During the Sultanate of Delhi, society was in transition. People were broadly classified as Hindus or Muslims based on their religion. The people were heavily taxed. Agriculture was the primary source of income. The major industries were the manufacture of gold and silver jewellery, embroidery, textiles, and dyeing. The Sultans imposed religious restrictions on Hindu and Shia subjects.

During the Sultans' reign, slavery flourished. Prisoners of war were sold as slaves. Women did not have a high social status. The purdah system and child marriage were both in use. Upper-class women were well-versed in the fine arts. In this article, we will discuss the Economic and Social Life of Delhi Sultanate which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Economy under Delhi Sultanate

• During the Delhi Sultanate, trade expanded dramatically. There was a currency system that was based on the silver tanka.
• Roads were constructed to connect Delhi, Lahore, and Sonargaon in Bengal.
• A communication system also emerged, with a post relay system created, with horse riders carrying the post. New industries such as metal work, paper making, and textile were developed in Delhi, Lahore, Multan, and Lakhnauti.
• Textile trade was conducted with China and West Asia, where horses, ivory, and spices were substituted for textiles.
• The Arabs were the dominant traders, but Tamils, Kalingas, and Gujaratis also participated.
• The majority of people were subsistence-level labourers. Some landowners were wealthy, including both Hindus and Muslims.
• The Sultan and his nobles lived a lavish lifestyle because they owned a palace. The middle classes included artisans and shopkeepers. Slavery existed during that time period.
• The state's main source of revenue was land revenue known as Kharaj. This referred to all non-Muslim taxes, including Jaziyah.
• Alauddin Khilji increased the land tax from one-sixth to one-half of the gross produce. This was a type of capitation tax imposed on all Hindus.
• Zakat is the name given to the tax collected from wealthy Muslims in order to assist poor Muslims, known as Khams or Ghaninah.
• Road construction and maintenance aided in the smooth operation of transportation and communication.
• The royal roads, in particular, were kept in good condition. Sarais, or rest stops, were built along highways for the convenience of travellers.
• During this time, the cotton textile and silk industries flourished.
• During the reign of the Delhi Sultans, paper-making technology developed by the Chinese and learned by the Arabs was introduced to India.
• Craft production was organised in both villages and qasbas. There was also imperial.
• The majority of people worked in agriculture. The peasants grew a wide range of food crops, cash crops, fruits, vegetables, and spices.
• They used advanced agricultural techniques such as crop rotation, double cropping, three crop harvesting, fruit grafting, and so on.
• Various types of artificial water lifting devices were also used for this purpose.
• The Persian wheel was the most advanced water lifting device of the time.

Persian Wheel

Social Life Under Delhi Sultanate

• The society was in transition during the Delhi Sultanate. People were divided into Hindus and Muslims based on their religion. Muslims were divided once more into two groups: nobility and chiefs.
• There were three classes of nobles: Khans, Maliks, and Amirs. The emerging Zamindars and other administrative cadre were included in the chief's cabinet.
• The majority of the nobles were Turkish and Persian Muslims, but there were also Indian Muslims. Foreign Muslims were still given preference, and when a noble died, his descendants inherited his power.
• The nobles known as Ashraf were the respected segment of the social structure. This paved the way for Muslim social stratification.
• Nobles lived a luxurious and lavish life due to their position and financial situation. Warrior nobles gradually transformed into cultural patrons. Political ties between Turkish rulers and Hindu Rajputs were common at the time.
• Qazis and Mujiis were judicial functionaries who assisted the nobles. Mehtasib used to monitor Muslims' adherence to Shariah law. All of these were paid positions. There were many clerks and petty officers, as well as a slave population.
• There was no discernible change in the Hindu society structure. During the Delhi Sultanate, the Purdah system spread. Women were hidden in the upper classes, but they had more freedom in the lower classes.
• Customs such as sati and the prohibition on widow remarriage were established at the time. The only advantage was that widows could inherit their husbands' property.
• Muslim society was divided along ethnic and racial lines, with significant economic disparities.
• There were few marriages between Turks, Iranians, Afghans, and Indian Muslims. Converts from Hinduism to Islam were given a lower rank and less preference.
• The Hindus controlled the entire local administration. Both the Hindu and Muslim communities were overlapping.
• There were still disparities in social and cultural ideas and beliefs. This created a tense environment, resulting in decreased mutual understanding and cultural adjustments.

Conclusion

There is very less information about the people's economic situation in the Delhi Sultanate. The historians of the time were more interested in events at the court than in the lives of ordinary people. Ibn Battutah, a North African from Tangier, visited India in the fourteenth century and spent eight years at the court of Muhammad Tughlaq. He travelled extensively throughout India and left a very interesting account of the country's products, including fruits, flowers, herbs, and so on, as well as the state of the roads and people's lives.

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: “The economic prosperity of the Delhi Sultanate was primarily driven by agriculture and trade.” Discuss.

Explanation: This question requires an analysis of the key drivers of economic prosperity during the Delhi Sultanate. The answer should discuss the role of agriculture, which was the backbone of the economy, supported by taxation policies and irrigation techniques. It should also address the importance of trade, both domestic and foreign, and how it contributed to the flourishing of urban centers, artisanal production, and cultural exchange.

Q2: Examine the impact of the Delhi Sultanate’s tax policies on the social and economic life of the people.

Explanation: This question requires an examination of how the Delhi Sultanate’s tax policies, such as the imposition of kharaj (land tax) and jizya (tax on non-Muslims), affected the livelihoods of different social groups. The answer should discuss the economic burden on peasants and the Hindu majority, and how these taxes influenced social relations, agricultural productivity, and the Sultanate's overall economic stability.

Q3: Assess the role of artisans and craftsmen in the economic life of the Delhi Sultanate.

Explanation: This question requires an assessment of the contributions made by artisans and craftsmen to the Delhi Sultanate’s economy. The answer should highlight the production of textiles, metalwork, and other handicrafts, and how these goods were integral to both domestic consumption and foreign trade. It should also explore how the growth of urban centers and royal patronage provided opportunities for artisans, shaping the socio-economic fabric of the period.

Previous Year Questions on Economic and Social Life of Delhi Sultanate

1. UPSC CSE 2019

Q1: Discuss the role of trade in shaping the economic life of the Delhi Sultanate.

Answer: Trade played a vital role in the economic life of the Delhi Sultanate, connecting the region to Central Asia, China, the Persian Gulf, and the Mediterranean. The sultans encouraged trade by securing trade routes and reducing taxes on merchants, fostering a vibrant domestic and foreign trade network. Luxury goods like textiles, spices, and precious metals were exchanged, while ports like Cambay and Bengal became major trade hubs. The prosperity from trade contributed to the flourishing of urban centers and the patronage of artisans and craftsmen.

2. UPSC CSE 2020

Q2: Analyze the social structure of the Delhi Sultanate and its impact on the daily lives of the people. 

Answer: The social structure of the Delhi Sultanate was highly hierarchical, with the sultan and nobility at the top, followed by military elites, merchants, artisans, and peasants. Muslims, particularly the ruling Turkish and Afghan elites, held privileged positions, while the majority Hindu population was often subject to taxes like jizya. The rigid class and caste divisions restricted social mobility. However, the Delhi Sultanate also witnessed the coexistence of different religious communities and the blending of cultural practices, although tensions between the rulers and subjects were frequent.