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Delhi Sultanate and Vijayanagara Class 8 Notes

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Social ScienceCBSE Class 8 · Reshaping India's Political Map

The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire: Class 8 Notes and Questions

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Delhi Sultanate (formed after 1192) was ruled by five Turkic-Afghan dynasties, the Mamluks, Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids and Lodis, and was marked by instability and expansion. It was resisted by kingdoms such as the Eastern Gangas, Hoysalas and Mewar. In the south the Vijayanagara Empire, founded by Harihara and Bukka Raya, peaked under Krishnadevaraya and fell after the Battle of Talikota (1565).

Notice that five dynasties followed one another in Delhi, while Vijayanagara lasted from the 1300s to 1565 and peaked under Krishnadevaraya.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire

Setting. NCERT uses 'medieval' loosely for roughly the 11th to the 17th centuries and notes that historians do not agree on its exact meaning for India. From the early 11th century, invasions from beyond the Hindu Kush, many by Turkic or Afghan peoples, reshaped India's political map. NCERT stresses that these chapters are about people of the past, and nobody today bears responsibility for their actions.

The Delhi Sultanate. It was formed after the defeat in 1192 of King Prithviraj Chauhan. Five successive dynasties of Turkic-Afghan origin ruled: Mamluks (the 'Slave dynasty'), Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids and Lodis. A sultanate is a territory ruled by a sultan. Its marks were political instability and attempts at territorial expansion. NCERT notes that almost two out of three sultans seized power by eliminating their predecessor, so a sultan's average reign was hardly more than nine years (compared with 27 years for Mughal emperors up to Aurangzeb).

Ala-ud-din Khilji (turn of the 14th century) campaigned across north and central India and repelled several Mongol invasions; a coin of his carries the title 'Sikander Sani' ('the second Alexander'). His general Malik Kafur pushed southward; wealth gained helped fund a huge military. Muhammad bin Tughlaq extended the Sultanate so that, for the first time since the Mauryan Empire, most of the subcontinent was under one ruler, but this was short-lived. Two ambitious schemes went wrong: moving the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (then Devagiri), a journey of over 1,000 km for the people, reversed a few years later with great loss of life according to some sources; and token currency (cheap copper coins declared equal to silver or gold), which confused trade and encouraged counterfeiting, so the economy declined. NCERT adds that the idea was progressive, since most currency today is token.

Court wealth and its costs. Sultans' wealth came largely from plunder, taxes on common people and conquered regions, and the slave trade. NCERT records attacks on temples and revered images, motivated by plunder and also iconoclasm, and the jizya, a tax on non-Muslims, which in practice could be an economic burden. In the late 14th century Timur attacked northwest India and Delhi, which was left in ruins; afterwards the Lodis emerged as the last dynasty, ruling a much-reduced territory.

Resistance to the Sultanate.

  • Eastern Gangas (Kalinga: present Odisha and parts of Bengal and Andhra Pradesh) were never subdued. Narasimhadeva I (mid-13th century) repelled inroads, defeated the Sultanate's governor of Bengal and built the Surya temple at Konark.
  • Musunuri Nayakas: Telugu chieftains who rallied over 75 chieftains and expelled Muhammad bin Tughlaq's army from Warangal around 1330-1336.
  • Hoysalas (mostly present Karnataka) fended off attacks, remained the only independent southern kingdom for a time, but were weakened and absorbed into Vijayanagara in the mid-14th century. They built the temples of Belur and Halebidu.
  • Regional sultanates such as the Bahmani (mid-14th century, much of the Deccan), Gujarat and Bengal rose; Rana Kumbha of Mewar resisted in the 15th century and built Kumbhalgarh Fort (about 36 km of wall).

The Vijayanagara Empire. In the 14th century two brothers, Harihara and Bukka Raya, earlier governors under Muhammad bin Tughlaq, rejected Delhi's authority and founded an independent kingdom, which grew into the empire (capital at present-day Hampi; folklore links the site to their guru Vidyaranya). Rivals: the Bahmani Sultanate, which broke into five Deccan Sultanates (Bijapur, Golconda, Berar, Ahmednagar, Bidar), and the Gajapatis of Odisha.

