Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 12

 

Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 11

As he himself was an usurper who had become the Sultan after killing his uncle, he started suspecting that others may make an attempt on his life too. He understood the power of money since he had used wealth to attain his goal. He protected himself by confiscating the wealth of his nobles to prevent any uprisings against him. According to both Barani and Firishta, he issued orders that marriage alliances between his nobles shall not take place without his approval. He started confiscating property of both Muslims and Hindus alike. He often stated that “religion had no connection with the civil government , but was only the business , or rather amusement of private life; the will of a wise prince was better than the variable opinions of bodies of men”. Soon his personal treasury overflowed with the money of his nobles and the common people. He overtaxed his people that they were reduced to a deplorable state.  Fearing that his nobles may conspire against him over a glass of wine, he banned alcohol from the kingdom.

According to Firishta , in the year 1303 Allaudin Khilji sent a huge force under the command of his favourite slave Malik Kafur to once again plunder the Deccan Kingdoms of India. At that time when the army was absent from Delhi, the Mughals retaliated against Delhi. Allaudin scrambled to collect army to ward of the invasion. After a lengthy struggle he managed to make them retreat from Delhi. Fearing a third invasion from the Mughals, he frantically started to increase his military power. He had increased his forces so greatly that he realised that he would become bankrupt in six years. He needed his army to plunder Hindu Kingdoms and yet paying their salary would deplete his treasury. He decided to reduce the pay of his army , but in order to prevent a revolt, he lowered the price of every commodity.

In the year 1310, Allaudin once again sent an army under Malik Kafur to plunder Dwara Samudram and the Malabar Coast. It was during this invasion that the Srirangam temple was plundered. The loot from the first invasion paled next to that of the second invasion. Malik Kafur returned to Delhi with 312 elephants, 20,000 horses, 3,580,800 Kg of gold, several hundred kilograms of precious gems. Silver is not listed as one of the plundered items because during the time of the invasion, the people of South India were very wealthy and it is said that even their dinner plates and utensils were made of gold!

Only the citizens of Devagiri and Lasur had felt the evil effects of the first invasion. The second invasion terrorized the entire Deccan .The sultan had in his army some soldiers who were of Mughal origin. All of a sudden he started mistrusting these soldiers and discharged every one of them from his army. He not only dismissed them , but fearing an uprising had 15,000 Mughal soldiers who were all Muslims put to death. One day the streets of Delhi were filled with the bodies of these 15,000 soldiers and the women and children of these soldiers were enslaved.

He pillaged and plundered all of North India and faced problems in maintaining a large army. In order to maintain his soldiers, he started levying heavy taxes on all Hindus who lived in his kingdom. The tax rate was 50% for Hindus and if they were farmers or merchants, they had to give 50% of the goods produced to the tax collector on top of the 50% tax they paid. He arranged to drag the women and children of anyone who was unable to pay the taxes and sold them as slaves in the market. Often, these women and children were shipped outside of India to countries like Oman as slaves. The Hindu farmers and merchants lost everything they owned and were left with the agonizing screams of their wives and children ringing constantly in their ears.  This heavy taxation too eventually stopped generating revenue as farmers stopped farming their lands and the country faced a severe famine.

Allaudin Khalji rule was doted with many internal revolts. Notable amongst these revolts was the revolt in Gujarat started by those who had recently converted to Islam. To quell the revolt, Allaudin Khalji ordered all those people who had recently converted to Islam to be slaughtered outside his palace. It is reported that around 30,000 people were slaughtered each day outside his palace and the streets of Delhi were covered with blood. He gave orders to his officers to show utmost cruelty towards his people and to plunder them to such an extent that they should be left with nothing. He impoverished his people so that they would lack the funds to start any revolts.

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 11

 

Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 10

After the raid on Gujarat, the army returned to Delhi. Enroute to Delhi, Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan camped at a place to examine the loot. They scrutinized the spoils in the possession of the soldiers. They inflicted various punishments and penalties on the soldires forcing them to part with everything in their possession. Unable to endure the punishments, the soldiers revolted. They killed the brother of Nusrat Khan. Allaudin quickly sent relief and quelled the revolt. As soon as the troops reached Delhi, the women and children of the mutineers were seized by the government. The women were dishonoured on the streets of Delhi and they were forced to witness their children being cut into pieces! For weeks the streets of Delhi was drowned by the cry of these innocent women and children!

