The Foundation of Muslim Rule in India: A History of the Establishment and Progress of the Turkish Sultanate of Delhi, 1206–1290 A.D. c14.59

c14.59

Another officer attached to the court was the *sar-i-jandar*. He commanded the king's body guards called *jandars*, among whom a large group was possibly formed by the younger slaves of the king. The *sar-i-jandar* was a salaried officer⁴ and a high noble. There was, it appears, more than one *sar-i-jandar* at a time, possibly in command of different groups⁵. His primary duty was to guard the king's person and the *jandar* formed an integral part of his retinue. A passage in the *Tabaqat-i-Nasiri* seems to suggest that the *sar-i-jandar* was also entrusted with the custody, punishment and execution of prisoners of war and also of convicted criminals; Malik Aibak was offered this post by Iltutmish, but he excused himself by saying that "the Sultan.... commands his slave to take an office of affliction (*musaderah*), while his humble slave is unable to practise bloodshed, torture and extortion and oppression upon Muslims and subjects⁶.