The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c8.s15.3

c8.s15.3

Among the external causes mention may be made of the presence of powerful Rajput kingdoms, particularly those on the north and the east. The Rajput dynasties, which ruled over these parts of the country, were more than a match for the Arabs and they were prepared to contest every inch of the ground against foreign encroachment. In the second place, there existed throughout India a powerful Hindu priesthood which exercised an irresistible influence over the people and was deadly opposed to foreign ways of life and thought. The generality of the Hindus, under the influence of this priestly class, considered themselves and their culture greatly superior to that of the Arabs, who were, in their eyes, nothing more than unclean barbarians. Thirdly, Sindh was then, as now, almost a desert land and its financial resources were inadequate to meet the expenditure of a top-heavy administration. It was, therefore, financially a deficit province and was an unremunerative part of the Caliphate. The Arabs of Sindh, left to their own resources, found themselves powerless against their richer neighbours. Finally, Sindh is situated in the wrong corner of India and it does not offer a geographical key to the rest of the country. It was not possible for any power starting from Sindh and making that as the base of its operations to succeed in conquering the rest of India.