What was the reign of Qutubuddin Aybak?

Correct option is C

The correct answer is (C) 1206-1210

Explanation:
• Qutubuddin Aybak was the founder of the Slave Dynasty (Mamluk Dynasty) and the first Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate.
• He was a former slave of Muhammad Ghori and rose to the position of a general. Following Ghori's death in 1206, Aybak took control of the Indian territories.
• His reign was relatively short, lasting from 1206 until 1210, during which he laid the administrative foundations of the Sultanate.
• He is famously known as 'Lakh Baksh' (Giver of Lakhs) due to his generosity.
• He died in 1210 as a result of a fall from a horse while playing Chaugan (an early form of polo).

Information Booster:
• Architecture: He started the construction of the Qutub Minar in Delhi (dedicated to Sufi saint Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki) and built the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque.
• Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra: He also commissioned this mosque in Ajmer.
• Succession: He was briefly succeeded by Aram Shah, who was soon replaced by Iltutmish, the real consolidator of the Sultanate.

Additional Knowledge:
• 1188-1199 (Option A): This period precedes the formal establishment of the Delhi Sultanate; Aybak was acting as a general and governor under Muhammad Ghori.
• 1199-1205 (Option B): During this time, Aybak was consolidating Ghori's conquests in North India but was not yet a sovereign ruler.
• 1210-1216 (Option D): This period marks the early years of Iltutmish's reign (who ruled from 1211 to 1236) after the short-lived rule of Aram Shah.