History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c6.55

c6.55

Having summoned his nobles and allies, Khusrau left Siri and encamped on the ground near the Hauz ‘Alai not far from Indarpat. He occupied a position of great advantage, well fortified on all sides; in front of him were groves and walled gardens to shield him from the enemy’s attack, and in the rear was the citadel of old Dihli, where he could find a ready shelter and supply of provisions in the event of danger. When all preparations had been made, news was brought to Khusrau, on the eve of the day of battle, of the defection of ‘Ain-al-Mulk Multani who had secretly left for Ujjain and Dhar. Khusrau’s courage failed him, and his heart sank as he surveyed the prospect that lay before him. Ghazi Malik set his forces in order and with his army advanced to the plain of Lohrawat³⁰ to meet the army of Dihli. The Parwaris with those Musalmans, who preferred wealth and position to honour and conscience, had repaired to this place with their elephants and horses. A sharp engagement followed in which Khusrau’s men were defeated. Malik Talbagha Nagori, whose constant fidelity to the parvenu had led him to brave great risks, was completely overpowered, and his head was brought to Ghazi Malik. The son of Qara Qimar who enjoyed the title of Shaysta Khan, when he saw the day going against his party, withdrew from the army and decided to flee from the field of battle. On his way to Indarpat, he fell upon the army of Ghazi Malik and plundered its baggage. But the battle raged fiercely, and the Dihlwis in spite of the treachery of Shaysta fought with great gallantry till evening. This heroic effort put the old warrior on his mettle; he gathered his followers and comrades and appealed to them to fight with all their strength. Loyally assisted by the officers and the rank and file, who looked upon this war as a Jihad, he dashed in full vigour and charged the centre of the army of Dihli. Driven to extremities, Khusrau and his men fought with desperate courage and for a short while successfully withstood the attacks of their valiant foes. Barani like an orthodox Muslim gives a highly disparaging account of Khusrau’s conduct in battle, but the author of the *Tughluq-namah* gives him credit for bravery. Nizam-al-Din, unlike Barani, gives his due even to an unclean Parwari. Even Badaoni, a man of strong clerical bias, admires the gallantry with which Khusrau and his men fought in battle. Firishta joins in the praise and says, Khusrau’s army opposed the confederates with great bravery. Ibn Batūṭah says, Khusrau was a brave and spirited man and fought with great courage against his enemies. He goes so far as to say that before his assault Tughluq’s army fled, and his camp was plundered, and he is substantially corroborated by the *Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi* which is an earlier authority than the *Tabqāt*. The forlorn hope of the Dihli army, despite the heavy odds arrayed against them, continued to fight with stubborn courage, but when Ghazi Malik at the head of his brave 300 fell like a solid rock upon them, their strength was exhausted, and their defeat was easily turned into a miserable rout. Khusrau made his escape from the field of battle and arrived at Tilpat³¹, all his followers having been wounded or killed. Barani writes that he concealed himself in the garden of Malik Shadi, an ‘Alai noble, a former patron of his and there he lay crouching in abject fear. The *Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi* and the *Tabqāt* support Barani, though Hajji-ad-Dabīr writes tomb instead of garden.