The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c15.101

v1.c15.101

The course of Musalmān invasion, which entailed consequences of perhaps equal importance, may be traced with greater precision. If we reckon from the Arab conquest of Sind in 712 a.d. to the establishment of the Sultanate of Delhi in 1193 a.d., we shall see that nearly five centuries elapsed before Musalmān conquest spread from the confines through the Delhi gateway into the very heart of India. During this long period it was held in check by the Rājput princes; and their ultimate failure to impede its progress was due to internal discord which has always been the bane of feudal confederations.