 By this time Allaudin had come to suspect even his brothers Ulugh Khan and Zafar Khan. A conspirator can never live in peace because he is constantly worried about a plot being woven around him. Allaudin  heaved a sigh of relief when his brother Zafar Khan fell fighting the Mughals.  According to both Barani and Firishta, Allaudin terrorized the Mughals and captured their women and children to be sold as slaves in the market. With one brother down, Allaudin kept a close watch on his other brother. Later, when Ulugh Khan’s son made an attempt on Allaudin’s life, the Sultan used it as an excuse to murder his brother Ulugh Khan as well. With the murder of his brother, Allaudin kicked the ladder he had used to ascend the throne of Delhi!     

                                                                                                               

The nobles were unaware that the gifts bestowed on them by Allaudin to cover up the murder of Jalal-ud-din was only temporary.They did not realise that by accepting bribes from Allaudin the nobles had signed their own death warrants. In the second year of the reign, Allaudin demanded the amount he had given to the nobility and the common people.  He made many changes to the offices held by the nobles in his assembly. He murdered all those nobles of Jalal-ud-din who had accepted bribes from Allaudin during his ascension.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 12

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 10

 

Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 9

 

Allaudin granted the title of Ulugh Khan on his brother Almas Beg and the title of Zafar Khan on his other brother. He conferred upon his general Malik Nusrat Jalesari the title “Nusrat Khan”. Allaudin started for Delhi on his elephant followed by a band of Amirs and Maliks whom he had won over with bribes. When they arrived at Baran in the present day state of Rajasthan, Nusrat Khan recruited the people of Baran into military service. Allaudin deputed Zafar Khan to intercept the Maliks and Amirs of the late Sultan who had been deputed to stop the advance of Allaudin’s march. Zafar Khan was able to buy the allegiance of the late Sultan’s Maliks and Amirs who now joined Allaudin at Baran. Hearing of the defection of the nobles, the late Sultan’s wife sent an urgent message to the Sultan’s son who was at Multan to come to their aid in Delhi, but the Sultan’s son refused to come to her aid. Zia-Ud -Din Barani states that , ‘Alauddin entered into the city with a most wonderful retinue and a countless multitude, and took his seat on the throne of Delhi in the Daulat Khanah, after which he repaired to the Koshak i la’l, (crimson palace) and made that the royal residence.’[ Note: The crimson palace is the Red Fort at Delhi. How many red coloured palaces are there in Delhi? The Red Fort has been the royal residence of Delhi Sultans and features on the biography of these Sultans, Ghazni, Balban and so on; this is proof that the red fort was not constructed by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The Mughal Emperor may have renovated the red fort , but the fort itself had existed in Delhi even before the time of Prithviraj Chauhan.]

He deputed his brothers to Multan to take care of the late Sultan’s sons. At the end of a seige, the avaricious troops of Multan betrayed their princes and surrendered Multan to the Khilji brothers. At the order of Allaudin Khilji, the two princes were tortured first and then assasinated while the female family members of the late Sultan including his young wife were taken into the harem (zenana) of Allauding Khilji. What can one expect from such a despot who readily tortured and  murdered his kins in cold blood? Alas, everyone turned a blind eye as they were blinded by the glitter from the gold and silver bestowed on them by the vile Sultan!

During this time, the Mughals raided the territories of Multan and Punjab. Taking advantage of the change in the Delhi administration, the Mughals raided Multan and Punjab with a troop of 100,000 soldiers. The Sultan’s brother Zafar Khan was successful in pushing back the Mughals. At the same time, Allaudin deputed Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan to raid Gujarat. The Vaghela King Karan Rai was no match for the invading army. He tried to effect an escape to the nearby Yadava Kingdom , but his wife Kamala Devi fell into the hands of the invaders. Karan Rai escaped to Devagiri with his daughter Dewal Devi. Kamala Devi was sent as a gift to Delhi and Allaudin took her into his harem. Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan meanwhile ruthlessly sacked Gujarat. They fell upon Somnath Temple in Gujarat and once again the temple was sacked by the foreign army. This was a famous temple and the linga worshipped in the temple was one of the twelve jyotirlingas of India. According to Barani, the sacred linga was taken to Delhi where it was shattered and scattered upon the streets of Delhi to be trampled by the masses. Such was the fanatism displayed by Allaudin’s army! The invaders also fell upon the port city Khambat and it was here that they saw a fetching lad called “Hazar Dinari”. A slave trader had in his charge a fetching young lad. The young man had such fine features that the slave trader had purchased him from Baghdad and had paid one thousand dinars for him; hence the name “Hazar Dinari” given to the lad. This young man too fell into the hands of Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan. Hazar Dinari was presented to Allaudin. The young man was so handsome, that Allaudin who by that time was already married to Jallaudin’s daughter, Jhatyapali, Kamala Devi and many more, became infatuated with Hazar Dinari. The Sultan named Hazar Dinari as Malik Kafur who stole the Sultan’s heart. Allaudin was so infatuated with Malik Kafur that the later controlled him to a great extent.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 11

