Muntakhab al-tawarikh 4.1
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 4.1
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4.1.1
When Subuktigin, in the month of Sha'ban 387 H., while on the road to Ghaznin, receiving the summons of the Almighty responded “Here am I,” he appointed his young son Isma‘il as his successor. When this news reached Mahmud who was the elder son of Subuktigin, he wrote a letter of condolence to his brother and sought a peaceful solution of the difficulty on the following terms: That Isma‘il should give up Ghaznin to Mahmud, receiving in its stead the governorship of Balkh: Isma‘il refused these terms, and eventually war was declared between the brothers. Mahmud was victorious, and after defeating Isma‘il, kept him closely besieged in Ghaznin for a space of six months, at the expiration of which time certain of their friends intervened and made peace between them. Isma‘il then came and had an interview with Mahmud, and the sovereignty devolved upon Yaminu-d-Daulat Mahmud. After this a quarrel arose between Mahmud and Mansur ibn-Nuh Samani and also his brother ‘Abdu-l-Malik ibn-Nuh. Eventually Mahmud got the upper hand. The Amirs of ‘Abdu-l-Malik also, Faiq and Baktuzun, who engaged in contest with Mahmud, were defeated by him, and the sovereignty of the whole of Khurasan, of Ghaznin, and the frontiers of Hindustan came into the hands of Mahmud. Mahmud’s mother was the daughter of the ruler of Zabul [that is to say Qandahar] accordingly, he is called Mahmud Zabuli—as Firdausi says
4.1.2
The auspicious court of Mahmud Zabuli is an ocean, An ocean such that no shore can be spied for it I went to the ocean—I dived but found no pearl The fault is my fortune’s—not that of the ocean. In the early part of his reign he had some unpleasant correspondence with the Khalifah of Baghdad Al Qadir billahi ’Abbasi. Eventually the Khalif despatched a magnificent robe of honour, and many presents of precious things and gems, and conferred on him the title of Aminu-l Millat Yaminu-d Daulat. Leaving Ghaznin he went to Balkh and Herat, and in 387 A.H., (997 A.D.) he returned to Ghaznin after having settled those provinces, and thence made repeated incursions and forays into Hindustan, and took several fortresses. ‘Asjadi composed the following qasida in honour of this expedition: When the king of kings marched to Somnat He made his own deeds the standard of miracles.
4.1.3
In the month of Shawwal, 391 A.H., (1000 A.D.) Mahmud returned to Hindustan from Ghaznin with ten thousand cavalry, and reduced Peshawar. He also again drew up his forces on these frontiers for battle with Jaipal who confronted him with large forces of cavalry and infantry and three hundred elephants. Sultan Mahmud gained the day and Jaipal was taken prisoner together with fifteen of his relatives, his brothers and his sons; and five thousand infidels fell by the sword. Great spoils fell into the hands of the Ghuzas, among them a pearl necklet which was on the neck of Jaipal, which was worth some hundred and eighty thousand dinars, and the necklets of the others too, on the same This victory was on Saturday, the 8th of Muharram, 392 H., (1001 A.D.) Leaving that place Mahmud proceeded to the fortress of Tabarhindah which was the residence of Jaipal, and conquered that country.
4.1.4
After this in the month of Muharram 395 A.H. he left Ghaznin and proceeded to Hindustan way of Sistan and assaulted Bhatia which is in the vicinity of Multan. The Raja of that place, Beji Rai, fearing the punishment of the Sultan killed himself with a dagger, and they brought his head to the Sultan. Many Hindus, more than one can number, were hurried along the road to non-existence by the pitiless sword, and Mahmud took as spoil two hundred and eighty elephants whilst Da'ud ibn-Nasr the renegade ruler of Multan, being reduced to submission by the Sultan, agreed to pay twenty times twenty thousand dirhams annual tribute. As he was going to Multan, Anandpal, son of Jaipal, drew up an army here to oppose the advance of the Sultan, but fled after the battle into the mountains of Kashmir, and the Sultan reached Multan by way of Hindusthan. These events occurred in 396 A.H. (1005 A.D.) In the following year 397 A.H. (1006 A.D.) a battle was fought at Balkh between Mahmud and Ilek Khan, king of Mawara-un-Nahr. Mahmud was victorious; Ilek Khan finally died in the year 403 H. (1012 A.D.) In the year 398 H. (1007 A.D.) Mahmud entered Turkistan, and settled the affairs of the Turks, pursued Sukhpal Nubah, Raja of Hind (who having embraced Islam had been released from his captivity to Abu 'Ali Sinjur, but had again joined the idolaters and apostates) overcame him and threw him into prison where he died.
