Continued from~ DELHI SULTANATE: Muslim invasions in India- PART 2
ALI GURSHASP lost his father when he was a child, and so his paternal uncle Jalal ud-din Firuz Khalji raised him up along with his brother ALMAS BEG. Later he was also entrusted with the governorship of Kara (a place nearby Allahabad, U.P.). But that didn't stop ALI GURSHASP from conspiring against his uncle.
Step 1- THE RAID ON BHELSA
After gaining approval from Sultan Jalal ud-din Firuz Khalji (his uncle), and as the governor of KARA (located in U.P.), ALI GURSHASP went on to raid BHELSA*, an important and prosperous city of the Paramara kingdom of Malwa. This he believed would help raise money for a successful coup. The Paramaras were in a weakened position on account of numerous invasions by their Hindu counterparts; YADAVAS, VAGHELAS AND CHAHAMANAS. The Delhi Sultanate army marched in (1293 CE) and plundered the richly-endowed temples of BHELSA and plundered the wealth of this town.
*BHELSA- present-day VIDISHA is located 9km from the Buddhist town of SANCHI and roughly 60 km from BHOPAL, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh.
ALI GURSHASP handed over this ill gotten wealth to the Sultan, who did not suspect a thing at the time. Sultan Jalal ud-din on the contrary conferred upon him the important title of Ariz-i-Mamalik, ie. War Ministry. Moreover, he was also granted permission to utilise the surplus wealth to hire additional troops.
Step 2- THE RAID ON DEVAGIRI
While in BHELSA, ALI GURSHASP had learnt about Devagiri, (ie. present-day DAULATABAD FORT area in Aurangabad district Maharashtra). Devagiri was the capital city of the SEUNA YADAVA DYNASTY of Deccan.
After BHELSA, ALI GURSHASP led a raiding expedition to Devagiri in the same year. This time with a strong army of 8000 cavalry men that he acquired using the wealth of his previous expedition. Sultan Jalal ud-din was utterly pleased. He awaited ALI GURSHASP in Gwalior since it was en route, and much closer to Kara. He couldn't wait to get his hands on another loot, thanks to his nephew ALI GURSHASP. But GURSHASP skipped Gwalior and with his 8000 strong cavalry headed straight to Kara instead.
A smoke screen of deception awaits the Sultan
The Sultan may have felt offended that GURSHASP didn't meet him in Gwalior, but still failed to smell the rat. Meanwhile, Almas Beg, GURSHASP's brother played his part~ by meeting the Sultan and pleading for his brother's life. Almas Beg stated: his brother GURSHASP is torn with guilt and is likely to commit suicide by poison if the Sultan doesn't forgive him for any wrongdoing. Hearing this, Sultan Jalal ud-din got rather carried away by this story and decided to meet his nephew ALI GURSHASP at Kara.
In July of 1296, he set forth to Kara with a 1000 strong army, so that he could console his nephew. When he neared Kara, Almas Beg went out to meet him. He convinced the Sultan to leave his army behind and come alone, otherwise it would scare ALI GURSHASP, and he will surely commit suicide.
This only proves how gullible the Sultan may have been at the time. It also shows how conniving ALI GURSHASP was by gaining the Sultan's trust and thereby deflecting any suspicion or deceit.
So yes, Sultan Jalal ud-din Firuz Khalji, the paternal uncle of ALI GURSHASP left his soldiers behind and boarded a boat to meet his nephew.on the other side of the river in KARA, only to be struck twice with a sword by Muhammad Salim, a follower of ALI GURSHASP.
ALI GURSHASP then raised the Sultan's canopy upon his head and announced himself as the new Sultan. The cruel GURSHASP didn't stop just there... He stuck his uncle's head on a spear and paraded it throughout own dominion KARA.
And that is how ALI GURSHASP became ALA UD-DIN KHALJI, Sultan of DELHI SULTANATE on 19 July 1296.
A twisted family affair
Malika-i-Jahana was Ala ud-din Khalji's first-cousin. She married Ala ud-din to become his chief wife, much before the Khalji dynasty began.
Malika-i-Jahan (father Jalal ud-din Firuz Khalji) & Ala ud-din Khalji (father: Shihabuddin Mas'ud, Firuz Khalji's elder brother)
*Cousins intermarriage is practiced in some culture across the world and taboo in many others. Islam likewise permits first cousin marriage.
And so, Malika-i-Jahan never forgave her husband for killing her father. Known to be a haughty lady, she held great influence over the KHILJI household. But Ala ud-din had 3 other wives~ Mahru, the sister of ALP KHAN*, Kamladevi ex-wife of Karna- hindu king of Vaghela dynasty, Jhatyapali, daughter of Ramachandra- Hindu king of DEVAGIRI. Ala ud-din despised Malika-i-Jahan for constantly bickering Mahru, his second wife.
*ALP KHAN- belonged to a powerful Khalji chieftain. He was a general and held considerable influence within the Delhi Sultanate.
The task of gaining public support
Having declared himself as Sultan through ill-gotten means, Ala ud-din Khalji now had the mammoth task of bending people's opinion in his favor. So, while in KARA, he undertook a massive recruitment drive for soldiers, irrespective of their fitness or background. He then went a step further and ordered 5 manns (roughly 175 kgs) of gold pieces flung towards the crowd, in a dramatic display of his generosity.
He then divided his army into 2 sections. Ala ud-din alongwith Malik Nusrat, his close associate and general led one section via present-day Bulandshahr in U.P. and Zafar Khan, another general took the second faction via Aligarh. As the march to Delhi began, news spread like wildfire; Ala ud-din KHALJI was recruiting soldiers and distributing gold. This lured people from all walks of life to join his army. By the time the armies reached the town of BADAUN midway (about 230kms from Delhi), Ala ud-din had close to a million who had joined the ranks of his cavalry and infantry.
At Bulandshahr (now 80kms) nearer, 7 powerful nobles previously loyal to FIRUZ KHALJI, joined his camp. Ala ud-din rewarded them generously with 30-50 manns of gold. Each of their soldiers were also gifted with 300 silver coins (tankas).
Quelling any uprising in DELHI
During the time that Ala ud-din was away in Kara, Malika-i-jahan (Jalal ud-din Khalji's widow was also called by the same title) appointed her youngest son Qadr Khan to the throne without approval from either her elder son Arkali Khan who at the time was governor of Multan or the nobles.
But when she got the news that these nobles had now joined Ala ud-din's camp, she thought in her best interest to apologise to Arkali Khan, and offered him the throne instead. But he paid no heed and refused to come to her aid. In Oct 1296, Qadr Khan (also called by the title Ruknuddin Ibrahim - conferred by his mother) was left with no choice but to face his cousin Ala ud-din Khalji on his own. Unfortunately for him; no sooner had Ala ud-din's army reached Siri ie. on the outskirts of Delhi, a unit of Ruknuddin Ibrahim's army defected to Ala ud-din's side as well.
A dejected Ruknuddin did what was the only option before him ~a quick retreat from the battle, and escape with his mother to Multan.
Ala ud-din Khalji thus ascended the throne of Delhi Sultanate on 21 Oct 1296.
Back to~ DELHI SULTANATE: Muslim invasions in India- PART 2
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