Question

Mahmud of Ghazni attacked India____________.
A. to spread the Islamic religion
B. in order to acquire wealth
C. in order to destroy temples
D. to lay the foundation of the Islamic Empire in India.

Answer 1

Hint: Mahmud of Ghazni ruled from 999 to 1030. He was the first independent ruler of Turkic dynasty of Ghaznavids. His kingdom extended from northwestern Iran to Punjab in the Indian subcontinent. He attacked India 17 times.

Complete answer:Mahmud of Ghazni was the first independent ruler of the Turkic dynasty who ruled from 999 to 1030. The capital of Ghazni was the centre of cultural, commercial and intellectual centre. Al-Biruni and Ferdowsi appreciated his capital in their accounts.
He made numerous invasions to North India to acquire wealth and in 1001, he first invaded modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India. He captured Shahi ruler Jayapala but later released him.
In 1005 and 1006 he invaded Bhatia and Multan respectively. He even wanted to destroy Hindu temples and monuments.
Looking at the options given:
Option A. He tried to spread the Islamic religion but his main motive was to acquire wealth. It is an incorrect option.
Option B. He invaded India several times as he vowed to raid and loot the wealthy region of northwestern India every year. This is the correct answer.
Option C. He destroyed many temples including Somnath Temple of Gujarat. From there he took away the booty of 12 million dinars and broke the Jyotirlinga. It is an incorrect option.
Option D is also incorrect as he used all the booty to build his capital in Ghazni.

Thus, The correct answer is Option B.

Note: He tried to invade Kashmir, Rajasthan and Doab but they remained under the control of Hindu dynasties. From the booty which he looted, he transformed Ghazni, the first centre of Persian literature.