BAHIS - 101

Question 1. Describe in detail about the conquest of Alauddin Khilji.

Answer : Alauddin Khalji conquered the Chittor Fort in Rajasthan, in the Siege of Chittorgarh (1303). In the winter of 1302–1303, Alauddin dispatched an army to ransack the Kakatiya capital Warangal. Meanwhile, he himself led another army to conquer Chittor, the capital of the Guhila kingdom ruled by Ratnasimha.

Alauddin Khilji was a powerful ruler who lived in the 14th century in India. He was the Sultan of Delhi and ruled over a large part of northern India. Alauddin Khilji is known for his military strength and ambition to expand his empire.
Alauddin Khilji launched many military campaigns and conquered several territories during his reign. He was also known for his strict and efficient administration. He introduced various reforms in his empire to improve governance and strengthen his rule.
Alauddin Khalji is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the Medieval History subject in the UPSC GS Paper 1 Syllabus and also a part of General Studies Paper 1 in UPSC prelims. This article will provide you with all the necessary information about Alauddin Khalji, such as who was Alauddin khilji, Malik Kafur, and alauddin khilji, the conquest of Alauddin khilji, and how did Alauddin khilji expand his empire.

Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Gujarat, also known as the Muslim Conquest of Gujarat, began in 1299 when the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji sent an army to ransack the Gujarat region of India, which was ruled by the Vaghela king Karna. The Delhi forces plundered several major cities of Gujarat, including Anahilavada (Patan), Khambhat, Surat and Somnath. Karna was able to regain control of at least a part of his kingdom in the later years. However, in 1304, a second invasion by Alauddin's forces permanently ended the Vaghela dynasty, and resulted in the annexation of Gujarat to the Delhi Sultanate.

Ala-ud-din was a very ambitious and a shrewd warrior. To materialize his vision to rule most territories of the country, he set out a conquest. During his conquest he looted many states in the north. His strong support during his conquest were his brother Ulugh Khan, Nusrat Khan, Zafar Khan and his brother-in-law, Alp Khan.
In 1297, Ala-ud-Din sent a huge army under the command of Ulugh Khan and Nusrat Khan to conquer Gujarat. Rai Karan Dev second was the ruler of Gujarat. He fought for sometimes and then ran away. Ala-ud-Din's army captured the capital Anhilwara. The beautiful queen of Karan Dev second was made prisoner. She was taken away to Delhi. Ala-ud-Din married her. Ala-ud-Din's army plundered Gujarat and took away a large amount of booty. But, the greatest prize of all bagged in 'Hazar Dinari' slave, Malik Kafur, who became the prime minister of the King later.

Question 2. What are the various causes of downfall of slave dynasty?
Answer : The downfall of the Slave Dynasty can be attributed to several factors: Weak Successors: After the death of Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the dynasty was ruled by weak successors who were unable to maintain the power and prestige of the dynasty.

 The following circumstances contributed to the downfall of the slave dynasty.

 1. Sultans Being Foreigners:

The people of India did not cooperate with the Sultans of slave dynasty as they considered them as foreigners. The feeling of har­mony between the Hindus and Muslims had not yet emerged and the Hindus revolted against the Muslim rulers off and on.
It created chaos and confusion in the Sultanate. As the Muslim rule was based on the Quran and its principles were brought from Ghazni, Ghor and Baghdad, they could not be applicable in India and gave rise to revolts.

2. Autocratic Military Rule:

The chief reason of – the downfall of the so-called slave dynasty was autocratic military rule of the Sultans in which the greatest signi­ficance was given to the centre. The provincial governors had no rights.
They had to act according to the directions of the Sultan failing which their promotions were affected or they could be removed from their office. As divine right theory was recognized, the kings were considered to be the representatives of God on earth. The theory was not accepted by all, hence a tension prevailed which ulti­mately led to the downfall of the so-called slave dynasty.

