Question

The largest standing army of the Delhi Sultanate directly paid by the state was created by ______________
(A) Balban
(B) Iltutmish
(C) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(D) Alauddin Khilji

Answer 1

Hint: The largest army of the Delhi Sultanate was created by one of the most powerful rulers of the sultanate. The army was created during the Mongol invasion where the salaries were paid to the soldiers directly by the state.

Complete answer:
The largest standing army of the Delhi sultanate was created by one of the most powerful rulers of the Khalji dynasty, Alauddin Khilji. Allauddin was born as Ali Girsasp who succeeded Jalaluddin, his uncle, to become the next ruler of the Khalji dynasty. He got the Kara region under his control after a successful expedition against Jalaluddin in 1291 and got the region of Awadh under his control in 1296 after the raid on Bhilsa. He killed Jalaluddin to become the next sultan of Delhi and suppressed his son Multan. After coming in power he led many expeditions against Mongols including Chagatai Khante, Jaran-Manjur, Delhi, Kiri, and Amroha. The military commanders of Delhi Sultanate successfully won against the Mongols of Afghanistan. During the expedition against Mongols Allauddin created the largest army under the Delhi sultanate which was directly financed by the state.

Hence, the correct answer is option D.

Note:
Alauddin also invaded other kingdoms to consolidate his rule in the subcontinent. These include Gujarat, Siwana, Chittor, Ranthambore, Malwa, and Jalor. Kingdoms of the south such as that of Vindhyas were also invaded by his slave general along with the Pandya kingdom from where they obtained treasury.