Rana Sanga of Chittor

The Old Rajput Hero Rana Sanga who counted 80 wounds on his body and lost one arm and one eye in the battle field, commanded a vast army of a Rajput confederacy with 120 chieftains leading 80 thousand war horses and 500 war elephants.

Rana Sanga of Chittor had defended his kingdom bravely from repeated invasions from the Muslim rulers of Delhi, Gujarat and Malwa.

• He was the most powerful of the Hindu kings of that era.
• Mewar touched the pinnacle of prosperity during the rule of Rana Sanga.

The reign of Rana Sanga is marked by continuous battles. He fought with rulers of Delhi, Gujarat and Malwa. Prior to confrontation with BaburBabur 1526-1530 Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur is one of the most captivating figures of Indian historyIndian history. Babur was a link between the predatory swarms and the ....., Battle of GagronBattle of Gagron 1519 The first major battle of Rana Sanga was the "Battle of Gagron" in 1519, with Sultan Mahmood of Malwa. Sultan Mahmood was ..... was his major battle.

First Battle of Panipat

First Battle of Panipat 1526

BaburBabur 1526-1530 Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur is one of the most captivating figures of Indian historyIndian history. Babur was a link between the predatory swarms and the .....'s eldest son HumayunHumayun's First Reign: 1530-1540 Introduction to Humayun When Babur left the throne to his eldest, lovable son Humayun, it was not a bed of roses. When he ..... had brought a contingent of warriors from Badshahkhan and this time the trustiest generals of Ghazni led the army. After crossing Jhelum, the troops of Lahore also joined him, as Daulat Khan pretended to support them. But he stood against Babur and his 40 thousand troops melted away at Babur's approach. Daulat Khan was killed.

The decisive battle of Panipat was fought with Ibrahim Lodi on April 21, 1526. Babur collected 700 gun-carts and linked them together with twisted bullA market player who believes prices will rise and would, therefore, purchase a financial instrument with a view to selling it at a higher price. ..... hides and arranging the shields between each pair of them to protect the operator.

He placed his canons and matchlocks in the center. On 21 April, the 1 Lakh army of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi with 300 elephants was engaged by the strategically arranged much less in number troops of Babur , from all sides. By noon the invaders had broken the great army of the Sultan of Delhi. The Sultan of India was beheaded and his head was brought to Babur. The victorious troops were divided into two parts, one of which was sent to capture AgraAgra, or the city of the Taj, as it is known all over the world, is one of the prominent destinations of the World Tourism ...... On 27 April 1526, the Public Prayer in Delhi was said in the mosque in the name of the new emperor of India - Babur.

• The Guns and Canons proved decisive in this battle as well as successive battles of Babur.

The treasure of Delhi and Agra was looted and divided among the Begs of Babur and in celebration of this victory silver coins were distributed in Kabul.

• The celebrated Kohinoor was brought by Humayun to his father, who returned it to the young prince.

Babur had little love for wealth and precious stones and was happy in giving it away, earning the prestigious nickname of "Kalandhari".

Babur's Resolution

When Babur, the new King moved to Agra, it was a hot season, adverse to his soldiers and the local people were hostile to the strangers. Each big or small state was prepared for stiff resistance. The soldiers started feeling homesick, and having their prize money secured wished to go back to the cool air of Kabul and started getting ready. But Babur summoned all the chief officers and spoke to them. He recalled the past "toil" and "hard work" of his army and asked them that after winning throne of Delhi, was it good idea to turn back from all they have accomplished? Nobody said yes.

A bold resolution was made and Babur decided to stay here, at the heart of India, among the foemen and hostile countries.

He was able to win many of the small enemies very soon. Humayun led an army to east to suppress the Afghans, and made them flee beyond Ganges. Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Ayodhya were taken. The only formidable rival left in Hindustan was the great Rana Sanga of ChittorThe Old Rajput Hero Rana Sanga who counted 80 wounds on his body and lost one arm and one eye in the battle field, commanded ....., the venerable head of all the Rajput Kings of Rajasthan.

Early Invasions of Babur on India

In his encounter with the people of his own race, he took a lesson that only way to establish a large empire is to go beyond Indus and win Hindustan. BaburBabur 1526-1530 Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur is one of the most captivating figures of Indian historyIndian history. Babur was a link between the predatory swarms and the ..... started contemplating winning India, but till the age of 36 years, he could take anything beyond Kabul & Ghazni.

• The first attack of Babur in India was on Bajaur in 1519 with 2000 horsemen. It was followed by capture of Bhira on Jhelum River in Punjab. Babur claimed this land in right of his great Grandson Timur's conquest a century ago. But he was repelled by the Hindus and Babur's occupation was nothing but a fleeting raid.

The discontent at Delhi led Aalam Khan , one of the uncles of Ibrahim Lodi and a claimant to the throne of Delhi flee to Kabul and appeal him for "action", which was already "granted".

As early as 1523, the Afghan nobles began to intrigue with Babur to dislodge Ibrahim Lodi. In his encounter with the people of his own race, Babur took a lesson that only way to establish a large empire is to go beyond Indus and win Hindustan. Babur started contemplating winning India, but till the age of 36 years, he could not take anything beyond Kabul & Ghazni.

• The first attack of Babur in India was on Bajaur in 1519 with 2000 horsemen. It was followed by capture of Bhira on Jhelum River in Punjab. Babur claimed this land in right of his great Grandson Timur's conquest a century ago. But he was repelled by the Hindus and Babur's occupation was nothing but a fleeting raid.

The discontent at Delhi led Aalam Khan , one of the uncles of Ibrahim Lodi and a claimant to the throne of Delhi flee to Kabul and appeal him for "action", which was already "granted".

• Gun Powder was used for the first time during his expedition to Bajaur. In successive expeditions he used Gun powder and Canons which were perhaps new to the Indians.

Prior to take on Ibrahim Lodi, Babur had led 4 expeditions. In one of these expeditions he was able to defeat Daulat Khan Lodi, the Governor of Punjab. The Kabul troops of Babur routed the Lahore troops of Daulat Khan and plundered Lahore Bazaars. Babur rested only for 4 days in the Capital then passed to Dipalpur, sacked the town and massacred the soldiers and civilians. Alam Khan was appointed at Dipalpur and a Mongol was also left to watch this coat changer. Then he returned Kabul. His fifth and final expedition was in November 1525 which ended in 1526 with victory at Delhi.

Brief Information About Babur

Babur 1526-1530

Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur is one of the most captivating figures of Indian historyIndian history.

Babur was a link between the predatory swarms and the imperial government, a link between Timur and AkbarAkbar, the Great 1556-1605 The reign of Akbar for almost half a century is known as the Golden Period of the Mughal Empire. Akbar was the ...... The blood of Mongols, Turks, Chengez Khan and Timur was mixed in his veins.

A descendent of Timur through his father and descendant of Changez Khan through his mother, Babur represented the culture and urbanity of the Persians and spread it in India. He laid foundation of the splendid fabric which was completed by his grandson Akbar.

• Babur has written his biography i.e. Baburnama which is also known as Tuzk-e Babri.
• Babur and JahangirJahangir 1605-1627 Salim, who had more than once openly rebelled against his father, sat the throne 8 days after death of Akbar in 1605 as Nuruddin ..... are the only two emperors of Mughal Empire who wrote their own biographies.
• Baburnama is also known to be the first true autobiography in the Islamic literature.
• Baburnama was written in Chagatai Turkic, which was Babur's mother tongue.
• In contrast Jahangirnama or Tuzk-i-Jahangiri was written in Persian.

Babur was born in 1483 at Fargana situated between Persia and Turkestan i.e. modern Uzbekistan and spent 36 years of his life in that country.

During the time period between Timur's invasion on India in 1398 and Babur's birth in 1483, none of the successors of Timur was capable to consolidate the common heritage of the large Timurid Empire.

