Thread by @payf_eng

[SULTAN ALLAUDIN KHILJI - A THREAD ]

Was Allaudin Khilji the barbarian he is portrayed to be?
This thread will shed light on the story of Allaudin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi #KingsandDynasties #SharedHistoricalFigures (1)

Muslim historian such as Fasihta and Barani (author of Tarikh-e-Firuz Shahi) in the late 1200s and others have provided authentic accounts of Khilji’s Sultanate (2)

Those manuscripts of history which have been mentioned in one of the research books of Peter Jackson - The Delhi Sultanate; A Political and Military History prove to be different from versions available today. (3)

Among those one of them was Sultan Allaudin Khilji.

AllaudinKhilji was born in 1266, lived his entire life in the Indian subcontinent, and ruled as Sultan of Delhi from 1296– 1316. (4)

As a ruler, he would prove himself to be one of the greatest warrior kings and one of the world’s great military geniuses. He was succeeded by Jalal-Ud-Din Firoz Khilji. (5)

During Khilji’s rule, the Mongols of the Chughtai Khanate under Duwa Khan from time to time tried to conquer the Indian subcontinent. The ferocious attacks brought by Mongols during the reign of AllaudinKhilji were not the first time that the Mongols had invaded India. (6)

But, as Lal explains it, “All these were minor invasions as compared with those that occurred in the time of Allaudin; and it was the good fortune of India that the most tremendous assaults were delivered to this country when a strong monarch like Allaudin was the ruler.” (7)

In Satish Chandra’s "History of Medieval India" he states that Allaudin has given a tough time to Mongols and his kingdom's rebellions. There was no mercy for rebels who challenged his writ of the state. (8)

As discussed by Chandra, he practiced the preaching of Islam wherein during his reign the use of wines and intoxication was prohibited. (9)

Consequently, the perils of greed to rule in his place surrounded him always. This resulted in a number of punishments to nobles and wars between the other Hindu States. (10)

To keep himself vigilant, he devised an excellent spy service that used to gather intel regarding the matters under his council as well as in the councils of other Rajas. (11)

It should be mentioned here that Allaudin’s predecessor, Jalaluddin, had averted war with the Mongols in a previous attack by agreeing to humiliating demands from them. (12)

Although he did what was necessary to keep Mongols away from his territory, Allaudin was determined to fight to the end. (13)

This map is 2 years before Allaudin became the Sultan. No other army at that time could resist the wrath of the Mongols (14)

Mongols attempted to invade Khilji’s territory nearly 8 times, only to have their attempt and saved people from barbarism, genocides, tyranny, and cruelty. (15)

From what can be gathered by different historical accounts, had Khilji been unsuccessful in his response to the Mongols, history would have turned out quite differently (16)

A large part of the knowledge and culture that had been accumulated in India over millennia might well have been destroyed - Every library, school, temple, mosque, and even home would have likely been burnt to the ground. (17)

As the Russian experience shows, even if the Mongols had settled down in the Indian subcontinent, they would never be able to achieve what India has right now. (18)

The story of Allaudin Khilji sheds light on the fact that we need to understand history in its entirety. (19)

Just as most Indians are unaware of Allaudin Khilji’s role in stopping many merciless Mongol attacks. Even the image of Khilji is based on an incomplete understanding of history and merely depicted him as a cruel ruler. (20)

References:
The Delhi Sultanate; A Political and Military History (Page 3, page 6)
pdfdrive.com/the-delhi-sult…