Vijaynagar

Chapter 5

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Fig.1 Major Kingdoms of South India 1320 CE.

The map above shows the rough extent of the Delhi Sultanate and the extent of the major

South Indian kingdoms.

In Delhi tectonic changes were taking place. In 1320 CE, Khusrau Khan assassinated Sultan

Mubarak Khilji and proclaimed himself Sultan Nasir -ud -din . From the venom heaped upon

him by Muslim historians like Barni, it is clear that Khusrau Khan had converted back to

Hinduism. Khusrau Khan is an enigmatic character who deserves an article on his own; I will

touch very briefly on him.

Assisting Khusr au Khan in reasserting Hindu might in Delhi were fifty thousand Gujarati

Hindus who had been enslaved by Ala -ud -din Khilji during his conquest of Gujarat. These are

the Parwrs referred to by Muslim historians.

That the occasion of Sultan Nasir -ud - accession to the throne of Delhi was a moment of

In

those dreadful days the infidel rites of the Hindus were highly exalted, the dignity and the

importance of the Parw rs were increased, and through all the territory of Islm the Hindus

rejoiced greatly, boasting that Dehl had once more come under Hindu rule, and that the

But this joy was short lived.Khusrau Khan was defeated in battle by Ghiyath -al- din Tughlaq

and excecuted . Devala Devi who had married Khusrau Khan committed suicide by taking

poison.

After killing Khusrau, Ghiyath -al-din Tughlaq took over the reins of the Delhi Sultanate in

1320 CE. Once the Gan getic plains were subdued, he was able to direct his attentions to the

south which had shaken off even nominal allegiance to the sultanate. Taking advantage of

the chaos in Delhi, Prataparudra had thrown off the Muslim yoke. It is apparent that all the

pre

Third Invasion of Warangal

Once the gangetic plains were subdued, Ghiyath -al-din Tughlaq turned his attention onto

Deccan and further down south. Mubarak Khilji had completely wiped out the Y adava ruling

family in Devagiri, which was now completely subdued. As mentioned previously Devagiri had

become a stronghold of Muslims, who were encouraged to come and settle.

Keeping in line with the genocidal policies of the sultans, Hindus were pushed to bare

subsistence levels wherever the Muslims gained a strong foothold. A detailed explanation of

the economic and social catastrophe that

( http://dikgaj.w ordpress.com/ ).

http://dikgaj.wordpress.com/

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Fig 2 First Tughlaq invasion of Warangal in 1321 CE

Ghiyath -al-din Tughlaq sensed that Warangal would not be easy to subdue. For this purpose

a large army was assembled from the Muslim strongholds of Baduan, Oudh, Kara, Dabmu,

Bangarmu, Chanderi etc. This sea of Muslim armies marched towards Warangal in 1321 CE

led by Ulugh Khan (later on known as Mohammed Tughlaq).

This expedition was clearly with a view of conquering the Kakatiya kingdom, not just looting

it. Ulugh Khan was accompanied by a host of other nobles and their retinues. After two

months they reached Deogiri, where they were reinforced by other Muslim amirs and the

invasion force rolled on towards Warangal.

At this point it needs to be appreciated that this was the third full scale invasion of Warangal

in a short time of eleven years. Muslims could generate and sustain massive armies on the

back of relentless exploitation of the Hindus of the north and the looting of existing Hindu

kingdoms. The enslavement of Hindu men and women was big b usiness for the Delhi sultans.

Northern India (Punjab and Gangetic plains) was stripped bare of resources after being raped

for over three centuries by the Muslims.

It was official policy of the Delhi sultans to reduce the Hindus to bare subsistence levels . This

is illustrated by a quote by Barani about Ala -ud - The Hind

was to be so reduced as to be left un able to keep a horse to ride on, to carry arms, to wear

(Bar

On the other hand the Kakatiya kingdom was hard pressed to generate the same level of

military resource without adversely affecting other sections of society i.e. agriculture, trades

etc. Despite their obvious resource handicap the hardy Kakatiya warr iors put up a fierce fight

to the advancing Muslim host.

