Timur’s invasion of India in 1398 occurred when the Tughlaq dynasty was in deep political and administrative decline. Although Nasiruddin Muhammad Tughlaq was the nominal ruler, effective power was exercised by his father, Mahmud Shah Tughlaq. The internal disintegration of the Sultanate made Delhi vulnerable. Timur’s forces crossed the Indus, defeated the Tughlaq army near Delhi and committed mass killings. The capital was thoroughly plundered, its population massacred and its economy devastated. This invasion accelerated the collapse of the Tughlaq dynasty and paved the way for the emergence of the Sayyid dynasty. It remains one of the darkest episodes in Delhi’s history.

ANSWER: (A) Nasruddin Muhammad Tughlaq