So when Babur took birth this large empire was broken into pieces which were being ruled by a large number of Timurid princes. Likewise, Babur's father Umar Sheikh Mirza had inherited the Kingdom of Fargana.

When Babur was just a young boy of 11 years Umar Sheikh Mirza died and Babur succeeded him. But soon he became busy in countering the plots and intrigues of his uncles and cousins. He was exiled but was able to take Fargana back later.

Like his great grandfather Timur, Babur wanted to win the Samarkand, capital of Transoxiana. He attacked Samarkand in 1497 and was able to retain it for 7 months, but a rebellion at home led him to march towards Fargana which is 200 miles of Samarkand. But during this march, his troops at Samarkand deserted him and he lost it.

In 1501, he tried to win Samarkand and was defeated by Muhammad Shaybani. Muhammad Shaybani took Herat too in 1507. The only lasting success of Babur in his initial career was Kabul. At Kabul, as soon as 1523, the Afghan nobles began to intrigue with him to dislodge Ibrahim Lodi.

Next Post – Early Invasions of Babur on IndiaIn his encounter with the people of his own race, he took a lesson that only way to establish a large empire is to go .....

Lodi Dynasty

Lodi Dynasty    

The entire 15th century saw the power of Delhi vanished, following the collapse of the Tughlaq Dynasty, after the invasion of TimurInvasion of Timur : 1398 In 1398, when Delhi was in a chaotic state of the kingdom, Timur attacked Delhi with is 92 regiments of 1000 ...... The Sayyid utterly failed. The Lodi Afghans showed some energy and wisdom but could not regain the old power and pomp. The last feeble Sayyid was supplanted by Bahlol Lodi in 1451.

Bahlol Lodi 1451 – 1489

Bahlol Lodi was a good soldier and governor of Sirhind. After taking some minor principalities near Delhi, he was able to recover Jaunpur and surrounding territories expanding the territories as far as Bihar. He had married a Hindu Goldsmith of Sirhind and the offspring of this matrimony was Sikandar Lodi, who succeeded him after his death in 1489.

Sikandar Lodi 1489-1517

Sikandar Lodi was the second son of Bahlol, so naturally there was a power struggle between him and his elder brother Barbak Shah, who was then viceroy of Jaunpur. But since, Sikandar was nominated as heir apparent by his father, there was no bloodshed and Barbak Shah kept ruling Jaunpur. Sikandar ascended the throne in 1489 AD.

The campaigns of Sikandar Lodi began to recall the earlier supremacy of Delhi. He was able to subdue the rajas of Bihar, Bengal, Dholpur, Chanderi, Gwalior, Awadh, Tirhut, Bundelkhand etc.

• In 1503 he established the city of AgraAgra, or the city of the Taj, as it is known all over the world, is one of the prominent destinations of the World Tourism ..... and in 1506, transferred his capital from Delhi to Agra.
  
• Sikandar, like Firoz Tughlaq was harsh to Hindus and is known to have burnt alive a Hindu Brahmin who preached that "Islam and Hindu are both ways acceptable to God".
• He razed temples such as Jwalamukhi temple at Nagarkot. He imposed Jaziya on Hindus and did all what he could do to prove the supremacy of Islam.

The dream of conquering the Gwalior fort could never come true in his life. He attacked 5 times to win this mighty fort but each time he was defeated by raja Mansingh of Gwalior. He died in 1517 and was succeeded by his son Ibrahim Lodi, who was the last Sultan of the Delhi SultanateIn 1206, India found a Mohammeden King Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruling not from outside of India but at Delhi itself. Qutb-ud-din ......

Ibrahim Lodi: 1517-1526

Ibrahim Lodi was obsessed with the Royal prerogative. He made the Afghan chiefs on whose swords his dominion rested, stand motionless in his presence with folded hands and they got so much vexed with his petty rules that discontent rose among them.

Ibrahim tried to subdue the inferno with the blood of some of the elite and result of this bloodshed was that Afghans rose in arms. There was a rebel in all of his sides. The chiefs of Oudh, Jaunpur and Bihar chose Darya Khan as their leader. In Punjab there was a revolt under Daulat Khan. The rule of Ibrahim became so intolerant that one of his uncles Aalam Khan fled to Kabul and invited BaburBabur 1526-1530 Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur is one of the most captivating figures of Indian historyIndian history. Babur was a link between the predatory swarms and the ..... to invade India. In Mewar, a new power under Rana Sanga was on its zenith. Under these circumstances Babur attacked India and closed the chapter of Delhi Sultanate.

Sayyid Dynasty

Sayyid Dynasty 1414-1451

The impact of the Invasion of TimurInvasion of Timur : 1398 In 1398, when Delhi was in a chaotic state of the kingdom, Timur attacked Delhi with is 92 regiments of 1000 ..... was that Delhi was not able to get her old ascendency. After a series of successions the Tughlaq dynasty had ended.

In 1414, Khizra Khan, the founder of the Sayyid dynasty, who claimed his descent from the Arabian Prophet, took control as a deputy of Timur in India. 4 Kings of the Sayyid dynasty indulged in perpetual struggle to retain some sort of control. Khizra Khan was succeeded by his son Mubarak Khan after his death on May 20, 1421. But he was murdered soon. Last ruler of this dynasty was Ala-ud-Din Alam Shah, who voluntarily abdicated the throne of the Delhi sultanateIn 1206, India found a Mohammeden King Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruling not from outside of India but at Delhi itself. Qutb-ud-din ..... in favor of Bahlol Khan Lodi on April 19, 1451 and left for Badaun, where he died chanting names of the god.

India was once again disintegrated in smaller independent states and petty rulers ruled the territories, some of which were as small as 20-30 miles.

• In South India first independent Islamic Kingdom in South Bahamni Kingdom had already formed by a vassal of Muhammad Bin TughlaqMuhammad Bin Tughlaq 1325-1351 Muhammad Bin Tughlaq is known as a "Man of Ideas" and can be said one of the most striking sultan of medieval ......
• In Karnataka the Vijayanagar empire was on its climax.

Invasion of Timur

Invasion of Timur : 1398

In 1398, when Delhi was in a chaotic state of the kingdom, Timur attacked Delhi with is 92 regiments of 1000 horsemen each.

• Timur, the fourteenth-century conqueror of Western, South and Central Asia was the founder of the Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia and was an ancestor of BaburBabur 1526-1530 Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur is one of the most captivating figures of Indian historyIndian history. Babur was a link between the predatory swarms and the ..... who established Mughal Kingdom in India.

Timur was induced by the surpassing riches of India and by the duty of the "Holy War" against the infidels. The objective of Timur to invade India was "to lead a campaign against the "Infidels" and convert them to true faith as per the command of Hazarat Muhammad and purify the land from the pollution of misbelief and overthrow the temples and the idols placed inside them".

Crossing the Indus and all the five rivers of Punjab, Timur almost unopposed reached capital on December 17, 1398 where a decisive battle was fought. Before he entered Delhi, more than 100000 Hindus were taken as prisoners. As a precaution to the war elephants of the Sultan, he made a defense camp with brushwood and trees, followed by a store and cattles and the Hindu women. His horsemen were stationed with the women prisoners. The women prisoners were raped and tortured. Before leaving for the battle, Timur ordered all of the 1 lakh men to be slain in cold blood.

The armies of Sultan Nasir-u Din Mahmud attempted to withstand this tyrant's forces but were defeated. Timur left Delhi in December 1398 and marched on Meerut. Then he attacked Haridwar and overran the city in 1399. At Bhokarhedi, he faced stiff resistance from the Hindus. In 1399 he returned his capital with numerous slaves and 90 captured elephants laden with precious stones and gold looted from India. He returned to his capital Amu Darya and built a mosque at Samarkand.

• This mosque named Bibi-Khanym Mosque is located in Samarkand, Uzbekistan was built by Timur and is named after wife of Timur.

