Delhi The Tapestry of Time: From Myth to Metropolis
As soon as Iltutmish captured Delhi by defeating Aram Shah’s forces, he was faced with a revolt from nobles protesting his seizure of power. He eventually crushed the rebellion, slaughtering the nobles and having them beheaded.
As narrated by Minhaj-i-Siraj, the former Ghurid empire in Bharat was fragmented into four parts:
A) Delhi, controlled and ruled by Iltutmish.
B) Lahore, disputed among Qabacha, Yildiz, and Iltutmish.
C) Lakhnauti, under the rule of Ali Mardan Khalji.
D) Sindh, controlled by Nasir ad-Din Qabacha.
(Muhammad Ghori, having no offspring, nurtured many of his capable Turkic slaves as his sons. He provided them with education in administration and positions to help them rise higher.)
Iltutmish imposed his supremacy by reasserting Delhi’s control over Awadh, Badaun, Banaras, and Siwalik. He defeated many nobles who, despite their close association with Aibak, disliked power being in Iltutmish’s hands.
By the time Iltutmish had risen to power, Delhi’s hold over Hindu-ruled states like Ranthambhor (which were vassals of the Ghurids) and Jalore (ruled by the Chahamanas of Naddula and Chalukyas of Gujarat) had weakened, and these states had emerged as independent. The Chahamana dynasty of Ranthambhor, known as Ranastambhapura, was established by Govind-raja. Balhan, the son of Govind-raja, was a vassal of the Delhi Sultanate under Sultan Iltutmish in 1215 CE. He later declared himself an independent king. His heir, Prahlad, met an untimely and freakish death during a lion hunt. His son, Viranarayana, was invited to Delhi by Sultan Iltutmish but was allegedly poisoned there. Iltutmish then captured his fort in 1226 CE. Later, Balhan’s younger son, Vagabhatta, recaptured Ranthambore and ascended the throne.
Ghazni, the Ghurid capital, was controlled by a former slave, Taj al-Din Yildiz. He proclaimed himself the rightful successor to the Ghurid emperor. When Iltutmish rejected his claim, Yildiz sent him a royal umbrella (chatr) and a baton, which symbolized Iltutmish’s status as his subordinate ruler. Iltutmish, not keen on an immediate confrontation, strategically accepted these gifts. An inscription from October 1211 refers to him as al-Malik al-Mu’azzam (the great chief) rather than as an imperial Sultan.
The fourth confidant of the Ghurid king was Qabacha. Taking advantage of the conflict between Aram Shah and Iltutmish, he had taken control of Lahore in 1211 CE. When Yildiz was forced to leave Ghazni and move towards the eastern region following the Khwarazmian invasion, he displaced Qabacha from Lahore. This development worried Iltutmish, who feared that Delhi would be Yildiz’s next destination.
Iltutmish judged the situation correctly. Very soon, Yildiz sent him a message, claiming to be the bona fide heir to Mu’izz ad-Din and extending his claim to become the sovereign ruler over Ghurid territories in Bharat. A distressed Iltutmish sent him a reply, stating that the days of hereditary claims were over.
He replied: “You know that the dominion of the world is enjoyed by the one who possesses the greatest strength. The principle of hereditary succession is not extinct, but long ago destiny abolished this custom.”
Iltutmish proposed a meeting, unaccompanied by warriors from either side. Yildiz declined the offer, and thus, a battle between the two was inevitable. The battle at Tarain in 1216 CE resulted in Iltutmish’s victory. It is unclear whether the defeated Yildiz was imprisoned and later executed or managed to escape. This marked the end of internal conflicts among the Ghurid slaves, and Iltutmish successfully fortified the independent status of the Delhi Sultanate.
Genghis Khan, also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder of the Mongol Empire. In 1220 CE, the Khwarazmians were defeated in the Mongol invasion. The Khwarazmshah, Jalal al-Din Mangburni, escaped to Punjab after being vanquished in the Battle of Indus in 1221.
The Mongol leader Genghis Khan strategized to return to Mongolia through a shorter route, crossing the Himalayan foothills. He sent an emissary to seek permission from Iltutmish to use the route through Bharat. However, it seems Genghis Khan eventually abandoned the idea of passing through Bharat and, according to a Persian historian, selected an eastward route. It also appears that Genghis Khan had warned Iltutmish not to support the Khwarazmian king, a request to which Iltutmish affirmatively obliged.
Until Genghis Khan’s death, Iltutmish remained uninvolved in the political upheaval of the Indus Valley to avoid a potential confrontation with the Mongols.
Aibak, Iltutmish’s predecessor, had appointed Ali Mardan Khalji as the Governor of the eastern territories of the Sultanate. His successor, Ghiyasuddin Iwaj Shah, projected himself as a sovereign Sultan and began invading territories under Iltutmish. While Iltutmish was away on a campaign in the northwestern region, Ghiyasuddin captured present-day Bihar and imposed tribute on smaller states like Jajnagar, Bang, Tirhat, and Kamrup. Iltutmish retaliated and recaptured Bihar, appointing Malik Jani as the Governor but keeping the reins of power under himself. Later, Ghiyasuddin reasserted his independence and took hold of Bihar again. Iltutmish then directed his son, Nasiruddin Mahmud, to invade Bengal while Ghiyasuddin was away on a campaign in Kamrup. Nasiruddin took control of its capital, Lakhnauti, and issued coinage in Iltutmish’s name.
As historian Hasan Nizami narrates, while Iltutmish had earlier avoided conflict in the Indus river valley, he moved against Qabacha once the hold of the Khwarazmians and Mongols in the region had weakened and Qabacha attempted to take control.
Iltutmish’s army captured Lahore, Kuhram, Sarsati, and Tabarhinda from Qabacha. Nasir al-Din Ayetmur al-Bahai was appointed as the provincial Governor of Lahore. Iltutmish captured Multan and then personally led the invasion of Uch. Defeated, Qabacha fled when he realized his situation was unwinnable. Iltutmish offered peace if he agreed to surrender, but instead of surrendering, Qabacha chose to commit suicide by drowning in the Indus River.
With this final victory, Iltutmish firmly laid the foundation of the Delhi Sultanate as an independent kingdom.
Sources of Information:
History of Mediaeval Hindu India by C.V. Vaidya
Prāchīn Bhārat kā Itihās (प्राचीन भारत का इतिहास) by V.D. Mahajan (वी. डी. महाजन कृत)
