History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.21

v1.c14.21

The conquerors gave the first lessons of terrible Mahomedan warfare to the Hindus and Buddhists of Debal. For they massacred all the male population of the town. The people stood aghast and prayed for mercy; but Mahomed Kasim said he had no orders to show mercy; probably he wanted to make an example by inflicting a terrible lesson. When Mahomed Kasim came to the temple whose tower had been thrown down, he found "700 beautiful females under the protection of Buddha who were of course made slaves." The temple was probably a Buddhist female Vihāra. Debal was mostly Buddhist. The Governor was also a Buddhist and called in the Chacha-nāma Jahin Budh. He escaped, and joined Jaisiah son of Dahar who was then at Nerūn Mahomed Kasim had already granted pardon to certain persons who had promised to show the imprisoned Mahomedan male and female prisoners. These men were spared on bringing out the prisoners and also a Hindu officer who had charge of them for having treated them kindly during their confinement. What a great difference between the cruel treatment of prisoners by Mahomedans and their kind treatment by Buddhists!!! That officer, however, had to become a Mahomedan. The town was of course pillaged and the valuable plunder was divided into five parts one of which was sent to Hajjaj for the Khalifa as the government's share "according to the religious law" and the rest were shared between the commander and the soldiers according to fixed rules. In this manner the Arabs strove for conquests all the more for it was thus the self-interest of the government, the commander and each soldier to conquer. This procedure had its own share in the causes which may be assigned for the success of the Arabs.