Firoz Shah Tughlaq

Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388 AD)

When ascended to the throne of Delhi, Firoz was a man of 45 years. His mother was a Hindu princess of Dipalpur, who gave herself to his father Razzab (the younger brother of Ghazi Malik) to save her people from the demands and oppressions of the half-breed Turks.

Firoz was trained in the art of the administration under his late cousin, the "man of ideas" Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Muhammad kept him with himself like his son. Once becoming Sultan, he reversed every order of his predecessor.

• Firuzshah Kotla (in Delhi) is the city established by him. It was destroyed by the later rulers.

The empire which was broken during his cousin Muhammad's reign was to be recovered back. He campaigned against Bengal for two times, planned a new city Jaunpur in memory of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.

General administration

Since he was half Muslim, got a religious temperament, probably to prove himself equal to the Pure Muslims. He started seeking advice of the Ulemas and ruled as per the Shariat. All the taxes which were unlawful as per Shariat were abandoned by him.

• Chungi (Octroi) was one of these taxes which was abolished by Firoz.
• The Brahmins were NOT exempted from the Jaziya tax levied on their pilgrimages but abolished Jaziya for those who accepted Islam.
• He ordered that the Muslim women should not come out of their houses and visit the tombs.
• He publically burnt a Brahmin for preaching the Muslims.
• A lot of Hindu temples were destroyed and mosques were erected.
• He imposed water tax on the agriculture land which was irrigated by the waters of the canals dug by the state.
• He acquired numerous slaves and employed them in the royal workshops.

Gentle to Peasants

The Firoz shah's regime was utmost gentle towards the peasantry. His predecessor Muhammad Bin TughlaqMuhammad Bin Tughlaq 1325-1351 Muhammad Bin Tughlaq is known as a "Man of Ideas" and can be said one of the most striking sultan of medieval ..... had introduced a system of government loans for the peasants. The peasants were not able to repay these loans. By the advice of one of his vazirs named Makbul, he destroyed all the records in his presence, ceremoniously and gave clean chit to the peasants. This was one of the remarkable decisions taken by Firoz Shah Tughlaq which brought general peace and prosperity in the sultanate. In 32 years rule there were almost no rebels in India under Firoz and this might be one of the reasons.

Passion of founding cities

Firoz Shah was also a remarkable builder. He had a passion of founding and naming the towns. When his son Fatah Khan was born on his march to Delhi, he founded a town at the site of the happy event as Fatahabad (now in Haryana). During his Bengal campaign he renamed two towns and founded Jaunapur, in honor of his late cousin. He established second Firozabad on the banks of Yamuna River near Delhi. Here he established one of the Asokan Pillars which he had removed from its original places.

• He also founded a city of Hissar-i-Firoza in the modern Haryana which is now the town of Hisar.

Canal System

• To support the newly founded city of Hissar-i-Firoza, in 1355 he constructed a Double System of Canals from Yamuna to Sutlej.
• They are referred to as rajwahas in the Indo-Persian historical texts.
• This Yamuna canal was repaired for irrigation purposes during the time of AkbarAkbar, the Great 1556-1605 The reign of Akbar for almost half a century is known as the Golden Period of the Mughal Empire. Akbar was the ......

Public Works

According to Farishta, a later historian, not less than 845 public works were done during the times of Firoz Shah Tughlaq which included canals, dams, reservoirs, bridges, baths, forts, mosques, schools, monasteries, and inns for pilgrims and travelers.

• He also repaired the Qutub Minar (1368) which had got damaged previously in an earthquake and many of the tombs of Delhi.

Succession

In all, Firoz was adored by the people. He reformed abuses, checked extortions, reduced taxation and increased irrigation and did all that which could lead to a general prosperity of the public.

In old age he got surrounded by problems. His crown prince Fatah Khan died and this tragedy had shaken the old Sultan.

During his rule the government had supported around 180,000 slaves in Delhi, who turned miscreants after his death. Sultan died in 1388 amid sorrow and gloominess. Fatah Khan, the hope of his father had already died, his next son Zafar had also gone. His grandson, Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlaq II, a young and foolish lad addicted to wine and licentiousness sat on the throne and was killed within 5 months.

Another grandson Abu Bakr succeeded him but he was opposed by his uncle Nasir-ud-din Muhammad Shah III, who lolled the throne for around 4 years from 1390-94. This four year reign saw the series of rebellions. Muhammad's son who was proudly entitled "Alexander" was slaughtered after just hanging around for 4 weeks.

Muhammad's brother Sultan Nasir-u Din Mahmud occupied the throne. During the times of Sultan Nasir-u Din Mahmud, India faced invasion of a new tyrant Timur.

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq 1325-1351

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq is known as a "Man of Ideas" and can be said one of the most striking sultan of medieval India.

He was a trained intellectual, a keen student of Persian poetry and a philosopher, lover of science and mathematics. He is known for the idea of a Central Capital and experiments with a nominal token Currency. These ideas were all good, but he was in hurry and impatient of the slow adoption of his measures. All those who could not keep pace with his imagination, became victim of his wrath and were punished severely. The result was that Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, as a sultan proved himself a complete failure before the history of forces toppled him.

• We know about the period of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq from the material of Ziauddin Barni. Barni's main works are Twarikh-i-Firuzshahi
  and Fatwa-i-Jahandari. We know about first 6 years of Tughlaq rule from Barni's works.
• Then another important work is left by Ibn Battuta. Ibn Battuta has discussed his travels and incursions in contemporary Islamic world and documented them in Rihla. He was appointed as
  Qazi by Muhammad Tughlaq and was also appointed ambassador to China.

Ibn Battuta gives details about the later part of his rule. Portrait of Muhammad bin Tughlaq in Batutta's words, "his gateway is never free from a beggar whom he has relived and never free from a corpse, he has slain"

Foolish Donor

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq generously scattered almost incredible wealth among the foreign visitors, learned men, poets, officials, beggars, diseased and so on. He impoverished the treasury. His project to conquer Persia (Khurasan Expedition), his dream to keep a huge standing army and his plans to invade China (Quarachil Expedition) finished his finances. His idea of invading China met with a disastrous in the passes of Himalayas where men and money got splitSub-division of a share of large denomination into shares of smaller denominations. Also means sub¬division of holdings. like water.

Horrible Tax Reforms

The empty treasures needed fresh taxations. He wanted 5-10% more revenue from the Doab region which was the fertile land of his reign. The oppressive taxes reduced the farmers to beggars. They stopped tilling the lands, lost confidence and burnt their stacks. The cattle were turned loose and moved to Jungles. The Tax reforms of Sultan got failed. Miffed Sultan hounded the wretched Hindu subjects and massacred them. Every man captured was slaughtered like sheep. This was followed by a famine and the unfortunate subjects were left in deplorable conditions for many years to come.

Transfer of Capital

The inconvenience to rule the wealthy Deccan induced the Sultan to take step and transfer the seat of the government to Daulatabad (near Pune). The idea might have been practical and reasonable if he had ever thought of shifting the official court of Delhi. But, he wanted to transport the whole population of Delhi to the new capital. The inhabitants of Delhi were made to leave their homes and were forced to march 700 miles down south with their women, children and all such belongings they could carry. Many were killed on the way in this forty days journey and few could survive. Daulatabad became the burial ground of the Sultan's exiled subjects. Sultan got enough wisdom to realize his failure and ordered the people back to Delhi; result was only few could survive to return. Delhi's houses were deserted now. Sultan "imported" learned men, traders and landholders to repopulate the deserted Delhi, but they could not flourish.

Diwan-i-Kohi

Sultan also got enough wisdom to understand the distress caused by the Famine and the result of the excessive taxation. In 1341, he abolished all the taxes and started sitting twice a week to hear the complaints of the oppressed.

He started distributing daily food to the people of Delhi. He also established a loan system to the peasants. He created a department of Agriculture named as "Diwan-i-Kohi". He established a "Famine Code" to relive the victims of Famine.

Experiments with Token Currency

The heavy drains of the treasury led him to do another disastrous experiment of a token currency.

