The Iron Pillar- A Delhi Sultanate TL

The Iron Pillar
Prologue- The Fort for Rajputs

Lal Kot, Mehrauli, 731 AD

The sound of children playing and dancing, women shouting for more spices for the food, men lifting heavy stones, carpenters setting frames, goats and chickens running haywire at the business, architects shouting at builders and priests chanting the old Vedic hymns could be heard throughout the village of Mehrauli.

The village was being prepared for the Tomara Raja, Anangapal. He was coming to visit his new fort being constructed in the area. As the village continued the preparations the clattering of hooves grew louder. Suddenly the fully equipped, awesome and veteran Rajput soldiers marched into the town, their king and five other horsemen following in tow.

As the king passed many children stared in awe at the Rajputs as they marched perfectly towards the construction area. The women stopped cooking to cast a quick glance at these handsome men and the men also wondered how such precision could be achieved.

On the horses the young and extremely ambitious Raja Anangapal rode next to his loyal minister, Pavdhadharman, looking at the glorious achievement of his, the construction of ‘Lal Kot’ or the Red Fort in this part of his domains.

As they reached the central courtyard they got off their horses and started walking towards the western turret, the only part of the fort which was completely built and had actually been furnished. As they walked in towards the structure to survey the work completed by the builders, artisans and architects Pavdhadharman asked a simple yet important question to Anangapal.

“My lord, why here? Of all places in your dominion why in this undeveloped, unknown, simple village?”

Anangapal turned to Pavdhadharman and looked at him surprised.

“What do you mean why here?” he stated.

“Well my lord, Mehrauli is possibly the least important place in the thousands of villages in this land.” He told his liege inquisitively.

“Well Pavdha, it’s a beautiful place to start with! Does everything need a reason my friend? Enjoy the world as it is sometimes. Remember what that writer, Vibudh Shridhar, said?

”There are countless villages in Haryana country. The villagers there work hard. They don't accept domination of others, and are experts in making the blood of their enemies flow. Indra himself praises this country.”
Why wouldn’t I want to build a capital in a place as beautiful and bloodthirsty?!” Anangapal chuckled at his own joke, thinking his companion would agree.

“My lord. I am serious. I have known you long enough to know that there is usually a hidden agenda behind all of your major tactics. What is the reason of this choice and your attachment to this village?”

“Well I had heard that legendary Raja Dhilu made this his capital while fighting the yavana invaders about 1400 years ago. It then apparently fell into disuse after his descendants neglected the city. I just wanted to restore an epic legacy and make a stronghold in case any more invaders come knocking.”

Pavdhadharman sighed and mentally agreed with his king for now, but knew something was afoot.

Over the next few hours they together discussed with the pandits about the auspiciousness of the date, asked the architects about the foundation stone and generally greeted the villagers, who were ecstatic at the royal visit.

Then at one point, a couple of soldiers took the Raja aside to talk to him.
Anangapal excused himself and left the conversation, Pavdhadharman having to do all the discussing. Soon at least two hours had passed and Anangapal hadn’t come back. Pavdhadharman started to worry about the location of his liege and if any harm had befallen him.

Pavdhadharman wandered around the fort, looking for Anangapal and didn’t find him. Just as he was prepared to mount back and head back to the village, he saw a couple of shadows in the corner.

They were speaking in barely audible whispers:

“Well how old do you think it is? Tell me in eras, I have not been to gurukul for a long time.” One voice said.

Pavdha remembered that voice. It was Anangapal. He knew is suspicions were correct. His king was doing something clandestine.

Suddenly another voice spoke:

“Sire, I could estimate that it would at least date till the times of the legendary Gupta empreror, Vikramaditya.”

“Vikramaditya! My god, this must be ancient.”

Another voice interjected:

“Vikramaditya is old. But I think this pillar belongs to the Samraat Chakravartin himself. I can read a bit of Brahmi, this bit here definitely says ‘Buddham Vaishnaiv-‘ and well, that’s where my knowledge ends my lord.”

"The lord Ashok? This truly must be old to have been put there by the great Maurya himself."

“That’s excellent. You two have been of great assistance to me so I shall grant both of you 12 hectares of land each. You also will get 14 cows and 200 gold coins as a reward. All you need to do now is make sure this pillar is wrapped in silk and taken to Kannauj. The Pratihara emperor will be extremely happy with this excellent cultural discovery”

Pavdhadharman saw the two shadows leave and say Anangapal turn around to go as well. He decided this was the time to confront him about the secret he was keeping.

“So my lord, silk eh? The traders will make a lot of profit this year. Tell me why keep it a secret?”

Anangapal was stunned by the fact he had been found. He sighed and faced his minister.

“Well I should have known it would be a matter of time before you found out. Yes I was keeping a secret from my most trustworthy minister.”

Pavdhadharman calmly replied:

”It matters less to me you were keeping a secret than what it is. The pillar. What’s its significance?”

Anangapal turned to the pillar and touched it, rubbing dust of the part with the edict.

“This is a gateway to our past and the ancient rulers of this land. I believe you heard that conversation I was having with those two men?”

“Yes my lord.”

“Well then, the truth cannot be hidden. You see the reason I picked this land was because of a myth that....that, the Kuru clan used to rule this land.”

“Well that’s obvious my lord, the Kuru mahajanapad was situated around here. We all learnt that from our gurus. What’s new?”

Anangapal sighed again and whispered the words that had been translated for him.

“Pavdha, you have read the Mahabharat haven’t you? Can you tell me what was the Pandava princes capital?”

“Indraprastha, also known as Khandavprastha because the Khandav forest used to be around there before. Why?”

“A year ago I was given news that a Haryanvi caravan had come to pay respects to me. A rural one. The senak told me that they bore a strange coin that was of the purest quality and bore a strange seal. I went to inspect it and when it was read it said: ‘The grandson of Arjuna, Pareekshit issued this coin.’ I couldn’t believe it. Then this pillar was found here. I decided to inspect the area and thought building a fort here would be good.”

“My lord, the coin was probably a joke. The Magadhans were very humorous people. I think you may have been tricked. The pillar though....”

“Maybe Pavdha, maybe. But what if I wasn’t?”

The two then stood in silence for some time, just staring at the fine work of metallurgy before them.

“Well my lords, all the mysticism aside, what will you call this new area? The fort maybe Lal Kot, but the area together needs a name. It doesn’t have one.”

Anangapal started walking towards the horse and beckoned his minister to follow him.

“The Iron Pillar was loose in its foundations. The land here is dhili. This was once the domain of Dhilu. I think I will call this complex Dhili. Yes this city will be called Dhili.


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Yes here it is. The Iron Pillar is a Delhi Sultanate timeline I have started despite my abrupt halt to Khybar Ghati. I think that the Delhi Sultanate is an untapped part of history, rarely visited and has lots of potential for an Alternate History. You have five long dynasties to choose form! :eek: (nothing compared to China of course ;)). Anyways, this is the prologue so this is set a few hundred years before the actual start and POD. If you like please bear with me till the actual start of the TL. Enjoy :)

EDIT: Oh I forgot to mention that this will be multiple POD so we will have at least 4-5 more info updates. Next time we jump to the Second Battle of Tarain, 1192, on the plains near Thanesar.
 
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Prologue- The Prithviraj Raso, Part 1

Qila Rai Pithora (Lal Kot), Delhi, 3rd October 1192 AD

The entire court sat quietly, refusing to believe what they had heard. Mu’izz Al-Din Muhhamad Ghori had amassed another army to take the lands of Hindustan. His ancestors had served Mahmud Ghazni and Mahmud’s father loyally and that had already wiped out the Buddhist religion in Afghanistan and oppressed its people. The entire court worried about what could happen if Ghori won this time. But that’s where their fears were. Their anger was directed at one person. Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan III, Lord of the twin cities of Ajmer and Delhi.

