Ibn Battuta came to India during the reign of which ruler ?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:
Ibn Battuta, the famous Moroccan traveller and scholar, arrived in India in 1333 CE. This period aligns perfectly with the reign of Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, who ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1325 to 1351 CE. Battuta was greatly impressed by the Sultan and his court. Due to his legal expertise, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq appointed him as the Qazi (chief judge) of Delhi, a post he held for several years. Battuta's detailed travelogue, the *Rihla*, is one of the most invaluable sources for understanding the geography, society, and political life of the Indian subcontinent during Tughlaq’s reign, providing a firsthand account of the Sultan's eccentric administration and policies.

The incorrect option is 2:
Firoz Tughlaq (ruled 1351–1388 CE) was the successor and cousin of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq. Ibn Battuta had already departed from India in 1342 CE, approximately nine years before Firoz Tughlaq ascended the throne.

The incorrect option is 3:
Alauddin Khilji (ruled 1296–1316 CE) belonged to the Khilji dynasty, which preceded the Tughlaq dynasty. He died seventeen years before Ibn Battuta arrived in India in 1333 CE, making his reign much too early for the traveller’s visit.

The incorrect option is 4:
Ibrahim Lodi (ruled 1517–1526 CE) was the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, which ruled much later, nearly two centuries after the Tughlaq dynasty. His defeat in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 marked the end of the Delhi Sultanate and the beginning of the Mughal Empire.