History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c11.114

c11.114

with a strong force of thirty to forty thousand to deal with the invaders. The royal army met the Mughals in the vicinity of Amroha and inflicted upon them a crushing defeat on Thursday 12th Jamādus Sānī 705 (December 30, 1305).⁶⁷ A large portion of the Mughal army was "put to sword, scattered and dispersed". Twenty thousand horses belonging to the Mughals were seized by the victors and the Mughal corpses lay right and left.⁶⁸ The two Mughal generals were captured alive and sent to Delhi in chains and fetters. Exultant with joy ‘Alāuddīn ordered a *durbār* to be held on the Chautrā-i-Sub-hānī, where he sat in all his kingly glory to receive the prisoners of war and decide their fate; his victorious army standing in double rows from the royal seat to Indrapat. Large was the crowd which had assembled to witness the scene. The price of a flask of water rose to twenty *jītals* and half a *tankah*. The Mughal prisoners of war were led through this mass of humanity and were presented before the royal throne. By the order of the Sultan they were paraded in the city on camels, after which they were beheaded; and their heads were used in the construction of towers outside the fort. According to Ferishtah 8,000 heads of Mughal prisoners were used instead of stones and bricks to build the towers of Sīrī, which were then under construction; and his statement is confirmed by Amīr Khusrau who writes: "They (the Mughals) give blood to new buidlings."