As on previous occasions Prataparudra along with his nobles took shelter in the formidable

Warangal fort. Prataparudra was well prepared to withstand a long siege. In any event the

siege dragged on f or eight months. Roving bands of Kakatiya warriors disrupted the Muslim

postal system and harassed the invaders from the rear.

I will deviate to give a brief description of the Delhi sultanates postal system. It is necessary

to get an idea of how the Sultans were able to take rapid military action on the basis of

speedy communications. Ibn Battuta says the sultans postal service was of two types:

1. Mounted Couriers: The first type was mounted courie rs on horses. There were relays

every 4 miles.

2. Runners on foot: - Every third of a mile there was a village outside which three pavilions

in which runners sat ready to move off. Each runner had a staff (yard and half long) with

bells at the top. When a runner ran he had the message in the fingers of the free hand and

the rod in the other. The bells alerted the men sitting in the next village of the runners

approach and someone in the next pavilion took over the message. As per Ibn Battuta this

was faste r than mounted couriers. Fruits and criminals were also transported in this way to

communications/government communications.

While the siege of Warangal was in progress, dissensions and intrigues broke out in the

Muslim camp. Distrustful of Ulugh Khans motives, a group of rebels led by Tighin and Timur

conducted secret negotiations with Prataparudra. As per their pact with Prataparudra, the

rebels would abandon the camp a nd lift the siege of Warangal, provided Prataparudra allowed

them to leave unmolested through his territory. Once assured of their safety the rebel faction

rolled up their camp, destroyed the wooden stockades and left Ulugh Khan to face the wrath

of the Ka katiya forces.

As soon as Prataparudra was sure that the rebels had left the Muslim camp for good, a

ferocious sally issued forth from Warangal fort. This caused great slaughter in Ulugh Khans

camp. Ulugh Khan had to depart in haste, all the while being pu rsued by the avenging

Hindus.

Islam.

Final invasion of Warangal: End of the Kakatiya Kingdom

When the news of the ignominious defeat reached Delhi, Ghiyath -al-din Tughlaq made sure

that the rebels who were responsible for the debacle were executed in the most painful way

poet, and Kfr, the seal -keeper, and other re bels, were impaled alive;* some of the others,

with their wives and children, were thrown under the feet of elephants

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Fig 3 First Tughlaq invasion of Warangal in 1322 CE

Within six months a more formidable invasion force was raised and Ulugh Khan swept into

the Deccan. This time Prataparudra was taken unawares and was completely unprepared for

the attack!

It is diffic ult to explain this failure in the light of the fact that on every previous occasion he

had been well prepared to meet the Muslim attack. The Kakatiya soldiers had been sent

back to their villages and the granaries emptied, even Warangal fort was not pro perly

provisioned. This can be only described in that oft repeated phrase of modern India as an

The Muslim force stormed Badrakot (Bidar) and besieged Warangal. The siege went on for

five long months, but the breaking point for the brave Hindus came due to lack of food within

the fort. Prataparudra surrendered on condition of amnesty.

While being taken as a prisoner to Delhi, Prataparudra committed suicide. Rather death than

a life of dishonour!! This is a message strangely lost on modern

Thus fell the great Kakatiya kingdom which was a focal point of Hindu resistance against

Islamic imperialism for nearly a quarter of a century. Ulugh Khan promptl y renamed

Warangal as Sultanpur. A typical act of Islamic vandalism wherein anything created by other

cultures is appropriated as their own!! Ishwa from India forum has written a nice series of

articles analysing Islamic vandalism (http://www.india -

forum. com/forums/index.php?/topic/2468 -scheme -of -muslim - rule - in -

india/page__pid__108412__st__0entry108412). Myths like the golden age of Islamic

science etc which are being bandied about these days are a pretty good example of gross

distortion of history.

Re sistance in Andhra

extinguish Hindu resistance. In south western Andhra, Jagatapi Gangayadeva resisted the

Muslims from his capital at Gutti. But in due course he wa s forced to submit to Ulugh Khan.

Fighting continued in the coastal Andhra region. Ulugh Khan established his authority and

extracted tribute from the Hindu populace with the help of Muslim governors and the usual

Hindu collaborators. Ulugh Khan also retai ned the key decision makers of the old Kakatiya

kingdom to help govern the newly captured province. What limited freedom of movement the

old Hindu officials had, would be closely watched by strong Muslim garrisons posted in key

cities.