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 9

 

Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 8

 

It was in the year 1296, that Ali plundered Devagiri without informing his father-in-law/uncle. The Sultan however, learnt of Ali's success and proceeded towards Gwalior from Delhi to confiscate the loot in person. Learning of the Sultan’s move, Ali proceeded directly to Kara in Uttar Pradesh without stopping at Gwalior and the Sultan was forced to return empty-handed to Delhi. Ali and his brother Almas carefully planned their next move. They knew that it would be a folly to openly attack the Sultan. Almas Beg used his persuasive powers to convince the Sultan that Ali only meant well and was a loyal servant of the Sultan. Almas informed the Sultan that Ali was afraid of meeting the Sultan in person as he had raided Devagiri without obtaining permission from the Sultan. He persuaded the Sultan to propose his peaceful intentions by going to Ali instead. The Sultan pleased with the success of Ali and lured by the loot, assured Almas that he could never be upset with Ali. Almas who was also Ali's co-conspirator thus convinced the Sultan to meet Ali at Khara. (See map )

 

Jalal-ud-din  fell into the trap laid by Almas Beg and Ali.  He foolishly agreed to meet Ali with just a few of his followers and that too unarmoured. Jalal-ud-din  traveled down the Ganges to meet Ali, but to his shock, as soon as he disembarked from his boat, Ali's soldiers fell upon him and severed his head in cold blood! Confusion ensued amongst the Sultan’s followers as they were slaughtered to death by their host. The Sultan’s severed head was on display as proof of Ali’s victory over the Sultan. The historian Zia-Ud -Din Barani says in his book Tarik-I-Firuz-Shahi that for the purpose of glossing over the murder of Jalal-Ud-Din, an act condemned by men and God, Ali threw open the door of liberality and munificence. (A translation of Tarrik-I-Firuz-Shahi by A.R.Fuller). Zia-Ud -Din Barani was a contemporary of Ali and his uncle was later appointed as the Kotwal of Delhi by the Usurper. Those whose silence could be bought was purchased with the loot from Devagiri and those who opposed were put to death. In this manner, the gruesome murder of Sultan Jalal-ud-din  was covered up.

 

Ali purchased the allegiance of Jalal-ud-din's nobles and boldly marched to Delhi where he easily took over the throne by bribing the nobles and proclaimed himself as Allaudin Khilji, the second sultan of the Khilji Dynasty. He donated large amounts of gold to the common people and ascended the throne of Delhi amidst great pomp and celebration. The people were only too happy to get gifts from the new Sultan and no one grieved for Jalal-ud-din.Thus was born Allaudin Khilji, a cruel despot!

 

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 10

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 8

 Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 7

Coming back to the fate of the Yadava Kingdom, faced with a shortage of food, the Raya was forced to sue for peace. He had no recourse and was forced to pay a ransom. As his son with the Yadava Military was waging a battle elsewhere in the Deccan, the Raya was left without any help.  The Raya paid a huge ransom to save his Kingdom. Ali made off with 223.8 Kg gold, 261 Kg of pearls, 74.6 Kg of emeralds, rubies, diamonds and other precious gems. 37,300 Kg of silver, 146,320 metres of pure silk, elephants, horses and beasts of burden to carry the ransom to his residence Khara! As the crowning glory of the ransom, the Raya was also humiliated when he was forced to give his daughter famed for her beauty in marriage to Ali. As per today’s financial pages, cost of 1 Kilo of gold is 60,829.21 USD. The average cost of 1 pearl today is $300 to $1500 USD, average weight of one pearl is 0.6grams. Likewise, 1 carat the measure used for rubies, diamonds and precious stones is equal to 0.2g. 1 carat of precious gems today costs between $1800 and $12,000 USD. Cost of 1kg silver is $1125 USD.

 

Estimate of the ransom in present day value is given below in the table. The total excludes the animals taken by Ali as we do not the number of carts and animals taken by him. We have used the lower range of the item’s cost in our calculation , but in all probability the items taken by Ali were of the best quality and hence would have fetched more than the amount shown in the table. Ali got a minimum of

Eight Hundred Sixty Million Eight Hundred Forty-One Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Seven dollars and twenty cents US.

