Eternal India Encyclopedia

LURE - THRU THE AGES

Eternal India encyclopedia

TUGHLAQ DYNASTY 1320 1414 A.D. succeeded him, assuming the title Sultan Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. He was one of the most learned and accomplished scholars of his time. He was proficient in logic, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and the physical sci- ences. He was a brilliant calligraphist. He had a great knowledge of Persian poetry. In his private life he was simple, humble and gener- ous. He was lavish in distributing gifts and presents. But he lacked practical judgement and common sense. His schemes though sound in theory proved impractical in actual opera- tion. After his accession, he was confronted almost immediately by a Mongol invasion. It was repulsed. He made Devagiri as his second capital and renamed it as Daulata- bad and ordered his people to proceed to the new capital. The Sultan enforced his orders relentlessly, causing great hardship to the Delhi populace. The long journey of 700 miles caused many to die of fatigue. The Sultan, having at last realised his folly, revised his policy and ordered a return march to Delhi. Very few survived to return and Delhi had lost its former prosperity and grandeur. In order to prevent further Mongol incur- sions he planned to extend his boundaries beyond Peshawar. In 1329-30 the Sultan introduced a token currency which remained in circulation until 1331-32. He issued bronze coins at par with the value of the silver tanka coins. In 1328-29 he immediately increased the land tax on the Doab farmers. Additional taxes were also levied. Barni says that the Hindus (farmers) set fire to their grain fairs and drove their cattle'from their houses. Grain became increasingly scarce. Delhi was ravaged with famine. The Sultan immediately sold six months supplies from the royal granary to the Delhi populace at cheap rates. Large sums were advanced to enable the cultivators to buy seed, to sink wells and to extend cultivation. Widespread rebellions broke out against the Sultan. The famine assumed dreadful proportions. In Punjab people roasted and ate the limbs of corpses. The foundation of the Hindu Vijayanagar kingdom in 1336 and the subsequent independence of Warangal and Kampli were severe blows to the Sultan's prestige. Between 1338 and 1341 both eastern and western Bengal became independent. Bahmani kingdom became independent in 1347. While being occupied in chasing the

Overview * Ghyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the first ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty, set himself the task of restoring the administration which had collapsed because of the extravagances of Mubarak and Khusrau, the last Khilji rulers. * Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, the successor of Ghyas-ud-din. His schemes though sound in theory proved impracticable in operation and brought disaster to his kingdom. * Feroze Shah's reign was marked by peace and prosperity but his indiscriminate generosity and concessions contributed greatly to the dismemberment of the Delhi Sultanate. Chronology * Ghyas-ud-din Tughlaq I (1320-1325) * Mohammad Bin Tughlaq (1325-1351) * MohmedI (1389-1394) * Mohmedll (1394-1412) * Sack of Delhi by Timur (1398) * Regency of Daulat Khan (1412-1414) Wars * Capture of Warrangal and Bengal by Ghyas-ud-din Tughlaq I. * Mongol invasion and its repulsion by Mohammad-Bin Tughlaq; capture of Devagiri. * In 1328-29 the Chaghatai chief, Tarmashivia Khan of Transoxiana, invaded India, ravaged Punjab and reached the outskirts of Delhi but he was beaten back by Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. Ghyas-ud-din Tughlaq 1320-25 Original name Ghazi Malik. He was se- lected as the ruler of Delhi by the nobles, he had a mild and liberal disposition. He re- stored administrative order by removing the abuses of the preceding regime. He reor- ganised the postal system of the country. The military department was made efficient and orderly. He conquered the Kakatiya kingdom of Warangal. He marched towards Bengal and made it a part of his empire. However on reaching Delhi he died from the collapse of a wooden pavilion which his son Jauna had built. Mohammad Bin Tughlaq : After the death of Ghyasuddin Tughlaq his son Jauna Khan * Feroze Tughlaq (1351-1388) * Ghyas-ud-din II (1388-1389)

rebels in Sindh, the Sultan was attacked with fever near Tattah and died in March 1351. The Sultan though endowed with extraordinary intelligence, lacked the basic qualities of a statesman and his ill-advised measures in disregard of popular will, sealed the demise of his empire. Feroze Shah Tughlaq 1351-88 : After the death of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, his cousin Feroze Shah Tughlaq was chosen as Sultan by the nobles. His long reign of 37 years may be divided into two parts. The first period of about 20 years is marked by new legislation to restore peace and prosperity, the last seventeen years saw a precipitious decline in the strength and prosperity of the Sultanate. Until his death in 1368-69 the vizier Khan-i Jahan Maqbul, an Islamicized Telingani Hindu, successfully maintained the prestige of the Sultan and governed the country wisely. Decline * The weak successors of Feroze Shah encouraged Timur to invade India in 1398 A.D. "His soldiers killed 100,000 male captives in cold blood. He left Delhi after 15 days inflicting on India more misery than had ever before been inflicted by any conqueror in a single invasion." He completed the disruption of the Tughlaq kingdom. The dynasty came to an end in 1414.