The Idea of token currency was probably borrowed from Paper Money issued by his near contemporary Kublai Khan in China. He introduced the Copper/ brass coins which were to pass at the value of the contemporary Silver Tanka.

• The silver coin introduced by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq was called Adl.
• The Gold coin, which was finely engraved was called "Dinar"

He did not foresee the consequences of this monetary experiment. He was aware that the value of the token money depends upon the credit of the treasury ^{(which was full with Gold after his Deccan conquests)} but forgot that none other than the state should issue the tokens.

Any skilled Hindu engraver could copy the inscriptions and strike the copper tokens of the values of the Tankas. The result was that "house of every Hindu turned into a mint and the Hindus produced coins in tens of millions". They paid their tribute, purchased horses, arms, cloths and all the other things with this forged currency. The local Rajas and village headmen became rich but the government became poor. The value of these coins fell so low that they became worth pebbles. This forced Sultan to repeal the edict and he gave order to bring the copper coins to the treasury and exchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. them with old coins of silver / gold. Thousands of men from all cornersA corner occurs when a person buys up a substantial volume of a security knowing that other market participants will be forced to buy from ..... flocked with these copper coins to the capital and exchanged them with Gold and Silver Tankas. So much of copper coins were brought to the treasury that heaps of them raised like mountains. The experiment got its disastrous end.

Death and Succession

The innovations of the Sultan exasperated the people and Sultan became unpopular. There was widespread discontent and rebellion. Bit by bit the empire disintegrated, one province after another revolted. Sultan could suppress the rebels at one point but could not be everywhere. Amid chaos and confusion, in 1351 Muhammad Bin Tughlaq died. He had no sons but his cousin Firoz Shah TughlaqFiroz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388 AD) When ascended to the throne of Delhi, Firoz was a man of 45 years. His mother was a Hindu princess of ..... ascended the throne.

Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq

Tughlaq Dynasty

After killing Mubarak Shah, Khusru Khan mounted the throne as Sultan Nasiruddin. He ordered mass killing in the Harem of the Sultan and everybody alive was killed. Khusru, a Hindu convert, took the revenge of his forceful covert by eliminating the whole of the Khalji dynasty and this was the end of another dynasty of the Delhi SultanateIn 1206, India found a Mohammeden King Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruling not from outside of India but at Delhi itself. Qutb-ud-din ..... in 1320 AD.

• The Rajput Forces were still powerful. It was a time, when, if any of the Rajputs had ever made a bidAn offer of a price to buy as in an auction. Business on the Stock Exchange is done through bids. Bid also refers to the ..... to the throne of Delhi, probably, there were chances that the Rajput Kingdom could been revived.

But it was probably the destiny of India that no Indian of any creed or race tried to follow Khusru Khan. The severity of Khusru Khan continued for few weeks. All members of the Alauddin KhaljiAlauddin Khalji (1296-1316) Nevertheless, the traitor nephew of Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji , named Alauddin Khilji whose original name was Ali Gurshap reigned vigorously in ..... had been killed. The Muslims were in abject fear of this Hindu convert followed by a Hindu uprising in Delhi and all their hopes were now on Ghazi Malik.

Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq 1321-1325

Ghazi Malik was a general of Alauddin Khalji. During tenure as in charge of the frontiers, he had led successful campaigns against the Mongols on western border of the sultanate and secured Multan, Sindh and Uch for his master. His son Fakhr Malik ^{(who later became Sultan Muhammad Bin TughlaqMuhammad Bin Tughlaq 1325-1351 Muhammad Bin Tughlaq is known as a "Man of Ideas" and can be said one of the most striking sultan of medieval .....)} was in Delhi and was aware of the critical state of affairs in Delhi. He went to Multan secretly and told his father what was happening in Delhi. The father son duo, i.e. Ghazi Malik and Fakhr Malik, both great warriors, marched towards Delhi to save Delhi from this Hindu convert devourer.

Fearful Khusru Khan, with all the troops he could gather, emptied the treasury and scattered the hoard in among the soldiers. The Muslim soldiers took the money but did not take up arms against Ghazi Malik. Khusru, with his limited number of Hindu men and a few rebel Muslims tried to withstand Ghazi Malik, the champion of the Alauddin's faith. The result was obvious. Khusru was slaughtered in August 1321 and the 4 months of one of the worst tyranny in the history of India ended. The reign of terror ended, and India passed in the hands of another foreign dynasty.

There was no challenge from any of the kith and kin of Alauddin, instead he gathered the nobles and invited survivors of Alauddin's family, if any to take throne. But none came forward. Ghazi Malik became the Sultan of Delhi with the name Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq in 1321.

• Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq reintroduced the food market laws which were earlier implemented by his master
• He tried to revive all the reforms which were necessary and were earlier implemented.

Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq successfully attempted to bring the peace and prosperity. Under his elder son Fakhr Malik or Jauna or Ulugh Khan, Deccan Provinces were recovered. A campaign was launched against Bengal, which had never subject to Delhi since demise of BalbanBalban (1266-1287) Nasir-ud-din-Mahmud was just a nominal King; the real power was in the hands of Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, a slave of Iltutmish, who belonged to the ......

This gallant old Sultan met his end in 1325 when a roof fell and crushed him beneath its ruins. His son Fakhr Malik ascended the throne in 1325 as Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and reigned for 26 years till 1351.

Succession of Alauddin Khalji

Succession    

None of his successors was able to fit in the shoes of Alauddin KhaljiAlauddin Khalji (1296-1316) Nevertheless, the traitor nephew of Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji , named Alauddin Khilji whose original name was Ali Gurshap reigned vigorously in ...... Malik Kafur enthroned the 6 year old child prince Shihabuddin as Sultan of Delhi and became his protector.

Malik Kafur sent two of Sultan's elder sons to the next world mercilessly. This reprobate was plotting a mass murder of the Nobles, when one night he was killed by the soldiers in his bedroom.

Mubarak Shah

Another son of Alauddin, Mubarak Shah became the acting regent over his younger brother. Soon, he blinded that child and sent him to jail. What happened to the ill fated child, nobody knows. As soon as he became Sultan, to gather cheap publicity, he released 17 thousands of prisoners and abolished all the taxes and penalties his father had imposed.

Mubarak, the young chap of 17 years was a slave of his own desires and orgies. He paid the army 6 months advance salary and distributed the grants indiscriminately. The result was that wine started flowing in Delhi which was banned by his father. The markets went wrong, commodities became costly. All the market reforms introduced by his father tottered like a building and there was a general corruption in Delhi.

Khusru Khan

Like his father, Mubarak also had a beautiful Hindu pariah from Gujarat whom, he had styled Khusru Khan. He openly started calling the dancing girls and prostitutes took him to the height to indecency and debauchery.

Mubarak had flayed alive late Raja Rama Deva of Devagiri. The haunting shades of past gave him the fate he deserved. One night his favorite Khusru Khan murdered him.

Khusru Khan mounted the throne as Sultan Nasiruddin. He ordered mass killing in the Harem of the Sultan and everybody alive was killed. Khusru, a Hindu convert, took the revenge of his forceful covert by eliminating the whole of the Khalji dynasty and this was the end of another dynasty of the Delhi SultanateIn 1206, India found a Mohammeden King Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruling not from outside of India but at Delhi itself. Qutb-ud-din ..... in 1320 AD.

Legacy of Alauddin Khalji

Legacy

• Alauddin had made Siri his capital and had built a fort out there "Mainly to avoid Mongol Invasions".
• He introduced the reforms in the army and started the system of branding the horses "Dagh" and biometric information about the soldiers "Chehra". Regular muster for army was introduced by him.
• He confiscated the lands granted to nobles and checked free grants of lands. He forbade them to marry among each other's families and hold celebrations.
• To know about the revenue arrears and collect them, he introduced a new department of Diwan-i-mustakhraj.
• He is known to have established separate markets for food grains, cloths etc.
• He also created new posts of Diwan-i-riyasat and Shahna-i-mandi to control the markets.
• He organized and introduced a countrywide spy system.
• He was the First Sultan who set up a "permanent Standing Army" of the sultanate.
• He abolished the Iqta System introduced by Iltutmish Iltutmish: (1211-1236) Iltutmish was ..... and started paying them salary in cash.

