Muslim Slave System in Medieval India c7.12

c7.12

The sight of horrendous killing completely unnerved the captives. Not only were the captives physically tortured, they were also morally shattered. They were systematically humiliated and exposed to public ridicule. When prisoners from Sindh were sent to the Khalifa, the slaves, who were chiefly daughters of princes and Ranas, were made to stand in a line along with the menials (literally shoe-bearers).¹⁷ Hodivala gives details of the humiliation of Jaipal at the hands of Mahmud. He writes that Jaipal was publicly exposed at one of the *slave-auctions in some market in Khurasan*, just like the thousands of other Hindu captives (He) was paraded about so that his sons and chieftains might see him in that condition of shame, bonds and disgrace inflicting upon him the public indignity of commingling him in one common servitude.¹⁸ No wonder that in the end Jaipal immolated himself, for such humiliation was inflicted deliberately to smash the morale of the captives. In short, once reduced to such straits, the prisoners, young or old, ugly or handsome, princes or commoners could be flogged, converted, sold for a tuppence or made to work as menials.