Question

Timur invaded northern India, during the reign of _____.
A)Abu Bakr Tughlaq
B)Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
C)Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq
D)Nasiruddin Mahmud Tughlaq

Answer 1

Hint: 1)He was the last ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty and was succeeded by Khizr Khan of the Sayyid Dynasty.
2)His elder brother was Ali ud-din Sikandar Shah who died very soon due to an illness.

Complete answer:
Timur invaded northern India, during the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Tughluq (who was the last ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty) in 1398.
Timur crossed River Indus on 30 September 1398. He massacred all the people of Tulamba (the first town which he encountered in his invasion). He advanced further and captured Multan in October. Throughout his invasion Timur was not opposed by any Indian nobility.

However, the Rajputs stepped up to fight Timur, but Timur pressed very hard and slaughtered every last one of the Rajputs at Bhatner. Before attacking Delhi, Timur was also attacked by the Jats who looted Timur's caravans and hid in the forests. Timur also killed many of them and even took some of them captive.

Timur finally reached Delhi in December and fought against the army of Nasiruddin Mahmud Tughlaq on 17th December 1398. Timur used his camels to fight the elephant army of Tughluq. He knew that the elephants could be easily frightened and he used this knowledge to make the elephants turn around and stampede their own soldiers. It was a relatively easy victory for Timur. Nasiruddin Mahmud Tughluq fled with the remaining people and Timur sacked Delhi and left it in ruins.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D)

Note: 1)Since Delhi was one of the richest capitals in the world, this victory is considered as one of Timur’s greatest.
2)The invasion destroyed Delhi to such an extent, that it took almost a century for Delhi to gain back its royal status.
3)This war also marked the downfall of the Tughlaq Dynasty. Soon after the invasion Nasiruddin was succeeded by Khizr Khan, who was Governor under him.