THE FIRST MUSLIM INVASION OF THE DECCAN took place in the year 1296. Alauddin, nephew of
the reigning Sultan of Delhi, Jalaluddin Khilji, and the Governor of Kara had heard about the great
wealth of the Deccan. With the ostensible purpose of invading the Deccan, he left Kara with a
composite force of 6000, consisting of cavalry and infantry and arrived at Ellicpur. Ellicpur was then
in the northern most part of the Yadava Kingdom of Devagiri. The principal dynasties which ruled in
the south were the Yadavas, whose territory covered practically the whole of the present
Maharastra, the Kakatiyas whose rule roughly extended over the territory lying between the
Godavari and the Krsna, the Hoyasalas whose jurisdiction roughly covered the area between the
Krsna and the Pennar, the Colas whose rule extended over both sides of the Kaveri, and the
Pandyas who governed the southern most area of the southern peninsula including the whole of
Malabar. Alauddin halted at Ellicpur for a couple of days posing as a discontented noble of the Delhi
court seeking service under the Raja of Rajmahendry. Then he marched straight for Devagiri. He
encountered stiff resistance at Lasur, about 12 miles west of Devagiri. He overcame the opposition
and arrived in the environs of Devagiri. Ramcandra, the Yadava ruler, did not have sufficient force to
repulse Alauddin. He had dispatched the main bulk of his army to escort Sankardev, his son and the
queen to places of pilgrimage. Ramcandra, therefore, took shelter in the fortress of Devagiri.
Alauddin sacked the city and besieged the fortress. With no prospects of immediate help,
Ramcandra sued for peace. Alauddin agreed to the payment of a huge indemnity in the form of gold
by Ramcandra and started on his northward march. In the meanwhile, Sankardev who had received
news of the Muslim attack hastened towards Devagiri and fell upon the contingent commanded by
Alauddin. Alauddin was on the point of being routed when Nusrat Khan who had been left behind at
Devagiri arrived with his army. This timely help saved Alauddin from a total defeat. The combined
forces now defeated Sankardev and laid siege to the citadel of Devagiri. Left with no alternative,
Ramcandra sued for peace once again. This was granted on harsh terms by Alauddin. After the
conclusion of the peace treaty Alauddin left for the north and reached Kara on June 3, 1296.
The signal defeat of Ramcandra and his inability to protect his capital from Muslim rapine and
plunder considerably damaged his prestige in the south. His erstwhile enemies both in the south
and the east again raised their heads. The Kakatiya Ruler Prataprudra led an expedition into the
Yadava empire and pushed the western borders of his Kingdom up to Medak and Raicur. The
Yadava Kingdom was also invaded by Garigeya Sahani, a General of Hoyasala Ballala III in 1303
and by Ballala himself in 1305. Banavasi, Santalige and Kogali were wrested from the Yadava
Kingdom by the Hoyasalas.
When the southern Kingdoms were fighting among themselves instead of uniting against the
Muslim invaders from the north, events of significance were taking place in the north. Alauddin had
murdered his uncle and had ascended the throne of Delhi on July 20, 1296. It is not necessary here
to detail the exploits of Alauddin in the north, his defeat of the Mongols and the conquest of Gujarat.