The king, sitting on his golden throne had his eyes filled with nothing but despair. His guru, Vaibhavacharya had his eyes filled with tears. His companion and best friend, the great poet Chand Bardai was looking at Prithviraj with nothing but disappointment. His wife looked ashamed at the current situation. That’s when a noble named Rahurai spoke up:

“My lord, the entire kingdom of Delhi is at stake. Your love for the beautiful Maharani Samyogita has cost the entire land dearly. Though this is not her fault. It is yours. You have neglected your duties as a king and as a Rajput. When you went to protect your honour against your father-in-law Jaichand and to win the one you love most dearly, we did not object. You took 2,000 men with you. Only 900 returned.

And don’t be fooled my lord, Rajput courage is nothing without a strong brain behind it and, the legendary warrior that you are my lord, you’re a terrible tactician. Remember that strategy to leave a man behind at a time to check the enemy? That bought time, yes, but with too much bloodshed. We lost 400 brave young able men like that, including Kanh, the great commander and general as well as Bagh Rai, that lion of a warrior he was.”

All Prithviraj could do was stare at Rahurai in a way that said he was repenting but knew there was no hope to solve his decisions. He looked around the court for solace but found none.

Rahurai once again began his demoralising and berating speech to Prithviraj

“But my lord, of course you are a Rajput, war is your profession and chivalry your code. S obviously you will let the man who has attacked our country seven times go back with wealth and gifts. My lord I couldn’t argue and persuade you then, but can I now? This is the very same man which has tried to destroy our way of life with invasions and plundering several times. Yet every time you sent him back with wealth and warmth, the shower of gifts you had given to him substantial. Is this not stupidity? You have to act now my lord. Even after you brought the queen to Delhi you neglected your duties as king and haven’t appeared in court for at least 4 months* (POD 1) till now. The people are wondering about what happened to that king who used to walk among them and care about their safety many a night ago. They’re starting to grow very uneasy at your absence and the growing threat. My lord I will always admire and venerate you for your skills as a warrior and your chivalry, but I wish you’ll suffer for your stupidity. So now go ahead and execute me for this treason and shame I have brought upon you.”

Prithviraj rose. He was an amazingly handsome young and tall man, 6 feet 11 inches tall and with long flowing hair. He stepped towards Rahu and walked till he was right in front of him. He then did something surprising. He kneeled.

“I used to be able to call myself a Rajput, Rahu. I have forfeited that right by shying away from war and the sweet sound of clashing swords. I used to be called Maharaj. I forfeited that title when I got distracted from the welfare of my people and the matters of the state. I used to be able to call myself a Hindu, my friend. I forfeited that right when I turned my back on my guru’s advice and didn’t protect my motherland. Kill me Rahu and free my soul. But I don’t deserve to die to the steel of a Rajput sword. Strangle me with the crudest bowstring you can find for that is the dishonour that befits me. Do it now my friend so all that I loved and cherished may see what happens to traitor when he betrays Bharatvarsh.”

Rahurai put his hands on Prithviraj’s shoulder and made him rise.

“How can I? You are still my king and I am a Rajput. It is a sin to kill the righteous in cold blood. I can now only give Chand and Vaibhavacharya a chance to talk to you.”

So Chand stood up and addressed Prithviraj. He unravelled a scroll and showed everyone the scroll it was a complete poem.

“Maharaj, this poem is an apology to Jaichand and a way to atone for sinning by fighting against the ‘Emperor’ Jaichand. He is your family and a valuable ally. So all you need to do is humble your Rajput pride and seal this message. I am sure this may change Jaichand’s decisions and he will abstain from helping Ghori. He might not give his armies to us as a Rajput may not backstab someone he has given his word, but at least he will not attack us. Maharaj, you may be a Rajput according to your father’s blood, but lest you not forget your mother was a half Bhil and half Haryanvi princess. Humble your pride my lord.”

Prithviraj looked at the scroll then said a few words that changed the course of history:

“I shall, for purity will replace my sins.”

Qila Rai Pithora (Lal Kot), Delhi, 5th October 1192 AD

Prithviraj Chauhan walked the balcony of his palace impatiently, awaiting the arrival of the important message from Kannauj. He needed to know if Jaichand would be aiding Ghori in his attempts to conquer. Other messengers had also been dispatched. The call of armas had been sent to the Solanki kings and the Parmar ones as well. His cousin, the Chedi raja, Jaya Chandra had sent half of his forces to fight alongside Chauhan, he himself arriving to fight. The two had been very brotherly as children and were close.

That’s when two messengers came bearing two different statements respectively. The first one read out:

“To the valiant Raja of Delhi and Ajmer, The Maharaja Jaichand sends his vow to not fight (POD 2). He currently is demobilising all his raised troops and is abandoning his title of Samraat. He also sends his acceptance and recognization of his daughter’s marriage to the lord of Delhi.”

Prithviraj was alighted. This was exactly the news he was waiting for. He then beckoned the second messenger to speak.

“The Solankis have agreed to give 5,000 soldiers and the Paramars say as they are currently occupied against the Yadavs so they will only be able to give 1,500 soldiers. The Chandel king says he is willing to give 2,000 soldiers in defence of the motherland. That is my entire message my lord.”
As the two messengers turned away and left Prithviraj felt a deep sense of sadness.

“Why? Why squabble pettily like this when the darkest forces come on our doorstep and are threatening to destroy our way of life and religion? I wish the land was united under the Gurjar rule once more.” he thought.

That moment another man walked in. This time it was his guru, Vaibhavacharya. He bowed to his preceptor and touched his feet.

Vaibhavacharya blessed him and took a seat on a couch.

The wise old man could instantly see something troubled his pupil. He smiled and asked:

“My child, what ails you? If you are sad about neglecting my wishes you needn’t be, your love for your wife is the greatest I’ve seen in my life. It was foolhardy, yes, but also an example for all husbands.” The elder said chuckling.

“My lord, as much as my ignorance pains me the actual thing troubling me is the disunity in the land. The Rajput rulers of the lands cannot keep from fighting each other for power and the other peoples of the land usually get drawn in. The outcaste status given to the many of the adivashis further rips the land apart. Why such things are happening at this crucial moment where the Rajputs need unity more than ever? Even my own Haryanvi subjects are often mis-treated by the Rajput thakurs in the villages. Caste, clan and gotra* further divides the people. How do I mend this gap?”

The guru thought for a moment wondering at how his student, being a simple, humble and honest warrior, thought of such a philosophical question. He then remembered the pillar in the old part of the fort he had seen. He now knew what would solve the Raja’s moral dilemma.

“Prithvi, in the other side of the city, in Mehrauli, I saw a pillar of exquisite design with an inscription on it written in the ancient Brahmi* script. I asked the man who’s land it rested upon what was written, the man replying that while he couldn’t read it, his son would be coming back from his 15 years of scholarship at Nalanda soon. Your ancestor Anangapal Tomar apparently unearthed the pillar while constructing the Lal Kot. It is apparently from the times of Ashoka Maurya himself.”

Prithviraj was surprised by these words, the cup of water in his hands dropping and spilling on his clothes.

“The Samraat Chaktavartin* himself!? That’s amazing.”

“Yes, the Samraat. Prithviraj, this is the uniting figure of the city and land. The Iron Pillar. The Iron Pillar may have originally been loose in its foundations but we must not. We must stay united under the Iron Pillar.

To Be Continued..............






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*Brahmi- a contemporary script of Kharoshti, the script was quite different from the Devanagari one used to write Hindi, Marathi, Gujurati etc. languages these days. It was usually used to write Prakrit and Sanskrit.

*Samraat Chakravartin- the Sanskrit word for someone that performs the Ashwamedha and/or Rajysogya Yagna sacrifice

*Gotra- Another division and classification Hinduism. Usually defines who you’re ancestors are and lineage. Different from surname.

