The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c8.s4.8

c8.s4.8

Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316) had under his command 475,000 horsemen,¹⁴⁸ and Muhammad Tughlaqs cavalry is said to have consisted of 900,000 soldiers.¹⁴⁹ Of course, the size of the army varied from time to time. The Saiyyads were weak and Lodis not so strong. But even in the newly created kingdoms of the fifteenth century like Gujarat, Malwa, Jaunpur etc. Muslim cavalry generally had an edge over the armies of the neighbouring Rajas. Under Alauddin Khalji the custom of branding horses and keeping a pen-picture of the soldier (*dagh-wa-chehra*) was strictly followed.¹⁵⁰