The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c20.494

v3.c20.494

Fīrūz halted at Jaunpur during the rainy season of 1360, and in the autumn led an expedition into Orissa. It is not easy, from the various accounts of the operations, to follow his movements with accuracy, but his objective was Purī, famous for the great temple of Jagannāth. As he advanced into Orissa, which is described as a fertile and wealthy country, the raja fled and took ship for a port on the coast of Telingāna. Fīrūz reached Purī, occupied the raja's palace, and took the great idol, which he sent to Delhi to be trodden underfoot by the faithful. Rumours of an intended pursuit reached the raja, who sent envoys to sue for peace, which he obtained by the surrender of twenty elephants and a promise to send the same number annually to Delhi, and Fīrūz began his retreat. He attempted to reach Kara on the Ganges, where he had left his heavy baggage, by a route more direct than that by which he had advanced, traversing the little known districts of Chota Nāgpur. The army lost its way, and wandered for six months through a country sparsely populated, hilly, and covered with dense jungle. Supplies were not to be had, and numbers perished from the hardships and privations which they suffered, but at length the troops emerged from the hills and forests in which they had been wandering into the open plain. Meanwhile the absence of news from the army had caused at Delhi unrest so grave that Maqbūl, the regent, had considerable difficulty in maintaining order, but news of the army allayed the excitement of the populace, and the king was received on his return with great rejoicing.