POD 1- This is the first point of diversion in this TL. In reality Prithviraj had neglected his duties as king for almost 9 months! The fact he has snapped out of his lover's trance much earlier gives him more chance

POD 2- Jaichand not fighting alongside Ghori gives the Muhammadans a significant disadvantage and is also a moral triumph for the Rajput side. As this is going to be a long TL I might actually spend at least 4 updates on the prologue, 2 having been done. The actual TL will start under the Tughluqs.
 
Well, perhaps for those with little knowledge of this region, please explain what these changes mean?
 
Well, perhaps for those with little knowledge of this region, please explain what these changes mean?

Well sure. This is a bit of a spoiler but because Ghori's army has been significantly shortened he will be killed in the battle next update along with Prithviraj. This means the Sultanate is established at least 20 years earlier and well th Islamization of India is significantly smaller, since all power in India goes to the hands of Qutubuddin Aibak, who unlike his master wasn't a religious zealot.

Edit: I forgot to add, Qutub is an excellent administrator unlike Ghori. Anyways these are minor PODs that won't change much till the proper POD starting in the Tughluq era.
Doble Edit: I forgot to mention that OTL Prithviraj was the last properly reigning Hindu king of Delhi
 
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Prologue- The Prithviraj Raso, Part 2




Ismail Gharwal, “The Rajputra: Saviour of the Hindus, Maharajah Prithviraj III”; (Diamond Saketa publishers 1823) Chapter 5: The Fallen Idol

The date was now 16th October 1192 AD or 1136 VS according to the Vikram Samvat calendar. The two massive armies of Sultan Mu’izz Al-Din Muhhamad Ghori and Maharajah Prithviraj Chauhan III were both staring each other down, the harsh Indian sun glaring down on them.

Ghori’s forces were at least 20,000 soldiers higher and were also more highly trained, driven by a religious zeal and many were also adventure and glory seekers, the ethnic makeup of the army primarily Afghan, Turkic and many of the veteran soldiers were Persian. His three main officers and commanders were Arabs whose names have been lost to history. All we know is that one of these Arabs had been a part of the Abbasid royal family.

Prithviraj’s forces on the other hand were primarily composed of tough, veteran Gurjar and Jat Rajputs seeking to defend their homeland and culture. There were also native Haryanvi in the army and lots of Gakkhars who had come to fight under the Chauhan banners to exact a revenge on the Afghan and Turks under Mahmud of Ghazni that had brutally destroyed their communities 192 years ago. In fact there were 700 natives of Ghur in Prithviraj’s army, the region having been Hindu and Buddhist till Mahmud’s conquests and plundering and a sect of Hinduism remains there till today.

The titular Shahi Raja and brilliant general Rudrapal, grandson of Raja Bhimpal, the last Shahi King and great-grandson of Anandpal, bitter arch-nemesis of Mahmud Ghazni, was also present on the battlefield, bringing with him the 2,000 Kashmiri soldiers given by the Kashmiri Raja (the Raja was a Rajput).
The Prithviraj Raso, the most beautiful poem composed by Prithviraj’s companion, the poet Chand Bardai, tells of the speech given by his lord in Delhi. Chand wrote how Prithviraj spoke to the natives of Delhi:

“Oh my brothers lend me your ears for these are our darkest days, the Dharma being threatened by the savages from the Afghan passes. I call on you to tell you that I have been an unfit king and worthless protector of the glorious people of Delhi. I say you deserve more than this failure of a Rajput, my friends. I know that I am ignorant to the times of peace for I am a Rajput, and most of you Haryanvi, even more proud and greater statured people than us Rajputs. We cannot build wonders as great as you Dhillivasis do. But I will that we put our differences aside for the defence of the Dharma. I have been told in the old part of the city there is a pillar thousands of years old, dating from the time of the lord himself, Samraat Chakravartin Ashoka Maurya. I wish that all men who wish to fight swear on the Iron Pillar and it’s edict they will fight to their last drop of blood. I also wish that all maidens without child in this city will commit jauhar to keep their honour should the enemy win."

Our hour has come. Men of Delhi mount your horses, for Delhi is not far way anymore. Mother Yamuna will be flowing with blood instead of shining waters by day after tomorrow.”

It should be noted that only 250 of the 160, 000soldiers actually from Delhi returned the others (around 150,000 of them) perished in the war or were executed by the Ghurid generals except Aibak, who is said to have instead been the one who set the 250 Haryanvis free being the only Turk who was compassionate.

The forces were numbered around 250,000 Ghurid soldiers and 300,000 Chauhan soldiers, but many modern historians believe this was an exaggeration on the part of Ghurid historians. The battle was a decisive victory on the behalf of the Ghurids.

It goes that Ghori met Prithviraj on the field before the battle and offered him a chance to convert to Islam and he said would be vassalized and be allowed to reign in Delhi. In response it is said that Prithviraj spat on Ghori and rode away.

So Ghori began his advance, his main infantry force marching forward at a slow and steady pace. He also commanded his elite Persian cavalry to start moving forward and start a slow flanking manoeuvre. His Uzbek light cavalry charged ahead to shower the enemy with its light arrows and slowly drain their numbers down.

In response to this Prithviraj ordered his elephants to march forward a bit, their scent scaring away the horses. As the Ghurid horses neared they buckled and started retreating. This was a good sign for the Rajput forces. The Gakkhars were ordered to move forward, under the command of Rudrapal. As they marched forward the Rajputs from the western states did as well. This thinned the Rajput line, a severely bad move. Within minutes the two sides clashed, the two enormous armies crashing into each other like massive waves. As the battle drew on the Rajput lines became thin, the Ghurids still being quite thin. The Ghurid soldiers were actually about to rout at one point when their last commander had died, but Ghori reassured and rallied them to him.

That’s when the Persian cavalry decided to strike they hit the Rajputs in the side and soon the Rajput forces where surrounded. They knew it was a fight to the death from that situation onwards. They let their elephants run amok in the Ghurid forces, wreaking havoc upon these men, most of them never even having seen such a beast. Chauhan then charged with his own contingent straight at Ghori, but they were cut down by the Ghurid soldiers by the time they reached Ghori. Prithviraj tried to kill Ghori but Ghori retreated. While Ghori was hiding behind his soldiers, Prithviraj cut Ghori’s left eye, rendering it useless.

But alas, the battle was over for the Rajputs by now. Most of them fought till their bloody and gory deaths, some that didn't get the chance to die were captured (some Muslim scholars of the time report that the Rajputs had to be held down with iron chains), along with Rudrapal, Prithviraj and Jaya Chandra.

1024px-The_last_stan_of_Rajputs_against_Muhammadans.jpg


The Solanki general, Amar Abhay Rathore lay dead. Thousands of Rajput bodies lay strewn across the battlefield. Not a single Gakkhar man came back alive from the battle. All the heroes who tried to save the Dharma lay dead or were captured. The Turk had won. The death of Ghori is unknown for most of the part but the Prithviraj Raso tells an amazing story which according to most of the evidence I believe might be true.

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Ghurid Fort, Kohat, 28th October 1192 AD

Chand had ridden as fast as he could to the Ghurid Camp when he got word of the impending death of his king and the other two leaders. He had heard that Ghori had Prithviraj blinded as an act of revenge for the scar he had given Ghori. He disguised himself as a Sadhu, a Hindu ascetic, rode as fast as he could to the Ghurid camp and instantly went to talk to Ghori.

Chand walked to the camp and asked the guards for an audience with the king, was searched and allowed to meet Mu’izz al-Din. Ghori at the moment was practicing his archery and aim, thinking him a mighty warrior and a famed archer, a real marksman. That’s when Chand walked in. He bowed to the Sultan (despite cringing while doing it) should he antagonise his chances. He was thinking of a solution for his master when it came to him, from Ghori of all people.

