Malik Kafur's invasion of the Pandya kingdom
Malik Kafur's invasion of the Pandyan kingdom | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Pandya dynasty | Delhi Sultanate | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sundara
Vikrama Pandya |
Malik Kafur | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown |
During 1310–1311, the
Background
By 1310,
In early 1311, Malik Kafur reached the
At this time, the
Khusrau describes Sundara Pandya as a Brahman, who was a "pearl" among the Hindu kings. He states that Sundara, whose rule extended over land and sea, had a large army and several ships.[4]
March to the Pandya country
Malik Kafur started his march towards the Pandya territory (called Ma'bar in Muslim chronicles) from Dwarasamudra on 10 March 1311, and reached the Pandya frontier five days later.[2] The Delhi courtier Amir Khusrau mentions that, during this march, the Delhi army covered a difficult terrain, where sharp stones tore horse hoofs, and the soldiers had to sleep on ground "more uneven than a camel's back" at night.[5]
According to the 14th century chronicler
Isami states that the Delhi army relied on a
Khusrau states that the Pandya territory was protected by a high mountain, but there were two
Raids
Birdhul
Next, Malik Kafur marched to Vira Pandya's headquarters, called "Birdhul" by Amir Khusrau. This is same as "Birdaval", which is named as the capital of the Ma'bar country (the Pandya territory) in Taqwīm al-buldān (1321), a book by the Kurdish writer
Owing to the war between the two brothers, the Pandya forces were not in a position to offer much resistance. Vira Pandya originally planned to flee to an island, but was unable to do so for some reason. Instead, he first marched to Kabam, a city whose identity is uncertain. He collected some soldiers and wealth from Kabam, and then escaped to Kandur[4] (identified with Kannanur on the banks of the Kollidam River).[9]
At Birdhul, the Delhi army found a contingent of around 20,000 Muslim soldiers in the Pandya service. These soldiers deserted the Pandyas, and joined the Delhi army.
With help of the Muslim deserters, the Delhi army tried to pursue Vira Pandya, but had to retreat because of heavy rainfall.[10] According to the Khusrau, the rural areas were so flooded that "it was impossible to distinguish a road from a well". A large part of the Delhi army encamped at Birdhul, while a small party went out in search of Vira Pandya despite the heavy rains. At midnight, the unit brought the news that Vira Pandya was at Kannanur.[4]
Kannanur
The Delhi army marched to Kannanur in heavy rains, but by this time, Vira had escaped to a forest with some of his followers. When the rains stopped, the invaders captured 108 elephants loaded with pearls and precious stones.[9] They massacred the residents of Kannanur.[10]
The Delhi generals wanted to find Vira Pandya, so that they could force him into becoming a
Barmatpuri
According to Khusrau, the next morning, the Delhi army learned that the town of Barmatpuri had a golden temple, with several royal elephants roaming around it.
The Delhi army of Malik Kafur reached Barmatpuri at midnight, and captured 250 elephants the next morning. The invaders then plundered the golden temple, whose ceiling and walls were studded with rubies and diamonds.[9] They destroyed all the Shiva lingams (called "Ling-i-Mahadeo" by Khusrau), and brought down an idol of Narayana (Vishnu).[11]
Madurai
From Barmatpuri, the Delhi army marched back to its camp at Birdhul, where it arrived on 3 April 1311.[9] There, the invaders destroyed the temple of Vira Pandya. The Delhi forces then arrived Kanum (identified with Kadambavanam) on 7 April 1311. 5 days later, they reached Madurai (called "Mathura" by Khusrau), the capital of Sundara Pandya.[12]
By this time, Sundara Pandya had already fled the city with his queens. The Delhi army first visited the temple of "Jagnar", hoping to find elephants and treasures there. (
Rameshwaram
According to the 16th-17th century chronicler
The writings of Amir Khusrau or Ziauddin Barani do not contain any reference to Rameshwaram, and Firishta's account may be the result of confusion.[14] Had Malik Kafur really constructed a mosque in Rameshwaram, Alauddin's courtier Khusrau would not have failed to mention such an achievement. If a mosque existed at Rameshwaram during Firishta's lifetime, it must have been built after the Khalji period.[12]
Although the identification of Firishta's "Sit Band Ramisar" with Rameshwaram is dubious, it is not unlikely that Malik Kafur's forces marched to Rameshwarm from Madurai, in search of the much-sought elephants and Pandya wealth. According to Amir Khusrau's Ashika, during a campaign against a ruler called "Pandya Guru", the Khalji forces reached as far as "the shores of the sea of Lanka". The capital of this ruler was called "Fatan", and had a temple with an idol. "Fatan" may be a transcription of "Periyapattinam", the name of a place near Rameshwaram.[14]
Return to Delhi
Lilatilakam, a 14th-century Sanskrit treatise written by an unknown author, states that a general named Vikrama Pandya defeated the Muslims. Based on this, some historians believe that Vikrama Pandya, an uncle of Vira and Sundara, defeated Malik Kafur's army. However, the identification of this Vikrama Pandya as the brother of Maravarman Kulashekhara is not supported by historical evidence. The Vikrama Pandya mentioned in Lilatilakam appears to have defeated another Muslim army during 1365-70 as a prince; he ascended the Pandya throne much later, in 1401.[15]
By late April 1311, the rains had obstructed the operations of the Delhi forces, and the generals received the news that the defenders had assembled a large army against them.
The army started its return journey on 25 April 1311. In Delhi, Alauddin held a public court (darbar) at Siri on 19 October 1311, to welcome Malik Kafur and other officers of the army.[12] He gave 0.5 to 4 manns of gold to his various nobles and Amirs.[18]
Aftermath
After Kafur's departure, the Pandya brothers resumed their conflict. This conflict resulted in the defeat of Sundara Pandya, who decided to seek Alauddin's assistance. With the help of Alauddin's forces, he was able to re-establish his rule in the
References
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 201.
- ^ a b c d e f Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, p. 414.
- ^ B. R. Modak 1995, p. 3.
- ^ a b c d e f Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, p. 415.
- ^ a b c Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 207.
- ^ a b c d e Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 208.
- ^ Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, p. 418.
- ^ Peter Jackson 2003, p. 174.
- ^ a b c d e f Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, p. 416.
- ^ a b Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 209.
- ^ Richard H. Davis 1999, p. 113.
- ^ a b c d e Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, p. 417.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, pp. 209–212.
- ^ a b c Mohammad Habib 1981, p. 416.
- ^ K.K.R. Nair 1987, p. 27.
- ^ a b Peter Jackson 2003, p. 207.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 212.
- ^ a b Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 213.
Bibliography
- B. R. Modak (1995). Sayana. ISBN 978-81-7201-940-2.
- OCLC 31870180.
- Mohammad Habib (1981). Politics and Society During the Early Medieval Period. People's Publishing House.
- K.K.R. Nair (1987). "Venad: Its Early History". Journal of Kerala Studies. 14 (1). ISSN 0377-0443.
- OCLC 685167335.
- ISBN 978-0-521-54329-3.
- Richard H. Davis (1999). Lives of Indian Images. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-00520-6.