chronicler Barani recorded these market controls in meticulous detail. Alauddin also instituted the dagh system of branding horses and chehra description of soldiers.

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