Ghiyasuddin Balban (1265-1286 AD), ruler of the Slave dynasty, took up the title of         .

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SSC MTS Previous Year Paper (Held on: 5 July 2022 Shift 1)
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  1. Nur-al-Din (light of the faith)
  2. NurMahall (light of the palace)
  3. Zil-Ilahi (Shadow of God)
  4. JahanPanah (protector of the world)

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 3 : Zil-Ilahi (Shadow of God)
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The correct answer is Zil-Ilahi (Shadow of God).

Key Points

  • Ghiyas-ud-din Balban was the first Muslim ruler to formulate the ‘theory of kingship’ similar to the ‘theory of the divine right of the kings'.
  • Balban lived and ruled from 1266 AD to 1287 AD.
  • Balban himself was a member of Chalisa or Chahalgani but he broke the power of Chahalgani and restored the prestige of the crown. 
  • He created a strong centralized army and established the military department Diwan-i-Arz.
  • He ordered the separation of military affairs from the finance department (Diwan‑i‑Wazarat).
  • He declared the sultan as representative of God on Earth. Persian court model influenced Balban’s conception of kingship. He took up the title of Zil-i-Ilahi (a shadow of God) and impressed upon the people that the king was the deputy of God (Niyabat-i-Khudai).
  • He insisted on the Iranian ceremonies of sijda and paibos.
  • He was a patron of Persian literature and showed special favor to Amir Khusro.

Additional Information

  • Qutubuddin Aibak constructed two mosques, Quwwat-ul- Islam in Delhi and Adhai din ka Jhonpra in Ajmer. He also began the construction of Qutub Minar, in honor of the famous Sufi Saint, Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki.
  • Shamsuddin Iltutmish was the slave of Qutubuddin Aibak and occupied the throne of Delhi in 1211 AD after deposing Aram Bakhsh. 
  • Alauddin introduced the system of Dagh (the branding of the horse) and Chehra (descriptive role of soldiers).
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