After the fall of An dhra, Ulugh Khan captured Madurai. In 1323 CE, Parakaramdeva the

Pandya king of Madurai was defeated and his family taken prisoner. A strong Muslim garrison

was posted at Madurai and the administration passed into the hands of Muslim amirs.

Change at De lhi

In 1325 CE, Sultan Ghiyath -al-din Tughlaq was killed when a wooden structure erected to

welcome him from his Bengal expedition collapsed on his head. The hand of Ulugh Khan in

ugh Khan ascended

the throne of Delhi and proclaimed himself Sultan Mohammed Tughlaq .

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Fig 4 South India in 1325 CE

At the time of Mohammed Tughlaqs ascension to the throne of Delhi the major Hindu

kingdoms still in existence were (see map above):

North: Rajputana ( I am clubbing all the existing Rajput states together, as I have not read

enough of the situation in the North to give a clear picture)

South: Kampili (Karnataka), Dvarasamudram (major portion of Karnataka, parts of Andhra &

parts of Tamil Nadu), Kandhyana (present day Pune region, not shown on map), Calicut.

East: Jajnagar (Orissa), Kamarupa (Assam, not shown on map).

The map above gives a rough idea of the size and location of the remaining Hindu kingdoms

in the south of India. I make no claims to the accuracy of the map; hence take it as a rough

guide.

Mohammed T ughlaqs behaviour towards the Hindus was no less cruel and atrocious than the

other Muslim sultans. Then why is so much opprobrium heaped on him? The Muslim historian

Barani statement clearly illustrates the reason for his infamy:

ns, and the execution of true believers, with him became a

practice and a passion. Numbers of doctors, and elders, and saiyids, and sfs, and

kalandars, and clerks, and soldiers, received punishment by his order. Not a day or week

passed without the spil ling of much Musulmn blood, and the running of streams of gore

i.e. a Muslim is killed!!

In recent times the se cular lobby has tried to rehabilitate Mohammed Tughlaq by portraying

him as a misunderstood visionary who was ahead of his time!

are responsible for this reprehensible whitewash. On a side note many of these pseudo

historians testified from the Muslim side in the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi court case which was

decided recently upon by Allahabad High court. The way the Honourable judges tore apart

their lies can be found in the extracts of the judgement posted in this thread in Bharat

Rakshak (http://forums.bharat - rakshak.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5697).

At this time the country of

the Dob was brought to ruin by the heavy taxation and the numerous cesses. The Hindus

bur nt their corn stacks and turned their cattle out to roam at large. Under the orders of the

Sultn, the collectors and magistrates laid waste the country, and they killed some

landholders and village chiefs and blinded others. Such of these unhappy inhabita nts as

escaped formed themselves into bands and took refuge in the jungles. So the country was

ruined. The Sultn then proceeded on a hunting excursion to Baran, where, under his

directions, the whole of that country was plundered and laid waste, and the h eads of the

Hindus were brought in and hung upon the ramparts of the fort of Baran.

In the above poassage, Barani is talking about the atrocious taxes levied by Mohammed

Tughlaq and their effect on the Hindus of Uttar Pradesh.

Sultan first taxes Hindus till they have virtually no incentive to till their

fields (It must be kept in mind that even in this day, land is everything to the Indian

farmer.He will only abandon it in the most extreme circumstances: either when it does not

provide even subsistence level food or under extreme force by external factors).Next when

them down like wild animals!!

The Kampili wars

Kampili was a small but power ful kingdom founded by Mummadi Singeya from the fragments

of the disintegrating Devagiri kingdom. Kampilideva succeeded Mummadi Singeya in 1313

CE. Please see the map for a rough idea of the kingdom of Kampili. It was tiny compared to

the Delhi sultanate, but it punched well above its weight. It took three well equipped

invasions before Kampili faded into the night.

Kampilideva is one of those unacknowledged heroes of our history who fought tooth and nail

against the Muslim invaders. A staunch defender of dharma, he fought with even those Hindu

chiefs who paid tribute to the Delhi sultans. Kampilideva fought many battles with bigger

kingdoms such as Dvarasamudram and Warangal.

