Q. With reference to the nature of the monarchy and administration under the Lodi Dynasty, consider the following statements:
1.Sultan Bahlul Lodi fostered a concept of the Sultan as ‘first among equals’ by refusing to sit on the throne in the presence of his Afghan nobles, thereby maintaining a tribal confederacy structure.
2.Sikandar Lodi attempted to centralize the monarchy, compelling the nobles to submit statements of their accounts for state audit and enforcing formal respect for the Sultan’s Farmans (decrees).
3.The reign of Ibrahim Lodi witnessed the peak of Afghan tribal decentralization, as he never attempted to assert the Sultan’s absolute authority over the powerful regional chiefs.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1: Correct. Bahlul Lodi deliberately promoted an idea of equality among the Afghan peers, sitting on a carpet with them and avoiding the centralized absolutism of the earlier Turkish Sultans. This was a political necessity to secure the loyalty of the Afghan chiefs.
- Statement 2: Correct. Sikandar Lodi sought to consolidate power. He rigorously enforced auditing of jagirdars and muqtas and demanded ceremonial respect for the Sultan’s authority to curb the independent tendencies of the Afghan nobles.
- Statement 3: Incorrect. Ibrahim Lodi’s major error, which led to his downfall, was his attempt to reverse the decentralization by asserting the Sultan’s absolute power and treating the Afghan nobles as servants, which alienated the powerful chiefs (like Daulat Khan Lodi), leading them to invite Babur.
