History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c6.20.1

c6.20.1

The dynasty is known by the name Tughluq.¹¹ What does the cognomen Tughluq signify? Sir Wolseley Haig had once expressed the opinion,¹² which he informed me in a private letter he had abandoned, that Tughluq was not the name of Sultan Ghiyas-al-Din Tughluq but a tribal cognomen, and argued that it was not necessary to describe the second ruler of the dynasty as Muhammad Bin Tughluq.¹³ But on this point the testimony of contemporary authorities is conclusive. Tughluq was not an unfamiliar name in the middle ages. Such names were common among the Mughals as appears from the *Tarikh-i-Rashidi*, and sometimes dynasties were called after the names of their founders. The suggestion of the *Muhlaqāt* alluded to by Firishta that Qutlugh became Tughluq through frequent use by Indians seems to be incorrect. If it had been so, Muhammad Tughluq, who was a well-educated scholar, would have restored the original spelling of the word, as there is evidence to show that he was very careful about his coin legends. Besides, Tughluq and Qutlugh seem to have been carefully distinguished from each other, for Qutlugh Khan was a recognised title which was conferred upon Amirs by these Sultans. Muhammad Tughluq's tutor enjoyed the title of Qutlugh Khan. Ibn Batūṭah and Barani both write Tughluq (تغلق) and they are supported by ‘Afif, Yaḥyā, Nizam-al-Din, Abul-Fazl, Badaoni, Hajji-ad-Dabir and many others.