The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c13.126

v1.c13.126

The most important incident in the history of Kashmir after the death of Tuṅga was the futile attempt of Maḥmūd of Ghazni to conquer the Valley. Kalhaṇa in his account of the reign only incidentally refers to the cowardly conduct of the sons of the low-born Candramukha, 'who on being sent by the king to fight with the Turuṣkas, like Tuṅga, turned, fled, and again came back to their own country.'² This incident most probably happened in connection with the attempt of Maḥmūd to invade Kashmir after the defeat of Trilocanapāla. But unfortunately Kalhaṇa does not supply us with any details of this grave danger to his country's independence. For this we have to depend on the Muslim chroniclers who had recorded the history of the Yamīnī dynasty. I have already shown elsewhere how Maḥmūd after his victory on the Toṣī in 1013 A.D., advanced into the foothills of Kashmir, and carried away much booty and plunder.³ According to both Niẓām ud-Dīn and Firishta Maḥmūd in A.H. 406 (A.D. 1015) returned to the attack. The latter gives the following account of this campaign: "Maḥmūd in the year A.H. 406, revisited Kashmir with his army, in order to punish some revolted chiefs, and to besiege some forts, which he had not reduced in his former expedition. The first of these forts was Lohkot, remarkable on account of its height and strength, and which entirely defeated the king's utmost efforts; for not being able to reduce it during the summer season, he was obliged, on the approach of winter, to abandon his enterprise and return to Ghazni. On his route he was misled by his guides, and falling into extensive morasses, from which he for several days could not extricate his army, many of his troops perished, and he failed in all the enterprises of this campaign.'"¹ Niẓām ud-Dīn, though brief, substantially agrees with this story.² Stein has shown that this fort, which blocked Maḥmūd's advance into Kashmīr, is to be identified with al-Bīrūnī's Lahūr (or Lauhūr)³ and the fort of Lohara of Kalhaṇa, situated not far from the Toṣāmaidān Pass.⁴ Starting from some place on the Punjab plain between the Indus and the Jhelum, Maḥmūd must have been advancing along this route. He may have been following the Tosī (mod. Tohī) river from some position north of the modern town of Jhelum, where he defeated Trilocanapāla in 1013 A.D. Though Maḥmūd was repulsed and failed to enter the valley, yet it seems that he succeeded in conquering a portion of the 'sub-montane regions which adjoin Kashmir on the south.' This is proved by 'Utbī who tells us that when Maḥmūd started on his expedition against Kanauj (1018 A.D.) he was waited upon by Jankī, son of Samhī, the ruler of the pass of Kashmir, who marched 'in front of him as a guide crossing valley after valley.'⁵ In A.H. 412 (A.D. 1021) Maḥmūd again invaded Kashmīr and invested the stronghold of Lohkot, "but finding it altogether impregnable he decamped" and proceeded to Lahore.⁶ Niẓām ud-Dīn tells us that the siege was personally conducted by the Sulṭān "for a month." After he retreated towards Lahore.¹