The conquest of Deccan by Malik Kafur was the climax of the Career of Alauddin KhaljiAlauddin Khalji (1296-1316) Nevertheless, the traitor nephew of Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji , named Alauddin Khilji whose original name was Ali Gurshap reigned vigorously in ......

Death

The violent temper and infatuation for Malik Kafur brought envy and disunion among his governors. His bad temper was made worse by an increasing disease. His sons prematurely indulged into the drink and debauchery. There were revolts in all sides of his empire. Amid chaos, Alauddin died in 1316. This was an end of a bloody tyrant but a strong and capable ruler of India who left long footprints in the history of India.

Campaigns of Alauddin Khalji

Seize of Ranthambore:

After coming out of his "Fool's Paradise" he found out the just Ranthambore was enough to make his lose all his energy. One of the rebels of the Sultan , named Muhammad Shah was given shelter by Raja Hammir of Ranthambore. The fort was besieged by the Sultan's army in 1299 and returned in 1301 exhausted. Only a conspiracy could help him to capture the fort of Ranthambore that too with the help of a Rajput traitor Ranmal. Hammir Dev as well as Muhammad shah was killed and Ranthambore was given to Ulugh Khan. Sultan Returned to Delhi.

Seize of Chittor

Rawal Rattan Singh was 42^nd ruler of Mewar. His wife Rani Padmini was an eternal beauty and Alauddin came to know about her. Besides, to make a stronghold on Gujarat and Deccan, Chittor was essential to be won by Alauddin. Chittor was seized for 8 months, and finally came under the khaljis.

Padmani and other women of the Fort performed Jauhar which is huge pyre was lit and followed by their queen Padmini, all the women of Chittor jumped into the flames and deceived the lustful enemy waiting outside.

• Padmavat of Malik Muhammad Jayasi is a poem about the beauty and Jauhar of Padmani.
• When Khalji attacked Ranthambore, Chittor, Malwa and other places, Amir KhusroAmir Khusrow was a Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya. He lived for 72 years, out of which 60 years he ..... remained with the king in order to write chronicles.
• Khazain-ul-Futooh (The Treasures of Victories) is one of Amir Khusrau's controversial books in which the war of Chittorgarh has been mentioned.
• Gora and Badal were two warriors who fought from the side of Rawal Ratan Singh.
• Khijra Khan, son of Alauddin KhaljiAlauddin Khalji (1296-1316) Nevertheless, the traitor nephew of Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji , named Alauddin Khilji whose original name was Ali Gurshap reigned vigorously in ..... was made governor of Chittor and its name was changed to Khijrabad.

In 1303, Chittor was besieged by the marauding army of Alauddin Khilji, who had coveted Padmani, Rani of Chittor. The siege was followed by "Jauhar" wherein Rani Padmani, consort of Rawal Ratan Singh, led the ladies of the fort into death by self-immolation, "to find security from dishonor in the devouring element" as says James Tod. The next morning, the men folk of Chittor rode out to face certain death on the field of honor.

Meanwhile Daughter of Raja Karndev, the ruler of Gujarat was taken to Delhi and was married to Khijra Khan, son of Alauddin Khalji.

Conquests in Deccan

After reducing the two Hindu Fortresses of Ranthambore (1201) and Chittor (1203), Alauddin was now to turn against the Deccan.

He sent an army under Malik Kafur , a handsome castrato (male castrated before puberty) from Gujarat who was Hindu by birth and converted to Islam, fascinated the Sultan and allegedly had homosexual relations with him. Alauddin had so much faith on Malik Kafur that he became the most important person after Sultan in due course of time.

He was sent in 1308 to recover Devagiri which was won by Sultan 15 years ago and the Raja had refused to pay tributes. The Raja was captured and taken as prisoners. Malik brought the Raja and his son to Delhi. The Sultan treated them with all honor, gave him a royal canopy and a title of "Rai Rayan" (King of Kings) and returned him to Devagiri to rule as a vassal of the Delhi SultanateIn 1206, India found a Mohammeden King Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruling not from outside of India but at Delhi itself. Qutb-ud-din ......

In the following years Malik Kafur took his troops to Warangal and was able to get the famous (infamous rather) Kohinoor diamond from the King Prataprudradev of the Kakatiya dynasty. The next campaign was against Veera Ballala III , the great Hoyasala , who was able to repulse the armies of Delhi Sultanate, but Kafur returned with a great Booty.

Alauddin Khalji

Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316)

Nevertheless, the traitor nephew of Jalal ud din Firuz KhiljiJalal ud din Firuz Khilji (1290-1296 AD) The power that swept away the Slave Dynasty was Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khilji. His original name was Malik Firuz. Malik ..... , named Alauddin Khilji whose original name was Ali Gurshap reigned vigorously in India for next 20 years and established himself as most power ruler of the Delhi SultanateIn 1206, India found a Mohammeden King Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruling not from outside of India but at Delhi itself. Qutb-ud-din ......

Warrior

Before he became the Sultan, he had a bright career as a warrior. He had killed his uncle at Kara near Allahabad, where he was deputed by his uncle. Prior to he became the Sultan, his aunt (widow of Jalauddin) Malika Jahan placed her son Rukunddin Khalji at the throne. Alauddin marched from Kara to Delhi, entered with his uncle's head on a spear and proclaimed himself the Sultan of Delhi.

Lesson to Traitors

The two sons of Jalauddin were blinded and the poor aunt was placed in prison, his wrath fell upon the officials and nobles who , interestingly shared with him the plot against his uncle. They were captured, imprisoned; some of them blinded and others were killed. The wealth they had received from Alauddin was seized and their houses were confiscated. Only three nobles who did not ditch Jalal could survive, a lesson was taught to the disloyal.

He was able to expand the territory to down south. He was first and foremost, an able soldier. He was so illiterate that was not able to read his name. But he was good in commanding the army and carry out arduous campaigns. Shortly before he became Sultan of India, he had won a great prestige by the conquests in Deccan. The stretch of Sultanate of Delhi was from Indus to Bengal and from Himalayas to Vindyas. Till that time, no Muslim invader had been able to cross the Vindyas, Satpuras and Narmada River and conquer the Deccan plateau. In 1294, just two years before he became Sultan, while dealing with rebellions in Malwa and Bundelkhand, he carried his army to Devagiri and took the fort un-resisted. The ruler of Devagiri Raja Ramchandra was taken by the surprise and fled to hills. The way to Deccan was open and was never closed for him as well as future generations of the Mohammedan rulers.

Invasion of Mongols:

In 1294, Duwa Khan, a successor of Kublai Khan had tried to establish the Mongol empire in India. He was resisted in the Punjab by Zafar Khan, the general of Sultan Alauddin in 1297 and got defeated at Jalandhar.

There was again an attack under Saldi.
Saldi was able to capture the fort of Siri and again faced a crushing defeat by general Zafar Khan. 2000 Mongols were made prisoner and were paraded before the Sultan. This was the worst defeat , the Mongols had faced in India.

The worst invasion of the Mongol forces took place in 1299 under Kutlugh Khwaja. Kutlugh Khwaja was a son of Duwa Khan and grandson of Kublai Khan. He brought with himself 2, 00,000 nomads who blocked the streets and created a sort of famine. The newly built capital of Alauddin "Siri" was in no state of defense. Sultan was advised to temporize with the invaders but he actively refused this advice. He met the Mongols in the battle field. His right wing was under gallant general Zafar Khan. Zafar khan was cut off by an ambush and was killed. But the Mongols were repealed.

