History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c17.s6.8

c17.s6.8

This was the last united effort of the states of Northern India to check the progress of the Moslems, and henceforth each one of them had to bear singly the brunt of Mahmud's ever-recurring aggressions. The turn of Kanauj came after several years, but unfortunately we have no information as to what happened there during the interval. On the 13th Junaidi of 409 *Hijri* = 27th September, 1018 A. D., the Sultan at last "bade farewell to sleep and ease", and departed along with his valiant warriors (11,000 regulars and 20,000 volunteers) for Kanauj, over which the shadow of the imperial power still hovered. Crossing the Jun or Jumnā on the 20th day of *Rajab*, 409 *Hijri*, or 2nd December, 1018, he arrived at the citadel of Barba (Baran) identified with Bulandshahr;¹ the local Rājā, Haradatta, became terror-stricken and purchased his life and kingdom by conversion to Islam with 10,000 of his followers. The next chief against whom Mahmud directed his attention on his way, was Kulacandar (Kulacandra) of Mahāban (Muttra district), "one of the leaders of the accursed satans, who employed his whole life in infidelity, and was confident in the strength of his own dominions."² The battle resulted in a victory for the Moslems, and Kulacandra slew his wife and himself with a dagger instead of submitting to forcible conversion. Then having sacked and desecrated the magnificent temples of Mathura, the cradle-land of Kriṣṇa, Mahmud proceeded towards Kanauj, appearing before its gates on the 8th day of *Shában* or 20th December, 1018,¹ with a "small body of troops, leaving the greater part of his army behind".² He there saw "a city which raised its head to the skies, and which in strength and beauty might boast of being unrivalled".³ He also found that the city held a very strategic position on the right bank of the Ganges, and its fortifications consisted of seven distinct forts. It was reputed, moreover, to contain 10,000 temples of high antiquity. But on hearing of Mahmud's sudden approach Rājyapāla (Utbi has corrupted the name into Rai Jaipāl or Rājā pāl),⁴ who had perhaps already shared in the defeat of the confederate armies on two occasions previously, became panic-stricken and fled across the Ganges to Bari; and the Sultan thus meeting with little or no opposition took all the seven forts in one day. He then gave free license to his soldiers to plunder the city, raze the temples to the ground, and massacre the unfortunate "infidels"; and he eventually returned to Ghazni laden with immense booty.