Ala-ud-din Khilji was the Sultan of Delhi from 1296 to 1316. He is generally known as a man with a temper and also being harsh and cruel. Little wonder then that some historians have labelled him as “a tyrant.” However, he was also reckoned as a good administrator and an astute warrior — indeed, it is even said, he was a “military genius.” So much so, based on these criteria, many don’t hesitate to rank him along such great rulers of India like Akbar, Aurangzeb among others. Besides, he was also Indian-born and so, it is argued, he was a native Indian Muslim — and not a foreign-born invader. In fact, the reign of Ala-ud-din Khilji would show the rise of several native Indian Muslims in the administration. Sure, there are many stories and ‘legends’ built around him — notably about how ruthless he was as a ruler. Indeed, he was feared but also held in awe by his subjects.
It is true that Ala-ud-din Khilji last year gained quite some media attention on the heels of the release of the Bollywood movie “PADMAAVAT”, which is based on a ‘fictitious’ story although set in the historical context with Ala-ud-din’s Khilji’s obsession with a Hindu princess as the main theme. It is also true that the Director may have taken some artistic liberty in portraying Ala-ud-din Khilji’s enigmatic character on celluloid. So much so, we are tempted to ask ourselves whether Ala-ud-din was really the caricature of a clown, a debauché, loud and erratic, as he is depicted in the movie? In actual fact, the movie fails to show his leadership qualities as a ruler and as a military strategist and genius on the battlefield — qualities that helped him defeat those who stood on his way when he took power violently after murdering his uncle and father-in-law, Jalal-ud-din Khilji. Also, it is well known that he faced the invading Mongol hordes – not once but five times – and defeated them every time thereby saving India and its age-old culture and civilization from destruction by the barbaric Mongols, who had been described as “the scourge of God” — so fierce and destructive were they in their raids! Their intrusion in Baghdad in 1258 A.D. and the sacking of that famed city, that showcased Islam’s Golden Age, is always a brutal and tragic reminder.
Soon after Ala-ud-din Khilji ascended the throne of Delhi by eliminating his uncle and father-in-law, he proved his mettle as a warrior and ruler. He began expanding his realm aided with the help of some able commanders he had under him, notably: his Mameluk slave, Malik Kafur, who also became his trusted friend; Zafar Khan and Ulugh Khan. He soon attacked and conquered the kingdoms of Chittor, Devgiri, Warangal from where he acquired the famous diamond Koh–i–Noor. He also raided Gujerat and Ranthambore, and the Hoysala and Pandya kingdoms. They were all forced to submit and pay heavy tributes to him. So much so, the coffers of the Kingdom of Delhi were full and Ala-ud-din was then probably the richest and strongest Indian ruler of his time. Besides, he also imposed on his realm rigid economic measures, like price controls on wealth that brought more and more money into his treasury particularly after the conquest in Deccan (southern India). It was therefore not surprising that Ala-ud-din Khilji soon embarked, among others, on some cultural and architectural projects on a lavish scale that attracted many “physicians, astronomers, historians and philosophers” to his kingdom. In fact, Delhi became a hub of impressive cultural activities and projects with artists, scholars, philosophers from the Muslim world — specially in the wake of the havoc created in the Islamic world by the Mongol invasion of Baghdad which was, until then, the pride and glory of the Muslim world. As a matter of fact, during Ala-ud-din Khilji’s rule, Delhi became the hub of a great artistic and cultural boom. So much so, Delhi became “the metropolis of the Muslim world” and architecture was among Ala-ud-din Khilji’s greatest cultural achievement as exemplified by the ornate and spacious Jamaat Khana Mosque with its imposing dome.
The Mongolian invaders, led by Halagu Khan, who had earlier ransacked the beautiful city of Baghdad, destroying everything in their way and thus literally stopping Islam’s Golden Age, proved a terrible disaster to the Islamic world. The Mongols burned mosques, churches, universities, libraries destroying all the invaluable rare collections of books or threw them into the river Tigris. It was said that the waters of the Tigris ran black with the ink of the books.
Ala-ud-din’s victories over the Mongol invaders were thus extremely significant. They saved India and its age-old civilization and its collection of invaluable mass of ancient knowledge gathered through thousands of years. It is also known that when the Mongols invaded Russia, they did not spare that country either. In fact, it is said, the Mongol invasion had literally put Russia’s development behind by – not by a few decades but by centuries. So much so, Ala-ud-din’s critics, who tend to concentrate more on his harsh rule and lambast his severe character, seem to deliberately overlook the formidable cultural and intellectual disaster he spared India from by checking the advance of the terrible Mongol hordes on their track every time they attempted to enter India. It would be years later that the benefits of Ala-ud-din’s victory over the Mongols would be realized and how immense it was for India as a whole and its age-old civilization.
As Sultan, Ala-ud-din would prove to be extremely astute and efficient although as a person and as a ruler, he was always suspicious and would tolerate no dissent. He surrounded himself with a handful of trusted advisors, who were also good fighters in their own right. And any one he suspected as a threat to his authority, he would not hesitate to eliminate them like he did his own brothers whom he suspected of planning a rebellion against him. He is reputed to have promulgated policies that were harsh on his Hindu subjects particularly but which, on the other hand, assured him full control of his grip on power and authority as Sultan.
Towards the end of his rule, he became sick and, as such, he became more and more rash and suspicious of everyone around him. So much so, it was not surprising that, in the end his reign transcended into chaos till finally, he met a violent death. It is said, he was killed by his ‘faithful’ servant Malik Kafur and who had him interred in the Qutub Minar, where Ala-ud-din Khilji had already started building his own mausoleum. Thus, ended the rule of one of the most feared and also one of the most intriguing characters in Indian history. However, his victories over the Mongols in their several attempts to enter India, helped saved India and its rich age-old culture, glories and civilization.
In conclusion, it would not be out of place to quote from Sheshadri Kumar, a Hindu critic’s assessment of Ala-ud-din Khilji’s place in India’s history. He stresses not without good reason that …
“ … if the Mongols had won against Khilji, they would have wiped Indian civilization off the map of the world. You would not be arguing to-day about who built a mosque on top of a temple – nothing would have remained to tell a tale. If we have a Hindu culture that survives in India to-day, a large credit for that has to go to Alauddin Khilji, one of history’s greatest warriors and kings. He may have been a bane of Hindus when he ruled; but he saved India from the Mongols. And thus, in a strange way, he saved Hinduism.”
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