Krishnadevaraya (16th century) took the empire to its peak. He patronised poets in Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada, composed the Telugu epic Amuktamalyada (with a Rajaniti section on governance), and gave grants to temples such as Tirupati and the Vitthala temple at Vijayanagara (famed 'musical pillars'). The Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes left a detailed account of the city.

Fall. Krishnadevaraya died in 1529. In 1565 the Deccan Sultanates united and defeated the Vijayanagara forces led by Ramaraya, his son-in-law, at the Battle of Talikota; the city was sacked for months and left in ruins. The empire fragmented into regions of former military governors called Nayakas and ended in the mid-17th century.

The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire: key facts

Delhi Sultanate dynasties (in order)
  • Mamluks (Slave dynasty)
  • Khiljis
  • Tughlaqs
  • Sayyids
  • Lodis
Formed after 1192; Turkic-Afghan origin.
Tughlaq experiments
  • Capital moved Delhi to Daulatabad (Devagiri), over 1,000 km
  • token currency of copper coins
  • both failed
Ambitious but poorly executed, as per NCERT.
Resisting powers
Eastern GangasNarasimhadeva I, Konark
HoysalasBelur, Halebidu
MewarRana Kumbha, Kumbhalgarh
Musunuri NayakasWarangal
Kingdoms that checked the Sultanate.
Vijayanagara timeline
  • Founded by Harihara and Bukka Raya, 14th century
  • peak under Krishnadevaraya, 16th century
  • died 1529
  • Talikota 1565
Capital at Hampi.
Deccan Sultanates
  • Bijapur
  • Golconda
  • Berar
  • Ahmednagar
  • Bidar
Successors of the Bahmani Sultanate.

How to answer The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire questions

Questions ask for the dynasties in order, the failures of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, kingdoms that resisted, and the rise and fall of Vijayanagara. Present each with a date, a name and a consequence.

  1. 1List dynasties in sequence and attach one defining feature to each (instability, Mongol invasions, token currency).
  2. 2For 'why did X fail', give the idea, the flaw in execution and the outcome.
  3. 3For resistance questions, name the kingdom, its ruler, one victory or monument, and the region.
  4. 4For Vijayanagara, give founders, peak ruler with achievements, and the cause and result of Talikota.
  5. 5Keep the tone factual: say 'according to NCERT' for judgements and avoid blaming any community.

The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Token currency

Suppose a town's council announces that paper slips printed in its own office will be accepted as the same as gold coins, but anyone can print similar slips at home.

Predict what will happen and relate it to Muhammad bin Tughlaq's experiment.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. People will copy the slips because they are cheap to make.
  2. Traders will not trust them and refuse them.
  3. Trade becomes confused and the economy suffers.

Answer: The slips will be counterfeited and mistrusted, so trade will be disrupted, exactly the confusion NCERT describes when cheap copper coins were declared as valuable as silver or gold. Token money works only when people trust it and forgery is prevented.

Memory hook: Money is only as good as people's trust in it.

Tricks to remember The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • M-K-T-S-L

    Mamluks, Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids, Lodis: 'My King Takes Seven Lands'.

    Use it when: Order of Delhi Sultanate dynasties.

  • Two Tughlaq flops

    Capital shift and copper coins: 'Two Cs'.

    Use it when: Muhammad bin Tughlaq's failed schemes.

  • Deccan five

    Bijapur, Golconda, Berar, Ahmednagar, Bidar: 'BG-BAB'.

    Use it when: Successors of the Bahmani Sultanate.

The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Order of dynasties · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Which of the following did NOT rule the Delhi Sultanate?
(a) Khiljis
(b) Sayyids
(c) Hoysalas
(d) Lodis

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The five Sultanate dynasties were Mamluks, Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids and Lodis; the Hoysalas were a southern kingdom that resisted it (1 mark).

