The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c19.s6.1

c19.s6.1

Ala-ud-din's reign was greatly disturbed by a series of Mongol invasions which threatened not only the Panjab, Multan and Sindh but even the capital city of Delhi and the fertile region of the Ganga-Yamuna Doab. It will be recalled that Balban had been prevented from following the policy of conquest of the neighbouring Hindu principalities owing to the threat of ever-recurring Mongol raids on his frontier. Ala-ud-din, however, was much more able and adventurous than Balban. He could successfully keep the Mongols in check and, at the same time, pursue a policy of aggressive warfare in the interior of India. It is said that he repelled more than a dozen Mongol invasions. The Mongols had begun to give him trouble right from the beginning of his reign and continued to do so till 1308. Ala-ud-din could, therefore, enjoy repose from this trouble for a little over seven years only.