Elimination of New Muslims

One important result of these repeated invasions of Mongols in Delhi was that hoards of these nomadic people established themselves near Delhi and accepted Islam. They were called "New Muslims" lived in poverty and misery. Alauddin discovered a conspiracy among them and ordered that all the New Muslims must be eliminated in one day. The order was followed and around 40 thousand Mongols were killed inhumanly leaving the women and child , who were made prisoners and thrown into slavery.

Other Invasions of Mongols

There was yet another invasion under Targhi, whose 12000 army confined the Sultan in the Siri. Sultan did not come out of the fort for two months. Targhi changed his mind and withdrew his forces. Similar invasions took place under Tartaq, Kebek, Iqbalmand Khan. By 1308, Sultan's army had become strong and he sent troops under Ghazi Malik to Kandhar, Ghazni and Kabul to teach a lesson to Mongols. These campaigns crippled the Mongols and they could not gather courage to invade India again till next invasion took place under Timur during the Tughlaq Dynasty.

Fool's Paradise

Alauddin was an illiterate, bad tempered, obstinate and hard-hearted man who never got in touch with the learned. The success after success made him cherish the widest desires and impossible goals. He tried to imitate Hazarat Muhammad and establish a new religion, he dreamt of becoming second Alexander to subdue the earth, ordered the Muslims to take his name in the Namaz and ordered to engrave his name as "Second Alexander" in his coins.

But there were some wise people around who advised him to leave the job of establishing new religions to the prophets and rather than subduing the whole of earth, subdue the parts of India which were under the infidel Hindus such as the Rajputs of Rajasthan and rulers of Malwa, Dhar, Ujjain etc.

Next Post: Alauddin Khalji -2

Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji

Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji (1290-1296 AD)

The power that swept away the Slave Dynasty was Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khilji. His original name was Malik Firuz. Malik Firuz was appointed in the army at Baran by Kaikubad.

When Kaikubad debauched himself to paralysis, Firuz marched to Delhi. Meanwhile, Kaikubad was killed and the nobles placed the three year old son of Kaikubad on the throne. The men (Brothers, sons and nephews) of Firuz dashed in Delhi, captured the 3 year old Sultan of India, defeated the forces and compelled the nobles to surrender, killed the infant king and threw his body in Yamuna. On 13 July 1290, the dynasty at Delhi had changed and now a new Dynasty that is Khilji Dynasty was there to rule the country and decide its fate.

The Khalji clan was from the Afghan village of Khalj was of most probably Turkish origin but had become Afghan in character. Khalji and the Turkish slaves were partners in many successful campaigns in India. Under Muhammad Ghori, Bengal was won by Bakhtiyar Khalji, who ruled there. They were in many high level posts in the Ghor army and successive armies in India.

When Jalaluddin set at the throne of Delhi, he was an old man of 70 years and he deputed his brothers, sons and nephews at various "strategic" posts in the government. The old man was not ready to shed more blood, and when Malik Chajju, a nephew of BalbanBalban (1266-1287) Nasir-ud-din-Mahmud was just a nominal King; the real power was in the hands of Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, a slave of Iltutmish, who belonged to the ..... marched with an army to dethrone the new Sultan of Delhi, he was defeated, captured but freed and posted at Manikpur.

Jalauuddin was obsessed with mercy. He pardoned all kinds of criminals alike thugs, traitors, conspirators etc. etc. In his time, Mongols attacked once more but this time (under Halaku), negotiations caused the "partial" retreat of the Mongols and not the open war.

The next invasion of Mongols was under Ulugh Khan. He accepted Islam and the old Sultan gave his daughter to him in marriage. He started staying near Delhi and later created sorts of troubles for the kith and kin of Sultan.

This behavior of the King, who was probably preparing himself for the next world, was incomprehensible and exasperating for the companions. His wit, learning, way of life and way of ruling was not appreciated by anybody.

The sedition grew quickly and then all of a sudden we find his nephew Alauddin, who was his son-in-law too, plot a conspiracy. He trapped his uncle unarmed and unguarded at Kara where he was posted, and when actually the uncle was fondling this traitor nephew, one of the meanest murder of the history of India was accomplished. The old Sultan of India, Jalaluddin Khalji was stabbed, beheaded and thrown down at the feet of his nephew, he had ever trusted , perhaps more than anyone else.

Balban

Balban (1266-1287)

Nasir-ud-din-Mahmud was just a nominal King; the real power was in the hands of Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, a slave of Iltutmish Iltutmish: (1211-1236) Iltutmish was ....., who belonged to the Ilabari tribe of the Turks.

The Slave and the Bhisti

He was captured by Mongols in his childhood and was brought to India. Iltutmish had bought him in 1232. At first, Sultan refused to buy him because of his shortness and ugliness, but Balban begged him to buy him and he was bought and placed among the Bhistis (water bearers).

The Huntsman and the Noble

But Balban was fit for other better jobs. In due course of time he was enrolled in the "Corp of Forty", served Raziya has her chief huntsman, retained his post under Baharam. When Baharam was removed, Balban was a rebel, later getting the governorship of Hansi.

The General and Minister

The feeble successors of Iltutmish invited frequent rebels among the Hindus and Balban had dedicated his energy in leading his troops through Doab, Ranthambore, Malwa, Kalinjar etc. He became too powerful that Nasiruddin, prejudiced against his achievements and had banished him from the court, but he was later taken back and returned all his honors. He served his sultan Nasir-ud-din Mahmud for 20 years indefatigably and overcame all the rebellions, plots, conspiracies and frequent Mongol Alarms.

Nasir-ud-din Mahmud was a religious person. He lived a life of Darvesh, spending his time in copying the Holy Koran, and had no female servants, mistresses etc. He was actually not worthy of becoming the 13th century Sultan of India, but it was Balban who could fill his space and care for the Government.

But it was not an easy task. Years after years, the rebels of Hindus as well as plots and counter plots of the Turkish chiefs wanted a strong man to keep in check and Balban's opulent energy was able to do this task. He became the Sardar of the Nobles.

• Overtaking the powers of Chihalgani showed distant results. Now Sultan was important and not the "Corp of Forty".

The Impeccable Sultan

Death of his master Nasir-ud-din Mahmud was followed by his natural ascending on the throne. The impeccable King in Balban subdued all the rebel forces with a iron hand and pounced upon the disturbing placed like a lion and killed the rebels without mercy. He was terribly severe towards the officers, executing them without mercy.

Crushing the Mewatis

The power of the Mewatis in the outskirts of Delhi was so dreadful that the gates of the city were closed in the evening after the evening Namaz. It is documented that Balban crushed the infidel Mewatis and ordered clearingSettlement or clearance of accounts, for a fixed period in a Stock Exchange. the forests. The jungles were cleared and everyone who came in the way was killed taking the toll to 100 thousand. The dacoits in the Doab region were dealt with Iron hand.

Reorganization of army

To counter the Mongols, he organized and disciplined his army to the Highest point of efficiency. He refused to entrust any authority to Hindus.

Revolt of Tughril Khan in Bengal:

The Bengal rulers were a great headache to the Delhi Government. The local governors declared their independence whenever there was a chaos at Delhi. In 1279, the subedar of Bengal Tugril Khan neglected the aging Sultan of Delhi and declared his independence. The irritated Sultan sent a Big army under Aziz Khan, but he was defeated by Tugril Khan. Aziz Khan fled away. Balban send another army , which met with no better faith.

Now, the Sultan himself led a bigger army to Bengal. Hearing about Balban's march towards Bengal, Tugril Khan fled from the capital Lakhnauti and hid himself in forests. He was searched, tortured and killed. A mass killing at Lakhnauti was ordered and all the sympathizers of Tugril Khan were killed. The Bengal's affairs were now given to Balban's second son Bugara Khan and Sultan returned back to Delhi after suppressing this revolt. Bugara Khan and five of his descendents ruled Bengal for next 5 decades.

Death, Legacy and succession

Balban died in 1287, after 20 years of rule as a general & Minister and 20 years as a Sultan of Delhi.

