The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c20.221.2

v3.c20.221.2

Fleets of boats were collected on the Jumna and the Ganges, and Balban, accompanied by his second son, Bughrā Khān, set out from Delhi and marched through the Doāb. In Oudh he mustered his forces, which numbered, including sutlers and camp-followers, 200,000, and, although the rainy season had begun he crossed the Gogra and invaded Bengal. Here he was often compelled by the state of the weather and the roads to halt for ten or twelve days at a time, and when he reached Lakhnāwatī he found it almost deserted, for Tughril, on hearing of his approach, had fled with his army and most of the inhabitants to Jājnagar¹ in eastern Bengal. After a short halt Balban continued his march until he reached Sonārgāon, on the Meghna, near Dacca, where he compelled the raja, Bhoj, to undertake to use his utmost endeavours to discover Tughril and to prevent his escape by land or water. He dismayed his army by solemnly swearing that he would not rest nor return to Delhi, nor even hear the name of Delhi mentioned, until he should have seized Tughril, even though he had to pursue him on the sea. His troops, who had not yet even discovered the place of Tughril's retreat, wrote letters, in the deepest dejection, bidding farewell to their families at Delhi, and the search for Tughril began. One day a patrol under Sher Andāz of Koil and Muqaddir encountered some grain merchants who had been abroad on business.