Answer: (c) Hoysalas

Example 2: Why did token currency fail? (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What was Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency and why did it fail? Why does NCERT call the idea progressive? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. He declared cheap copper coins to have the value of silver or gold coins (1 mark).
  2. It confused trade and encouraged people to counterfeit copper coins, so the economy declined (1 mark).
  3. The idea was progressive because most of today's currency is token (1 mark).

Answer: Muhammad bin Tughlaq declared cheap copper coins to be tokens with the value of silver or gold coins. At that time this confused trade and people counterfeited the copper coins, causing economic decline. NCERT still calls the idea progressive because most currency today is also token money.

Example 3: Assertion-reason: Hoysalas · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): The Hoysala kingdom was absorbed into the Vijayanagara Empire in the mid-14th century.
Reason (R): Attacks from the Delhi Sultanate and internal conflicts had weakened the Hoysalas.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Both statements match NCERT; the weakening explains the absorption (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

Example 4: Resistance to the Sultanate (5 marks) · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe how the Eastern Ganga kingdom, the Hoysalas and the Musunuri Nayakas resisted the Delhi Sultanate. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Eastern Gangas of Kalinga were never subdued; Narasimhadeva I repelled inroads and defeated the Sultanate's governor of Bengal (2 marks).
  2. He built the Surya temple at Konark partly to mark these victories (1 mark).
  3. Hoysalas fended off several attacks and were the only independent southern kingdom until absorbed into Vijayanagara (1 mark).
  4. Musunuri Nayakas united over 75 chieftains and expelled the Sultanate's army from Warangal around 1330-1336 (1 mark).

Answer: The Eastern Ganga kingdom of Kalinga, covering present Odisha and parts of Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, was never subdued. Narasimhadeva I repelled multiple inroads and defeated the Sultanate's governor of Bengal, and partly to commemorate this he built the Surya temple at Konark. The Hoysalas in present Karnataka fended off several attacks and remained the only independent southern kingdom until weakened by attacks and internal conflicts and absorbed into Vijayanagara in the mid-14th century. The Musunuri Nayakas, Telugu chieftains, rallied over 75 other chieftains and expelled Muhammad bin Tughlaq's army from Warangal around 1330-1336.

Example 5: Case: Hampi and the traveller · 4 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Read the case and answer.

NCERT quotes the Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes, who thought the capital of Vijayanagara as large as Rome and very beautiful, with groves, water conduits and lakes, countless people, and markets full of laden oxen with everything in abundance. The king treated Portuguese visitors well, because they came to sell horses and he did not want them to sell the horses to enemy kingdoms. In 1565 this city was sacked after a battle.

(i) Who ruled Vijayanagara at its peak? (1)
(ii) Why were Portuguese traders well treated? (1)
(iii) Name the battle of 1565, state the force opposing Vijayanagara, and give one result. (2)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) Krishnadevaraya (1 mark).
  2. (ii) They sold horses, and the king wished to keep the horses from enemy kingdoms (1 mark).
  3. (iii) Battle of Talikota; the Deccan Sultanates in a coalition; the city was sacked and ruined and the empire fragmented into Nayaka regions (2 marks).

Answer: (i) Krishnadevaraya. (ii) They brought horses to sell, and the king did not want them sold to his enemies. (iii) The Battle of Talikota (1565), fought against a coalition of the Deccan Sultanates. The city was sacked for months and left in ruins, and the empire fragmented into regions ruled by Nayakas, ending in the mid-17th century.

Where students lose marks in The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Wrong order of dynasties

    Khilji and Tughlaq often swapped.

    Wrong working

    Mamluks, Tughlaqs, Khiljis, Sayyids, Lodis.

    Right working

    Mamluks, Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids, Lodis.

    Do this: Use the sentence 'My King Takes Seven Lands'.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Blaming the idea, not the execution

    Misreading NCERT.

    Wrong working

    Token currency failed because it was a bad idea.

    Right working

    The idea was progressive; the failure came from poor execution, confusion and counterfeiting.

