Alauddin Khilji
Ala-ud-din Khilji (
Persian: علاء الدین خلجی ) (real name
Juna Khan) (d.
1316), second and greatest
Indian ruler of the
Khilji dynasty. He reigned from
1296–
1316.
Ala-ud-din was the nephew and son in law of
Jalal-ud-din. In first, Jalal-ud-din appointed Ala-ud-Din as the governor of
Kara. In 1296 Ala-ud-Din killed his uncle. But Malika Jahan, the widow of Jalal-ud-din, put her younger son
Rukn-ud-din Khilji to the throne. Ala-ud-din quickly marched on Delhi from Kara. He entered Delhi with his uncle's head on a pike and on
October 3, 1296, proclaimed himself the
King of Delhi. Arkali Khan, Jalal-ud-din older son, and Rukun ud din were
blinded. Malika Jahan was imprisoned. A few months later his general
Zafar Khan defeated invading Mongols near
Jalandhar in
1297 to secure his throne.
Very soon he went about despoiling the wealth of nobles, frequently blinding, imprisoning or killing them. In 1297 Allauddin sent an army to plunder Gujarat, under the generalship of Ulugh Khan and Nusrat Khan. This army looted the temple of
Somnath and
Shivalinga was broken into pieces and was being carried back to Delhi.
Kanhad Dev Songara, ruler of
Jalore attacked and defeated Ulugh Khan and captured the broken
Shivalinga which was washed in
Ganga water, and the fragments were established in various temples in
Jalore.
Muhammad Shah a neo-Muslim helped
Kanhad Dev Songara. Muhammad was a general in Khilji's army. Muhammad Shah after this war went and stayed with Hammir at
Ranthambore. Ulugh Khan went and apprised Allauddin who ordered him and Nusrat Khan to conquer
Ranthambore. In
1299 they started out with 80,000 cavalry and a large infantry to attack Hammir. Hammir's army repulsed the attack and killed Nusrat Khan. Ulugh Khan escaped and reached
Delhi. Khilji was taken aback by this defeat and wanted revenge. He finally came himself in 1301, and there was a long siege. Hammir was very well prepared. When the fort would not fall after repeated bloody skirmishes khilji resorted to diplomacy. Hammir was very suspicious but he heeded to his councillors who told him that sword is not always the best recourse. Ratipal and Ranmal, who were close confidants of Hammir, were sent to the khilji camp. Ranmal's father was hung by Hammir for treachery and his property was confiscated. Ranmal earned the trust of Hammir by being brave in battles that Hammir fought but perfidy was in his blood. Khilji bribed these two generals of Hammir's army and consequently Ranthambore fell. After the annexation of
Gujarat, he took to the practice of making the innocent families of rebels against the government suffer. In
1299, a horde of 200,000 Mongols entered India with the intention of conquest. His general Zafar Khan showed desperate valor in battle. The Mongols were defeated, but Khan did not survive.
In 1303, Khilji wanted to win Chittor because sisodiyas of Chittor never accepted the rule of Sultans. Another reason was
Rani Padmini. He laid a siege but Chittor would not fall. Then he requested Rana Ratan Singh, husband of Rani Padmini, that if he is allowed a glimpse of Rani he would leave. By this time the situation inside the fort was getting bad. Rana discussed this with his advisers and they agreed that they can show Padmini's face in a mirror to the sultan. The meeting took place and afterwards out of courtesy when Rana was walking Khilji out of the palace, Khilji's men captured Rana Ratan Singh. Khilji sent a message to the fort that Rana can be spared by exchanging Rani Padmini. Padmini discussed this with Gorah, her maternal uncle, who was a
Chauhan rajput. Gora told her not to worry and that he would go and bring back Rana Ratan Singh and Sultan is not brave enough to stop him. Padmini's nephew Badal who was just sixteen also assured her. A message was sent from the fort to Khilji that Padmini would come with 700 of her servants in "palanquins" (palki in
hindi) and that no soldier should peek inside the palki to outrage the modesty of the women. Letter also said that before Padmini meets khilji she would like to talk to Rana. Khilji agreed. All the palki's had the best rajput warriors with two swords each. When Padmini's palki, which was occupied by Gora, reached Rana's tent he asked Rana to mount the horse and go back to the fort. Then Gora gave a signal and every rajput came out of the palki and attacked the Sultan's army but Khilji's guards killed Gora.
Ala-ud-din Khilji described himself as the
Second Alexander on his own coinage and dreamt of founding a world-wide empire. Though not a man of learning himself, one of the great Persian poets of Indian history,
Amir Khusro, was his poet laureate.
Alauddin is known for the sack of Madurai and the expansion of the Delhi Sultanate into peninsular India - a feat matched only by Mughals 300 years later.
Alauddin Khilji was a practicing homosexual and his most beloved lover was a eunuch called Malik Kafur. Malik Kafur was originally a slave boy from Gujarat who was captured in a raid by Alauddin.Kafur was castrated and converted to Islam, and taken into Alauddin's service. He was commonly referred as "Hazar Dinari Kafur", perhaps alluding to the price at he was purchased.
Alauddin's relationship with Kafur caused quite a consternation and resentment among the nobles of the Khilji empire as Alauddin had made him a commander of his army. As success followed in every expedition Kafur undertook, Alauddin came to rely on Malik Kafur more and more to lead his military adventures.
Amir Khusro, the prominent poet of Alauddin's court, wrote disapprovingly of Alauddin's relationship with Malik Kafur, and remains our primary source for understanding the special nature of their relationship.
References
A New History of India by Stanley A Wolpert, page 114. ISBN 0195166787
Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History by Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai, page 113. ISBN 0312293240
Alaudding died in January
1316, of
edema. It is believed that his lieutenant Malik Naib hastened his death.
*
The Megalomania of Ala-ud-Din Khilji from IndiaNest.com
*
Ala-ud-din and His Eunuch General from IndiaNest.com
*
The Khilji Dynasty: Ala-ud-Din Khilji from www.AmritWorld.com, written by Amrit Pal Singh 'Amrit'.