Mohammed Tughlaq decided to put an end to Kampili before it became the focal p oint of

resurgent Hindu power in the Deccan. An ideal pretext for invasion was found in Baha -ud -din

rebellion. Baha -ud -din was a cousin of Mohammed Tughlaq and had been made

governor of the Sagar town (Karnataka) by Ghiyath -al-din Tughlaq .A br ave warrior; he had

fought with distinction against the Mongols in 1324 CE.

Baha -ud -din was disaffected with his treatment by Mohammed Tughlaq and rebelled in order

to carve a separate kingdom for himself. All this while, he had been careful to cultivate

excellent relations with Kampilideva. In 1327 CE, a pitched battle between the Delhi

sultanates army and Baha -ud -din took place on the banks of the Godavari River in Karnataka.

Garhasp was defeated and fled with his family to Kampilideva for protection.

Lik e on previous occasions in our history, the flight of a fugitive to the protection of a Hindu

case the excuse came in the form of Baha -ud -din Garhasp.

The outstanding moral character of Kampilideva is clearly demonstrated in the assurance of

safety which he gave to Garhasp,

in a breath except in friendship to you. I swear by the sun, the sacred thread (I wear) a nd

the idols (I worship) that you shall find me faithful. If all (the people of the world) were to

I have taken the descriptions of the three invasions straight fr

book. Apologies if it sounds ad verbatim, as for most part it is.

First Invasion of Kampili

The first invasion of Kampili took place Malik

Zada aided by Malik Rukn - ud - din crossed the K rishna and mounted an attack on Kummata,

which was the chief fortress of Kampilideva. At this time, Kampilideva was in his capital

Hosdurg (Anegondi). Kampilideva sent a strong force headed by his minister Baicappa, his

sons Ramanatha and Katanna, and Garh asp to reinforce Kummata.

On arrival Rukn - ud - din pitched his tents around the fort. Katanna conducted a surprise sally

from the fort on the first day of the siege, inflicting heavy losses on the Muslims and

capturing two thousand horses in the process. T he next day the Muslims tried to storm the

fort but were decisively beaten back by Ramanatha and Katanna. The Muslim army was

completely routed and Rukn -ud - din forced to retreat back to Devagiri.

Thus ended the first invasion of Kampili; a complete failur e for the world conquering armies

of Islam.

Second invasion of Kampili

Kampili, Mohammed Tughlaq promptly despatched another well equipped invasion force

under Malik Q utb -ul -Mulk . The Muslims moved as before to attack Kummata.

Kampilideva was well prepared to meet the second invasion as well. Both the forts of

Kummata and Hosdurg were strengthened. This time Kampilideva himself led the defence of

Kummata against the M uslims.

On the night of first day of the siege a surprise night attack by a band of Kampili warriors

threw the Muslim camp into confusion. On the second day Qutb -ul -Mulk attacked the fort

with all his forces from three sides. They managed to take the out er wall, but were pushed

out by the vigorous defenders led by Kampilideva.

On the third day of the siege Kampilideva arranged his troops in battle order outside the fort

gates. Facing him was the Muslim army with their Turkish horse archers in the centre, cavalry

to the right and elephants to the left. Ramanatha attacked the Turkish centre first throwing

them into disarray. As they desperately tried to flee from the attack, they caused confusion in

the cavalry and elephants stationed on their sides. Ramanat ha charged the Muslim forces

cutting most of them down and killing their top commanders. Qutb -ul -Mulk saved himself by

escaping from the battlefield.

Final Invasion of Kampili

Within a short time Mohammed Tughlaq despatched an even larger force under his minister

Malik Zada. There seems to have been a drought during this time in Kampili, as the

Portuguese historian Nunes says that the Muslims had to wait for the rainy season before

they could proceed further. This would perhaps explain why the two stro ng forts: Kummata

and Hosdurg ran out of provisions relatively quickly.

The Muslims laid siege to Kummata first. Although Kampilideva and Garhasp sallied forth and

assaulted the Muslims, they were defeated and forced to pull back inside the fort. Condition s

inside Kummata got dire as the Hindus began to run out of provisions.