“Infidel, what do you think of my aim? Am I not the greatest archer and bowman ever?” he said stroking his well platted beard.
To his surprise Chand replied with an answer he wasn’t expecting:

“Well my lord, a greater archer currently rots in your prisons. Don’t you know Maharaj Prithviraj can hit a target 50 metres away with his sound only?! He indeed is the greatest archer.”

This comment infuriated Ghori so much that he fell right into Chand’s trap. Breathing heavily in a soft and malicious voice:

“Alright infidel, we will test the mettle and skill of the Maharaj.” he said in an angry tone. He almost spat out the word Maharaj. He then continued:

“But should he fail he will be executed and his head put on a spike while you will be beheaded. Is it a bet?”

“Oh yes, great Ghazi, but you must permit me to meet him. I need to inform him of this bet as only a Rajput can command a Rajput king.” Chand lied.

“Oh yes, yes whatever. I dismiss you.” Ghori said and went back to practicing his shot.

Chand was taken with a soldier to the dungeon where Prithviraj and Rudrapal were kept. As soon as he was let in Rudrapal led Prithviraj to Chand and the two men warmly greeted each other. The guard meanwhile had wandered off so Chand could tell his plans in peace to Rudrapal and Prithviraj.

They first told him about how Jaya Chandra was hanged. His body was dropped into the Sindhu (Indus), to float downstream and straight into Vaikunth (abode of Vishnu) for eternity.

“My kings, the dastardly Ghori will kill you the same way if we do not act. But need not worry I have a plan that could redeem our honour, kill Ghori and make sure we are not killed at the hands of the Mlechcha. All you need to do is follow my instructions exactly.........”

The Next Day​

All of the Ghurid generals were assembled at the courtyard and Ghuri was seated on a throne amongst them. Prithviraj walked in and was handed a bow and one arrow. There was a target 80 feet in front of Prithviraj with a gong behind it that an attendant would hit to let Prithviraj know where the target was. Rudrapal was held down by iron chains right in front of the target, should Chauhan miss he would kill the last Shahi king. He would get three shots.
Chand then approached Ghori and told him Prithviraj was ready.

“Oh and one more thing Sultan, since I am a commoner Prithviraj will not take orders from me. You will have to tell him to fire the arrow.”

“Alright I shall. Are you ready Chauhan?”

Prithviraj drew his bow. Then Ghori ordered him to fire

*thwack*

The arrow had just missed Rudrapal, very, very narrowly. This had got all the Ghurids excited. Now Prithviraj knew that the cackling Ghori was seated to his right, a little bit higher than the rest of the cheering crowd.

“Draw your bow Rajput.” Ghori shouted over his generals.

When Prithviraj had, Chand shouted in Hindi, a language which Ghori didn’t understand;

"Dus kadam aggey, bees kadam daey, baitha hai Sultan. Ab mat chuko Chouhan, chala do apna baan.”

This in Hindi means: ‘Ten feet ahead of you and twenty feet to your right, is seated the Sultan, do not now miss him Chouhan, release your baan – arrow’.
Ghori mistook this as a desperate plea to Prithviraj to hit the mark this time.

He never realised his mistake. Prithviraj stepped forward, turned and let his arrow fly. It found it’s mark in Ghori’s throat.

Chand ran to Prithviraj and took out two knives, handing one to Prithviraj and stabbing each other while shouting: “Maharaj Prithviraj ki Jai” to save themselves from humiliation from the hands of the Turk.

Meanwhile Rudrapal shouted: “Jai Mahakali”, dislodged the arrow in the target and stabbed himself.

As the Turks were about to defile the body of Prithviraj, Qutb-ud-din stooped them, saying:

“Infidel he was, but a real lion as well. And the poet was as loyal to him as we are to Allah. We can’t defile a lion or a someone with such loyalty and cunning. The Afghan was a shining example of what love for ones land is. We shall lay them to all of them as the Hindus do.”

So the three were burnt and the ashes were cremated at the base of the Iron Pillar. As these events finished a chapter in the history began and this was called the Delhi Sultanate.



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Here we are folks, the end of the Chauhan prologue. Next update we will jump to the exploits of the Mamluk (slave) dynasty, then over the two after that the history of the Khilji dynasty before coming to our POD.
 
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Have temporary access to computer (at school), an update will be coming later on in the day. So just want to ask are we clear on what's going on for most of the part?
 
Prologue- The Sceptre of the Turk, Part 1

Qila Rai Pithora, Delhi, 14th June 1199 AD

Here he was. The man who started his life as a young Chagtai-Khipchak slave boy was on the throne of one of the richest nations in the world, surrounded by wealth and splendour. After having to wait for seven years for the throne after the death of his master, Mu’izz al-Din Ghori, his master’s brother Ghiyath al-Din Ghori died. The empire was split up and a man by the name of Ala al-Din Atsiz (some distant relation of the Ghurid royal family who usurped the throne. While Atziz thought he was in control, Qutb knew that it was actually his fellow slave and friend, Tajjudin Yaldoz, a Oghuz Turk, who was in real control) succeeded the two legendary Ghurid brothers in the east and Aibak, a slave by birth, became Sultan of Delhi. He had already been in de facto control of Delhi for most of the time and already started many massive projects, like the Qutb Minar, from what it looked like the tallest minaret in Hindustan (though there were some problems. As a lack of funds, the minaret had to be started on an older Rajput tower existing there. So the burden was not too much on the exchequer he built it on the remains of the old tower, even today there is an inscription in the Minar which reads ‘Shri Vishwakarma prasade charita’, Sanskrit for; ‘conceived with the grace of Vishwakarma’, a Vedic god). He had already started the construction of the Quwwat-al-Islam Mosque in Delhi, had started to rebuild the city of Mehrauli (using the Qila as a temporary place to hold court) and had also raised the city in political importance again.

“Yah, Allah Qutb. Is this a dream you’re in? I could swear only a moment ago you were being locked in a cage and taken to Bukhara, ready to be sold in a slave market. And now here you are, the Sultan of Hindustan. Will the miracles and surprises in your life ever cease?” he thought in a sense of satisfaction.

He was suddenly snapped out of his peaceful trance. An old man stood in the gateway of the room in the court. The old man was ushered in by the guards. The Sultan judged the man and denounced that the man was probably a Hindu merchant from the city of Lahore. To his surprise the man looked a lot like his blood grandfather, a man that he had only seen thrice in his life but had cherished to meet him again. But those were thoughts that he dispelled. His family had been massacred and he was taken prisoner. He remembered how he was sold in Bukhara to a Qazi* from Nishapur*. He remembered how the Qazi treated him as a lovingly as a son equal to his others. But treachery was never far away for Qut, his foster brothers selling him to Mu’izz al-Din Ghori. This became his third father and Ghori’s 21 other ‘sons’ (in reality they were slave boys who Ghori treated lovingly as sons) his brothers. He served Ghori obediently and had no doubt that Ghori loved him but always thought that something was lacking in Ghori, always guessing it was just the fact that he had changed families so many times.

Qutb-ud-din snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the man. While he was an infidel, Qutb had always been taught to respect the elder and was a very polite man.

“Yes sir, what is it that you seek in my court? Are there any troubles facing you?”

The old man suddenly dropped his stick and grew irritated. He started walking closer to the Sultan and some of the nobles started stirring, fearing an attack on the Sultan’s life. The man soon was only 15 metres away from the Sultan, staring at him in angry disbelief.

“Are there any troubles facing me? Do I seek something? Yes, I do have troubles facing me and what I seek is justice. Justice against those committing sinful crimes”

Some people were surprised at the rudeness of the old man, thinking him a fool to talk like that to Sultan. Yet Qutb remained unfazed.

“Who has committed this heinous crime you speak of sir? Who is it that deserves to be punished?”

That’s when the old man shouted something that left the court stunned and speechless.

“You! It is you that I want to be punished for your actions.”
Contrary to everyone’s thought, Qutb was not infuriated but interested and fascinated by the old man’s words. He beckoned him to continue.

