Question

Which of the following Malwa Sultans had constructed a grand Darul-Shifa (hospital) in Mandu?
1. Hushang Shah
2. Ghiyas Shah
3. Mahmud Khalji I
4. Mahmud Khalji II

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Mahmud Khalji I

• Mandu formed a prominent capital city of the Malwa kingdom.
• Ala’ al-Din Khalji (reg. 1296-1316) captured this erstwhile settlement of the Paramaras, it was renamed Shadiabad by Hushang Shah Ghuri. 
• The Ghurid dynasty was quickly replaced by the Khaljis, who controlled the Malwa sultanate from 1436 to 1531.
• There was a small period when the Sultans of Gujarat and the Mughals had control, but from 1537 to 1561, Mandu struggled to remain as an independent state. The last of its independent rulers was the famous Baz Bahadur (reg. 1555-1561). Through all these dynastic changes, it remained the capital of the sultans of Malwa from 1401 to till it was completely subdued by the Mughals in 1562.
• Nonetheless, Mandu continued to remain an important administrative and military centre not only to control the region but also as a key location to control a major route from north India to the Deccan.
• Mahmud Khalji I was interested in architecture. Besides completing the Jama Masjid and Tomb of Hoshang, he built number of structure. He built a hospital in mandu in 1445.
• He gave land for its maintenance, with his own physician being appointed to supervise the hospitals.