Jasrat's invasions of Delhi Sultanate

Jasrat's invasions of Delhi Sultanate
Jasrat's kingdom at its territorial peak, c. 1430
Date May 1421 – July 1432 Location Punjab and Jammu Territorial changes The Delhi Sultanate loses all territory west of Ravi River
Belligerents
Khokhars of Punjab Allied states: Kashmir Sultanate Sindh Sultanate	Delhi Sultanate Kingdom of Jammu (1422–1423)
Commanders and leaders
Jasrat Khokhar	Mubarak Shah II Muhammad Shah Bhim Dev

Jasrat's invasions of Delhi Sultanate (Punjabi: دلی سلطنت تے جسرت دے حملے (Shahmukhi), ਜਸਰਾਤ ਦੇ ਦਿੱਲੀ ਸਲਤਨਤ ਉੱਤੇ ਹਮਲੇ (Gurmukhi)) were a series of invasions led by the Punjabi Muslim warlord, Jasrat Khokhar in the region of Punjab (present-day India and Pakistan).

Propagated by the anarchy due to the Timurid invasion, the invasions saw the decline and loss of Delhi Sultanate's control over Punjab until the reconquest by Bahlol Khan Lodi of the Lodi dynasty.

Jasrat's invasions resulted in constant chaos in the region of Punjab and instability in the regions of Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Background

See also: Kashmir Civil War (1419–1420)

In 1420, a civil war erupted between Sultan of Kashmir, Ali Shah and the claimant to throne Shahi Khan. Ali Shah defeated Shahi Khan with the help of Bhim Dev, Raja of Jammu and his father-in-law, and expelled him from Kashmir. Shahi Khan went to Sialkot to ask Jasrat for help, who decided to support him. Hearing this, Ali Shah marched with his army to Sialkot. The two sides met at Thanna and in the ensuing battle, Ali Shah's army was routed and he was himself killed by Jasrat. This battle greatly increased the prestige and wealth of Jasrat. When the allied army reached Srinagar, dispute occurred between Shahi Khan and Jasrat as the latter intended to annex Kashmir into his own kingdom. Ultimately, both reached a friendship treaty according to which Shahi Khan would supply money and men to Jasrat for his conquest of Punjab. ^[4] With the help of Jasrat, Shahi Khan was enthroned as Sultan Zayn al-Abidin. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

First invasion of Delhi Sultanate

In 1414, the Tughlaq dynasty was replaced by the Sayyid dynasty of Khizr Khan, who was either of Sayyid or Khokhar stock. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]} However, he could not stop the decline of the sultanate. Jasrat envisioned to conquer Delhi, and after the death of Khizr Khan in May 1421, crossed the Ravi. He successively conquered Ludhiana and Jalandhar and proceeded to besiege Sirhind. In October 1421, Sultan Mubarak Shah marched against Jasrat, who after a skirmish at Rupar, retreated to his kingdom. Due to his old enmity with Jasrat, Raja Bhim Dev of Jammu greatly aided Mubarak Shah during his war. Bhim Dev also destroyed Jasrat's stronghold of Tilhar at Rajouri in January 1422. ^[5] In May 1422, Jasrat again invaded the sultanate and this time besieged Lahore, but was unable to take it by storm. With the help of Raja Bhim, Delhi army invaded his domains and Jasrat again retreated in September 1422. ^{[5] [7] [13]}

Invasion of Jammu (1423)

Due to the support Bhim Dev had been providing to the Delhi sultanate, Jasrat invaded Jammu in April 1423 and ravaged the region. Bhim Dev was killed in a battle and Jasrat married one of his daughters, as well as captured a large amount of wealth and arms from him. ^{[5] [14]} Following the conquest of Jammu, Manik Dev was appointed as new Raja. ^{[7] [8] [13]}

Second and third invasion of Delhi Sultanate

After the invasion of Jammu, Jasrat raised a contingent of Mongol mercenaries and sacked Dipalpur and plundered suburbs of Lahore, after which he returned with bounty to his domains as usual. ^[5] In August 1428, Jasrat again marched against the Delhi sultanate. He besieged Kalanor, and completely sacked Jalandhar. ^[15] However, he was defeated by governor of Lahore Sikander Tohfa at the bank of river Beas near Kangra and retreated to Tilhar, leaving the war spoils back. ^{[5] [16]} This failure disappointed Jasrat, who realised that he lacked sufficient power to conquer Delhi. Thus, he started negotiations with Shaikh Ali, the Timurid governor of Kabul. However, when Shaikh Ali ultimately invaded Punjab in 1430, Jasrat did not aid him, although many other Khokhar leaders, including his nephew Khajeka had joined Shaikh Ali. ^{[5] [17] [7] [13]}

After Shaikh Ali was defeated by Delhi armies, Jasrat again invaded the sultanate in 1431. He conquered Jalandhar and defeated Sikander Tohfa, taking him away as captive. Sikander was released after paying heavy ransom. Jasrat next besieged Lahore for several months during 1431–32. ^{[16] [15]} By this time, the influence of Delhi Sultanate had diminished in Punjab, and the region was in the hands of Jasrat ^[18] . ^[16] By February 1432, Mubarak Shah moved with a large army against Jasrat and other rebels. Jasrat raised the siege of Lahore in July and left for Tilhar, although Jalandhar became part of his domains. ^{[5] [19]} Later, when the governor of Lahore Allahdad Kaka invaded Jasrat's territories in 1432 to re-gain charge of Jalandhar he was defeated at Bajwara and fled. ^{[16] [7] [13]}