By the end of the thirteenth century his power was sufficiently established and he was ready to
undertake another invasion of the south. This time it was Warangal which was invaded in 1303. The
Muslim army, instead of taking the shorter route via Ellicpur took the tortuous route via Bengal and
Orissa. The invaders penetrated into the heart of Telangana and came as far as Warangal. They
were, however, beaten by the Telangana army and forced to retreat. This defeat and the
preoccupation of Alauddin with the Mongol hordes gave the south a breathing space for a few
years. In 1307 on the pretext of the refusal of Sankardev to pay tribute. Alauddin decided to invadethe southern Kingdom of Devagiri. He appointed Malik Naib Kafur to Lead the expedition. The
governors of Malva and Gujarat were commanded to collaborate with him. Malik Naib reached
Devagiri without encountering any opposition. He defeated the Yadava forces, sacked the city and
carried Ramcandra and his family as prisoners to Delhi. Ramcandra was pardoned by Alauddin and
sent back to Devagiri with the title of Rairdyan 1a 1b. This total submission by a powerful king in the
south enabled the Muslims to completely subjugate the entire south. As a matter of fact Devagirl
served as the base for the southward expansion of the Muslims as the future events will show. In
1309 Alauddin again sent Malik Naib on an expedition to Warangal to wipe out the stigma of defeat
which the Muslims had suffered in 1303. By the end of December 1309, Malik Naib arrived on the
borders of Devagiri on the first stage of his march towards the Telangana country. He was
reinforced by Ramcandra with a force composed of Maratha cavalry and infantry. Malik Naib first
invested the fort of Sirpur which capitulated after a heroic resistance by its garrison. On January 19,
1310 he arrived before Warangal and laid siege to it. The siege continued for a couple of months
when ultimately Prataprudra opened negotiations and offered to surrender. Peace was established
on Prataprudra agreeingto pay a heavy indemnity. Kafur then returned to Delhi.1a1b It was again by the end of the year 1310
that Malik Kafur set out on another expedition of the far south and arrived at Daulatabad on 4th
February 1311. After a few days rest, Kafur marched towards the south and reached the Hoyasala
frontier where the reigning king was Ballala III. Ballala had gone on an expedition to the Tamil
country to recover his ancestral territory. He wanted to take advantage of the quarrel between
Sundara Pandya and Vira Pandya of the royal dynasty in the Tamil country. Malik Kafur, by forced
marches, arrived at Dvarasamudra, the capital of the Hoyasalas and laid siege to it. On learning of
the Muslim invasion, Ballala hurried towards the capital but submitted and,rejecting the advice of his counsel to continue the fight, sued for peace. Thus another Hindu
Kingdom fell to the Muslim hordes from the north. Malik Naib now headed for the Pandya Kingdom,
requisitioning the services of Ballala. The Pandyas offered heroic resistance and carried on a
guerilla warfare. The capital of Vira Pandya Birdhul fell to Muslims. Malik Naib pur-sued the elusive
Rap Vira Pandya. The latter, however, escaped into dense jungles. Malik Naib, then reached
Brahmartpuri or modern Cidambaram and laid waste that city, massacring its inhabitants and
pillaging its golden temples. He then marched to Madura, the capital of Sundara Pandya and
thoroughly sacked the town. Malik Naib was, however, defeated by Vikrama Pandya, the uncle of
Sundara Pandya. He then broke hiscamp and started on return march to Delhi. He reached the capital on 19 October, 1311 after a
journey of five months, 1a1b
In 1311 Ramcandra died and was succeeded by Sankardev or Sihghana. He refused to abide
by the terms of the former treaty and showed signs of defiance. Malik Naib, therefore, started on his
second expedition against Devagiri in 1313. He marched to Devagiri, defeated and slew Singhana.
He then took possession of the whole Kingdom. He carried expeditions to Malabar and
Dvarasamudra, from his headquarters at Devagiri, and collected tributes. Malik Naib, however,
could not subjugate the whole of the Yadava Kingdom and his campaigns against the Kingdom of
Kampili comprising the district of Bellary, were indecisive. At the end of his two years' stay in the
Deccan, Malik Naib was recalled to Delhi in 1314 by Sultan Alauddin. The atmosphere in Delhi was
tense with political intribues. Khizr Khan, the heir apparent, Alp Khan, the Governor of Gujarat and
the Queen had joined hands to overthrow Malik Naib....But he broke the conspiracy, killed Alp Khan
and sent Khizr Khan to Gwalior as prisoner. This was a signal for rebellion all over the Kingdom of
the Khiljis. In Gujarat the army revolted and Kamaluddin Gurg who was sent by Malik Naib to quell
the rebellion was killed. In Citod, Hammir challenged the protege of Alauddin,Maldeva. In the Deccan, Harpaldev, the son-in-law of Ramcandra took hold of the capital and
declared his independence. To add confusion to the already deteriorating political situation at Delhi,
Alauddin died on 5 January 1316. Malik Naib now assumed command, and, disinheriting Khizr
Khan, seated on the throne Siabuddin Umar, a child of five or six. He then blinded Khizr Khan and
Sadi Khan and imprisoned all the other sons of Alauddin. Mubarak Khan, the third son of Alauddin,
was, however, saved by a stroke of fortune. The foot soldiers who were sent to blind him, went over
to his side and slew Malik Kafur when he was asleep in his apartment. Mubarak Khan then
ascended the throne by deposing Umar, under the title of Qutubuddin Mubarak Sah. In 1318 two
years after his accession to the throne Mubarak Sah marched towards the Deccan with a strong
force under his command to subjugate Harpaldev and collect tributes from the Deccan princes. On
the approach of the Sultan's forces, Harpaldev fled to the hills. He was pursued by Khusrav who
defeated and killed him.1 With this the Yadava rule came to an end. The Deccan passed completely
under the Muslim rulers from the north. Mubarak Sah then returned to Delhi after appointing Malik
Yaklakhi as the Governor of the Deccan. An unsuccessful attempt was made on his life when he
was on his way to Delhi. This made him suspicious of the entire nobility that surrounded him. He
executed prominent nobles including Yaghrus Khan the chief conspirator along with all the members
of his family, all sons of Alauddin, his father-in-law Malik Dinar alias Zafar Khan, the Governor of
Gujarat, and the regent Malik Sahin. It was now the turn of Malik Yaklakhi to revolt at Devagiri. He
assumed royal titles and struck coins in his own name. Mubarak Sah sent a large force against him,
Yaklakhi was defeated, taken prisoner and sent along with his associates to Delhi. His place was
taken by Ain-ul-mulk2.
