Alauddin Khalji's raid on Devagiri
Alauddin Khalji's raid on Devagiri | |
---|---|
Part of Devagiri | |
Result | Delhi Sultanate victory |
Nusrat Khan
In 1296,
When Alauddin reached Devagiri, the Yadava king
Alauddin returned to Kara after spending some days in Devagiri. He subsequently dethroned Jalaluddin, and sent a second expedition to Devagiri in 1308, which forced Ramachandra to become his vassal.
Background
Alauddin Khalji was a nephew and a son-in-law of
Over the next few years, he made preparations to attack Devagiri. He intended to complete the raid secretly and in a very short time, to avoid suspicion of Sultan Jalaluddin and to prevent any countermeasures by the Hindu kingdoms of Deccan.[2] Therefore, he spread the false news that he was marching to Chanderi. He handed over the administration of Kara to Ala-ul-Mulk (the uncle of Ziauddin Barani), who sent fabricated news about Alauddin's movements to Jalaluddin.[3]
March to Devagiri
On 26 February 1296, Alauddin left Kara with an 8000-strong
From Achalpur, Alauddin marched to Devagiri via a pass known as Ghati Lajaura (or Lasaura). At this pass, Alauddin faced resistance from Kanhan, a feudatory of the Yadava king Ramachandra.
At Devagiri
Devagiri was a fortified city, but it was largely unprotected when Alauddin reached there. The fortifications had weakened because of complacency of the Yadavas, who had not faced any recent attacks on their capital.[5] The major portion of the Yadava army was away on an expedition led by the crown prince Simhana.[6] In addition, the fort was short on provisions. The old Yadava king Ramachandra retreated to the fort, which was located on the top of a hill. Alauddin's army plundered houses and businesses in the lower part of the city, which had been left undefended. The invaders imprisoned the prominent merchants and Brahmins of the city. They also captured 30-40 elephants and around 1,000 horses from the royal stables.[7]
Meanwhile, Alauddin spread a rumour that his force was only the vanguard of a 20,000-strong cavalry, which would shortly reach Devagiri. Under these circumstances, Ramchandra realized that he would not be able to withstand a siege. Therefore, he sent messengers to Alauddin, warning him that Simhana would arrive with the Yadava army anytime, and it would be in Alauddin's best interests to agree to a peace treaty. Alauddin wanted to return to Kara quickly, in order to keep his march a secret. Therefore, he accepted Ramachandra's offer of a monetary payment, and in exchange, promised to release all prisoners and leave the city within a fortnight.[8]
However, before the treaty could be realized, Simhana returned to Devagiri. When he arrived near Devagiri, Ramachandra sent him a message advising him to honour the peace treaty, as the invading army was very powerful. However, Simhana ignored his father's advice, and sent a message to Alauddin, asking the invader to return all the loot and retreat. According to the 16th-century historian Firishta, this message angered Alauddin so much that he blackened the faces of Simhana's messengers, and paraded them in his camp.[8]
Alauddin left a 1000-strong cavalry under Nusrat Khan in the city and led the rest of his men to fight against Simhana. The Yadava army, which outnumbered Alauddin's force, overcame the invaders in the initial part of the battle. When Nusrat Khan received this news, he left the city without waiting for Alauddin's order and led his army to the battlefield. The Yadavas mistook his contingent for the rumored 20,000-strong cavalry and fled from the battlefield in panic.[9]
Alauddin then returned to the fort and laid a siege. He ordered several Brahmin and merchant prisoners to be killed, and paraded close relatives and nobles of Ramachandra in front of the fort. At first, Ramachandra considered seeking assistance from the neighbouring Hindu kings. However, it was soon discovered that the fort did not have sufficient food provisions: the Yadavas had bought inside the fort around 2,000-3,000 bags left by panicked merchants when Alauddin's army first reached the city. They had assumed that these bags contained grain, but it was discovered that they contained only salt.[9]
A dejected Ramachandra then pleaded with Alauddin for a peace treaty. Alauddin, who wanted to return to Kara quickly, agreed to a truce.
- 600 mannof gold
- 1,000 mann of silver
- 7 mann of pearls
- 2 mann of precious stones including rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and emeralds
- 4,000 pieces of silk and other items
In addition, Ramachandra agreed to send the revenues from the Achalpur province to Alauddin.[10] As part of the treaty, Alauddin released the surviving prisoners. He left Devagiri five days after he had entered the city.[11]
Aftermath
Alauddin's raid was the first successful Muslim invasion of
Alauddin married Ramachandra's daughter
References
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 45.
- ^ a b c Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 50.
- ^ a b Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 49.
- ^ a b Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 51.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 52.
- ^ Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, pp. 322–323.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 53.
- ^ a b Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 54.
- ^ a b c Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 55.
- ^ a b Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 56.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 57.
- ^ George Michell & Mark Zebrowski 1999, p. 5.
- ^ Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, pp. 323–324.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, pp. 188–193.
- ^ Mohammad Habib 1992, pp. 446.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, pp. 56–57.
- ^ Satish Chandra 2004, p. 92.
Bibliography
- George Michell; Mark Zebrowski (1999). Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-56321-5.
- OCLC 31870180.
- OCLC 685167335.
- Satish Chandra (2004). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526) - Part One. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5.
- OCLC 31870180.