“You are destroying some of our Jain, Hindu and Buddhist temples that have been around for hundreds of years. Does this not make you a vandal and a pillager? I demand you stop this destruction.”

Qutb looked at the man in surprise. He hadn’t thought that anyone would be brave enough to come and object to his decision to destroy the temples for the ground of the new mosque. He thought for a moment about what to say. He had to dispense justice but he couldn’t abandon his decision either or he would become distrustful in the eyes of the Caliphate. He thought or a while then decided that he had found a solution.

“Venerable old sir, I am merely keeping a promise by doing such a thing. Promised my master Ghori and my fourteen slave-brothers who died trying to capture Delhi that I would avenge their deaths and I do it like this. Isn’t breaking a promise a great sin? But sir I seem to have come to a solution. Can you please tell me how many temples there are at the area?”

“Twenty seven of them I believe. There might be one or two more.”

“Well then I shall only demolish fifteen of these twenty seven temples*, one for every loss. Is this agreeable? And for your bravery to stand up to what you feel unjust I shall build the mosque on the remains of the fifteen temples. This shall also apply for the Ajmer mosque I build.”
The old man bowed. He then said:

“Your mercy shall become legendary Sultan. May the sceptre of the Turk rule long and powerfully, my Sultan.”
The old man left the court with cries of “Allah-ho-Akbar” and “Inshahallah” following this incident.

Qutb-ud-din then returned back to his thoughts. He was a man of thought as well as action and everyone knew it. He called over a servant and asked the servant to get him a drink. As a Muslim he shouldn’t have consumed alcohol, yet as a Turk it was his right to. He then stood up to announce a message to the people in the room.

“As you saw an old man had just come and made me make a promise not to defile the temples of the infidel to make way for our mosques. And as a Muslim it is our duty to be righteous and keep our promises, our Sufi saints praising the merciful. So I have made a decision. We will not attack Sarnath*, instead we shall consolidate our new conquests. We must set up proper administration in Ajmer, as the city is a fresh conquest. The Qutbah* must also be read out in my name, a new dynasty to rule the land. We must start work now, get to it!”

So this was the life of Qutb-ud-din Aibak, lord of Hindustan. He finally died when naively, when he was playing polo in Lahore, his most favourite of cities. He fell of his horse and the horse fell on him, the saddle spearing the man’s side. He bled to death and was buried in a most fancy complex in the Qila Rai Pithora. Qutb also left many administration changes in the Sultanate (while it was not recognised as such yet, still being considered the Ghurid empire). He implanted new council of Turkish elite called the Chantinagh Amirs, consisting of forty Turkish nobles with power and provinces. He also implanted the Shirazis, a faction given a higher amount of land than the others, from Persia. These administratorial changes highly contributed to the framework of what would become the Delhi Sulanate.


Bairam Huzur Khan; “The Ghulams: A History of the Three Epic rulers of the Mamluk dynasty, Qutb-ud-din, Iltutmish and Raszia”, Marigold Age publish. Niew Utrecht, 2001.

Chapter 2: The Crow and the Moon, Iltutmish, Sultan of Hindustan.

Iltutmish was a god-king in all but title. In the last chapter I covered the life of Qutb-ud-din Aibak and how the establisher of the Sultanate came to such a sad end while playing polo in Lahore, a city that he loved the most dearly.

While it is unknown how Iltutmish was related to Qutb-ud-din we guess that he was probably Qutb’s son-in-law. A popular theory is that Aram Shah, another one of Aibak’s three son-in-laws, led a life of debauchery and wasn’t willing to give up power so he got deposed. Iltutmish suffered a lot of succession problems when he was coming to the throne. The Amirs had split in to two factions, one inviting Iltutmish, then governor, to come and take power and the other supporting Aram Shah as an easy figure head. Iltutmish killed Aram Shah at the batlle of Bagh-i-Jud.

He also came into a power struggle against a Ghurid ex-slave, ruler of Ghazni, Tajjudin Yildoz. Yildoz considered himself the heir of the Ghurids and claimed that he would restore their glory. Iltutmish replied:

“The dominion of the world is enjoyed by the glorious and strongest. The principle of hereditary succession is not extinct, yet destiny long ago banned this practice.”

When Yildoz refused to submit the two met on the battlefields of Tarain and fought, the battle at the end of the day going to Iltutmish, cementing the king’s legitimacy. He also slowly defeated the numerous generals who had declared independence, like Qabbach of Sindh and Ghiyasuddin of Bengal. Hindu princes had revolted too, regaining many citied on the Indo-Gangetic plains and in Rajasthan. He slowly made them all disappear or into vassals, even the Chauhans becoming feudatories.

As soon as Iltutmish ascended the throne he oversaw the completion of all the projects started by Qutb-ud-din. The Qutb Minar, Quwwat-al-Islam and the renovation of Mehrauli were all completed. He was also the one who put the efficient administration of the Sultanate into motion. Iltutmish also further expanded the Sultanate in his conquests against the Senas in Bengal. He also put down a multitude of revolts, mainly the ones in Sindh. He installed the Soomro dynasty in Sindh when he was done with the revolts. He is also the first one who ruled under the title of Sultan of Delhi, as Qutb-ud-din used to rule the kingdom in the name of the Ghurids, yet Iltutmish decided that he wanted to cut off all ties with the Ghurids as he considered Ghori a mad, drunkard and not an able king.

The king by three years into his reign had finally re-united all of his predecessors’ original land, taken care of the Mongol threat by tribute and established a state recognised by the Abbasid Caliph himself. The power of the nobles was curved and he also made the first Muslim incursion into the Deccan plateau

An interesting development in the reign of Iltutmish was his decision to concentrate in regaining Ghazni and Ghur from the hands of the Khwarzem Shahs*. He made the city of Gwalior into a fortress after a bloody and brutal, year long siege. Iltutmish also installed many Turks to higher positions in his administration than the local peoples. He had the new Delhiwalah coins stamped as well, replacing the old Tanka currency. Though al was not good as native Indians and Afghans were given trouble getting high positions, even the Muslims of Hindustan, however few they were thanks to the Ghurid aggression, were not given high ranks in administration regularly.

This racial oppression boiled down to open rebellion in the Bengal provinces*, the many Bengalis led by a young man claiming to be of the Pala dynasty. The many Zamindars of the Bengal provinces decided that their luck would be better with the claimant to the old title. The man eventually amassed an army of 400,000, and they started their march west. They arrived in the city of Patna, said to be one of the most glorious and oldest cities in the world and started repairing the Buddhist Nalanda university there, burnt down and sacked around 50 years ago by the Qutb-ud-din’s general, Bhaktiyar Khilji. This army was also aided by the Senas who had by now been mostly reduced to the lower Bengal delta and the armies were also sent from the kingdom of Kamarupa, a very rich and powerful state in the hills of Assam. As soon as Iltutmish had heard the news of the rebellion he knew he would have to amass troops quickly and would need to find an able administrator to take care of Delhi. He already knew his two sons, Ruknuddin and Muiz-ud-din were both men of worldly pleasures, Ruknuddin was an able general and had won him victories against the Senas but was a drunkard and cruel man while Muiz-ud-din was a womanizer and did little for state matters. So he appointed his daughter Razia as governor of Gwalior in his absence and went to campaign against the Pala insurgency.

During the Pala campaigns he fought two major battles. The first battle was Siege of Patna, a seven month siege in which most of the officers of the uprising were killed, yet heavy casualties were sustained on both, Sultanate and rebel sides. Iltutmish himself lost his right leg in the battle.

The other major battle of the campaign (and the last one) was the battle Howrah, in which the superior cavalry of the Sultanate won the day for the Sultanate. The final cavalry charge took out the insurgent leader; his’ name has been lost to time. Iltutmish himself did not participate in the battle, as he was running high with a fever. Soon Iltutmish returned to Delhi, victorious, but weak and old at the age of 50 years now. Soon another rebellion stirred in Sindh and this time Iltutmish himself went to see it off.