4.1.5
In the year 399 A.H. (1008 A.D.) Mahmud a second time entered Hindustan and engaging in battle with the aforesaid Anand Pal defeated him, and betaking himself with his vast spoil to the fortress of Bhimnagar — which nowadays is known and possessed of the treasure and which had been buried and stored there since the time of and in the early part of the year 1001 H he and silver thrones to be placed in his court, and ordered that all that unequalled and incomparable wealth should be scattered at the foot of his own throne that the people might gaze on it. In the year 1010 H (1010 A.D) he left Ghazna and marched on account of which the Hindus had been ruined; and having placed it in his court, caused it to be trampled under foot by the people. In the year 404 H. (1012 A.D.), he conquered Gharjistan, and in the selfsame year an ambassador arrived from the ruler of Egypt, and when the Sultan heard that he was of the Batini sect, he exposed him to public ridicule and expelled him.
4.1.6
In the year 404 H. (1013 A.D.), he prepared an expeditionary force to attack Nandana, a city situated on the mountains of Balnath. Jaipal II left a force to defend that fortress, and himself proceeded to the Kashmir pass. The Sultan gained possession of that fortress with promise of quarter, and left Sarogh Kotwal to defend it, while he pursued Jaipal. He took the vast spoils of that mountainous region and put many infidels to death by the sword of holy war, and honoured the rest by admitting them to Islam—a certain number he led captive to Ghaznin. In the year 406 H. (1015 A.D.), he contemplated the conquest of Kashmir, and besieged the fortress of Lohar Kot, which was a very high fort, but was forced to abandon the siege on account of the severity of the cold and rain, and the constant reinforcements available to the Kashmiris, and returned to Ghaznin. In that year he entered into a contract for the marriage of his sister Abul Abbas Mamun Khwarazm Shah, and sent her to Khwarazm.
4.1.7
In the year 407 H. (1016 A.D.), a band of ruffians murdered Khwarazm Shah, and Mahmud leaving Ghaznin, proceeded first to Balkh and thence to Khwarazm, where a furious battle took place between his forces and those of Khumartash, the commander-in-chief of Khwarazm. The Sultan's forces gained the day and Mahmud appointed Altun Tash governor of that country, investing him with the title of Shah; he also took vengeance on the murderers of Khwarazm Shah, and returned (to Ghaznin) after having arranged those important affairs.
4.1.8
In the year 409 H., he marched with the object of subduing Qanauj, and having crossed the seven dangerous rivers of Hindustan, upon his arrival in the neighbourhood of Qanauj, Kura-h, the ruler of Qanauj, offered his submission, and sued for quarter, offering presents. Leaving that place he arrived at the fortress of Barnah whose governor Barwat, having entrusted the defence of the fortress to his kinsfolk, retired into seclusion. The garrison of the fort not being able to withstand Mahmud’s assault sent a present of a lakh and fifty thousand rupees, with thirty elephants, and thus obtained quarter. From thence Mahmud proceeded to the fortress of Mahawun on the banks of the river Jon, where the governor of the fort named Kul Chandar attempted to escape by crossing the river riding on an elephant, but in the meantime the troops of the Sultan arrived, and he destroyed himself by stabbing himself with a dagger — By that same watery path he went to Hell. When to live is to fulfil the desires of one’s enemies Death is infinitely preferable to life.
4.1.9
At the taking of the fortress of Qanauj eighty-five elephants and a boundless amount of spoil fell into the hands of the troops. From thence he went to Mathra which is a place of worship of the infidels, and the birth place of Kishan, the son of Basudev, whom the Hindus worship as a divinity — where there are idol temples without number, and took it without any contest, and rased it to the ground. Great wealth and booty fell into the hands of the Muslims, among the rest they broke up by the orders of the Sultan, a golden idol, the weight of which was simple eight thousand three hundred of refined gold and a piece of sapphire whose weight was four hundred and fifty misqals, besides a celebrated elephant of huge size, like a mountain, belonging to Raja Gobind Chand, one of the Rajas of Hindustan, which the Sultan had long earnestly sought to buy, but which was not to be had. By chance one night, when they were returning, this elephant broke loose and came into the Sultan's camp without a keeper. The Sultan was greatly pleased with its capture, and gave it the name of Khudadad. When the spoil reached Ghaznin it was found to amount to over twenty million and fifty-three thousand dirams, and three hundred and fifty odd elephants.