• Balban was the first king who understood the conditions and requirements of being a Sultan of Delhi and fulfilled them practically. He is known as one of the severest kings of India.
• He introduced "Zaminbosi" of "Practice of Sijda", the people would Kneel down and touch the ground with their head to greet the Sultan.
• He forwarded the Iranian Theory of Divine Rights, that Sultan is the representative of God on Earth.
• He executed the "Corp of Forty" and ended its influence.
• To counter the Mongols, he organized his military. For this he made some changes like abolition of the post of the Naik and creating a new department of military affairs known as Diwan-i-arz. The in charge of Diwan-i-arz was Ariz-i-Mumalik.
  
• He kept Hindus away from army or other authorities.
  
• He instructed the Ulemas to confine themselves to the religious affairs only.
  

Balban had destroyed the powerful group of slaves called "Chihalagani" who were true inheritors of Iltutmish. His hopes for his own succession were focused around his eldest son who died before him. His second son, Bugara Khan, who was governor of Bengal, was offered the throne but Bugara Khan preferred to stay at Bengal. In irritation, Balban left the throne to his deceased son's son named Kaikubad, a young lad of 17 years as his heir apparent.

After his death in 1287, Kaikubad was "placed" on the throne. Kaikubad, the young chap was carefully brought up under his grandfather. He was never allowed to see the young girls and enjoy the wine. This young man had been taught of all the good things and none of the bad things. All of a sudden, he found himself as master of India and now everything his youth desired was available to him.

The result was that he indulged in so much of drinking and debauchery, that he found himself struck with paralysis. When a mercenarily was sent to kill him, he was found in his bedroom in a lovely Sheesh Mahal (palace of mirrors) at Kilughari, a few miles from Delhi at the Bank of River Yamuna and was sent to hell without much hassle.

The Kingdom crippled and a series of murders followed. The heirs designate of Balban, the son of the Martyred Prince Kaikubad, who was declared king at the age of 3 years was killed. There was a war of the races in Delhi, all the Turks, Afghans and Pathans were now to try their sword to decide the fate of India.

Razia Sultana

Razia Sultan (1236-1240)

A decade after death of Iltutmish Iltutmish: (1211-1236) Iltutmish was ..... was tumultuous for the Sultanate.

Iltutmish’s eldest son had died prematurely. All other sons were ill qualified and Iltutmish was aware of this fact. He had declared Razia, his daughter who was given military training as his heir apparent.

But “The Forty” had become very strong during the reigns of Qutub-ud-din & Iltutmish and they did never want that a woman sits above them. So, Iltutmish was succeeded by his son Rukn ud din Firuz, a handsome, generous and young fool, who was overindulged in sensuality, spent money on singers and dancers and once known to have showered gold upon the admiring crowed when he was passing the bazaars, drunk. The affairs of the state were managed by his widowed mother. Both the son and mother duo were assassinated within 7 months.

Raziya was chosen at his place who became first female Sultan of India in 1236.

She was a great monarch, wise, just and generous possessing all qualities of a King except sex.

She sat on the throne of Delhi in 1236 and reigned for only three and half years till 1240. She did all what she could do to prove her a "Man". She wore manly dress and showed her face bravely, but the Chihalgani or “The Forty” of the Turkish Chiefs could not be convinced that they should be ruled by a woman.

The wise politician in Raziya was able to keep the Turkish Nobles in check but her preference for the Abyssinian Yakut, though seems innocent , roused the jealousy of the dominant Turks.

Turko-Afghan Nobles were not able to endure an Abyssinian sitting over them side by side a women. They rose in rebellion when Yakut was appointed the superintendent of the Stables. The rebellion was joined by Malik Altunia, the Governor of Bhatinda and there was a battle. Yakut was killed and Raziya was taken prisoner.

Being a woman, Raziya was able to subdue her capturer Altunia by marrying him. But, meanwhile her brother Muizuddin Bahram Shah usurped the throne, while she was at Bhatinda. Both Raziya and her husband tried to take the sultanate back, but were defeated and fled towards Kaithal. Their forces abandoned them and both of them were captured by the Jats and assassinated.

Muiz ud din Bahram reigned for 2 years and these two years were spent in plots and counter plots and cruel murders. He was killed by his own exasperated army.

His was followed by his son Ala-ud-din Masud, who played as a puppet of the chiefs. He soon became infamous for his love of wine. In due course of time he acquired the habit of seizing and killing the Nobles. He was removed and replaced with his uncle Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, youngest son of Iltutmish. His reign was from 1246 to 1266. Meanwhile another Turk BalbanBalban (1266-1287) Nasir-ud-din-Mahmud was just a nominal King; the real power was in the hands of Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, a slave of Iltutmish, who belonged to the ..... rose to power and succeeded him for, Nasir ud din Mahmud had no son.

Iltutmish

Iltutmish: (1211-1236)

Iltutmish was one of the slaves of Qutb-ud-din AibakQutb-ud-din Aibak began his career as Malik or Sipahasalar under Muhammad Ghori. His chief exploits were achieved in his viceroyalty only. After Delhi, Ranathambore and ..... who later became his Son-in-Law. . He was from the Ilabari tribe of the Turks and that is why some scholars call the slave dynasty has Ilabari dynasty.

Chihalagani/ Chalisa/ Corp of Forty

It’s worth note that the Ilabari tribe used to have administrative & military elite called "Chihalgani" or the "Corp of Forty". Immediately after Qutb-ud-din died, the Chihalgani appointed one Aram Shah as is successor. However, Aaram Shah was ill qualified and very soon through a conspiracy appointed "Iltutmish" has Sultan of Delhi. Iltutmish was Governor of Badaun at that time. There was a war with Aaram Shah at Jud (Delhi). Aaram shah was defeated easily and after that what happened to him, nobody knows. What was relation of Aaram with Qutb-ud-din is not certain.

Hauz Shamsi

Iltutmish is known to have built the Hauz-i-Shamshi near Mahrauli in Delhi. On the edge of this reservoir, the Jahaz Mahal was built by the Lodhi Rulers. His eldest son when died he made built the First Islamic Mausoleum Sultan Garhi in Delhi.

Qutub Minaar:

The Foundation of the Qutub Minar was laid by the Rajputs and the present Qutub ComplexThe Qutub Complex in Mehrauli of New Delhi, as we all know was the starting point of development. Twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples built previously ..... was a complex of temples built by Tomaras and Chauhans. However, it was turned into a Minar of victory by Qutb-ud-din who used the same material to build the Minar. The first storey was built by Qutub-ud-din and rest of the work was completed by Iltutmish.

Iqta System

The Iqta system was a practice of Tax farming that was introduced by Iltutmish in Delhi SultanateIn 1206, India found a Mohammeden King Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruling not from outside of India but at Delhi itself. Qutb-ud-din ...... It was basically grant of revenue from a territory in lieu of salary. This grant was not hereditary and was subject to passing from officer to officer. Iqta system linked the farthest part of the Sultanate linked to the Central Government.

Organization of Army:

Iltutmish organized the army of the sultanate and made it the "King's army" which was centrally recruited and centrally paid.

Coins: Tanka and Jital

Iltutmish introduced Silver Tanka and Copper Jital , the two coins of the Delhi Sultanate.

The coins prior to Iltutmish were introduced by the invaders which bearA pessimist market operator who expects the market price of shares to decline. The term also refers to the one who has sold shares which ..... the Sanskrit characters and even BullA market player who believes prices will rise and would, therefore, purchase a financial instrument with a view to selling it at a higher price. ..... and Shivalinga. Iltutmish was the first to introduce a "Pure Arabic Coin" in India. The Coins were engraved with "The Mighty Sultan, Sun of the Empire and the Faith, Conquest-laden, Il-tutmish," after he received an investiture of Sovereign Sultan of Delhi from the Caliph of Baghdad. The Silver Tanka issued by Iltutmish was weighing 175 grains. Gold Tanka of the same weight was later issued by BalbanBalban (1266-1287) Nasir-ud-din-Mahmud was just a nominal King; the real power was in the hands of Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, a slave of Iltutmish, who belonged to the ......

