The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c29.s2.107

v3.c29.s2.107

‘Alā-ud-dīn left Māldeo, Raja of Jālor, whom he had defeated and who had sworn fealty to him, in command of Chitor, and the towns of Mewār were held by Muslim garrisons, and the survivors of the Sesodias, and those who remained faithful to them took refuge at Kelwārā¹, in the heart of the Arāvallī Mountains, and from this stronghold harried the lands of Mewār. Māldeo was shortly afterwards relieved of the command of Chitor, and Khizr Khān, the eldest son of ‘Alā-ud-dīn, was appointed in his place, but after the rescue of Ratan Singh² ‘Alā-ud-dīn removed Khizr Khān and appointed Arsi, or Ar Singh, to the command. Arsi was, according to the Hindu legend, the elder son of Ajai Singh, Rānā of Chitor, and, according to the Muslim chronicles, sister’s son to Ratan Singh. The bards do not mention Arsi’s appointment to the command of the fortress, but the Muslim historians say that on being appointed he swore fealty to ‘Alā-ud-dīn, who by this means sowed discord among the Rājputs, some of whom remained faithful to Ratan Singh, while others submitted to Arsi. The history of Chitor at this time is hopelessly confused, owing to the silence of the Muslim historians and the discrepancies between the Hindu legends and the few facts known. It is certain, however, that Chitor was recovered by the Rājputs shortly after this time, and that Hamīr, or Hamīra Singh, was the hero of the enterprise. The precise degree of relationship between Hamīr and the Rānā is uncertain. According to the bards he was the son of Arsi, the elder son of Ajai Singh, but it seems probable that he was the grandson of Ratan Singh. The bards, in recording the recovery of Chitor, assign no date to it, but assert that it occurred in the reign of ‘Mahmūd Khaljī of Delhi,’ a king unknown to history. Elsewhere the Rājputs are said to have recovered Chitor about 1312, four years before the death of ‘Alā-ud-dīn, who reigned until 1316, to have thrown the Muhammadan officers from the ramparts, and to have asserted their independence, but from an inscription at Chitor it appears that the fort was not recovered until the time of Muhammad Tughluq, who reigned from 1325 to 1351. According to native annals the ‘Mahmūd Khaljī’ in whose reign the fort was taken by Hamīr was marching to recover it when he was met, defeated, and captured by the Rānā, who imprisoned him for three months at Chitor, and would not liberate him until he had surrendered Ajmer, Ranthambhor, Nāgaur, and Suī Sopar, with five millions of rupees and five hundred elephants. No Muslim king of Delhi was ever a prisoner in Chitor, or ever surrendered the fortresses mentioned to a Rānā of Chitor, and the story appears to be a clumsy but wilful adaptation of the defeat and capture of Mahmūd Khaljī II of Mālwa by Sangrama about 200 years after this time. Hamīr’s reputation stands in need of so much manipulation of history. His reign was long and glorious. He lived until 1364, recovered all the dominions of his ancestors, and laboured to restore their prosperity.