Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c11.8

c11.8

Some of this loss was made up by the large scale immigration of the Afghans during the fifteenth century. From the inception of Muslim rule, individual scholars, saints and enterprizing adventurers had come to India and settled down here. During the Mongol invasions in the thirteenth century and after, some soldiers from the invading armies also had stayed on in this country. In the time of Balban a few thousand Afghans manned the forts in the turbulent regions like Mewat.⁴ And yet this immigration was little as compared with the Afghan arrivals during the time of the Saiyyads and Lodis (A.D. 1414-1526), who invited them in large numbers to help them stay in power, and they poured into India year after year "like ants and locusts."⁵ The actual numbers that arrived and settled down here is not known but it should have been considerable. With time they must have multiplied. Another factor which would have helped in the recoupment of population was the good administrative system of Sher Shah (1540-45), with the safety of roads and care of the peasantry, and still better and benign administration of Emperor Akbar (1556-1605).