Item	Unit	Unit Price in USD	Total	Total Amount in USD
Gold	1Kg	$60,829.21	223.8 Kg	$13,613,577.20
Pearl	0.6 g	$300.00 to $1500	261 Kg	$130,500,000.00
	1kg	$500,000.00
Precious Stones	0.2 g	$1,800.00 to $12,000	74.6 Kg	$671,400,000.00
	1kg	$9,000,000.00
Silver	1Kg	$1,125.00	37,300 Kg	$41,962,500.00
Pure Silk	1m	$23	146,320 m	$3,365,360
			Total:	$860,841,437.20

 

The most humiliating factor for the Raya was not paying the ransom, but being forced to give his daughter in marriage to Ali. The historian Isami identifies this princess as Jhatyapali and that she was the mother of Shihab-ud-din Omar. The historian Ferishta adds that Malik Kafur married her after the death of Ali. To a woman of Medieval Indian upbringing, being forced to take a second husband must have been a degrading ordeal. The grandson Shihab-ud-din Omar , a child of six years was blinded and imprisoned in the Gwalior Fort and the princess was cruelly put to death by Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah after he had disposed off Malik Kafur. Giving the princess to Ali must have been a big blow to the Raya. Princesses like princes held a key position in the society of India.  The honourable position given to Princess Kundavai the cherished daughter of the Chola Emperor Sri Parantaka II of tenth century is well documented. Sri Ganapathi Deva Raya of the Kakatiya dynasty who was quite older than Sri Ramachandra Raya had crowned his daughter Rudramma as his successor.  Queen Rudramma was an adept ruler and we find that Marco Polo was all in praise of this able queen who often took to battle. The monarch Pratappa Rudra II of the Kalatiya dynasty who ruled during the time of Ali’s invasion was the grandson and successor of Queen Rudramma. A daughter in the Hindu family was considered the very image of Goddess Mahalakshmi.  Handing over mundane wealth is not hurtful ,but forced to give away the light of one's family to be dishonorably treated and eventually murdered must have been gut wrenching.

 

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 9

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 7

 Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 6

Most of the destrution associated with war waged with other Indian kingdoms was self-destructive in nature when the monarch ordered the people into the forts with supplies and destroyed water sources and food stores outside the forts to make it difficult for the besieging army. The occupying force usually treated the enemy’s subjects with clemancy except in cases when the subjects assumed the offensive. The subjects of the conquered lands were allowed to follow their customs and traditions as the new monarch wished to avoid large scale rebellions; hence the subjects of the Deccan Kingdoms were unawares of the danger about to descend upon them. For instance, it is said of Udayaaditya, the brother of Vira Narasimha II the Hoysala Monarch  that in the year 1223 after defeting the Cholas, he did not overturn the existing governmental machinery of the Cholas, but collected the revenue from the late Chola districts with the least possible disturbance.  They had not seen battles in which the common people were slaughtered and temples were razed to ground. The monarchs too were not used to anything but dharmayuddha. They were not mentally preparred to meet the ruthless invaders from the North who did not believe in a fair-fight. Thus, it was upon a highly civilized and tolerant society that Ali descended like a swarm of locust ravaging a field.

 

 

A small colony of Arabs  had settled along in the Deccan Kingdoms from Thana to Bhatkal under the secular rule of the Maharajas. Many had even obtained prestigious posts in the government offices. It should also be noted that in the year 1223 the Yadava Kingdom employed some Arabs in their battle against the Hoysalas. This proves that Foreign Muslims were employed in the military and the government even before the Turk-Afghan Invasion.  It was hence easy for the spies of Ali to infiltrate the Deccan. The stories about the treassure troves present in these kingdoms spread through to Ali from his many spies. Devagiri was verily a treassure trove during 13^th century.

 Ali obtained permission from the Sultan to march against Chanderi in the Paramara Kingdom. While waging a battle at Chanderi, he managed to slip away with a small troop towards his secret mission in Devagiri. The Sultan was deceived by the ongoing campaign in Chanderi and failed to notice the move of Ali towards Devagiri. Ali was absent from Chanderi for 63 days. He spent 25 days in Devagiri. 38 of the 63 days were spent in travelling to and from Chanderi. The timing was perfect as Ali  had learnt that the army of Devagiri was deployed elsewhere, probably on a campaign against the Hoysalas.

