Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c16.s4.8

c16.s4.8

Iltutmish's accession (1210) was resisted by Delhi Jandars, and in the battle he "put most of their horsemen" to the sword. His wars with Yaldoz and Qubaicha again must have meant depletion of Muslim numbers (fighting on both sides) continually. In his attack on Malwa—Bhilsa, Ujjain etc.—again some Muslim soldiers would have perished. During his attack on Nagda, the capital of the Guhilots, he was driven away by its ruler Kshetra Singh, with heavy losses. But the most interesting fact is that Kalinjar, Gwalior, Ranthambhor and even Badaon and Kanauj, which had been captured earlier, had to be reconquered by him.⁶⁴ Obviously the Muslim garrisons in these places had been destroyed by the Rajputs. Minhaj Siraj makes mention of a Hindu Raja of Avadh, Bartu (?) by name "under whose hands and sword [in 1226] more than 120,000 Musalmans had received martyrdom."⁶⁵ The figure may be inflated, but the fact is important. Raziyah's rule was full of bloodshed. Armies of Delhi, Lahore, Bhatinda and Sirhind were involved in war. Karmatians had created trouble in Iltutmish's reign; in Raziyah's reign a thousand of them openly attacked the Muslims in the Jama Masjid, killed many of them and then were themselves killed. Ranthambhor had once again to be evacuated during her reign. Since perhaps during the period of the early sultans there was not much Indianization of the army, the losses in war may have been mainly of Muslims. Alauddin Masud Shah had acquired the habit of seizing and killing his nobles⁶⁶ (and certainly other Muslims too). In Nasiruddin's reign two attempts on Ranthambhor (1248, 1259) seem to have been made without success⁶⁷ but surely entailing loss of Muslim soldiers. In wars in Avadh, Narwar, Gwalior, Chanderi, Malwa etc., again, many Muslims would have lost their lives.