History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c11.296.1

c11.296.1

The Deccan proved the Sphinx of the situation. What the Marathas did for Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, the Deccan amirs did on a small scale and with far less resources for Muhammad Tughluq. High-spirited and audacious, the Deccan 'Centurions' proved as subtle and elusive as the Marathas of the seventeenth century and their irrepressible sedition wrecked all the plans and schemes of the Sultan. Though no bigoted Islamite like the Puritan 'Alamgir he adopted a policy which created for him enemies in all parts of the empire which was too large and too hastily formed to be held together from Dihli in the 14th century. The dependency of Madura in the far South had separated itself from the empire, and the declaration of independence by Ahsan Shah in 1335 A.D. had greatly diminished the prestige of the imperial government and deprived it of a valuable means of support against the Hindu Rajas of the Deccan. The grand league organised by Kriṣṇa Nāyak in 1342 A.D. marked a turning point in the fortunes of Muhammad Tughluq. Up to this time he had been engaged in suppressing rebellions in the north and had always succeeded, but after 1343 A.D. an ominous situation confronted him. Famine, pestilence, rebellious governors, religious hatred, and national or to be more accurate communal pride—all combined to bring about his overthrow. The successful Hindu revolt in the South necessitated a complete revision of policy, but the Sultan constantly spurned the behests of irksome prudence.