Consider the following statements: ​ 1. It was during the reign of Iltutmish that Chengiz Khan reached the Indus in pursuit of the fugitive Khwarezm 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 Empoire that Vasco da Gama reached the coast of Kerala. ​ Which of the statements given above is/are correct? ​

Only statement 1 is correct, so the answer is A.

• Statement 1 (correct): In 1221, Chengiz Khan chased Jalal-ud-din Mangabarni, the fugitive Khwarezmian prince, and reached the Indus. This falls in Iltutmish's reign (1211-1236).
• Statement 2 (wrong): Taimur occupied Multan and crossed the Indus in 1398, under Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Tughluq, not Muhammad bin Tughluq, who died in 1351.
• Statement 3 (wrong): Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498, during the reign of Narasimha Saluva, the founder of the Saluva dynasty. Deva Raya II ruled from 1424 to 1446.

The core concept is dynastic chronology of the Delhi Sultanate and Vijayanagara, which is a steady Prelims scoring area. For Mains, the Vijayanagara link to the Portuguese trade is useful for questions on early European maritime presence and the Deccan economy.

Trap: Aspirants tend to assign invasions and events to the most famous ruler of a dynasty. Check the exact reign against the year.