 

Ali did not take the main route to the Deccan Kingdom. He travelled via Elichpur. Ali had cleverly disguised his real intentions that officials at Elichpur did not feel it was necessary to inform Ramachandra Raya, but Ali’s intentions were found out by an official at Lasur. An official called Kanha and two Maratha women bravely tried to hold-off the invading army, but were eventually taken prisoners. Before being imprisoned, Kanha managed to send a warning to Ramachandra Raya at Devagiri. Thus, when Ali descended upon Devagiri with 8000 horsemen, Ramachandra Raya had managed to gather an army of 4000 to defend the capital. Ramachandra Raya entered the famed fort at Devagiri which was an impregnable fortress with his army of 4000. The fort was built on top of a rock which was surrounded by hills. The rocky walls surrounding the  fort was smooth and it was impossible for the enemy to climb over the steep hillock. Ramachandra Raya was ready for a lengthy seige. He decided to wait inside the fort till the return of his army from the Hoysala Campaign. His plan would have worked, but he fell prey to treachery and was forced to surrender.  Ramachandra Raya had ordered large amounts of grains and other necessities to be stored inside the fortress, but to his dismay, a week into the seige it was discovered that the sacks of grains were filled with salt! We can’t even imgine the plight of Ramachandra Raya and his people when they found out that the sacks were filled with salt! A mole in the department responsible for provisions had deceitfully swapped sacks of grain with sacks of salt! How easily the King had been tricked by the spies of Ali! The spies of Ali had done their job! It was feasible for the spies to substitute grain with salt because many Muslims held key posts in the empire making it easier for a mole to be planted in the government! Ramachandra Raya of the Yadava Kingdom fell prey to a mole and many decades later Aliya Rama Raya of the Vijayanagar Empire faced the same fate when he employed foreign muslim (soldiers previously employed by the sultanates) archers in his army. Alas! Aliya Rama Raya had not learnt from the history of Ramachandra Raya!

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 8

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 6

 Continued From:The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 5

War Games Of Deccan

There was great rivalry between the Deccan Kingdoms, but as per the code of ethics of the ancient Indian kingdoms, the common people were not caught between the battles. They lived with a false sense of security and were unaware of the danger marching towards them from the North. Whether the enemy was the Yadavas, Hoysalas, Kakatiyas, Pandyas, Cholas or Cheras, they abided by the Indian laws of war. The true hero was one who had valour and was also ethical. The warriors of all the above kingdoms believed that display of ferocity with disregard to moral standards degraded a warrior to the status of an animal.  Mere display of animal ferocity was forbidden. Such display of ferosity was considered base. A true hero according to them was one who had courage and participated in dharmayuddha.

 

The battles waged by the Indian Kingdom was more like a sports match in which the common people were unaffected. The King who wished to invade the territories of his neighbour, sent an ambassador to challenge the neighbouring monarch. As per the common code of warfare, the envoy was unmolested and always treated with respect. A King, according to the code must always accept the challenge and give battle. The war waged by the Khatriyas was like an yajna performed by the Brahmins; the fruit obtained by both was the same, ascent to heavenly abodes after one’s life ends on Earth.

 

Some of the code of conduct followed by the warriors are given below. A warrior wearing armour must not fight with one who is not clad in armour. One should cease to fight when the opponent is disabled. Warriors must only fight with their equals and must not fight with those who are weak. Poisoned darts and barbed arrows must not be used. A weak or wounded soldier must not be killed. Those who do not have a son were not drafted into military service and must not be killed. Weaponless soldiers must not be attacked. A soldier who surrenders must be treated with respect. If a Brahmin enters the battlefield, both sides must stop fighting immediately. The elderly, women, children and those who are retreating from the battlefield must not be killed. Panick-stricken enemy retreating from the battlefield must not be pursued. The battle began at daybreak and was concluded for that day at dusk. Even the enemy monarch’s descendants must not be killed. Atleast one descendant must be allowed to live to preserve the family line.  The most important code of conduct was to preserve agricultural lands, orchards, flower gardens and temples. Megasthenes has also commented on the above code of conducts and has stated that the farmers were unmolested by both sides when a battle was raging through the region. Both sides desisted from doing harm to public property. Maidens if captured were treated with courtesy and were induced to choose a husband from the conquerors' army, but if they refused, they were escorted to their homes with respect. There are records by various historians attesting that the kingdoms followed the above code of conducts. In later Medieval times, Sri Krishnadeva Raya and Chatrapathi Shivaji were famous for enforcing the above code of conducts.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 7

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 5

 Continued From:The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 4

Politics Of Medieval Deccan 

Despite constant rivalry between the major Deccan Kingdoms, at the time of the invasions, the Deccan Kingdoms promoted an advanced society. There was a good supply of food and the people almost never faced famines. Ibn Batuta records seeing schools established to provide education to boys as well as girls. The monarchs errected many temples which served the purpose of discovering new talent. Judging from the temples which have escaped destruction at the hands of the Turkish invaders, there must have been no shortage of skilled artisans and artists.The stone and copper plates recovered from the temples speak of the high degree of literacy of the people.

