Meet the Mughals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Babur

Babur was the great-grandson of Timur, the founder of the Timurid Empire that ruled swathes of Central Asia and Persia. When Babur ascended the throne, he was only twelve. Faced with a rebellion, he was unable to hold onto power and lost the main city of Samarkhand. Over the course of several years, he regained and then lost Samarkhand twice more. Finally accepting defeat, he instead looked to expand in the east and settled for the northern part of India, thus establishing the Mughal Dynasty.

Answer: Akbar

Akbar was the grandson of Babur and the third Mughal Emperor. Strong on the battlefield and an able administrator, Akbar managed to expand the kingdom to cover almost the entire Indian subcontinent north of the river Godavari. He was also considered to be kind to his subjects. Determined to reduce communal conflicts between his Hindu and Muslim subjects, he developed a new religion called Din-i-Ilahi incorporating the best of all religions on the subcontinent.

The religion did not take much root and died out after Akbar's death.

Answer: Bairam Khan

Akbar ascended the throne at a very young age and therefore ruled under the mentorship of Bairam Khan in the early years. Khan had been an important confidante of Akbar's father, Humayun and was also the commander-in-chief of the army. Humayun had bestowed on him the honorific of "Khan-i-Khanan" which means 'King of Kings'.

Answer: Birbal

Akbar was illiterate having had to ascend the throne at an early age. Despite this, he had a great love for learning and art. He employed poets, artists, writers and wise men to his court so that he could learn from them. His court was renowned for having "Navratnas" - Nine Jewels.

These were nine men of extraordinary ability in various matters including the arts. Birbal was one of Akbar's Navratnas. He was considered one of the wisest men in the kingdom and Akbar often sought his advice on statecraft.

Answer: Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan is best known for his contributions to Mughal architecture. Born Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram, he assumed the name Shah Jahan which means 'King of the World'. While the Taj Mahal which he built in memory of wife Mumtaz is famous across the world, it is by no means the only admirable structure commissioned by him.

He also built most parts of the Red Fort in Delhi from whose ramparts the Indian Prime Minister delivers the Independence Day speech every year, the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India and the Shalimar Gardens, a Mughal garden complex in Lahore, Pakistan.

Answer: Mumtaz Mahal

Mumtaz Mahal was one of Shah Jahan's many wives, though considered the dearest of them all. She died while giving birth to their fourteenth child. Shah Jahan then commissioned the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for Mumtaz. Located on the banks of the Yamuna river, the complex also has formal gardens, a mosque and a guesthouse. Ultimately, Shah Jahan was also laid to rest here, though it was not part of his original plan.

Therefore, Shah Jahan's tomb is the only non-symmetrical part of the entire complex.

Answer: Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb forcibly took over power from his father, Shah Jahan. He staged a rebellion and had Shah Jahan put under house arrest in the Red Fort during his last days. Aurangzeb, while not widely regarded, was also one of the successful Mughal Emperors.

He managed to extend the empire to the south, thus covering almost the entire Indian subcontinent. Unlike his father, he was completely against spending money on monuments and not a single one of note was constructed during his reign. In keeping with this, there was no lavish tomb built for him and he was buried in an unmarked grave in Aurangabad, a small district in western India named after him.

Answer: Nur Jahan

Nur Jahan was only one of the many wives of Jehangir, but she was considered his chief consort. Her name means 'Light of the World'. Nur Jahan was well-educated for the times and Jehangir allowed her to attend court sessions with him. She wielded considerable influence over the king and his court.

When he was ill, she was known to singly conduct court sessions herself. Her importance in the kingdom is also seen by the fact that she was the only woman in the history of the Mughal Empire to have coinage created in her name.

Answer: Jodha

Akbar was known to create alliances on the Indian subcontinent with many of the smaller kingdoms. One such was with the Rajputs through his marriage to the Rajput princess Jodha. There is not much historical information available on the princess though she has become strongly associated with the mythology of the Rajputs, such that even movies and television shows have been made on the alleged romance between Akbar and Jodha.

Instead, historical sources indicate that Jodha's father, Raja Bihari Mal, offered his daughter to Akbar showing his submission to the Mughals.

Answer: Bahadur Shah Zafar

Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last of the Mughal emperors. By the time he ascended the throne, the kingdom was a mere shadow of what it had been in its early days. He only retained a modicum of control over the city of Delhi. To all intents and purposes, the subcontinent was ruled by various European powers, led by the British.

When the Indians rebelled against British rule during the Mutiny of 1857, they attempted to restore power to Bahadur Shah Zafar, to have a nominal head. After the rebellion was crushed, Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled to Burma (now Myanmar) where he died.