Battle of Saraswati

Last updated

Battle of Saraswati
Part of Delhi Sultanate
Date1320
Location
Saraswati, A route between Dipalpur and delhi
Result Victory for Malik Tughluq
Belligerents
Malik Tughluq's forces Khusrau Khan's forces
Commanders and leaders
Malik Tughluq Khusrau khan of Delhi
Strength
Unknown 40,000 calvary
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

The Battle of Saraswati was fought between two factions of the Delhi Sultanate in 1320, on the Delhi-Dipalpur route, at a place called Saraswati (or Sasuti), whose modern location is uncertain.

Contents

Khusrau Khan, who had usurped the throne of Delhi, sent an army against a rebel faction led by Ghazi Malik Tughluq, the governor of Dipalpur. Tughluq's forces decisively defeated the imperial army, and Tughluq subsequently ascended the throne of Delhi under the regnal name Ghiyath al-Din.

Background

Khusrau Khan and Malik Tughluq served Sultan Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Khusrau Khan was a slave general and lover of the Sultan, while Tughluq was a noble who served as the governor of Dipalpur province. On 9 July 1320, Khusrau Khan killed Mubarak Shah, and usurped the throne. Ghiyath al-Din's son Fakhruddin Jauna initially joined Khusrau Khan's government, but later conspired against the new Sultan, and fled to Dipalpur, where his father organized a resistance against the new Sultan. Khusrau Khan sent a cavalry against Tughluq, leading to a battle. [1]

Isami, a 14th-century historian, calls the conflict the battle of Saraswati (or Sarsuti): the modern location of the battle is uncertain. [1] According to chroniclers, the Dipalpur army passed by the Alapaur village and the Bhat tank. The Delhi army marched towards Dipalpur, without stopping at Sirsa, which was held by Tughluq's subordinate Muhammad Sartiah. [1]

According to the Tughluq Nama, the Delhi army ended up marching ten karohs through the wilderness during night, because of a miscalculation. Because of this, when the two armies met in the morning, the Delhi soldiers were tired, thirsty, and "covered with dust". [1]

Organization

The Delhi army, which included 40,000 cavalries, was under the charge of Khan-i Khanan, who was stationed at its centre under a canopy. The vanguard of the army was led by Amir-i Shikar Malik Qutlugh. The left wing of the army was led by Talbagha Yaghda. The right wing comprised the members of the Baradu Hindu group (from which Khusrau Khan came): it was led by Kajb Brahma and Nag. There were separate columns for Hindu and Muslim horsemen, with the Hindus being led by Hindu chiefs (rawats). [1]

Tughluq's army also comprised both Hindus and Muslims. Tughluq was stationed in at the centre of his army, with his son Fakhruddin Jauna in front of him. The vanguard of his army consisted of Khokhars led by the chiefs Gul Chandra (or Gul Chand) and Niju. Bahram Aiba led the army's left wing; Tughluq's nephews Asaduddin and Bahauddin led its right wing. [1] [2]

The battle

According to Isami, the Khokhar vanguard of Tughluq's army launched a severe attack on the Delhi army, forcing its vanguard to flee to the centre. An arrow shot the horse of Qutlugh, the leader of the Delhi army's vanguard, and he fell. When the Khokhar soldiers surrounded him, he shouted that he was a major officer and should be taken to Tughluq. However, the Khokhars ignored him and beheaded him. [1]

Khan-i Khanan, who held the formal charge of the Delhi army, had little experience in leading an army, and decided to flee when he saw his vanguard retreating towards him. [1] The Khokhar chief Gul Chandra aggressively charged at the Delhi army's centre, and killed the person who bore the Khan-i Khanans royal parasol (chatr). [3] He later brought the parasol to Tughluq, and placed it over Tughluq's head. [4] [2]

Khan-i Khanan fled the battlefield along with Yusuf Khan, Shaista Khan, and Qadr Khan. The Baradus do not appear to have engaged in fighting either. [4]

Aftermath

Tughluq forgave the Muslim captives from the Delhi army and provided good treatment for the wounded high-ranked captive Malik Tamar. He oversaw the collection of the spoils from the Delhi army, re-arranged his army, and then marched towards Delhi. [4] He defeated Khusrau Khan's army at the Battle of Lahrawat: Khusrau Khan was later captured and executed, and Tughluq became the new Sultan of Delhi. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad of Ghor</span> Sultan of the Ghurid Sultanate (c. 1173–1206)

Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad ibn Sam, also known as Muhammad of Ghor or Muhammad Ghori, was a ruler from the Ghurid dynasty based in the Ghor region of what is today central Afghanistan who ruled from 1173 to 1206. Muhammad and his elder brother Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad ruled in a dyarchy until the latter's death in 1203. Ghiyath al-Din, the senior partner, governed the western Ghurid regions from his capital at Firozkoh whereas Muhammad extended Ghurid rule eastwards, laying the foundation of Islamic rule in South Asia, which lasted after him for nearly half a millennium under evolving Muslim dynasties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tughlaq dynasty</span> Third Muslim dynasty which ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1320 to 1413

The Tughlaq dynasty was the third dynasty to rule over the Delhi Sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq and ended in 1413.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq</span> Sultan of Delhi

Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, or Ghazi Malik was the Sultan of Delhi from 1320 to 1325. He was the first sultan of the Tughluq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. During his reign, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq founded the city of Tughluqabad. His reign ending upon his death in 1325 when a pavilion built in his honour collapsed. The 14th century historian Ibn Battuta claimed that the death of the sultan was the result of a conspiracy against him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalal-ud-Din Khalji</span> Founder of Khalji dynasty (c. 1220–1296)

Jalal-ud-Din Khalji, also known as Firuz al-Din Khalji or Jalaluddin Khilji was the founder and first Sultan of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate of India from 1290 to 1320.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah</span> Ruler of the Delhi Sultanate

Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah also known as Ikhtiyar al-Din, was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate of present-day India. A member of the Khalji dynasty, he was a son of Alauddin Khalji.