Figure: Sample Sketches of Sculptures In Temples Constructed By The Hoysalas

 

The temples were not only a place of worship , but they enhanced the socio-economic life of the people. The construction of the temples and its subsequent maintenance provided employment to ancient civil/structural engineers, artisans and trades people. The artistic talent of the sculptors was displayed on pedestals in the temples for eternity. The daily routine in the temples provided employment to the priestly class, to florists, musicians, dancers, cooks and many others. The festivals brought colour to the area by organising fairs, contests and entertainment. The fact that temples were held sacred in all the kingdoms of India , prevented the destruction of temples and through it preserved the socio-economic lives of the people even at times of war.

 

The temples also served as the location for hospitals and schools. They were the centre that provided adult education. From lectures on the Vedas and Puranas to instructions in music and dance, the temples served the purpose of universities. The people were instructed in a minimum of four to eighteen subjects. The basic four subjects were philosophy, Vedic studies, economics and politics. The fourteen major subjects included Vedas, grammar, phoenetics, astronomy, logic, law & ethics, music, politics, medicine, engineering & sciences and mathematics. There were colleges dedicated for providing instructions on each of these subjects. A medical college at Thiruvaduthurai taught Astangahridaya and Caraka Samhita (From the time of Rajendra Chola 1 12^th century) to budding phycisians. Brahmins well versed in many of these subjects served as Rajagurus while the other classes became proficient in the subjects of their choice that complimented their vocational training. The Brahmins were highly respected as they devoted themselves to religious pursuits and never participated in the race for wealth and power. They served the public and lived on the endowments from the King and voluntary gifts from other classes of people.

 

The maritime culture of South India promoted export of fine clothing, jwellery, metal utensils, spices , agricultural products, pearls, rubies, diamonds, sandal, camphor and many more. The merchants and artisans formed powerful guilds and unions. The country was crisscrossed with waterways and irrigation canals. The government maintained roads and highways in good condition. The width of a main road was 24 feet. The duties and taxes levied were very fair. The Kakatiya monarch in the 13^th century, to promote trade announced that duties will not exceed 1/30^th of the value of the item. The naval power of the Kakatiyas was also instrumental in subduing piracy.

 

Harmony and tolerance was the relationship between various religious sects of South India. There were healthy debates between the various sects , but never any riots communal in nature. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis continued to live in peace without fear of persecution until the Turk-Afghan Invasion. An Alexandrian merchant has noted the presence of a Church in Quilon in 522 AD. There have also been discovery of copper plates with records of grants to a Church dated 774 AD.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 6

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 4

 Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 3

Alladin and The Cave of Wonders!

 

In the year 1293, Ali raided the Paramara kingdom in Malwa and cunningly offered the loot as an offering to Sultan Jalal-ud-din. The raid on Paramara in the name of the Sultanate was but an eyewash. During the raid, Ali was in search of a cave of wonders that would help him achieve his dream. He had heard rumours about wealthy kingdoms in the Deccan and used Paramara as a front so that he could take a closer look at the happenings in the Deccan. He found his cave of wonders in Devagiri. At the time of the Paramara raid, he learnt about the wealthy Kingdom of Devagiri (also known as Yadava Kingdom see map). Ali needed a large amount of wealth for usurping the throne of Delhi. He used Paramara as a pretext which covered-up his actual raid on Devagiri. He withheld the information about Devagiri from Jalal-ud-din .

