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