    Do this: Use 'ambitious but poorly executed'.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Saying the Hoysalas were conquered by Delhi

    Remembering Ala-ud-din's push south.

    Wrong working

    The Sultanate annexed the Hoysala kingdom.

    Right working

    They fended off the Sultanate and were absorbed into Vijayanagara.

    Do this: Name who absorbed them.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Pair each ruler with one verified achievement, such as Narasimhadeva I with Konark or Krishnadevaraya with Amuktamalyada.
  • Quote dates from NCERT's timeline: 1192, 1206, 1336, 1398, 1526, 1565.
  • In extended answers, state facts and attribute judgements to the textbook; avoid labels for communities.
  • Name the five Deccan Sultanates in order if asked for the fragments of the Bahmani Sultanate.

Practice questions on The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    The Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebidu are in the present-day state of:
    (a) Odisha
    (b) Karnataka
    (c) Telangana
    (d) Rajasthan

    Hint

    Hoysalas ruled mostly present Karnataka.

    Answer

    (b) Karnataka

  2. Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    Who founded the Vijayanagara Empire, and what had they been earlier? (2 marks)

    Hint

    Two brothers.

    Answer

    Harihara and Bukka Raya founded it in the 14th century. They had earlier served as governors under Muhammad bin Tughlaq before rejecting Delhi's authority.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain why the Delhi Sultanate was politically unstable. (3 marks)

    Hint

    Successions, short reigns, rebellions, invasions.

    Answer

    Successions were often violent: almost two out of three sultans took power by eliminating a predecessor, so the average reign was hardly more than nine years. The Sultanate also faced rebellions and the rise of independent regional sultanates and kingdoms, as well as foreign invasions such as Timur's attack on Delhi. These weakened it and its territory shrank under the Lodis.

  4. Q4 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

    Assertion (A): Krishnadevaraya's reign is described as both a military and a cultural peak of Vijayanagara.
    Reason (R): He expanded and secured the empire's dominance over the Deccan and patronised poets and scholars in Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada.
    (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
    (b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    (c) A is true, but R is false.
    (d) A is false, but R is true.

    Hint

    Military and cultural.

    Answer

    (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

  5. Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    Compare Muhammad bin Tughlaq's rule with the rule of the Lodis in terms of territory and stability, and say what the comparison shows about the Sultanate's fortunes. Use the maps and text in the chapter. (5 marks)

    Hint

    Most of the subcontinent under Tughlaq, short-lived; Lodis a shrunken territory.

    Answer

    Under Muhammad bin Tughlaq the Sultanate reached its widest extent: for the first time since the Mauryas, most of the subcontinent was under one ruler. But the dominance was short-lived, and his schemes, the capital shift to Daulatabad and token currency, were poorly executed and brought hardship and economic decline. After Timur's attack on Delhi in the late 14th century, the Lodis emerged as the last dynasty, ruling a territory much reduced by resistance from kingdoms within India and regional sultanates. The comparison shows that the Sultanate's strength peaked under Tughlaq and then steadily weakened, until Babur ended it at Panipat in 1526.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.In which year was the Delhi Sultanate established, as per the NCERT timeline?Show answer

    1206.

  2. 2.Which temple did Narasimhadeva I build?Show answer

    The Surya temple at Konark.

  3. 3.Who were the founders of Vijayanagara?Show answer

    Harihara and Bukka Raya.

  4. 4.Which Telugu epic did Krishnadevaraya compose?Show answer

    Amuktamalyada.

  5. 5.Which battle in 1565 led to the sack of Vijayanagara city?Show answer

    The Battle of Talikota.

The Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire: frequently asked questions

Which dynasties ruled the Delhi Sultanate?

The Mamluks, Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids and Lodis.

Why was Vijayanagara's capital destroyed?

After the Battle of Talikota in 1565, a coalition of the Deccan Sultanates sacked the city for several months and left it in ruins.

Who were the Deccan Sultanates?

Five states into which the Bahmani Sultanate broke: Bijapur, Golconda, Berar, Ahmednagar and Bidar.