History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c8.56

c8.56

'Both were brought into the Sultan's presence; the cripple was blown away by means of a *manjniq* and the blind man was ordered to be dragged to Daulatabad forty days' journey from Dihli with the result that only one of his legs reached the new capital.'²⁷ The same authority informs us that one night the Sultan ascended the roof of the palace and when he saw 'neither smoke nor light' in the city, he declared that he was satisfied.²⁸ In view of the Sultan's lavish generosity towards those who went from Dihli to Daulatabad and back from Daulatabad to Dihli, it is difficult to explain this monstrous conduct. But it must be borne in mind that Ibn Batūṭah was no eye-witness of these occurrences, and by the time he reached Dihli six years later, a good deal of falsehood must have entered into the original story. Besides, Ibn Batutah does not refer us to any unimpeachable source for this piece of information, and relies only on hearsay. The contemporary Chronicler comments upon the