Aftermath

In 1431, Sikander Tohfa allied with Jasrat against the Afghans who had firmly based themselves at Sirhind. Jasrat and Sikander easily captured Sirhind, but Afghans had already left and moved to the hills. There many of them, including Bahlol Khan Lodi's relatives, were massacred by both and others were made captives. ^{[16] [7]} After 1436, Jasrat fought battles against the Lodi chief Bahlol Khan, who had re-established himself at Sirhind by bringing all Afghans under his banner. ^[16] The alliance of Jasrat and Sikander saw success as Bahlol Khan was compelled to retreat towards the Siwalik foothills. ^{[16] [5]} But when Muhammad Shah left Delhi to invade Jasrat's domains in 1441 and appointed Bahlol Khan as governor of Sirhind to combat him, he made peace with Bahlol and advised him to capture the throne of Delhi for himself. ^{[5] [7]} Unlike Jasrat, who was viewed as an outsider by Delhi nobles, Bahlol was a part of the nobility and had better prospect of gaining the throne of Delhi. In return of his support, Bahlol ceded the region between Chenab and Jhelum (Chaj Doab) to Jasrat and agreed to not interfere in his territories. ^{[19] [16] [13]} Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin acted as witness to the peace treaty between both. ^{[20] [15] [7]}

References

1. Hamadani, Agha Hussain (1992). The Frontier Policy of the Delhi Sultans. Atlantic Publishers & Distri.
2. Ahsan, Aitzaz (1 August 2005). The Indus Saga. Roli Books Private Limited. ISBN   978-93-5194-073-9.
3. Hasan, Mohibbul (1 December 2023). Kashmir Under the Sultans. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-003-83081-8.
4. Mir, Ishfaq Ahmad (30 June 2022). "Foreign Policy of Sultan Zain-Ul-Abidin" . Journal of Women Empowerment and Studies. 2 (4): 18–25. doi: 10.55529/jwes.24.18.25 . ISSN   2799-1253.
5. Lal, K. S. (1958). "Jasrat Khokhar". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 21: 274–281. ISSN   2249-1937. JSTOR   44145212.
6. Hasan, Mohibbul (30 December 2005). Kashmir Under the Sultans. Aakar Books. ISBN   978-81-87879-49-7.
7. Basu, K. K. Tr (1932). The Tarikh-i-mubarakshahi.
8. eGangotri. A History Of Muslim Rule In Kashmir 1320 1819 R. K. Parmu.
9. Easton, Richard M. (2019). India in the Persianate Age: 1000–1765. University of California Press. p. 105. ISBN   978-0520325128. The career of Khizr Khan, a Punjabi chieftain belonging to the Khokar clan, illustrates the transition to an increasingly polycentric north India.
10. Digby, Simon (13 October 2014), After Timur Left: North India in the Fifteenth Century , Oxford University Press, pp. 47–59, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199450664.003.0002, ISBN   978-0-19-945066-4 , retrieved 25 January 2023, And we find that a Khokhar chieftain, Khizr Khan who was sent to Timur as an ambassador and negotiator from the most adjacent area, the Punjab, ultimately became the power holder in Delhi, thanks to the contacts he had aquired[sic].
11. Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1953). The Sultanate of Delhi: Including the Arab Invasion of Sindh, 711-1526 A. D. S. L. Agarwala. p. 229. ISBN   978-8193009352. their claim of Descendants of Prophet Mohammad is dubious but it seems certain that Khizr Khan's ancestors came from Arabia
12. Eraly, Abraham (1 April 2015). The Age of Wrath: A History of the Delhi Sultanate. Penguin UK. p. 261. ISBN   978-93-5118-658-8. The first of these two dynasties was founded by Khizr Khan, who bore the appellation 'Sayyid', which identified him as a descendant of prophet Muhammad, so the dynasty he founded came to be known as the Sayyid dynasty. The veracity of Khizr Khan's claimed lineage is uncertain, but his forebears were likely Arabs who had migrated to India in the early Tughluq period and settled in Multan. The family prospered in India, gaining wealth and power. This advancement culminated in Malik Suleiman, Khizr Khan's father, becoming the governor of Multan under the Tughluqs. When Suleiman died, Khizr Khan succeeded him to the post, but lost it during the political turmoil following the death of Firuz Tughluq.
13. Latif, Syad Muhammad (1891). History of the Panjab from the remotest antiquity to the present time. Central press, Calcutta.
14. CHARAK, SUKHDEV SINGH (1978). INDIAN CONQUEST OF THE HIMALAYAN TERRITORIES. AJAYA PRAKASHAN, JAMMU.
15. Bhramadeva Prasad Ambashthya. Tarikh I Sher Shahi Of Abbas Khan Sarwani Persian To English K P Jayaswal Research Institute Patna Bhramadeva Prasad Ambashthya.
16. Singh, Surinder (25 June 2024). The Making of Medieval Panjab: Politics, Society and Culture C. 1000-C. 1500. Taylor & Francis Limited. ISBN   978-1-032-65440-9.
17. Khan, Anait (13 December 2023). "TRIBAL SETTLEMENT IN PUNJAB AND THEIR RELATIONS WITH THE SULTANS OF DELHI". Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society. 71 (4). ISSN   0030-9796.
18. R. C. Majumdar, General Editor (1967). History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 06,The Delhi Sultanate. Public Resource. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.{{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
19. Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1985). A Short History of Jammu Raj: From Earliest Times to 1846 A.D. Ajaya Prakashan.
20. eGangotri. A History Of Muslim Rule In Kashmir 1320 1819 R. K. Parmu.