Previous Year Question

The correct answer is Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

The Tughlaq ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351–1388 CE), is credited with founding the present city of Jaunpur.

The Census of India District Census Handbook for Jaunpur explicitly states that Firoz Tughlaq founded the city of Jaunpur on the banks of the Gomati River.

The city is traditionally considered to have been named in memory of Firoz Shah's predecessor and relative Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Muhammad bin Tughlaq was also known as Jauna/Juna Khan, from which the name Jaunpur is associated.

There is some variation in the sources concerning the precise year of foundation. The Census of India and several historical accounts generally associate it with 1359 CE, whereas Archaeological Survey-related historical material notes evidence supporting both 1359 and 1360 CE—possibly indicating that the plan was adopted in one year and implemented in the next.

Firoz Shah also sponsored construction at Jaunpur. According to the Jaunpur District Administration of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the Shahi Fort was constructed by Firoz Shah in 1362 CE, while the beginning of the Atala Mosque is likewise associated with the Tughlaq period.

Later, towards the end of the fourteenth century, Jaunpur became the capital of the Sharqi Sultanate. Malik Sarwar, who received the title Malik-ush-Sharq, established Sharqi authority there. Under later rulers such as Ibrahim Shah Sharqi, Jaunpur developed into an important centre of learning, culture and architecture.

Therefore, Ibrahim Shah Sharqi did not found Jaunpur; he contributed substantially to its later development as a Sharqi ruler.

Similarly, Muhammad bin Tughlaq was the ruler whose memory is traditionally associated with the city's name, whereas its founder was Firoz Shah Tughlaq.