South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c13.s1.7

c13.s1.7

We have coins of Muhammadan Tughlak among those found in Madura bearing the dates 1330, 1333 and 1334, a clear indication of the recognition of the authority of the Delhi Sultan in the distant south.¹ The coins of Jalalu-d-din Ahsan Shah so far available to us bear the equivalent of A.D. 1335, as the earliest date. This could be held to mark the date of his successful rebellion.¹ According to Ibn Batuta, Muhammad appointed Shariff Jalalu-d-din Ahsan Shah to be governor of ‘the country of Ma’bar, which is at a distance of six months journey from Delhi. This Jalalu-d-din rebelled, usurped the ruling power, killed the lieutenants and agents of the sovereign, and struck in his own name gold and silver money.’² The details that he gives of the legends upon the coins make it quite certain that this is the Jalalu-d-din Ahsan Shah of the Madura coins, which give the date, A.D. 1335, of the earliest known coins in his own name, as was pointed out above. This has to be noted carefully as it invalidates altogether the chronology of Ferishta. According to him this date would be about seven years later, namely A.D. 1341.³ It is this Ahsan Shah that both Barni and Ferishta refer to as Syed, Hasan, and Hussun, respectively. Jalalu-d-din Ahsan Shah apparently overthrew the army sent by the Sultan Muhammad and declared himself independent in the next few years when he felt certain that Muhammad was not likely to march upon him himself owing perhaps to the rebellion in the home provinces, such as Multan and Sindh. Ibn Batuta knew Jalalu-d-din as he had married one of the Sheriff’s daughters, and was the friend of the Sheriff’s son Ibrahim, the purse bearer of the Emperor Muhammad. When Muhammad heard of the rebellion, Ibrahim was sawn in two by Muhammad’s order for the rebellion of the father. This Ahsan Shah was murdered by one of his nobles in A.D. 1340 and he was succeeded by Alau-d-din Udauji one of the officers of Jalalu-d-din. This Udauji ruled for about a year. At the end of it, after a successful battle with the Hindus (infidels), when he removed his helmet to drink water, he was shot dead on the spot by an arrow from an unknown hand. A son-in-law of his who assumed the title Qutbu-d-din succeeded. He was killed in forty days, and was succeeded by Ghiyathu-d-din Dhāmaghani originally a trooper in the service of the Delhi Sultan. He had subsequently married one of the daughters of Ahsan Shah, and became a brother-in-law of Ibn Batuta. While Ibn Batuta was in South India on his way to China on the mission on which he was despatched by Muhammad in A.D. 1342, he met with an accident on the seas, and was hospitably received by this brother-in-law of his who, at the time, was engaged in a campaign against the infidels near Harekatu of Ibn Batuta (identified with Arcot in the translation). Ghiyathu-d-din sent a party to receive Ibn Batuta and take him to his camp. Ibn Batuta gives some interesting details of Ghiyathu-d-din’s doings which throw a lurid light upon the character of Muhammadan rule in the South. While Ibn Batuta accompanied him, when he moved from the camp towards the capital, he happened to fall in with a number of ‘idolaters’ with their women and children in clearing a road through the forest. He made them carry a number of stakes sharpened at both ends, and when morning broke he divided these prisoners into four groups, and led one party to each gate of the four entrances to the camp. The stakes that they carried were then driven into the ground at one end and the unfortunate wretches were impaled alive thereon. Their wives and children had their throats cut and were left fastened to the posts. Ibn Batuta exclaims in horror ‘it was for this reason that God hastened the death of Ghiyathu-d-din.’ It is hardly necessary to add to this blood-curdling story others from Ibn Batuta.