In the meanwhile Khusrav Khan had led successful campaigns against Prataprudra of
Warangal whom he defeated. He then proceeded to Malabar where he thought of declaring his
independence of the Delhi Empire. His subordinates cautioned him against such a move and
informed the Sultan about the motivations of Khusrav. Khusrav was recalled. The Sultan was so
much infatuated with Khusrav that instead of punishing him he punished the informers and
showered favours on Khusrav Khan, the main sulprit. Khusrav now reigned supreme in the capital.
He collected a corps consisting of 40,000 men belonging to his own tribe. He now thought of
assassinating the Sultan. One night entering the palace with a selected contingent, Khusrav Khan
murdered the Sultan in the harem on 15th April 1320.
On the next day, Khusrav ascended the throne in the presence of all the principal nobles of
the kingdom such as Ain-ul-mulk, Wahiduddin Quraisi, Fakhruddin Jauna, Bahauddin Dabir and
others. He took the title of Nasiruddin Khusrav Sah. Incidentally, Khusrav Khan was a Hindu convert
to Islam. After his accession he conferred titles and honours upon his supporters as also upon those
whom he suspected to be hostile to him. However, the antecedents of Khusrav Khan gave his
opponents an opportunity of raising the slogan of Islam in danger. The spokesman of the opposition
was Ghazi Tughluk, the Governor of Dipalpur. He sent appeals to the governors of various
provinces to revolt against Khusrav Sah and depose him. The response from the provincial
governors was poor. An army of 40,000 was sent against the rebel under Khan Khanan
Husamuddin. It was defeated. Ghazi Malik left Dipalpur and advanced towards Delhi which he
reached by forced marches. Khusrav Sah collected a large force and issued out of Delhi to meet the
rebel. The battle was joined on 6 September 1320 and raged for the whole day. In the evening
GhazI Malik made a determined attack on Khusrav Sah and defeated him. He was made prisoner
and executed. Ghazi Malik or GhazI Tughluk ascended the throne of Delhi under the title of
Ghiyasuddin Tughluk Sah on 8th September 1320.
The new Sultan decided first to restore his authority in the Deccan where Prataprudra had
revolted. This was perhaps the last opportunity for the remaining Hindu Kingdoms of the Deccan to
unite against any attempts by the Delhi Sultans to subjugate the Deccan. The Hindu Kings were
quite unaware of the magnitude of the danger that threatened them from the north. The Deccan
provided scenes of fratricidal wars among the Hoyasalas, the Pandyas and the Kakatiyas. An year
after his accession the Sultan sent his son Ulugh Khan against Warangal. Ulugh Khan marched to
Warangal by way of Devagiri
and laid siege to it. Prataprudra offered stiff resistance. There were heavy casualities among the
besiegers. The siege dragged on. Now a terrible disaster befell the besiegers. Some of the nobles
of Ulugh Khan deserted for causes best known to themselves. Many fell into the hands of Hindus
and were put to sword and many were punished by Ulugh, Khan. The prince now raised the siege
and retreated to Devagiri. 1 He was, however, sent on another expedition to Warahgal in 1323. This
time he subdued Prataprudra and captured Warahgal. Prataprudra was carried to Delhi, but he
appears to have committed suicide on the way on the banks of the Narmada. Ulugh Khan also
carried his arms to the Pandya Kingdom of Madura and subjugated the Pandyas. Ulugh Khan then
returned to the capital.