At the time when Ali was eyeing the riches of the Deccan Kingdoms, the Deccan peninsula was ruled by three great empires; The Yadava Kingdom in Maharashtra , The Kakatiya Dynasty and the Hoysalas. Prataparudra II was the Kakatiya King and he goverened his kingdom from his capital in Warangal. Veera Ballala III of the Hoysala Dynasty ruled his kingdom from Dwarasamudram. There was also the Pandiya Kingdom in Tamilnadu which was considerably smaller than the three major dynasties and was ruled by Kulasekhara Pandyan from Madurai. The Yadava Kingdom was ruled by Ramachandra Raya from his capital in Devagiri. The covetous eyes of Ali first fell upon Devagiri; the gateway into Deccan. The rivalry between the Deccan Kingdoms was so bitter that it did not occur to any of the Kings to give support to their neighbours against the invader. They probably thought that they themselves were too far for the invading forces to attack or lived in a false sense of security that they could tackle the invaders better than their neighbour. They were also waiting for an opportunity of political turmoil in the neighbouring states which would help them to annex the enemy’s territories. It was this disunity amongst the ruling monarchs of the Deccan Kingdoms that led to the fall of the Deccan Kingdoms.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 5

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 3

 Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 2

Origin Of Khilji Dynasty

 

Malik Firuz of Turk-Afghan origin was a servant of the Delhi Sultan Balban. The Sultan himself had been one of the 40 famous Turkish Slaves of Sultan IIltutmish.Royal lineages take pride in their ancestry, but in the case of the Delhi Sultanate, the line passed from master to slave. There was not a drop of royal blood in the line of Sultans. The Sultans of these new dynasties lacked the qualities required of a ruler; sophistication, diplomacy and above all compassion. They solely believed in tyranny and in the survival of the fittest. They fought tooth and nail to retain their claim on the throne. After the death of Balban, his grandson Qaiqubad was nominated as Sultan, but because of the untimely death of Qaiqubad, his three-year old son Shamsuddin Kayumars was selected as the Sultan by Malik Firuz who was only waiting for an opportune moment. When that moment  presented itself, Malik Firuz murdered the child Shamsuddin Kayumars and usurped the throne. Malik Firuz changed his name to Jalal-ud-din Khilji, the first sultan of the Khilji dynasty; so, the Khilji dynasty too is but a Slave Dynasty.

 

Jalal-ud-din  Khilji became the first Sultan of the Khilji dynasty after usurping the throne from the Mamluk Dynasty. His rule was short-lived. He ruled for only 6 years and succumbed to the plot weaved by his nephews. Jalal-ud-din  gave his daughters in marriage to his nephews Ali Gurshasp and Almas Beg. His nephews due to their humble origin were uneducated and like their predecessors, lacked sophistication; nevertheless, they were employed to high offices of the Sultanate. Ali was made the governor of Awadh and Khara by the Sultan.  Ali Gurshasp was an illiterate who dreamed of controlling the throne of Delhi. He was an adventurer and knew that fortune favours the bold. In those days, as we have seen, it was not impossible for someone of humble means to control the throne. All one needed was dare and cunning.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 4

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 2

 Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 1

The brigands who controlled the throne of North India merely used Islam as a cover. According to Isami, “It must be noted that unlike the Arabs — inhabitants of Arabia and descendants of Abraham and kahtan — these Turks had embraced Islam mainly with the object of satisfying their ambition for worldly power and indulgence in war. Turks Tartars and Mongols who descended upon Islamic countries for mercenary game and seized the power and if they also

adopted the religion of the vanquished people, they only put it on like a coat without understanding its inner spirit as their minds were, not prepared for it, they were not fit to receive it.” (https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.142818/2015.142818.Futuhus-Salatin-Or-Shah-Namah-I-Hind-Of-Isami-Vol-i_djvu.txt)  

They openly declared their allegiance to the Caliphate only to solemnize their claim on the throne. Baghdad being thousands of miles away, it must have been impossible for one Caliph to control the rise of unscrupulous Sultans, who repeatedly popped up like weeds in a garden. These self proclaimed Sultans were adventurers who neither respected nor followed Islam. The Caliphate existed in theory to provide legal checks on the Sultan’s autocracy , but was ineffectual. The Sultans often terrorized even the Ulmas and were always in clashes with them. It is hence not a surprise that almost every Sultan who had ruled Delhi, from Allaudin Khilji to Akbar toyed with the idea of starting a new religion with the Sultan as the godhead. The actions of the Sultans,  especially their homosexual relationships with their slaves contradicted theological Islam and they were always in clashes with the Ulmas, the later however often held their tongue in fear of being persecuted! The Sultans under the Islamic Law were not allowed to lead a luxurious life. They were supposed to be the refuge to the poor and the weak, but every Sultan who sat on the Throne of Delhi has disregarded these laws by misappropriating public funds and by terrorizing the public. The reason for such blatant disregard for Islamic Laws is because of the ordinary, uneducated and unsophisticated beginnings of the Sultans, who were only the slaves of their predecessors, patiently waiting for an opportunity to wreak vengeance on their oppressor. Having obtained control over the throne by murdering their predecessors, the Sultans did not trust any of their nobles and were in the habit of passing the throne over to their slaves who were their homosexual partners. The throne thus passed on to the hands from one slave to the other, the Mamluks, the slaves of the Ghori empire. The Arabic word  “Mamluk” means “owned”. The Sultans of this dynasty were either themselves slaves of the earlier dynasty or were descendants of the slaves. The Mamluk Dynasty is popularly known as “The Slave Dynasty” in history.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 3

