Question

The term 'Khalisa' in the Sultanate and Mughal periods was used for
a.crown lands
b.lands owned by the Sufi establishment
c.land revenue which was directly deposited in the imperial treasury
d.land revenue which was assigned to the nobles for maintaining troops

Answer 1

Hint: Khalisa refers to land owned by the Emperor directly. It was the sole property of the emperor and was not a part of the royal treasury of the empire.

Complete answer:The Sultanate Period started in 1206 with the establishment of the Mamluk Dynasty and lasted till 1526. Within this period the four other dynasties were raised to the throne. In 1526, the throne of Delhi was usurped by the Mughals, when Babur defeated the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate at the second battle of Panipat. The Mughal Dynasty lasted till 1857. During the reign of these dynasties, a section of land was classified as crown lands, they were owned directly by the Emperor and were known as Khalisah.
OPTION A - Khalisah lands were crown lands. These were areas classified as directly owned by the Emperor. The revenue collection from these lands was overseen directly by the central Wazir of the empire and the funds went directly into the Emperor's personal treasury.
OPTION B - Rulers of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire often made generous donations to different sufi sects present in India. Kings donated money, vessels etc, and sometimes commissioned constructions of shrines. Sometimes lands were also donated, these were usually used for establishing Khanqahs and Dargahs.
OPTION C - Khalisa was a type of land, not a type of land revenue. Yes, the revenue collected from these lands was directly deposited into the Central Treasury, but Khalisah WAS NOT the name of the land revenue collected, it was the name for Crown Lands.
OPTION D - Nobles were assigned Mansabs and Jagirs. They had the responsibility of collecting revenue and maintaining an assigned number of troops and horses.
So, the correct answer is option D.

Note: The term Khalisah was used for Crown Lands. These were lands owned directly by the emperor. Tax collection of these lands was directly overseen by the Wazir of the empire and the revenues went straight into the central treasury.