"For ensuring safety on the roads and for extending comforts to the travellers, he built sarais on the highway at a distance of two Kosh. The travellers could get beds and cooked food. There also was provision for uncooked food supplies. He built some 1700 such sarais. "Who is this ruler?
Shar Shah
Understanding the Ruler Behind the Sarais
The question describes a ruler who significantly invested in infrastructure to enhance the safety and comfort of travelers. This ruler built a large network of sarais (inns) along highways at regular intervals, providing essential services like beds, cooked food, and uncooked food supplies. The scale of this construction is highlighted by the mention of some 1700 such sarais built.
Historically, rulers who prioritized trade and communication often invested in infrastructure like roads and sarais. These sarais served as resting points, security checkpoints, and centers for exchange, facilitating movement across the empire.
Analyzing the Key Features Mentioned
- Safety and Comfort: The primary stated goals for building the sarais.
- Location: On the highway.
- Distance: At a distance of two Kosh (an ancient Indian unit of distance).
- Services Provided: Beds, cooked food, uncooked food supplies.
- Quantity: Around 1700 sarais.
These specific details, particularly the extensive network of sarais and the provisions offered, point towards a particular ruler known for his administrative reforms and focus on infrastructure during his relatively short reign.
Identifying the Ruler
Let's consider the options provided:
- Ibrahim Lodi: The last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. His reign was marked by conflicts and instability, and he is not particularly known for extensive public works like building thousands of sarais.
- Sher Shah (Shar Shah): The founder of the Sur Empire. Sher Shah Suri is famous for his administrative reforms, revenue system, and significant infrastructure projects, including the rebuilding and extension of the Grand Trunk Road and the construction of a vast network of sarais along these routes. Historical accounts credit him with building a large number of sarais, often cited as around 1700 or more, at intervals along his roads, providing the very services mentioned in the question.
- Akbar: A great Mughal emperor. While Akbar undertook many public works and improved administration, the specific large-scale construction of 1700 sarais along highways as a defining feature is more strongly associated with Sher Shah Suri, who preceded him and whose infrastructure projects were influential.
- Shah Jahan: A Mughal emperor known for architectural marvels like the Taj Mahal. While the Mughals maintained and sometimes built sarais, the extensive network of 1700 sarais built explicitly for traveler safety and comfort on highways is primarily attributed to Sher Shah Suri's reforms.
Based on the historical evidence and the specific description provided, especially the number of sarais and the detailed provisions for travelers' safety and comfort on highways, the ruler is undoubtedly Sher Shah Suri (referred to as Shar Shah in the option).
Contribution of Sher Shah Suri to Infrastructure
Sher Shah Suri's reign (1540-1545) was brief but highly impactful. He is particularly noted for:
- Improving and extending the Grand Trunk Road (Sadak-e-Azam).
- Establishing a standardized currency system.
- Implementing efficient land revenue administration.
- Building a vast network of sarais across his empire, typically two Kosh apart, to promote trade, facilitate troop movement, and ensure the safety and comfort of travelers and merchants. Each sarai had separate provisions for different communities, wells, and sometimes mosques and temples.
The details in the question precisely match the historical descriptions of Sher Shah Suri's sarai system.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | Along major highways (e.g., Grand Trunk Road) |
| Distance | Approximately every two Kosh |
| Purpose | Traveler safety, comfort, trade promotion |
| Provisions | Beds, cooked food, uncooked supplies, wells, security |
| Number Built | Around 1700 (or more) |
Therefore, the ruler described as building some 1700 sarais on highways for traveler safety and comfort, providing beds and food, is Sher Shah Suri.
Revision Table: Rulers and Their Notable Infrastructure
| Ruler | Period | Notable Infrastructure/Admin |
|---|---|---|
| Ibrahim Lodi | 1517–1526 | Last Delhi Sultanate ruler, focus on military conflicts. Not known for extensive public works like vast sarai networks. |
| Sher Shah Suri | 1540–1545 | Rebuilt Grand Trunk Road, built ~1700 sarais, standardized currency, land reforms. Highly focused on trade and administration. |
| Akbar | 1556–1605 | Consolidated Mughal Empire, Din-i Ilahi, Mansabdari system, Fatehpur Sikri construction. While he improved administration, the large-scale sarai building mentioned is primarily Sher Shah's legacy. |
| Shah Jahan | 1628–1658 | Golden Age of Mughal architecture (Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Jama Masjid). Maintained roads and sarais but not noted for initiating a network of 1700 sarais. |
Additional Information: The Significance of Sarais
Sarais played a crucial role in the economic and administrative life of the empire. They were not just rest houses but also:
- Security points manned by guards, protecting travelers from bandits.
- Communication hubs where news and imperial orders were disseminated.
- Marketplaces where merchants could trade goods safely.
- Logistical support centers for moving troops and officials.
Sher Shah Suri's sarai system was revolutionary for its time, significantly boosting trade, improving communication, and ensuring relative safety on the major routes across his empire. The concept was later adopted and maintained by the Mughals.
Important Questions from Policies under Delhi Sultanate and Mughals
Although taken aback by the beauty of Kashmir and its gardens, which of the following emperors decreed in his 6 th regnal year that no king should visit there unless on military or administrative business, as he believed that the pursuit of pleasure was the inadequate reason for going to Kashmir ?
Aurangzeb spent nearly 25 years in Deccan, because
Who established Sera-i-Adl, an exclusive market in Delhi for manufactured and exported goods to be sold at prices fixed by administration?
Who introduced Mansabdari system into the administration under the Mughals?
- Consider the following statements about iqta:
(a) Iqta-i tamlik were hereditary in which the iqta was almost considered the private property of the grantee.
(b) Iqta-i mustaghall were not hereditary and were initially both administrative and military in nature.
(c) Iqta-i wajahi were personal grants in which neither the administrative nor military aspect was emphasised.
Select the correct answer from the code given below :
