BPSC CCE Prelims
Administration under Sultanate Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

Muqaddam or Chaudhuri were titles used during the Delhi Sultanate for the village headman who acted as a liaison between the state and the rural population.

They were responsible for maintaining order, collecting land revenue from villagers, and ensuring compliance with state directives at the village level.

The village accountant was separately designated as Patwari, while higher revenue officials included positions like Amil or Muqti.

Detailed Explanation:

Muqaddam or Chaudhari was the designation for the village headman during the Delhi Sultanate.

The village headman was responsible for local administration, maintaining law and order in the village, and acted as an intermediary between villagers and revenue officials. The village accountant was called Patwari or Qanungo, while revenue officials held titles like Amil, Muqta, or Khwaja.

Detailed Explanation:

Multiple Delhi Sultans challenged the Khalifa's political authority while acknowledging his symbolic religious status. Alauddin Khalji declared his power derived from military strength, not the Caliph's sanction. Muhammad-bin-Tughluq ruled independently despite nominal allegiance. Balban emphasized his own sovereignty. Iltutmish accepted the Caliph's investiture but exercised complete temporal control.

Each sultan maintained the fiction of religious acknowledgment to legitimize rule among Muslim nobility, yet none allowed the Caliph any real interference in governance or policy.

Therefore, more than one sultan opposed the Khalifa's political power, making Option 5 the correct answer.