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LURE - THRU THE AGES
E t e r n a l I n d i a
encyclopedia
1390-
91:
Sultan Nasiru' d din
Moham-
mad, son of Firoz Shah Tughlaq appointed
Dilawar governor of Malwa. Dilawar pro-
claimed himself independent with capital at
Dhar.
1391-
1406:
Reign
of
Dilawar.
1406-35: Reign of Hushang Shah, son of
Dilawar. Invasion of Sultan Muzaffar Shah
of Gujarat. Hushang was defeated and
taken captive. Later throne was restored to
Hushang. He transferred his capital to
Mandu. Hushang invaded Rai Narsingh
Kherla’s kingdom. In Hushang's absence
Ahmed I of Gujarat besieged Mandu.
Hushang returned forcing Ahmed to retreat.
Hushang Shah followed a policy of toler-
ance with Hindus. Before his death, he
founded a new town Hoshangabad.
1436-69: Reign of Mahmud Khalji (a
nobleman who ascended the throne). In 1442
MALWA 1401-1531 A.D.
he invaded Delhi but Ahmad Shah of Gujarat's
invasion of Malwa forced him to make peace
and return to Mandu. Thrice he attacked Bah-
mani territory but failed because the ruler
received timely assistance from Sultan of
Gujarat. He promoted development of agri-
culture and trade, established centres of Is-
lamic learning and encouraged scholars from
other parts of India to move to Mandu. The
hospital he founded there was a large estab-
lishment with provision for free medicare.
1469-1501: Reign of Ghiyas Shah, period
of peace and prosperity. He collected about
16,000 slave girls in his palace.
1511-31: Reign of Mahmud D, he appointed
Medini Rai, a Rajput chief of Chanderi, as his
vizier. Friction between Mahmud II and Medini
forced Medini to flee to Gujarat. He returned
with Sultan Muzaffar Shah of Gujarat and
captured Mandu. Medini seized Gugraon.
Mahmud besieged him but was defeated by
Rana Sanga who rushed to relieve Mandu.
Rana Sanga captured Sultan and took him to
Chittor. The Rana later sent him back to Mandu
and restored throne to him.
LODI DYNASTY
1451-1506 A.D.
The Lodis were originally Afghans. Ex-
pert horse breeders, they often served in
the army of Turkic rulers. During Moham-
mad Bin Tughlak's reign, Malik Shah Lodi,
the governor of Multan, rebelled against
him but was unsuccessful.
In Delhi, Khizr Khan, who later became
the first Sayyid Sultan, appointed another
Afghan, Malik Sultan Shah Lodi, governor
of Sirhind, giving him the title
Islam Khan.
He declared his nephew Bahlul as his
successor. In 1451 Bahlul Khan captured
Delhi and ascended to the throne. Although
he encouraged the Afghan tribesmen to
migrate to India he was cautious about
awarding them positions and promotions.
The senior offices were reserved for his
loyal Afghan supporters. Before his death
at the age of eighty, the Lodi Sultanate was
firmly established from the Punjab to the
borders of Bihar. His son by a Hindu wife,
Nizam Khan, adopted the title
Sultan Sikander
(1489-1517) when he ascended to the throne.
The new Sultan crushed Husayn Shah Sharqi
of Jaunpur, liquidated the Rajput uprisings in
neighbouring areas and forced the Raja of
Tirhit to agree to pay tribute. Bihar was also
seized and the Sultan of Bengal signed a treaty
with Sikander. From 1506 to 1517 he spent all
his energies in capturing Gwalior, but his
gains were not worth the energy he spent.
When he died in 1517 Gwalior and Malwa
remained unconquered. Sikander tightened
the espionage system. He took a keen interest
in the development of agriculture.
Sultan Ibrahim Lodi
1517-26 A.D.
Son of Sikander Lodi. During the early
years of his reign a bitter conflict broke out
with his younger brother Jalal who wanted to
become independent ruler of Jaunpur. Jalal
was imprisoned and later beheaded. He fought
a battle with Rana Sanga of Mewar. The Rana
captured Chanderi. The Sultan summoned
Daulat Khan Lodi to help him suppress a
rebellion in Bihar. Daulat Khan sent his son
Dilawar Khan. Dilwar Khan was alarmed at
the persecution of dismissed Afghan leaders
and reported it to his father. Daulat Khan wrote
to Babur, the ruler of Kabul, asking him to save
the Afghans.
The Battle of Panipat 1526 A.D.
After elaborate preparation Babur left Kabul
to conquer India in 1525 A.D. After defeat-
ing Daulat Khan, he advanced towards Delhi
through Sirhind and met Ibrahim Lodi on the
historic field of Panipat on 21 st April, 1526.
Babur had a large park of artillery and 12,000
men, as against 1,00,000 of Ibrahim.
Babur had the strength of character and
experience of a veteran general while Lodi,
‘was an inexperienced man, careless in his
movements, marched without order, halted or
retired without method and engaged without
foresight’
(Babur).
Thus Babur won a decisive victory over
Lodi and quickly occupied Delhi and Agra.
‘The battle of Panipat placed the empire of
Delhi in Babur's hands. The power of the Lodi
dynasty was shattered... and the sovereignty
of Hindustan passed to.the Chaghtai Turks. ’
This battle was followed by some greater
brilliant victories like those of Kanwah. Where
he defeated the Rajputs under Rana Sanga.
Babur's victory in the first battle of Panipat
has a great significance in the establishment of
Mughal kingdom in India.