Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c5.s2.t1.74

c5.s2.t1.74

The dignity of a monarch has always been his first concern. The demands of royal dignity were immeasurably increased by its supposed divine origin and the new conception of the Sultanate. The monarch at Delhi scrupulously copied his Sassanian predecessors in Persia, whose love of luxury and ostentation was phenomenal.¹ It was all the more necessary in a foreign country where the State had no better sanction than the awe and fear it could inspire in the hearts of the people by the gorgeous display of its pomp and power and through the glorious surroundings of the Sultan. There are numerous examples on record, of the terror which the presence and appearance of a monarch inspired among his enemies. In fact, it was firmly believed that if the personality of a monarch did not succeed in inspiring people with awe and fear, he was better fitted to lead a Tuman (10,000 troops) or at best to govern a minor province, than to rule over a kingdom.² In veiw of these considerations, a number of prerogatives were reserved for the Sultan, namely, the Khutba, and the Sikka, and certain other symbols to distinguish him from all other people in the realm. He hardly ever appeared before the people except in court or when he gave audience to the public, or led an army or went out for the chase; in every case, he was accompanied by a grand procession and surrounded with splendour and glory.