History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c1.s1.12

c1.s1.12

Baranī's indefiniteness on this issue appears inexplicable. His father and uncle had been in the service of Delhi sultans for a considerable time. He himself was an intimate friend of many an influential government servant. Besides this he had consulted many contemporary and earlier works. He was thus in a position to possess accurate information with regard to the origin of the Khaljīs. Therefore, he either deliberately avoided to throw light on this point, or thought it to be a matter of little consequence, or was perhaps unable to ascertain the truth. Anyhow the fact is that he was not conversant with ethnological studies, because he displays a similar vagueness about the origin of the Tughlaqs. But his statements do bear out that the Khaljīs were not welcomed by a certain section of the nobles, because they came of a race different from that of the Turks. Later historians like Nizāmuddīn, Badaonī and Ferishtah do not advance the position any further. Their statements are based only on legends and not on any definite conclusions of historical research.