South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c11.s1.12

c11.s1.12

Domestic troubles of Alau-d-din's reign.—Anxieties and cares, however, assailed the king almost from the moment of the return of Malik Kafur from his southern expedition. The causes of these are easy to trace, and these were the causes that subverted his own government, luckily for him after his death, and that of his great successor Muhammad-bin Tughlak. These can be grouped under three heads: (1) It was pointed out already that Jalal-ud-din settled several of the Mughal centurions (Amirs of hundred and more, called ‘Amir Judeida’ by other historians) who had become Muhammadans, in various places providing them estates or other means of livelihood. At the commencement of the reign of Alau-d-din, he took advantage of his revenue organization to cut the income of these Mughals close, along with those of others, even depriving some of them of their means of livelihood. This naturally created discontent, and the discontent gathered head on the occasion of a possible Mughal invasion. Some of them, the more impetous among them, conspired to assassinate the king. This conspiracy was taken full advantage of, and Alau-d-din ordered a general massacre of these new Mussalmans to take place simultaneously wherever they were.