3. Absence of Law of Succession:

There was no definite law of succession governing Muslim Sultans. Any powerful prince or governor could be a Sultan, provi­ded he wished and had resources to become the Sultan. It caused rapid dynastic changes in the Sultanate period; hence no system could be executed completely.
Sword remained the decisive factor to attain the throne and might was right. Out of ten Sultans, seven had to sacrifice their lives in the attempt at getting the throne. Hence the eighty-four year history of the so-called slave dynasty remained bloody and it harmed the power of the slave Sultans.

4. Lack of Organized Central Power:

Military power was the fundamental basis of the newly establi­shed Turkish Sultanate and strong central power but it could not be permanent. During this period, the sword was considered to be the fundamental basis of the Sultanate and only those Sultans succeeded who could establish their sway over the army.
Dr. Ishwari Prasad remarks, “Personal factors counted much in medieval politics. When­ever weak and pleasure loving Sultans ascended the throne- they not only failed to control the affairs of the Sultanate but also lost their supremacy and led the empire on the downslide.
Sultans like Iltutmish and Balban terrified the provincial gover­nors and kept them under the control of Delhi Sultanate. They were awarded severe punishments in case of revolt but during the regime of unsuccessful Sultans, the centre became weak and the power of provincial governors increased. It also resulted in the downfall of the slave dynasty.

5. Lack of Public Sympathy and Internal Revolts:

Undoubtedly, the rulers of the slave dynasty reigned for about a century but they failed to acquire the sympathy of the people of Delhi Sultanate which was necessary for the establishment of a per­manent kingdom.
Although Balban adopted the ‘Blood and Iron’ policy and crushed the opposition of the Indian public, the nationa­listic feelings of the people of India continued to prevail and they continued to oppose the Sultans of Delhi in spite of their repeated defeats.
At that time India was divided into many small principali­ties. No proper attention was being paid to the defence of the country and the Hindu chiefs always remained on the lookout for any opportunity to cast away the yoke of slavery.
They often raised the standard of revolt against weak Sultans; hence the problem of internal revolts remained acute before every successor. Some of the historians have named this period an ‘Age of Resistance’. “During this period the public did not obey the orders of the Sultans according to their sweet will. Thus owing to lack of homogeneous atmosphere it was not possible for the slave Sultans to be strong enough to save their kingdom.

6. Rise of the Power of Amirs:

The Sultans being the foreigners in India mostly depended on their beloved Muslim Amirs. They were awarded high posts by the Sultans and they expected from them financial and military help at the time of need. They were given big fiefs and had great power. The organization of ‘The Forty’ enhanced the power of the Amir very much.
These Amirs exercised their power and acted as king­makers whenever a weak person had been enthroned. They neglected the will of Iltutmish and made Ruknuddin sit on the throne in place of Raziya.
In the same way Kaiqubad was enthroned and the claims of Kai Khusrau were neglected at the death of Balban. The Khalji nobles and Amirs murdered the last slave ruler and established their own supremacy. It proves that the increasing power of the Amirs was also an important reason of the downfall of the slave dynasty.

7. Weak Successors:

Out of the eleven Sultans of Delhi only three, viz., Qutbuddin, Iltutmish and Balban were worthy rulers. Their successors prove unworthy, weak, lazy and luxury-loving. Although Raziya was worthy daughter of a worthy father, her only weakness was her sex that bedimmed her future.
The thirteenth century was a period military disturbances and political upheavals and only a person o extraordinary military calibre could be a Sultan under such circums tances As the successors of these reputed Sultans were un worth; and weak, the downfall of the Slave dynasty was inevitable.

Question 3. Throw light on the rise of Qutubuddin Aaibak.
Answer : Aibak fought against the Rajput rulers who were resisting the Muslim invasions. After Ghori's assassination in 1206, Aibak became the de facto ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. He was crowned in Lahore, Pakistan whereto he moved his capital. Aibak was the first Muslim Sultanate ruler in northern India.