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 1

 

Foreign Invasion of Medieval India

 

The invasion of Medieval India and subsequently the invasion of Deccan has always been coined as “Muslim Invasion”, but in my opinion, the correct terminology should be “Foreign Invasion of India”. The invaders belonged to East-Asian tribes who resided beyond the Eastern boundary of Medieval India. Even before the invasions, many Muslims had settled in India due to an influx of Sufi Saints. Many people had peacefully converted to Islam under the influence of Sufism. India has always been a peaceful home to other religions. As early as the 4^th century, many Christians had settled along the Malabar Coast and had been practicing their religion without fear of persecution under the grant provided by the Maharajas. Many Christian refugees sought asylum in India to escape the persecution of Romans and the Sasanian Empire.  Likewise, by the 13^th and 14^th century, many Muslims had found a stable home in the Deccan Kingdoms and we have proof of this from the Arabic Records which state that some of these Muslims also held positions in the government. So, when we study the history of the invasions, it should not be seen from the point of view of religion; Muslims against Hindus, but as foreigners against Indians. The common people whether Hindu, Christians or Muslims were equally persecuted by the foreigners. When we discuss the European colonialism, we never say that it was Christian Imperialism. Likewise, the invasion of India by Medieval East-Asian Tribes should not be termed as “Muslim Invasion”, but as the invasion of India by foreigners.

 

Yellow colour shows Medieval India

The Slave Dynasty

 

The Sultans of the Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty traced their roots to the region around Ghaznavid Empire. They were of humble origins as they themselves were once slaves of their predecessor. They had to owe their allegiance to the Caliph in Baghdad. The Islamic community looked upon the Caliph as the successor of the Prophet. The Sultans had to mention the name of the Caliph in Friday public prayers and had to mint the name of the Caliph on the coins. The allegiance owed to the Caliphate was in theory, required to maintain peaceful relationships amongst the Kingdoms of the Caliphate and to avoid spilling the blood of innocent Muslims; but, owing allegiance to the Caliph did not prevent the Sultans from exterminating other Sultans who were also recognized by the Caliph. In such cases, a show of allegiance to the Caliph was only a public display and the Sultans did not abide by the code of the Caliphate. The Caliphate was just a notion and was unable to prevent the rise of unscrupulous despots who concentrated power in their own hands. For example, history tells us that Sultan Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, the third Sultan of the Mamluk Dynasty openly averred allegiance to the Caliph, but destroyed Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Iwaz Khalji recognized as the Ruler of Bengal by the Caliph.

The Mamluks mistreated the Indian Muslim. There was an inherent hatred for the Indian race. It was this hatred that caused the Turkic nobles to overthrow the rule of Sultan Nasir-ud-din Khusraw Shaw an Islamic ruler of Indian descent. More on this will be covered in later chapters.

To peruse the history of the Vijayanagar Empire and the Maratha Empire we have to understand the ascension of foreign rule in India. The lust for gold brought a band of terrorists upon ancient India like the plague. After repeated invasions, some of them boldly settled in Delhi, the threshold of India. The name Delhi is derived from Dehali in the Sanskrit language meaning “threshold”. Delhi was verily the threshold of India. The medieval militants settled in Delhi  with the hope of penetrating into the heart of India which was literally a treasure trove that contained hordes of diamonds and gold beyond one's wildest dreams! The gold rush led to many violent clashes, not only between Indians and foreigners , but also between various foreign bands. For instance, there have been many bloody battles between the Mongols, the Mughals and the Khaljis in history, all of them vying for the control of the Throne of Delhi. There were not only wars between the bands , but also internal strifes and conspiracy plots aimed at usurping the throne. The fight for the throne of Delhi resulted in many murders. The murderers themselves became the murdered and the throne which controlled the wealth of Northern India became accursed.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 2