The Muslims stormed the fort in an all out assault forcing Kampilideva to abandon Kummata

and seek shelter in his capital Hosdurg. Kampilideva relocated the fifty thousand citizens of

Hosdurg to other places in Kampila, only keeping five thousand soldiers for the defence of

Hosdurg.

inside the fort got dire. The situation got even more precarious when the Muslims stormed

their way into the fort.

Kampilideva realised all was lost, but this great man first made sure his friend Garhasp

escaped with his family to the Hoysala kingdom of Dvarasamudra, which was ruled by Veera

Ballala III. Garhasp esca ped with his family to Dvarasamudra.(Garhasp seems to have been

quite an accomplished warrior, as he is described tying three - four horses together, putting

his family on them and riding out of Kummata, only turning back to cut down his pursuers).

I am qu oting this passage written by Ibn Battuta about the last hours of this great sovereign.

It is extremely stirring to read, (Kampilideva) commanded a great fire to be

prepared and lighted. Then he burned his furniture, and said to his wives and daug

of these women washed herself, rubbed her body with sandal -wood, kissed the ground before

the r (Raya) of Kambla (Kampila), and threw herself upon the p ile. All perished. The wives

of his nobles, ministers, and chief men imitated them, and other women also did the same.

The r, in his turn, washed, rubbed himself with sandal, and took his arms, but did not put

on his breastplate. Those of his men who res olved to die with him followed his example. They

(Batuta) .

jauhar

their honour. I bn Batuta heard about this incident from a trusted source, but he was an eye

pyre. Ibn Batuta clearly describes their fearlessness and devotion to their husbands in the

face of the raging flames.

Kampilideva fought extremely bravely in battle before falling dead of his many wounds. Malik

Zada had his head stuffed and sent to Mohammed Tughlaq as a gift. The Muslims conducted

a general massacre of the remaining reside nts of Hosdurg. Those who survived like the

eleven sons of Kampilideva; were converted to Islam.

Thus was the end of the kingdom of Kampili, but the lowest ebb for the Southern Hindus was

yet to come.

What of Baha -ud -din Garhasp? Veera Ballala III was unwi lling to take the risk of inviting a full

scale Muslim invasion by sheltering a fugitive. He promptly handed over Garhasp to Malik

Zada.

As is illustrated by this passage Garhasp met a terrible end, (Mohammed Tughlaq)

ordered the prisoner (Garhasp) to be taken to the women, his relations, and these insulted

him and spat upon him. Then he ordered him to be skinned alive, and as his skin was torn

off, his flesh was cooked with rice. Some was sent to his children and his wife, and the re -

mainder was put i nto a great dish and given to the elephants to eat, but they would not touch

it. The Sultn ordered his skin to be stuffed with straw, and to be placed along with the

(Batuta)

Reference s:

i. The Early Muslim Expansion in South India, N. Venkataramanayya, edited by

Prof. K A N Sastri, Madras University Historical Series, 1942. Available at

http://library.du.ac.in/dspace/

ii. Ibn Battuta, Travels in Asia and Africa 1325 -1354; HAR Gibb; George

Routledge & Sons, 1929.

Works Cited

-D. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2010, from

http://persian.packhum.org/persian/main

Batuta, I. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2010, from http://persian.packhum.org/persian/main

Map References:

http://library.du.ac.in/dspace/

1. Schwartzberg, Joseph E. A Historical Atlas of South Asia

,http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/

2. The Early Muslim Expansion in South India, N. Venkataramanayya, e dited by Prof. K A

N Sastri, Madras University Historical Series, 1942. Available at

http://library.du.ac.in/dspace/

Comments (4) September 12, 2010

Kabul Shahi -The Hindu Kings of Kabul & Zabul

Filed under: History Yogeshwar Shastri @ 5:36 pm

Tags: Afghanistan , Ancient India , Kabul , Kabul Shahi , Kapisa , Sindh , Taxila , Zabul

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I have updated the map with more cities in Kashmir and the major rivers of Punjab.

The above map shows the extent of the Hindu kingdoms of Kabul and Zabul in the period of

600 -700 CE.I was spurred to create the map as I wanted to a graphical representatio n of

what area came under these two ruling houses.it is a different matter reading on paper that

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