Before he became the ruler of Delhi, Qutbuddin Aibak was a general under the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. After the sultan Muhammad Ghori’s death, Qutb ud-Din Aibak took charge of the Ghurid land territory in the area of northern India, and then became the ruler of an independent kingdom. He was also the first sultan of Delhi, and this article will explore his life and achievements.

Early Life of Qutub-ud-din-Aibak

The Early Life of Qutbuddin Aibak began during the time of period in which Ghurid Empire was at its peak. Ghori’s death in 1206 left no son, so Aibak was named Viceroy of the Indian empire. The Ghori family honored Aibak by giving him titles such as “God of the Moon”.

In his early life, Qutbuddin Aibak was born into a high-class family in the Turkistan region. He was brilliant and impressive. He was been sold into slavery at a young age and later sold to the Qazi of Nishapur, who educated him. After Qazi’s death, Qutbuddin Aibak was purchased by Muhammad Ghori, who provided him with an education and a good living. He eventually rose to the first rank of commander of a troop.

Qutbuddin Aibak was a Turk from the Aybak tribe. He became the first sultan of the region Delhi as Sultanate, ruling for only four years. During his time as sultan, he fought noble rebellions, restored the peace and prosperity of the region, and he started the building process of the Quwaat-al-Islam Mosque in Delhi.

Achievements Of Qutub-ud-din-Aibak

1. One of the most remarkable achievements of Aibak’s reign is his conquest of a region between the Ganges and the Yamuna, also known as the Deccan. During his four years of ruling period in India, Aibak defeated various rivals and revolts and established law and order. He strengthened the army and built mosques throughout the country, including the famous Jama Masjid in Delhi. Although Aibak’s rule failed, he remains a prominent figure in history for his conquests of India.
2. Aibak also captured twenty thousand slaves and a large number of cattle beyond calculation. His conquest of India reshaped the Muslim world and strengthened the infant Islamic empire. The achievements of Qutbuddin Aibak are extensive and include the conquest of Ajmer, Bhilwara, and parts of the U.P.
3. Despite the other noble ones like Taj-ud-din Ildiz and Nasir-ud-din Qubachah, he strongly built the administrative system, which had been originally established by Ghori though.
4. Qutubuddin Aibak is the one who initiated the construction process of the mosque Quwwat-ul-Islam which was the earliest Muslim monument in Delhi, but he could not complete them.
5. Aibak was known as the “Lakh Baksh” (Lakh’s king), and most scholars consider him the founder of Mulsim rule in India.
6. Aibak built the Adhai din ka Jhonpra mosque in Ajmer city.
7. He began the construction of Qutb Minar in Delhi. Qutub Minar’s construction was finished by Aibak’s son-in-law and successor Iltutmish. He fully completed the construction work of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and the Qutb Minar.

Sultan And Slave Dynasty

In Indian history, The Mamluk Dynasty was the first dynasty to rule Delhi. The Mamluk dynasty originated in Northern India by Qutb ud-Din Aibak, a Turkic slave general of the Central Asian Ghurid Empire. The Mamluk dynasty was ruling from 1206 until 1290, becoming the first of a few dynasties to rule the Delhi Sultanate until 1526.

The Slave Dynasty of Qutubuddin Aibak began with the death of the Ghurid Empire under Muhammad of Ghor. His whole empire was divided into smaller sultanates, with Taj-ud-Din Yildoz ruling Ghazni, Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji ruling Bengal, and Nasir-ud-Din Qabacha ruling Multan and Delhi. The Slave Dynasty of Qutbud-ud-din Aibak also gave us the Taj-ud-Din Aibak monument in Delhi. slave dynasty was technically the first dynasty to rule as the Delhi Sultanate.

He was turned down by Shamsuddin Iltutmish, some other slave who became the level of Sultan, thus promoting the Slave/Mamluk Dynasty. After his death, Balbun appointed his son Kaimurs as his successor. He also instituted the coin currency Tanka and he was the one who completed the construction work of the Qutub Minar. His daughter Raziya Sultan was nominated as his heir. However, she faced opposition to her appointment as a woman. Her successor in Delhi, Ghiyasuddin Balban, started from 1266 to 1286, strengthened the administration and paid attention to governance in the empire.

