History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c33.s6.29

v3.c33.s6.29

II. Secondly, the fall of the Panjab may also be attributed to the political apathy of its people. Unfortunately for twelve centuries before this, Panjab had been ruled by foreign kings. It may be said that for twenty centuries from the time of Porus down to the time of Ranjitsingh, Panjab had no kings of its own. It was ruled by foreign Hindu or Mlechchha rulers from the time of Alexander to that of Mahmud, by Macedonians, by Mauryas, by Śakas, by Bactrian Greeks, by Kushans, by Huns, by Kashmirians, by Sindhis, and lastly by the Shahi kings of Kabul and after Mahmud by Mahomedan kings of Ghazni and Delhi for eight centuries more till the Sikhs gave to the Panjab native kings after a foreign rule extending over two thousand years. When Mahmud conquered the Panjab, there was no political consciousness awake in the minds of its people. Though Aryans the people had lost all desire, even if they had the ability, to enjoy self-rule or independence and they did not demur to be ruled by a Moslem Turk from Ghazni instead of a Brahmin Afghan from Kabul. They were apathetic to the change of rule that was coming upon them and they did not resist with that stubbornness which belongs to a people fighting to preserve independence. Panjab was thus lost to Mahomedans in one battle. Kingdoms have no doubt been lost in one battle in western history also. England indeed was acquired by William the Conqueror in one battle. But while the people of England made the Norman kings their own, the people of the Panjab were made their own by the Mahomedan kings of Ghazni and the Panjab was practically sliced off from India in 1009 as Sind was in 712 A. D.