Consider the following statements: 1. It was during the reign of Iltutmish that Chengiz Khan reached the Indus in pursuit of the fugitive Khawarezm prince. 2. It was during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq that Taimur occupied Multan and crossed the Indus. 3. It was during the reign of Deva Raya II of Vijayanagara Empire that Vasco da Gama reached the coast of Kerala. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: In 1221, during the reign of Iltutmish, the Mongol leader Genghis Khan reached the banks of the Indus while pursuing Jalal-ad-Din Mangubarni, the crown prince of the Khwarazmian Empire. Iltutmish diplomatically refused to grant asylum to the prince, thereby saving the Delhi Sultanate from a direct Mongol invasion.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Taimur (Timur) invaded India in 1398, which was during the reign of Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughlaq (the last ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty). Muhammad bin Tughluq had died much earlier, in 1351. Furthermore, while Taimur led the overall campaign, it was his grandson, Pir Muhammad, who occupied Multan before Taimur crossed the Indus to join the main force.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Vasco da Gama reached the coast of Calicut (Kerala) in 1498. At this time, the Vijayanagara Empire was ruled by Immadi Narasimha Raya of the Saluva Dynasty. Deva Raya II, of the Sangama Dynasty, ruled earlier from 1422 to 1446 and had been dead for over 50 years by the time the Portuguese arrived.