Death and Succession of Qutub-ud-din-Aibak

The death and succession of Qutbuddin Aibak are one of the most head-turning events in Islam.
After Qutubuddin Aibak’s death, two other sultans were appointed to succeed him: Aram Shah and Iltutmish. Aram Shah was named as the successor of Qutbuddin Aibak to prevent any further instability in the kingdom. He was manipulated by a set of noble persons who declared the Shamsuddin Iltutmish to be their ruler.
Once, While playing the game of Chauhan (horse polo), he fell from his noble horse and soon came his death in 1210 A.D. he was buried at Lahore and a very simple monument was built over his grave for remembrance.

Question 4. What are the significant source material of medieval India?
Answer : Medieval history was traced using archaeological and literary sources of information. Monuments, temples, inscriptions, coins, and weaponry are examples of archaeological sources. Moreover, manuscripts, which were handwritten documents, were gathered by rich people, monasteries, rulers, and temples.

Medieval Indian history was borrowed from the West, where the modern period was connected with the emergence of all modern forces such as science, reason, democracy, liberty, and equality. Medieval Indian history describes a society where these features of modern society did not exist. Britishers have divided Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’, and ‘modern’.

                           Sources for Medieval Indian History

The medieval period in Indian history began in the eighth century and lasted until the 18th century. India experienced significant social, economic, religious, and political upheavals during the medieval period of Indian history.

Medieval history was traced using archaeological and literary sources of information. Monuments, temples, inscriptions, coins, and weaponry are examples of archaeological sources. Moreover, manuscripts, which were handwritten documents, were gathered by rich people, monasteries, rulers, and temples.

These literary sources are extremely informative and helpful for historians to understand the medieval history of India. Lastly, poems, folk songs, dances and biographies of ancient rulers are also a testament to the incredible medieval Indian history.

Question 5. Discuss the major achievements of Iltutmish Kingships.
Answer : Iltutmish was sold into slavery but married the daughter of his master, Quṭb al-Dīn Aibak, whom he succeeded in 1211. He strengthened and expanded the Muslim empire in northern India and moved the capital to Delhi, where he built the great victory tower, the Quṭb Mīnār.

 The following points highlight the top eight achievements of Sultan Iltutmish.

They are:

1.  Organisation of the group of forty slaves, viz. Turkan-i-Chihalgani

2. Defeat of Yildiz

3. The Impending Mongol Invasion

4. The Defeat of Qabacha

5. The Conquest of Bengal

6. Fight against Hindu Chiefs

7. Investiture from the Caliph

8. Death of Iltutmish.

1. Organisation of the Group of Forty Slaves, viz. Turkan-i-Chihalgani:

When Iltutmish ascended the throne, he was opposed by certain Qutbi (nobles of Qutb-ud-din Aibak) and Muizzi (nobles of Muhammad of Ghur) nobles. He suppressed their revolt. But, he always remained doubtful of their loyalty. Therefore, he created his own group of nobles from among his loyal and capable slaves which was called Turkan-i-Chihalgani.

All those nobles were purchased by him as slaves. They were given respectable assignments and, thus, their cooperation was sought in administration. All these nobles depended on Iltutmish because they were there because of him only. Those nobles always remained loyal to him. Thus, Iltutmish no more remained dependent on Qutbi and Muizzi nobles.

2. Defeat of Yildiz:

Iltutmish behaved most diplomatically with Yildiz. When he ascended the throne, Yildiz sent him a chatra (canopy) and a durbash (baton). Iltutmish accepted them and, thus, pretended to recognize his suzerainty. In fact, he bided his time, avoided conflict with him and consolidated his position as far as Banaras.

