Muslim Slave System in Medieval India c12.18

c12.18

The Paiks were allotted sundry duties to perform. They fed, groomed, and looked after the horses of the cavalrymen who had a superior status. Alauddin Khalji had 70,000 cavalrymen besides other ranks.³⁷ Thousands of slaves were needed to look after them. Similar was the case with elephant stables. These pilkhanas had thousands of elephants and *mahouts*, and *ghulams* and Paiks were on duty to feed and nourish them.³⁸ The number of slaves for maintaining them and other animals can only be imagined.³⁹