Sultanate (1206-1526)
Though Muslims entered South Asia with the conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim and then with the anne Punjab by Mahmud Ghaznavi, yet the real credit of the establishment of Muslim rule in the region goes to Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori. The Ghoris had a long history of differences with the Ghaznavids, which eventually resulted in the capture of Ghazni at the hands of Ghiyas-ud-din Muhammad bin Sam, the ruler of Ghor, in 1173. Ghiyas-ud-din handed over Ghazni to his younger brother Muhammad Ghori and himself concentrated on the conquest of Khorasan.
After taking charge of Ghazni, Muizz-ud-din Muhammad bin Sam, commonly known as Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Ghori (1160-1206) is one of the key persons who played a significant role in the establishment of Muslim rule in north India. An ambitious person Muhammad Ghori spent most of his time in preparation for an attack on South Asia. In 1175, he invaded the subcontinent for the first time through the Gomal pass and occupied Multan and Uch, but failed capture Gujarat. He again came through the Khyber Pass with the aim of attacking the Ghaznavid territories. He managed to capture Peshawar in 1179 and Sialkot in 1185, and finally Lahore in 1186.
After taking over the Ghaznavid area of Punjab, Ghori decided to fight against the Hindu Rajputs. In 1191, he conquered Bathinda in the territory of Chauhans and then decided to go back to Ghazni. But on learning that Prithvi Raj was marching towards Bathinda to recapture the fort, Ghori came back to defend his conquest. A blood war was fought at Tarain after which Rajputs reclaimed Bathinda. Back in Ghazni, Ghori spent a year in preparation and then attacked the Rajputs again. The result of the second battle of Tarain, fought in 1192, was totally opposite from the first one.
The Rajputs were defeated and Prithvi Raj was killed. Victory in the second battle of Tarain opened the door to further conquests for Ghori. Muslims defeated many of the Rajput clans and captured Badaun and Oudh. Kanauj and Benares were captured in 1194, and Bayana and Gawalior in 1195. One of Ghori's most trusted lieutenants, Qutb-ud-Din Aibak moved forward and captured Delhi in 1196. Ghori himself went back to Ghazni but appointed Aibak as his viceroy in the region and was keen to receive feedback on the political and social activities of Delhi. Aibak was the first Muslim governor of Delhi.
Ghori appointed another of his slaves, Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji, to look after the land of Oudh. With the revenue coming from the land, Khilji established a small force of horsemen With the support of these horsemen, Khilji captured Bengal and some parts of Assam. Ghori appointed Khilji as the governor of Bengal. After his death in 1206, his Turkish slaves ruled the region and left a great impact on history.
The Muslim rule established by Muhammad Ghori in South Asia lasted for more than seven centuries. Ghori took special interest in South Asia and by establishing his permanent hold in the region he managed to push permanent Muslim rule much further east than Mahmud Ghaznavi did. He took the small state of Ghazni from his
brother Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad bin Sam and turned it into an empire by conquering vast territories. First, he captured the area ruled hy the Ghaznavids and later on extended his rule to north India and Bengal. He was an able general and a brave soldier. He never let a temporary defeat stand in his way.
Muhammad Ghori is remembered as an empire builder and is justly called the founder of the Muslim Empire in Indo-Pakistan. From 1206 to 1526 AD, five different dynasties held sway culminating into the Mughal rule (1526-1707) which continued, though nominally, till the War of Independence in 1857. His successors established the first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mamluk Dynasty (Mamluk means "slave") in 1211. The territory under control of the Muslim rulers in Delhi expanded rapidly The sultans of Delhi enjoyed cordial relations with Muslim rulers in the Near East but owed them no allegiance. The sultans based their laws on the Quran and the shariah and permitted Muslim subjects to practise their religion. The sultans ruled from urban centres - while military camps and trading posts provided the nuclei for towns that sprang up in the countryside. Perhaps the greatest contribution of the sultanate was its temporary success in insulating the subcontinent from the potential devastation of the Mongol invasion from Central Asia in the thirteenth century.
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