Q. Which of the following statements correctly describes the impact of the Abbasid Caliphate on the political and cultural history of the Indian subcontinent?
1.The second Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mansur, established the capital, Baghdad, strategically, partly to facilitate direct and profitable trade with India.
2.It was during the peak of the Abbasid period that Indian intellectual works on mathematics and medicine were widely translated and incorporated into the intellectual ferment of the Islamic Golden Age.
3.The later Ghaznavid dynasty, which effectively controlled the areas of Punjab and Multan, often sought political legitimacy by maintaining nominal ties with the weakening Abbasid Caliph.
Select the correct code:
Answer: D
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1: Correct. The foundation of Baghdad in the ancient Persian heartland was strategic for trade with India and the Far East.
- Statement 2: Correct. The Abbasid period (especially the time of Harun al-Rashid) saw massive translation movements, including texts from India (like the Siddhanta by Brahmagupta).
- Statement 3: Correct. Mahmud of Ghazni received titles like Yamin al-Dawla from the Abbasid Caliph, which was crucial for legitimizing his independent rule (Sultanate) in the eyes of the wider Muslim world, despite the Caliph’s diminished real power.