He returned victorious again, the governor of Sindh deposed, but knew he was going to die soon, so he wrote his will and appointed his daughter Raszia as his successor, deeming his sons unfit for rule. He died in his bed on June 6th 1238 AD.






























*POD 3- A very minor POD that I decided to put in. The Jain temples in Delhi were legendary and very beautiful apparently. In this TL they (along with the Hindu and Buddhist temples) will stand till the modern day. The idea was inspired by the TL: Heirs of Kharevala by Nataraj, which inspired the spark in me to learn more about Jainism.

*POD 4- There was actually a mutual understanding between the two states that they were both children of the Ghurid empire so they shouldn’t fight each other, yet fight for the glory in the name of Islam and the Ghurid Dynasty. In this TL let’s just say that Iltutmish decides not to honour this pact and ecides to create bad blood between the two states.

*POD 5- Just because I can. A rebellion is the reason why the Ghulam dynasty won’t go through such a big fuss after Iltutmish’s death as he left Razia as sultan after he died OTL. TTL he will still leave Rasiaz as an heir but the nobles will at least get a chance to see Razia is a good administrator, unlike OTL where they decided to ignore this fact.

*Sarnath- A town in OTL Uttar Pradesh state in India where the Buddha gave his first sermon on the Dhamma.

*Qazi- A Muslim judge. Usually wields more power than a Waqil, a secular judge.

*Qutbah- Special Islamic prayers which must be read out when the new ruler is not of royal blood. In Qutb’s case he is technically still a slave until the Qazis of a city accept his freedom and the Ulema (a powerful faction in most Muslim courts, the Ulema were the Mullahs and other religious men who had an extreme amount of power as they reported to the Caliph and could rebel and declare a man a heretic at any time) consider him a true king.



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Alright, we're getting there. Next one is hopefully last prologue, discussin Razia Sultana, the three Khiljis and we're ready to go! Comments and critique is always appreciated.

EDIT: Sorry, guys. Forgot to add the key :eek:
 
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Bairam Huzur Khan; “The Ghulams: A History of the Three Epic rulers of the Mamluk dynasty, Qutb-ud-din, Iltutmish and Raszia”, Marigold Age publish. Niew Utrecht, 2001.
Chapter 3: A Flower in These Thorns, Raszia Sultana, the Woman King and the fall decline of the Ghulam dynasty.

The Sultana Raszia was a first in history. She was the first woman to take the title of Sultan and she certainly wouldn’t be the last*. Raszia was one of the five children of Sultan Iltutmish of Delhi, the only girl and the one who was the heir in the end.

Raszia, like a few other princesses of her time, was trained to lead armies and administer forts if necessary. Razia was also an avid horseman, loving polo like her grandfather, Qutb-du-din, who she had met once. Her older and full-blooded brother, Nasiruddin Mahmud, had died when Razia was twelve, leaving Raszia quite depressed according to contemporary historians. Her father was always away campaigning, her step mother; Turqan Shah hated the girl and her three half brothers could care less for her. So Raszia apparently spent most of her days in the company of men with Maliq Altunia, the son of a Turkic noble and also heir to the Beyberlik* of Bhatinda.

So most of Raszia’s early days passed like that of any other Muslim princess of the time. She was also really well respected by the people of Delhi, who considered her the true heir to throne. The Sultan Iltutmish decided the peoples’s wishes were the best plan of action, so after crushing the revolt in Sindh he wrote his will when he returned to Delhi. In it he designated Raszia as the heir to the Sultanate and gave his two hedonistic sons minor titles, Ruknuddin becoming the governor of Punjab, a prestigious and once powerful title but an almost useless position, and Muiz-ud-din was given the title of treasurer in Hansi.

The Sultan died approximately 15 days after writing his will, giving no clues to the Amirs as to what he had written in there. Most Amirs assumed that he would have given the throne to Ruknuddin due to the fact he was at least able to command a force, regardless of how poorly, if needed.
So o the day of the reading of the will the Amirs were given the message. Raszia would be elected the next Sultan. The Amirs went up in a roar and protest, even the Nizam-ul-Mulk, one of Iltutmish’s closest allies, voiced his angry opinion. They refused to swear fealty to a woman and were threatening to declare independence. According to Minhaj-i-Siraj, the principal historian of the Ghurids and the Ghulam dynasty, Raszia stepped up and abdicated her throne in favour of her brother Ruknuddin, fearing an outright revolt as would be against her late father’s wishes. The Amirs went ecstatic at this announcement; a weak ruler meant they would be able to do as they pleased in their fiefs. So the following day Ruknnudin was crowned, his official title being:

‘Sultan-i-Delhi, Yamin Amir al-Mu'minin, Shams ad-Dunya Wa'd-Din; Ruknuddin Aibaki’, roughly translated from Turkish into:
‘Ruknuddin Aibakid, Sultan of Delhi, Sun of the world and light of the Faith, The right hand of the commander of the faithful (the Caliph)’
.

So approximately a year passed after Sultan Ruknuddin was crowned, the young man living a life of debauchery while his mother; Sultana Shah Turkan, ruled through him and his vassals gained in power. Though all looked perfect for the Queen Mother, she was secretly extremely worried about the rising popularity of her step-daughter, Raszia with the masses of Delhi. She hatched a plan to have Raszia killed, so when Raszia was out riding her horse, when she jumped over the barricades she would fall into a 5 metre deep hole.
This ploy would have succeeded had Jamal-ud-din Yaqut, an Abyssinian (Ethopian) man-servant of Raszia, not decided to let the horses drink at a different spot in the gardens. He saw what was happening and instantly went to inform his mistress of the events unfolding on her horse track. Raszia quickly informed her guards as to what was happening and also told a few of the ministers.

Later that day a crowd had gathered at the track, the news of the assassination attempt spreading like wildfire throughout the city of Delhi. The Sultan himself was also present, wanting to see the reason why his half-sister had disturbed him from his activities. When the field was tested the cover up collapsed and revealed the massive pit. Even with this evidence, the Sultan refused to acknowledge the assassination, threatening to charge Raszia with treason. Just as he was about to decree the order, the famous Sufi Saint, Kazimmudin Zahid, disciple of Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, stepped in. The saint decreed that Raszia was the rightful ruler of Delhi and Ruknuddin should abdicate to the will of his father. Ruknuddin didn’t dare argue to this statement as his father was an extremely devoted disciple of Bakhtiyar Kaki and Zahid. The people of Delhi (primarily Muslim at this time)* were about to riot, when Ruknuddin abdicated and Shah Turkan was imprisoned for treason.
The following day Raszia was crowned, her official title being a male one, she herself hating to be called ‘Sultana’, as that stated the consort or wife of the Sultan. She instantly started to do her duty as ruler and struck coins in her name.

Some of Raszia’s earliest achievements were the construction of public rest houses throughout the Sultanate, really cutting down on bandits and making the realms a safer place, as well as construction of the Altuni-Bihdr-i-Bilgid library*, literally translating into “Golden Fountain of Knowledge”. Some say that there was a double meaning to this name as her beloved, Altunia had died just six months* after Raszia’s coronation. The news was apparently delivered to her while she was out riding and she was so shocked at what she heard, she steered her horse mid-gallop into a tree by mistake and broke her leg. She sobbed in her palace after hearing this news for at least one month before apparently taking a vow to never marry, despite many requests against such a pact by the Nizam-ul-Mulk.