Khokhar is a historical Punjabi tribe primarily native to the Pothohar Plateau of Pakistani Punjab. Khokhars are also found in the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Khokhars predominantly follow Islam, having converted to Islam from Hinduism after coming under the influence of Baba Farid.

Hizabruddin, better known by his title Zafar Khan, was a general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He held charge of Multan, Samana, and Sivistan at various times during Alauddin's reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khusrau Khan</span> Indian slave and Sultan of Delhi

Khusrau Khan was an Indian Sultan of Delhi for around two months in 1320. Originally from the Gujarat region, he was captured by the Delhi army during Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Malwa in 1305. After being brought to Delhi as a slave, he was converted to Islam, and became a homosexual partner of Alauddin's son Mubarak Shah. After ascending the throne in 1316, Mubarak Shah gave him the title "Khusrau Khan", and greatly favoured him.

Pratāparudra, also known as Rudradeva II, was the last monarch of the Kakatiya dynasty of India. He ruled the eastern part of Deccan, with his capital at Warangal.

The Battle of Amroha was fought on 20 December 1305 between the armies of the Delhi Sultanate of India and the Mongol Chagatai Khanate of Central Asia. The Delhi force led by Malik Nayak defeated the Mongol army led by Ali Beg and Tartaq near Amroha in present-day Uttar Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alauddin Khalji</span> Turco-Afghan emperor of Khalji dynasty 1296–1316

Alauddin Khalji, born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes in India, related to revenues, price controls, and society. He also successfully fended off several Mongol invasions of India.

Almas Beg, better known by his title Ulugh Khan, was a brother and a general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He held the iqta' of Bayana in present-day India.

In 1306, the Chagatai Khanate ruler Duwa sent an expedition to India, to avenge the Mongol defeat in 1305. The invading army included three contingents led by Kopek, Iqbalmand, and Tai-Bu. To check the invaders' advance, the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji dispatched an army led by Malik Kafur, and supported by other generals such as Malik Tughluq. The Delhi army achieved a decisive victory, killing tens of thousands of the invaders. The Mongol captives were brought to Delhi, where they were either killed or sold into slavery.

Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Gujarat, also known as the Muslim Conquest of Gujarat, began in 1299 when the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji sent an army to ransack the Gujarat region of India, which was ruled by the Vaghela king Karna. The Delhi forces plundered several major cities of Gujarat, including Anahilavada (Patan), Khambhat, Surat and Somnath. Karna was able to regain control of at least a part of his kingdom in the later years. However, in 1304, a second invasion by Alauddin's forces permanently ended the Vaghela dynasty, and resulted in the annexation of Gujarat to the Delhi Sultanate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Chittorgarh (1303)</span> Alauddin Khaljis conquest of Chittor

The siege of Chittorgarh occurred in 1303, when the Khalji ruler Alauddin Khalji captured and sacked the Chittor Fort, toppling the Guhila king Ratnasimha, after an eight-month-long siege. The conflict has been described in several legendary accounts, including the historical epic poem Padmavat, which claims that Alauddin's motive was to obtain Ratnasimha's beautiful wife Padmini; though this legend is considered historically inaccurate by most historians. Alauddin ordered the fort to be pelted with stones from his siege engines (munjaniqs). When the fort was stormed, Rajput women committed Jauhar while most of the warriors died defending the fort. The city of Chittor was completely sacked by Alauddin's army and several temples were desecrated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Devagiri</span> Conquest in India (c. 1308)

The conquest of Devagiri occurred around 1308, after the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji sent a large army led by his general Malik Kafur to Devagiri, the capital of the Yadava king Ramachandra.

During 1310–1311, the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji sent an army led by his slave-general Malik Kafur to the southernmost kingdoms of India. After subjugating the Hoysalas, Malik Kafur invaded the Pandya kingdom in present-day Tamil Nadu, taking advantage of a war of succession between the Pandya brothers Vira and Sundara. During March–April 1311, he raided several places in the Pandya territory, including their capital Madurai. He was unable to make the Pandya king a tributary to the Delhi Sultanate, but obtained huge quantities of plunder, including elephants, horses, gold and precious stones.

‘Ayn al-Mulk Mūltānī was a military commander and official who served the Khalji and Tughluq dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate in present-day India. He served as Alauddin Khalji's governor of Malwa and Devagiri, and after Alauddin's death, suppressed a revolt in Gujarat.

The Battle of Lahrawat was fought between two factions of the Delhi Sultanate in 1320. Malik Tughluq, the governor of Dipalpur, challenged the authority of Khusrau Khan, who had usurped the throne of Delhi. After defeating an army sent by Khusrau Khan at the Battle of Saraswati, Tughluq marched towards Delhi, and encamped at a plain called Lahrawat.

The siege of Lahore (1186) was part of the military expedition of Ghurids during which the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor annexed the principality of the Ghaznavids in Lahore after overthrowing the last Ghaznavid ruler Khusrau Malik.

References

Bibliography

  • Mohammad Habib (1992) [1970]. "The Khaljis: Nasiruddin Khusrau Khan". In Mohammad Habib; Khaliq Ahmad Nizami (eds.). A Comprehensive History of India. Vol. 5: The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206-1526). The Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House. OCLC   31870180.
  • Surinder Singh (2019). The Making of Medieval Panjab: Politics, Society and Culture c. 1000–c. 1500. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-00-076068-2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.