The Foundation of Muslim Rule in India: A History of the Establishment and Progress of the Turkish Sultanate of Delhi, 1206–1290 A.D. c10.9

c10.9

The subsequent course of the war with Orissa has not been chronicled; Tamur Khan and Masud Jani’s rule is not known in detail. It seems unreasonable to believe that Orissa assumed a pacific attitude after such a triumph. The frontier town of Lakhanor is not mentioned again; an extension of Narasinha’s dominions in Bengal can well be presumed. Some such development, in any event, led to the renewal of hostilities soon after Yuzbak’s appointment in 1253-54. After two victories on Orissan soil he suffered a defeat. In magnitude it must have been similar to that of Tughan, for like him he appealed to Delhi for assistance. On the arrival of reinforcements he invaded Orissa for the fourth time and pushed as far as Umardan or Amardan—for different variants are found in the texts—“the capital of the Rai” and is even stated to have captured his treasure and family¹. It is extremely doubtful if this ‘victory’ proved decisive or resulted in any territorial advantage, for Narasinha also claimed not only to have defeated the “Javanas” but also to have reached the Ganges victoriously after despatching “the Javanas of Rarh and Varendri”². Besides, Umardan, the place reported to have been