Which one of the following rituals was not associated with the reign of Shah Jahan?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Sijda
Option (1) Chahar taslim — Associated with Shah Jahan. Under Shah Jahan the older forms of salutation were replaced with chahar taslim and zaminbos. Chahar taslim began with placing the back of the right hand on the ground and raising it gently till the person stood erect, then putting the palm on the crown of the head; it was done four (chahar) times.
Option (2) Taslim — Associated with Shah Jahan. Taslim literally means submission; the chahar taslim of Shah Jahan’s court was this salutation performed four times.
Option (3) Sijda — Not associated with Shah Jahan. Sijda, or complete prostration, had been the highest form of submission. Under Shah Jahan these rituals were replaced, so sijda was dropped in his reign.
Option (4) Zaminbos — Associated with Shah Jahan. Zaminbos means kissing the ground; it was one of the two salutations brought in under Shah Jahan.
Note: This question is taken from the chapter ‘Kings and Chronicles’ which was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT and has been deleted from subsequent editions of NCERT, including the NCERT book (2026-27).
NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “6.2 The Mughal court … The slightest infringement of etiquette was noticed and punished on the spot. The forms of salutation to the ruler indicated the person’s status in the hierarchy: deeper prostration represented higher status. The highest form of submission was sijda or complete prostration. Under Shah Jahan these rituals were replaced with chahar taslim and zaminbos (kissing the ground).… Chahar taslim is a mode of salutation which begins with placing the back of the right hand on the ground, and raising it gently till the person stands erect, when he puts the palm of his hand upon the crown of his head. It is done four (chahar) times. Taslim literally means submission.” |