The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c12.123

c12.123

It was considered politic in Muslim lands to prevent the predominance of any particular race in the army, so that the ruler might not be entirely dependent on any one section.¹⁰ From the very beginning, the tribal elements in the army were so well-balanced that any one of them, if capably led, could gain power. The Khaljīs established a semi-independent state in Bengal; later they were able to oust the House of Balban from the throne, and were themselves replaced by the Qarāwinah.¹ Under Muḥammad bin Tughluq the army consisted of Turks, Khiṭā'is, Persians, Indians and lesser elements.² Even Sher Shāh, who was such a patron of the Afghāns, did not exclude others from his army: he only treated Afghāns with greater consideration, for he had come to the throne as the leader of an Afghān revival.³ The Hindus very soon obtained military employment. The Ghaznavids gave important military posts to Hindus: there were few nobles with so much influence as Tilak, the son of a Hindu barber.⁴ Hindu soldiers fought for the Ghaznavids against the Saljūqs.⁵ Quṭb-u'd-dīn Aibak employed Hindu cavalry.⁶ Balban had such a large number of Hindu horsemen that his 'āriḍ was popularly called Rāwat 'Arḍ.⁷ Khusraw mentions Hindu cavalrymen under Kaiqubād.⁸ When Malik Chhajjū rebelled against Jalāl-u'd-dīn Khalji, large numbers of Hindu cavalrymen offered their services to him.⁹ Hindu soldiers fought not only for Nāṣir-u'd-dīn Khusraw but also for his opponent Ghiyāth-u'd-dīn Tughluq.¹⁰ His army on this occasion had Ghuzz, Turkish, Mongol, Greek, Russian, Persian, Tājik and Hindu soldiers.¹¹ While wrestling and archery were prized, great stress was laid on horsemanship, together with skill in the use of the lance, the sword and other weapons. The smartness of the soldier and the elegance of his personal appearance struck foreign observers.¹ The sultans always maintained large numbers of Hindu cavalry.²