Besides, he occupied Sursuti, Kuhram and Bhatinda in the west. In 1215 A.D., Yildiz was driven out of Ghazni by Khwarizm Shah. He came to Lahore and occupied the territories of Punjab upto Thaneswar. While Yildiz still claimed overlordship over Iltutmish and asked him to send military help, Iltutmish marched against him to settle his score finally with him.
Between 1215-16 A.D. Iltutmish defeated Yildiz in an open battle at Tarain and imprisoned him. He was first sent to Badaun and afterwards killed. Iltutmish’s gain was two-fold. One was that he had killed the most dangerous rival to his power and, the other, that it led to the final break with Ghazni. Hence onwards, the Sultanate of Delhi became an independent state in fact if not legally so far.

 3. The Impending Mongol Invasion:

Iltutmish had hardly consolidated his position in Punjab when his infant kingdom was threatened by a possible invasion of the Mongols. Issuing from the uplands of Tartary, the Mongols, under their great leader Temujin popularly known as Cenghiz Khan, occupied the Khwarizm empire, forced the Emperor to flee for safety to the Caspian coast and his heir-apparent Jalal-ud-din Mangbarni to Panjab.
Jalal-ud-din married the daughter of Rai Khokhar Sankin, the Khokhar chief and occupied the upper Sindh Sagar, the territory of the Ravi and the Chenab regions, the fort of Pasraur in the Sialkot district and then advanced up to Lahore.
The Mongols were hotly pursuing the fleeing prince but stopped at the banks of the river Indus to watch his activities. Jalal-ud-din asked for shelter from Iltutmish. So far the career of Cenghiz Khan had been of undisrupted success. No country could save itself from his attack. Iltutmish had neither the desire nor the power to face such a powerful foe.
He refused to provide shelter to Jalal-ud-din much against the rules of hospitality. But, it was wise on his part. It saved him from the wrath of Cenghiz Khan who returned after leaving the task of capturing Jalal-ud-din to his officers. Iltutmish was determined to check Jalal-ud-din from proceeding further and got ready for military action when he tried further aggression in Punjab.
Jalal-ud-din too realised the futility of fighting against Iltutmish and, therefore, withdrew towards lower Sindh. Thereafter, he concentrated his power against Qabacha and the Mongols. He defeated Qabacha near Uch and weakened his power. But, ultimately, he returned to Persia in 1224 A.D. Iltutmish watched with satisfaction the departure of Jalal-ud-din. He had saved his kingdom from the Mongol invasion and also from ill-effects of the politics of Central Asia.

4. The Defeat of Qabacha:

Jalal-ud-din’s activities had weakened the power of Qabacha who was now left only with Multan and Sindh. Iltutmish took advantage of it and easily occupied Bhatinda, Kuhram, Sarsuti and then Lahore.
He now decided to finish the power of Qabacha for once and all and simultaneously planned attacks on Multan and Sindh Qabacha fled to the fort of Bhakkar on the lower Indus and offered to negotiate. Iltutmish asked for an unconditional surrender and when refused attacked the fort. Qabacha felt desperate, threw himself into the river Indus and was drowned. Both Multan and Uch were occupied by Iltutmish. Thus, another strong enemy of the Delhi Sultanate was finished by Iltutmish.

 5. The Conquest of Bengal:

Ali Mardan had declared himself independent after the death of Qutb-ud-din Aibak and, therefore, the province of Bengal was lost by the Delhi Sultanate. Even when he was murdered by Khalji nobles and Husam-ud-din Ewaz became ruler, it was no advantage to Iltutmish. Husam-ud- din kept Bengal independent, assumed the title of Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din, occupied Bihar and exacted tribute from the neighbouring kingdoms of Jajnagar, Tirhut and Kamarupa.
Iltutmish, being busy in the north-west, could not pay attention towards the affairs in Bengal. But as soon as he felt secure in the north­west, he proceeded towards Bengal. Ghiyas-ud-din accepted his suzerainty without fighting and gave him presents. Iltutmish came back after appointing Malik Jani as governor of Bihar. But as soon as Iltutmish turned back, Ghiyas-ud-din reasserted independence and turned out Malik Jani from Bihar.
Iltutmish asked his son Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, governor of Avadh, to punish Ghiyas-ud-din. Nasir-ud-din captured Lakhnauti in 1226 A.D. and killed Ghiyas-ud-din. But he died in 1229 A.D. which again resulted in a successful revolt under Malik Ikhtiyar-ud-din Balka Khalji who asserted independence. The same year, Iltutmish himself marched to Bengal and killed Balka Khalji. Bengal and Bihar again became part of the Delhi Sultanate and remained so till the death of Iltutmish.

