History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c11.36

c11.36

The Sultans of Madura, as has been observed, gradually increased their power which now grew to formidable dimensions and challenged the Hindu princes of the South. Jalal-al-Din Ahsan Shah ruled for five years and was all his life engaged in fighting against the Hindus. The only powerful Hindu Prince against whom he had to contend was Vir Ballāla, who is described in an inscription of 1338 A.D. as "terrifier of Chola, Mālava, Gaula and Gujjara, splitter of the skull of the Magadha king, sun of the south, emperor of the south, a royal tiger to kings" and in another inscription of 1341 A.D. as "mahārājādhirāj of the whole circle of the earth, Rājparmeśvara, sun in the sky of the Yadava Kula, king over the hill chiefs."¹⁹ He fortified his possessions and guarded his frontiers effectively to prevent the Muhammadans of the north from sending succour to their co-religionists in the South. Ibn Batūtah describes Belāl Deo (Ballāla III), the Hindu Prince, as a grand monarch who ceaselessly waged wars against the rulers of Ma‘bar, and whose object was to bring the whole province within the orbit of his dominions. Ballāla appears as the leading figure in the revolutionary movement which was started in the Deccan to expel the Muhammadans, and though he had passed through great trials and tribulations in an unusually long term of life, he had lost none of the fire and energy of youth. The ultimate object of his campaigns was to drive the Muhammadans out of Madura. Ahsan Shah died after a brief rule of five years and was succeeded by one of his amirs, ‘Ala-al-Din Udaiji, who led an expedition against a Hindu Prince, and having seized immense booty returned to his country.²⁰ Next year, again, he led an expedition against the Hindus and defeated them, but he was himself killed by an arrow in battle during this campaign. After him his son-in-law, Qutb-al-Din was elevated to the throne, but he turned out a bad and vicious man, and was murdered forty days after his accession. He was followed by Ghiyas-al-Din who had also married a daughter of Ibn Batūṭah’s father-in-law, Jalal-al-Din Ahsan Shah. Ghiyas-al-Din Damghāni, who is described on his coins as Ghiyas-al-Din Damghān Shah was formerly employed as a trooper in the service of Malik Majīr bin Abu Rajā who was one of the servants of Muhammad Tughluq. He afterwards took service under Amir Hāji and declared himself king under the title of Sultan Ghiyas-al-Din Damghān Shah.²¹ Ibn Batūṭah found him reigning in Ma‘bar when he reached there in 745 A.H. (1344 A.D.).²² Ghiyas-al-Din set up a splendid court and