1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Domestic Policies of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq
4. Administration of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq
4.1. Revenue Reforms
4.2. Taxation in the Doab
4.3. Department of Agriculture
4.4. Transfer of the Capital (1327)
4.5. Administration of Justice
4.6. Relation with the Ulema
5. Department of Agriculture
6. Raising the Taxes in the Doab
7. Transfer of Capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (1327)
8. Introduction of the Token Currency (1329)
9. Experiments In Agriculture
10. The Khurasan Campaign (1330)
11. The Qarachil Campaign (1333)
12. Campaigns and Expeditions
12.1. Rajputs
12.2. Mongol Invasion
12.3. Plan for the Conquest of Khurasan
12.4. Nagarkot
12.5. Quarchal
12.6. Relation with China
12.7. The Deccan
13. Rebellions and Break up of the Sultanate
14. Death and Collapse of the Empire
15. An estimate of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq
16. Conclusion
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Topic – Muhammad Bin Tughalq : The Token Currency, Transfer of Capital, Karachi Expedition, Rebellion and Famine in Doab (Notes)
Subject – History
(Early Medieval Indian History)
Table of Contents
Introduction
- Muhammad bin Tughlaq was the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-Din-Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321 and 1323, Ghiyas-ud-din sent the young Muhammad to the Deccan to campaign against King Prataparudra of the Kakatiya dynasty, whose capital was at Warangal. During his reign, Muhammad is said to have ordered the massacre of all the inhabitants of Kannauj, a Hindu city. He is also known for his wild policy swings. After his father died in 1325, Muhammad ascended to the Delhi throne.
- The Tughluqs came to power in Delhi in 1320 with Ghiyasuddin Tughluq being the first ruler of the dynasty. When he ascended the throne, the Delhi Sultanate was suffering from unsettled political conditions and required immediate reforms. The outlying provinces had proclaimed independence, and the effective control of the Sultanate had shrunk to the heartland. The administrative machinery was in complete disorder, and the treasury was depleted. Therefore, Ghiyasuddin Tughluq first focused on restoring the exchequer and reorganizing the administration.
- In particular, the political situation in the Deccan was highly disturbing. Devagiri had been annexed to the Sultanate by Mubarak Khalji, but the southern states beyond Devagiri, such as Telingana, had revolted completely against the Sultanate. Therefore, Telingana immediately drew Ghiyasuddin’s attention. In 1321, Ulugh Khan (who later became Muhammad bin Tughluq) marched south with a large army.
- Without facing much resistance, he reached Warangal. After two sieges, each lasting four to five months, the ruler Rai Rudra Dev finally surrendered. Rai Rudra Dev was made a prisoner, escorted to Delhi, and Warangal was annexed to the Delhi Sultanate under direct imperial administration.
- Bhanudeva II, the ruler of Jajnagar (Orissa), had supported Rai Rudra Dev during the imperial campaign. Therefore, after leaving Warangal in mid-1324 AD, Ulugh Khan marched against Jajnagar, which was subsequently annexed and made a part of the Sultanate.
- In 1323–24 AD, a succession dispute broke out in Lakhnauti (Bengal) after the death of Feruz Shah, ruler of this independent principality. Some nobles from Lakhnauti sought Ghiyasuddin’s help, and the Sultan personally marched to Bengal. The ruler of Lakhnauti was defeated, and Nasiruddin’s faction was granted tributary status under Delhi’s supremacy.
- Thus, after Alauddin Khalji, the subsequent Sultans were largely engaged in southern and western affairs, particularly in the Deccan and Gujarat. It was only after Muhammad Tughluq ascended the throne that attention shifted to the northwestern frontier.
- Soon after his accession, Muhammad Tughluq led campaigns to Kalanaur and Peshawar, probably as a response to the Mongol invasion led by Tarmashirin Khan (1326–27 AD). These campaigns aimed at securing the northwestern frontier of the Sultanate against future Mongol attacks.
Background
- In AD 1325, Jauna Khan succeeded his father as Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
- He was one of the most knowledgeable scholars of his time. He spoke Arabic and Persian and was well-versed in philosophy, astronomy, logic, mathematics, and physical science.
- The Sultan maintained good relations with foreigners, and the Chinese ruler sent an envoy to him.
- Toghan Timur (AD 1341) came to seek permission to rebuild Buddhist monasteries destroyed during the critical expedition in the Himalayan region.
- In 1347, the sultan granted permission and dispatched Ibn Batuta to the court of the Chinese emperor.
- Ibn Batutah was a Moroccan traveller. In 1333, he arrived in India and was appointed as the chief Qazi of Delhi by Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq.
- He has left an invaluable account of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq’s reign.
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