Raszia also undertook campaigns to subjugate Sindh once and for all, replacing the Persian governor there with a Turkic one. Ghazni, Ghur and eastern parts of Baluchistan were taken from the Kwahrzem Shahs of Khorasan. The infrastructure improved as the wealth of the conquests flowed in, the popularity of Raszia growing day by day. She also implemented many libraries and

She abolished the Jizya tax, the tax levied on all non-Muslims in the realm, enraging the Ulema extremely. The Jizya was an excellent source of income and wealth, also bringing many new converts to the Islamic faith. She abolished it saying;

“Allah is almighty and all forgiving. He wouldn’t want people o be threatened into Islam, rather embrace it of love”.

She always tried to send the message that the essence of the religion was greater than the practice. Sadly this message wouldn’t catch on.
Though everything was going fine, there was a more alarming undershadow to the rule of the Sultana. Her alleviation of her close companion Yaqut was really hated by the Turkish elite of the Sultanate and the number of actions against the Amirs was growing.

The fact about the Turkic Amirs was that they were extremely racist and did not practice the Muslim concept of the Ummah (brotherhood) that all Muslims are equal. To them the Turk was the highest and most powerful, followed by the multitude of Indian converts and in the end the Habshi Muslim Africans. It is apparent that the hate of the Africans is said to have extended so much that they preferred the infidel over their fellow Mussalman.

Then in the year of 1246 AD the last person dear to Raszia died. Yaqut apparently died in suspicious circumstances when his Howdah slipped from the back of his elephant during a procession. There were many rumours surrounding the event and all of them pointed their fingers at the Amirs, yet they had no proof. The nobles had gained the upper hand over Raszia.
And as the days and years passed the Sultana slowly cut herself off from the public, starting to wear a veil again (a practice she stopped when she ascended the throne). She stopped visiting the festivals and functions she used to hold. The Amirs found it more convenient to them to have Raszia as a figurehead and got her to agree to any major laws and decrees they wanted. For 15 years had Raszia ruled wisely and justly, yet at the age of 38 her depression had grown and she fell gravely ill. The end of the Ghulam dynasty was drawing near.

The illness wasn’t actually due to her sadness, as she had caught consumption and was suffering from it, yet her despair contributed to her demise. 2 years after getting consumption, bedridden and sad the woman king died. The year was 651 Hijra, 1253 Anno Domini and 1175 Saka Samvat.

The death of Raszia was the almost the end of the Ghulam dynasty.* Her 29 year-old nephew and son of Ruknuddin, Alauddin ud Masud was another drunkard and glutton like his father and died the extremely inglorious death of choking on his food less than 1 year after being crowned.

The next king to come to the throne was Nasiruddin Mahmud, another nephew of Raszia and a deeply pious man who did a lot for the people of Delhi, giving charity at every stage and being deep in prayer much of the time. He was a strict monogamist and used to write down copies of the Koran to sell to people on the street, also firing all servants of the royalty. Apparently his wife had to cook for the family as he believed that a servant of Allah needn’t any servants. He ruled for 15 years from 1254 – 1279 AD, dying in the months of Ramadan of starvation at the age of 45, heirless.

The ruler after this was Ghiyas ud din Balban. Balban was a Turk (not a slave but a Turk of nobility) that had risen through the ranks of the Iltutmish administration to become lord of the Chahalgani *. Though he served the Ghulams, he deeply resented them. He thought that the slave Turks had no right to be the rulers of him, a man of nobility. Yet he never had the courage to speak up against Iltutmish or his daughter, due to the fact they were much more powerful than him. Now that the last of the great Ghulams were gone he was the ruler in all but name. The rest of the Chahalgani feared him and the Sultans were powerless.

When Nasiruddin died, Balban seized the opportunity and crowned himself Sultan. Balban really rose the tile of Sultan-i-Delhi from what it was before, making it into something comparable to the Chinese emperor, all visitors having to perform a ‘Kow Tow’ like full body prostration before him and always had the royal robes on. He was also by every standard a zealous Muslim ruler, destroying numerous temples in Punjab, Rajputana and in the Haryana region itself. Though this didn’t always have good repercussions, as a Rajput clan known as the Meos raided Delhi numerous times while the Sultan was occupied somewhere else, despite the fact they were Muslim converts.

He also instituted some very severe laws, like the fact there be no laughter in court as he considered it inappropriate to Islamic custom. He also put severe laws on wine and gambling due to its prohibition in Islam. Crushing the only revolt in his reign, against Tungril Khan a foolhardy, yet brave Amir was to be one of his only few military ventures. His other military actions were a failed expedition against Ranthambore, which had once again revolted against Sultanate rule and become bastion of resistance against the Turk.

The other stories of Balban right about his inexorable justice and one of the tales tells about how he was presented with a case where a slaves widow came to him and told how her husband had been put to death by her master, Malik Bakbak, the Muqta' (Governor) of Badaun when the Muqta’ had gotten drunk and her husband dropped some wine on his robes. Balban heard the story then ordered the stoning to death of the Muqta.

By now Balban was aging and had two sons; Muhammad Khan, the elder and the one Balban loved and Bughra Khan, the younger and disliked one. The reason why Balban disliked his second son was because the man had run off with a infidel girl, a Sindhi Hindu.

And everything was going fine for the Balban royal house until one day Muhammad Khan and his entire family perished in a fire in Lahore. Balban was then in apredicament. He offered his crown to Bughra Khan, but fearing it was an assassination trap, his son refused.

So Balban decided upon his heir as his grandson, (with reluctance. After all, he was only half Turk) Kayumars. Then Balban passed away at the Venerable age of 76 in 1280 AD after ruling for 11 years.

But this would be the end of the Ghulam dynasty in who’s name Balban had kept ruling. For in 1281 AD the Khilji revolt started.




*POD 6- With Nalanda destroyed and the last great university of Hindustan gone, lots of knowledge has been lost. This POD is actually quite important in the long run, giving people reason to come to Delhi generating lots of revenue. Some will stay, especially the Turks that come and will form a large population base.

*POD 7- This is a minor one, but what happened OTL was that after Raszia started cracking down on the corruption of the Amir’s and started imprisoning them one by one, and gave Yaqut the office of Yüksek-Bey-i-Amir, or High Chief of the Amirs in English, they conspired and spread rumours to Altunia that Raszia had instead fallen in love with Yaqut and had made a mockery of him. He declared rebellion and won after a gruelling campaign in which Yaqut was killed and Raszia captured. While she was his prisoner the Amirs against Raszia (most of them) proclaimed her brother, Muiz-ud-din Behram, Sultan. Eventually the two reconciled and got married, attempting to win back the throne of Delhi and place Raszia on it. They lost after a few battles and died when they were assassinated by Jhats that had been promised money by the Amirs for the service.

*POD 8- OTL There were at least 4-5more rulers, with quirky facts about them. I’m doing TTL historians a favour and cutting them short.

*Chahalgani- The Forty Amirs that held power throughout the Ghulam Dynasty Sultanate.

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Yes folks, the one and only Aussie based, Delhi inspired Alternate history is back!!!!!! :D Now that my life has slowed down a bit and I'm back on my feet I can start writing for this TL again. Though I still can't guarantee regular updates due to other things going on in life I'll try.

And guess what? It has fancy cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;

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Before you start reading, I would like to tell you that I apologise for the lastsix sentences of the previous update. I have written a more detailed insight you may replace them with.

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The unravelling of Balban would eventually come in the form of the Mongols. He was reaching an old age when he was delivered the news that his son Muhhamad had died at the hands of the Mongols when they set fire to a military encampment he was in. His son perished along with his son’s family. This led to some distressing thought for Balban, as his only other son, Nasiruddin Bughra Khan, had run off with an infidel girl and was not favoured by his father. So he had been appointed as Bey of a small area in Bihar.

The problem was for some reason most of Balban's family that he had held as a good prospect for succesion were dead. Bughra’s eldest son, Muizz- uddin Qaiqobad, had been trampled to death by his elephant in a hunting “accident”* (it is suspected the Qotwal of Delhi, Fakhr-uddin, had set it up for yet unknown reasons) when his howdah broke and he fell to the round and his elephant trampled him. Alass Bughra’s older son, Ruknuddin Kaikus, had been killed in battle against the Mongols, so once again he was at a lack of successor there. In the end he elected Bughra’s youngest son and his own grandson, Kaiyumars, as his successor. The child was only 5 at the time.