Mongol Attack:

During the times of Iltutmish, the Mongols attacked under Chengez Khan. The Mongols were able to conquer the area around Indus River and crossed to invade Punjab. But fortunately their eyes were set at the west and they returned quickly from the Punjab towards Sind, Multan & Qabacha. Chengez Khan died in 1227. This was followed by an attack of Iltutmish on Western territories won by Mongols and placed Lahore and Multan under Delhi Sultanate. After that he campaigned against the Rajput territories viz. Ranathambore, Mandsaur, Bayana, Ajmer, Sambhar, Nagaur, Gwalior etc. In 1235, Iltutmish sacked Ujjain and destroyed the Mahakal Temple. He died in 1236. He is buried at Qutub Complex in New Delhi.

Qutb-ud-din Aibak

Qutb-ud-din Aibak began his career as Malik or Sipahasalar under Muhammad Ghori. His chief exploits were achieved in his viceroyalty only. After Delhi, Ranathambore and Koil fell. He led the Ghorian army to Benaras and sacked it in 1194. After this triumph Sultan Muhammad Ghori returned to Ghazani and Qutb-ud-din Aibak suppressed the revolt of vassal raja of Ajmer. He conquered Gwalior and compelled Raja Solankhpal to pay tribute (1196).

In 1197, he was able to defeat the Raja of Anhilwara and Kingdom of Gujarat which was not won by Muhammad Ghori was won by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. The Chandelas fell in 1202, before Qutb-ud-din Aibak attacked them.

• The reign of Qutb-ud-din Aibak was a short one of 4 years. In 1210, when he was playing Chaugan, fell from Horse and died at Lahore.
• Qutb-ud-din Aibak was known as Lakha Baksh Sultan after his generosity.
• He laid the foundation of the Qutub Minar and named it not after his own name but after the name of a Sufi saint Khwaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki.
• Qutub Minar was later finished by Iltutmish Iltutmish: (1211-1236) Iltutmish was .....
• The Quwwat Al Islam mosque was commissioned by him.
• His tomb is located in Anarkali Bajar at Lahore.
• His successor Iltutmish was his son in law.

Meanwhile Bakhtiyar Khilji who was one more slave of Muhammad Ghori raided the oldest universities of the world i.e. Nalanda and Vikramshila in 1193. At Nalanda he is said to have committed execution of the Buddhist monks and many of the monks were burnt alive and beheaded. Bengal's ruler Lakshaman Sen was defeated and Bakhtiyar made Lakhnauti his capital.

Mohammad Ghori

Mohammad Ghori

May 26, 2011   4 Comments

Contents

• Battle of Gujarat (Battle of Kayadra) 1178
• The First Battle of Tarain 1191
• Second Battle of Tarain 1192
• Legacy of Muhammad Ghori

Muhammad Ghori led a series of the campaigns in India which recalled the days of Mahamud GhaznaviMahamud of Ghazni was son of Subuktgeen who came into power in 971 and reigned till 1030 AD. The first conflict was with Jayapala. After ..... , 200 years back. The first thing Muhammad Ghori did was to bring the Muslim provinces of India under his control.

He began with Multan in 1175 against a Muslim ruler and got victorious.

Battle of Gujarat (Battle of Kayadra) 1178

The First battle of Muhammad Ghori against a Hindu ruler was with Raja Bhimdev II of Gujarat who was a member of Solanki Dynasty. This is called "Battle of Gujarat" and took place at Kayadra near Mount Abu. Raja Bhimdev II was a young men and real regent was his mother Naikidevi. Naikidevi inflicted such a major defeat to Muhammad Ghori that this invasion became Muhammad's first and last attack on India from the Gujarat side. He never turned to Gujarat later on.

In 1179, he took Peshawar from Khusrau Malik , the last successor of Mahmud, who was a weak , gentle king , who submitted to Ghori easily and gave his son as a Slave to him. In 1181, he ravaged Lahore and fortified Sialkot. He did not leave the successors of Mahmud. Khusrau and his son were taken to Ghor and confided in the fort, where after five years they were put to death. Within a decade, Muhammad Ghori had got rid of all the Muslim forces in India. Now he could turn to Hindus.

The First Battle of Tarain 1191

Muhammad Ghori's first encounter with the brilliant and formidable array of the Rajputs was like to have been the last.

The two armies met at Tarain (Near Karnal, in Haryana) in 1191. The blast of the Muslims got powerless in front of the Hindu Rajputs.

He tried to save the day in a personal combat with Prithivi Raj Chauhan's brother Govind-Raja, the viceroy of Delhi and with his spear was able to drive his teeth down his throat, but the exposure nearly cost him of his life.

He was saved by a Turkic retainer mounted on the horse behind him who carried him off the field. The Rajput forces chased the Muslims for 40 miles. The army of Islam had never had been so worsted as by this torrent of the Rajputs. Muhammad did not stop at Lahore but was so much shocked that he hastened to cross the Indus and get back to his own country Ghazni.

Second Battle of Tarain 1192

The unforgettable disaster of 1191 gave the Sultan sleepless nights, but India saw him next year with a well prepared army of 120,000 Afghans, Turks and Persians.

Muhammad took lesson from his previous campaign. In the first battle of Tarain he had divided his army in three flanks. This time he divided it into 5 flanks, 4 to harass the Rajputs from 4 sides and a fifth, a reserve force of 12000 horsemen in steel armor. The proud army of Rajput chiefs once shaken tottered to its fall like a building and lost in its own ruins. Most of the Rajput Chiefs were killed. Prithviraj mounted himself on a horse and fled but was captured and executed.

The cities of Ajmer, Hansi, Saraswati, Samana etc. faced a ruthless slaughter, there was a general destruction of temples and idols.

The throne of Ajmer was left to Gola, a son of the late Raja as a vassal of Sultan, on the condition of regular tributes.

Delhi was soon captured. The armies of Muhammad soon advanced towards east. Under his general Qutub-ud-din, his armies sacked Ayodhya in 1193 and in 1204 he defeated Lakshaman Sena of Sena dynastyAround the time of Mahipala's death in around 1043 AD, a vassal of the Palas named Hemanta Sen founded the Sena Dynasty. This Dynasty appeared ..... in Bengal, but Bengal was not conquered.

Muhammad Ghori, the founder of Muslim Rule in India was without any offsprings. He treated his Turkic slaves as his sons. Almost all slaves except Qutub-ud-din Aibak were not true to him.

After his assassination, his empire was divided among his slaves. One of his slaves Nasir-ud-Din Qabacha became ruler of Multan, another Taj-ud-Din Yildoz became ruler of Ghazni and yet another Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji became ruler of Bengal.

In 1206, Muhammad appointed his slave Qutub-ud-din as Naib us Sultanate (Viceroy) of his empire in India and bestowed him the title of Aibak (The axis of faith).

In 1206 only, there was a rebellion in Punjab. Mohammad returned from Ghazna and crushed the rebel, but when he was returning, he was killed at Jhelum.

Legacy of Muhammad Ghori

Muhammad Ghori rose from smaller beginnings than Mahmud Ghaznavi, but he carried arms farther and left indisputable footprints in India. He conquered India but did not declare himself as Independent King of India and remained a loyal brother to Ghiyasuddin. He returned to Ghazani and tried to subdue the revolts in the western parts, which were strategically more important for the survival of the Ghori DynastyThe force that uprooted the Ghaznavid was neither from east nor west but grew up midst of them at Ghor between Ghazni and Herat. Today, ...... After he was killed, the Ghor Dynasty relapsed into insignificance. But in India, his victory was not lost and further consolidated under the other rulers. Though India was not something which could be won in one generation, but till 1857, we find always a Muslim Ruler on the throne of Delhi.