6. Fight against Hindu Chiefs:

The Hindu chiefs in Rajputana and Uttar Pradesh had succeeded in recovering some places from the Turks during the period of rule of Aibak. When Iltutmish ascended the throne they pursued a more aggressive policy and many of them became independent.
The Chandelas recovered Kalinjar and Ajaigarh; the Pratiharas occupied Gwalior, Narwar and Jhansi; the Chauhanas under Govindaraja turned out the Turks from Ranthambhor and occupied Jodhpur and its nearby places; the Chauhanas of Jalor recovered most of the territories of the south-west Rajputana; and the Bhatti-Rajputs occupied Ajmer and its nearby places.
Many other places also witnessed successful revolts of the Rajputs. In Uttar Pradesh, the Hindus revolted and asserted independence at Badaun, Kannauj, Banaras, Katehar, Bareilly and Farukhabad. Iltutmish could not ignore these losses. He was determined at least to recover those places which were once conquered by the Turks. Therefore, he adopted an aggressive policy against the Hindu chiefs.
Ranthambhor was attacked and occupied in 1226 A.D., Mandor, the capital of the Parmaras, was also recovered; in 1228-29 A.D. Udai Singh, the ruler of Jalor was forced into submission; and, then Bayana, Thangir, Ajmer, Nagaur and nearby places were conquered. Gwalior was attacked in 1231 A.D. and occupied after a year of resistance.
Malik Nusratuddin Taisi, the governor of Gwalior was then asked to attack Kalinjar. He succeeded in plundering Kalinjar in 1233-34 A.D. but had to retreat because of the fierce resistance of the people. Iltutmish attacked Nagada and Gujarat also in turn but the Guhilots and the Chalukyas defeated him respectively.
In 1234-35 A.D. Iltutmish attacked Malwa and plundered Bhilsa and Ujjain but failed to occupy any territory. In Uttar Pradesh, Iltutmish succeeded in recovering Badaun, Kannauj, Banaras, Katehar and Baheraich. The territories of Avadh too were brought under control though the local tribes continued to resist till the death of their brave leader Bartu or Pirthu. The success of Iltutmish against the Rajputs was not complete.
The Guhilots and the Chalukyas had defeated him; one of his officers was defeated by the Rajputs of Bundi; the attack on Malwa remained only a plunder; the Chauhanas continued their resistance even after the occupation of Bayana and Thanagarh and the Chandelas continued to rule the territories up to Jhansi even after the loss of Gwalior. Yet, Iltutmish succeeded in recovering most of the lost territories of the Turkish empire. He, certainly, could not subdue the power of the Rajputs yet broke their aggressive strength. Besides, he established a firm administration in these recovered territories.

7. Investiture from the Caliph:

Iltutmish requested the Khalifa (Caliph) of Baghdad to grant him the title of Sultan. The request was accepted and emissaries from the Khalifa reached Delhi with a deed of investiture for Iltutmish in 1229 A.D. This gave Iltutmish legal claim over the Delhi Sultanate. It also helped him in making his rule hereditary which secured the succession of his children on the throne.

8. Death of Iltutmish:

In 1236 A.D., Iltutmish marched towards Baniyan which was ruled by Saifuddin Hasan Qarligh, an officer of Jalal-ud-din Mangbarni. Saifuddin had occupied the territories between Ghazni and the river Indus. Iltutmish fell ill during the campaign and returned to Delhi. There he died on 30 April 1236 A.D.