Balban’s last years were spent in his palace dying and slowly sinking into insanity yet he never actually passed away , scribbling gibberish in Persian on the walls of his chambers. So when Bughra got his chance to rule as Sultan-i-Delhi, he spent his five years as Sultan well. He was crowned in 1297 AD as the sole surviving member (apart from his son) of the Ghulam dynasty, deciding to continue to rule in their name rather then declare a new dynasty. A few of his great achievements was the construction of the Khani Minar*, one of the greatest monuments of Delhi. It is built with syncretic architecture, as Bughra maintained good relations with the Ranthambore Rajputs. The deal he struck with them was that for an annual payment of 3,000 Tankahs, the Rajputs would be left alone and they were also given Jaisalmer fort as a gift.

For the construction of the Khani Minar, fifteen architects, twelve of them who were Afghans were brought over to plan the monument, drawing massive amounts of inspiration from the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan. They planned it for around 2 years and construction began in 1299 AD. Yet the great sultan would not see it through. In 1302, the Taluqdar (Fort Commander) of Qila Mubaraq in the Punjab, decided he would play kingmaker and assassinated both; the now infirm and lunatic Balban, and Bughra Khan, in hope to stake a claim on the throne of Delhi.

He proclaimed himself regent and made Qaiyumars Sultan. The sources are a bit untrustworthy so most scholars agree the reign of this man was around 7 months.

Then came the full blown revolt of the Chalagani. It was 1320 AD. This was the end of the Ghulam.

The disposing of the Ghulams was a short and brutal end to a chapter of history thanks to the Khiljis, a Turkic tribe that had been completely been assimilated into Afghan culture, had moved over to the Delhi Sultanate when it was established. They were adept raiders and excellent fighters and yet they were scorned by the rest of the Turkic society, because of their foreign customs.

A certain Malik Firuz or Jalaluddin Khilji as he was better known, decided now was the time to take the reins of power. He coerced various Turkic nobles into joining him, either by money or violence.

They marched on Delhi and massacred the loyalists. It is said that Jalaluddin himself marched into the bedroom of the 15 year old Qaiyumars* and slaughtered him in his bed. The body of the young Sultan was taken and beheaded. The Head was placed on top of the Iron Pillar, to mock the man because of his Hindustani descent and his body was thrown into the Yamuna.

The Slaves were dead. The Mamluk dynasty was at a brutal end at the hands of their fellow Turks.


*****
'

The Afghan Hound

He walked the field taking in the smell of rotting flesh and blood willing filling the air around them. He could see some soldiers passing out from the stench and others excusing themselves from the task. They obviously couldn’t handle the grim task that he had set for them. They should have been proud about what they were doing. They were putting down the cornerstones for a city of great glory. And here they were feeling sick at a simple task.

He walked towards the camp to see the remaining prisoners, officers and such. He walked and he gave the guards the signal to take the prisoners outside. They were led outside by the guards and at the foremost Alauddin stood and smiled. He gestured to the structure in front of him and turned to his prisoners.

“Gentlemen, this is a real honour to present this wonderful piece of architecture to you. I really thank you for this campaign for it kept my armies busy. Many of my soldiers have been given tasks to do in this time, in which otherwise they would have lazed and idled around.
In return I present you this glorious tower which I have constructed in your honour. Please do not hesitate to critique or appreciate it.”

What the Mongol prisoners saw was a terror to even them.
A mound of heads, twenty metres in width and forty metres in length lay before them. The hundreds of Mongol prisoners captured in battle had been executed brutally and placed on this great tower of heads that 12 metres in height. Blood covered the grass and heads, flies buzzing around and vultures starting to arrive to pick off the carrion.

What was even more disturbing for the prisoners of Alauddin was that he was obviously enjoying such an act of savageness. Even the great Khan, Genghis, had less of a reputation for barbarism. A massacre may have been a justifiable thing in their eyes, but turning it into such a gruesome spectacle was in horrifying for them, the great Mongol horde.

Alauddin then waved his hand and the men were dragged to the execution block and their head s cleaved off the bodies that had once thought that a small Afghan sultan would be nothing in comparison to the great Golden Horde. Yet they now regretted their thoughts as each of them was sent to the otherworld and their heads placed on top of the great tower of skulls.

Alauddin watched on in pride of his great achievement. He had done something that no one had done before. He had vanquished the Mongols. He thought that anyone was able to beat the Mongol if they tried hard enough, yet they would always come back. Purging these swarthy infidels in the name of Allah was another thing, an act that deserved a title in its own right. Never had such a feat been completed since the time of Alexander.

Then a thought struck Alauddin.

“Yes, yes, yes. Since Sikandar no one has ever been able to complete a feat such as this. I am the sword of the Caliph here in the east. A true conqueror and upholder of Islam. A cultured man who can compose and appreciate true beauty and poetry. I am Sikandar reborn”

To be continued……..


*****​

Siri: the Third City, a cultural update

As the years of the Ghulam sultanate had passed the population of Delhi had boomed, many Afghans, Persians, Turks and even a large amount of Iraqis had migrated there, in the wake of the Mongol invasions. Children had been raised in Hindustan and never moved back, forming a solid population base.
Also many native Hindus*, especially the people from Sindh and what would have become western Uttar Pradesh in OTL, migrated here. They had merged together and with the local Haryanvi populace to form an ethnic group that would soon diverge from the rest. These Indians would became slightly Persianized in their culture and would dominate the lower parts of the Kashmir region and the Western Gangetic plain, as they would spread along the Yamuna river.

They are called the Dehlavi.

The Dehlavi culture was formed when Alauddin constructed the fort of Siri on the site of his gruesome tower of heads, as he was by no means a fool or an incompetent ruler. He had seen the over-crowded streets of Lal Kot were not fit for his parades and processions so he wished to have a more grand area for his victory proceedings, so the site of the fort of Siri was chosen, and given an adequate name to its dark history. For ‘Siir’ meant head in the language of the Dehlavi.

Another reason for the construction of Siri was the want for a more Muslim city, as even for Alauddin, executing every single Hindu person in the city was a rather bleak and impossible situation. So not far from Mehrauli and Qila Rai Pithora, he built Siri.

It took over 6 years to build te fort, an instant flux of Muslim migrants following into the place almost right after construction had finished. Then Alauddin made an attempt to build a Masjid which was e comparable in grandeur to Quwwat al-Islam, yet failed. Still Siri was a great triumph for Muslim architecture and cit planning. It was built in the rough shape of a pentagon and at the centre of the fort lay the Qermezi Zam Sarai or the Red Earth palace. It was named due to the colour of the earth in the Delhi area.

In many ways Siri was the founding stone for Muslim rule in Hindustan. It showed that the Turkic conquerors were here to stay and had a foothold that was to help them do so. Though one thing was the feat of Alauddin, for the roads in Siri were wide, the populace of Siri was in many ways wealthier than that of Qila Rai Pithora, for many artisans and richer people who were Muslim were gifted houses and even the poor Muslims were given many alms.

So there was a rise in the Muslim population of Delhi from 1321 AD and all the way to the 1330s. It was simply more beneficial for someone to be a Muslim, as there was social support, less taxes, free education and such benefits.

Yet still many Muslims that were of Delhavi origin stood by their culture, instead further propagating it due to their inclusion into Muslim society. In fact even though law forbade it, many people with Afghan heritage started wearing the colourful kurtas and kameezes that their ancestors wore before Islamic conquest and some even started roasting their meats in alcohol, something the Alauddin and his orthodox administration looked down upon.


A new chapter of history was starting in the people of Delhi and it might be safe to say it won’t end soon…..
 
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