History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c13.s1.20

c13.s1.20

The royal army marched on. On the 15th of Zilq'ada (April 16th, 1311) they arrived in the city of Kūm (Elliot: Khām),³¹ and after some days they reached Madura, where Vīra was supposed to live. The Rai along with his family and treasures had fled away from there again and only two or three elephants were left in the temple of Jāgnār (rather Sokkanatha).³² Kāfūr's disappointment was terrible and in his impotent rage he set fire to it. By now his patience had been exhausted. He had relentlessly searched the Rai for weeks and months; in towns, in jungles and in hills, but everywhere in vain; and now finding that he had become master of so much wealth and had captured so many elephants, he decided to march back. Before marching homewards he ordered all the spoils to be arranged and classified. His gains consisted of 512 elephants (Baranī has 612), 5000 horses of various breeds like ‘Arabi, Yamani and Syrian³³ (Barani has 20,000 horses, 96,000 *mans* of gold), and 500 *mans* of jewellery of every description³⁴ With these rewards of his enterprise he broke his camp on Sunday the 4th Zilhijja (April 25th, 1311) to the extreme joy of everybody. They marched towards Delhi on the same rough paths on which they had marched down to the conquest of the south. They arrived in Delhi after an arduous journey of six months. Sultan ‘Alāūddin accorded a deserving reception to his victorious general and his troops. He held a Durbar in the palace of Hazār Situn in Siri on the 4th of Jamadus sani 711 A.H. (Monday, October 18th, 1311 A.D.)³⁵, where Malik Kāfūr presented before the Sultan all he had brought from the Deccan. Such was the wealth captured in south, says Barani, that since the capture of Delhi by the Muhammadans at no time had so much treasure been seized. On such occasions ‘Alāūddin did not fail to exhibit his generosity. He gave four, two, one and half a *man* gold to his nobles and Amirs.