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