History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c8.4

c8.4

As early as 1299 Rajputana had tasted of the ‘Alāī arms. The bardic lore of Rajputana gives two invasions of Jaisalmer¹ by the Khaljīs, the first one in 1286, in the time of Jalāluddīn, and the other in 1295 by Sultan of ‘Alāuddīn. The unlearned bards to whom the facts about these invasions were known through tales carried down from generation to generation wrongly assign the first invasion to ‘Alāuddīn and the second one to Jalāluddīn.² This is simple anachronism and no “willful perversion” of facts as Col. Haig is prone to think.³ But only on the ground of this mistake it cannot be said that Jaisalmer was never invaded in the time of ‘Alāuddīn.⁴ True, contemporary Muslim chronicles make no mention of an invasion of Jaisalmer, yet there is positive mention of one in the bardic literature. The first invasion came off in 1286 in which 3,800 Rajputs died on the battle field and 24,000 women perished in the flames. Jaisalmer was occupied by a Muslim garrison, but its occupation did not last longer than a couple of years.