Khalji dynasty

Timeline

1. 1290 Jalaluddin Khalji takes the throne at about 70 — the “Khalji revolution”
2. 1296 Alauddin raids Devagiri, then murders his uncle Jalaluddin and becomes Sultan
3. 1299 Gujarat conquered; Mongols defeated at Kili, where general Zafar Khan dies
4. 1301 Ranthambore captured from Hammir Deva
5. 1303 Chittor taken from Rana Ratan Singh; Mongols besiege Delhi
6. 1305 Malwa conquered
7. 1307–12 Malik Kafur’s southern campaigns: Devagiri, Warangal, Dwarasamudra, Madurai
8. 1311 Alai Darwaza completed
9. 1316 Alauddin dies; Mubarak Khalji succeeds
10. 1320 Khusrau Khan kills Mubarak; Ghazi Malik kills Khusrau and founds the Tughlaq dynasty

Character of the dynasty

• Shortest-serving of the five Sultanate dynasties (30 years).
• But produced among the most dynamic Sultans in Indian history.
• The “Khalji revolution” of 1290 ended the monopoly of the old Turkish nobility over high office.

Jalaluddin Khalji (1290–96)

• Came to the throne at about age 70.
• Mild-mannered; believed in a liberal autocracy — rule by the goodwill of the people rather than by terror.
• Faced a revolt by Malik Chhajju, Balban’s nephew, at Kara (1290); he pardoned him.
• 1296: his nephew and son-in-law Ali Gurshasp — Alauddin Khalji — who had been appointed governor of Kara, invaded Devagiri (Yadava king Ramachandra). It was the first Turkish expedition into the Deccan.
• Alauddin used the Devagiri treasure to win supporters and murdered Jalaluddin at Kara.

Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316): the ruler

• Vigorous and ruthless.
• Called himself the second Alexander (Sikandar-i-Sani) on his coins.
• Separated religion from politics — he ruled by what the state needed, not by the advice of the ulema.
• Curbed the power of the nobles: banned alcohol, gambling and social gatherings of nobles, required royal permission for marriage alliances among them, confiscated land grants, and ran a network of spies.

Market reforms and price control

• Low, fixed prices for grain, cloth, horses, cattle and slaves — to feed and pay a large army on modest cash salaries.
• Separate markets for separate commodities: the Mandi for grain, the Sarai-i-Adl for cloth and costly goods, and markets for horses, cattle and slaves.
• The Shahna-i-Mandi was the superintendent of the market; the Diwan-i-Riyasat oversaw market control. Spies reported on traders, and hoarding or short-weighing was punished severely.
• Grain was stored in state granaries.
• Main source: Ziauddin Barani, Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi.

Land revenue and the army

• First Sultan to collect revenue by measuring land (the unit was the biswa); revenue was fixed at half the produce, plus a house tax (ghari) and a grazing tax (chari).
• Established the Diwan-i-Mustakhraj — the department that recovered arrears from revenue officials.
• Salaries to soldiers paid in cash instead of iqtas.
• Started the system of Dagh (branding horses) and Chehra (a descriptive roll — an identity card — of each soldier) to stop fraud at musters.

Defending against the Mongols

• Defended the north-west against the Mongols; Delhi was attacked during his reign (1299, 1303, 1305).
• The 1299 invasion was repelled at Kili, where his general Zafar Khan was killed.
• After the 1303 siege he built Siri Fort as a new fortified capital.

Campaigns in the north

• Expanded the Sultanate southward and westward.
• 1299 — Gujarat (Rai Karan Vaghela); Malik Kafur was acquired during this campaign.
• 1301 — captured Ranthambore from Hammir Deva Chauhan.
• 1303 — siege of Chittorgarh, Mewar (Rana Ratan Singh). Tradition says Rani Padmini committed jauhar.
• The Padmini story comes from Malik Muhammad Jayasi, who wrote Padmavat in 1540 — more than two centuries later, so historians treat it as legend.
• 1305 — Malwa; then Siwana and Jalor.

Malik Kafur and the south (1307–12)

• Famed general Malik Kafur, a converted Hindu eunuch bought for 1,000 dinars — hence Hazar Dinari.
• Led a series of campaigns between 1307/08 and 1312:
• Defeated:
• Devagiri (1307–08) — Yadava Raja Ramachandra submitted and became an ally
• Kakatiya kingdom of Warangal (1309–10) — Prataparudra II paid a huge tribute; tradition links the Koh-i-noor diamond to this campaign
• Dwarasamudra (1311) — the Hoysala Ballala III submitted
• Madurai (1311) — the Pandya territory was raided
• In the south his policy was tribute and submission, not direct annexation.

Buildings

• Built the Alai Darwaza (1311) — the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in the Qutb complex. It is the first building in India with a true arch and dome built on correct principles.
• Siri Fort, the Hauz-i-Alai (Hauz Khas) tank, and the unfinished Alai Minar.

Amir Khusrau (1253–1325)

• Poet laureate of the Sultanate; called Tuti-i-Hind (“Parrot of India”); disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya.
• Wrote in Persian and Hindavi; credited with developing qawwali and khayal.
• Works:
• Khazain-ul-Futuh — Alauddin’s conquests
• Tughlaq Nama — the reign of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
• Nuh Sipihr (“Nine Skies”) — in praise of India
• Tuhfat-us-Sighr — his early poems
• Ashiqa and Qiran-us-Sadain

Mubarak Khalji (1316–20)

• Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah loosened the strict policies of Alauddin — market control lapsed.
• Declared himself Khalifa (Caliph).
• Khusrau Khan, his favourite, assassinated Mubarak in 1320 and ruled briefly.
• Ghazi Malik, governor of Dipalpur, killed Khusrau and ascended the throne as Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.

Source check

• Where the mindmap differs from standard textbooks. Use the standard version in the exam.