Who were called “Dastar” Bandan ?

The correct answer is D) Ulema. The term comes from dastar, the turban, and dastarbandi, the ceremony of tying a turban on a person as a mark of learning or status. In the Islamic scholarly tradition, a student who completed his studies was formally given the turban, and such men came to be called Dastarbandan. They were the learned Muslim scholars, the ulema, who had the authority of religious learning.

Why the others are wrong:

• A) Sufi saints are mystics and spiritual guides, identified by khanqah, silsila and their ascetic way of life. They were not defined by a turban-tying ceremony of learning.
• B) Khan is a title of rank, used for nobles and chiefs under the Sultanate and the Mughals. It denotes political status, not scholarship.
• C) Malik is likewise a noble or official title in the Sultanate period, not a term for scholars.

The core concept is the social hierarchy of the medieval Islamic period, in which ulema, nobles, and Sufis formed distinct groups with distinct titles. For Mains, this helps in understanding the role of the ulema in courts, education and law, and the state's relationship with religious institutions.

Trap: Aspirants often pick Khan or Malik because they are the familiar noble titles. Remember that the question asks about the turban-linked scholarly class, not the political nobility.