Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq

Tughlaq Dynasty

After killing Mubarak Shah, Khusru Khan mounted the throne as Sultan Nasiruddin. He ordered mass killing in the Harem of the Sultan and everybody alive was killed. Khusru, a Hindu convert, took the revenge of his forceful covert by eliminating the whole of the Khalji dynasty and this was the end of another dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in 1320 AD.

  • The Rajput Forces were still powerful. It was a time, when, if any of the Rajputs had ever made a bid to the throne of Delhi, probably, there were chances that the Rajput Kingdom could been revived.

But it was probably the destiny of India that no Indian of any creed or race tried to follow Khusru Khan. The severity of Khusru Khan continued for few weeks. All members of the Alauddin Khalji had been killed. The Muslims were in abject fear of this Hindu convert followed by a Hindu uprising in Delhi and all their hopes were now on Ghazi Malik.

Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq 1321-1325

Ghazi Malik was a general of Alauddin Khalji. During tenure as in charge of the frontiers, he had led successful campaigns against the Mongols on western border of the sultanate and secured Multan, Sindh and Uch for his master. His son Fakhr Malik (who later became Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughlaq) was in Delhi and was aware of the critical state of affairs in Delhi. He went to Multan secretly and told his father what was happening in Delhi. The father son duo, i.e. Ghazi Malik and Fakhr Malik, both great warriors, marched towards Delhi to save Delhi from this Hindu convert devourer.

Fearful Khusru Khan, with all the troops he could gather, emptied the treasury and scattered the hoard in among the soldiers. The Muslim soldiers took the money but did not take up arms against Ghazi Malik. Khusru, with his limited number of Hindu men and a few rebel Muslims tried to withstand Ghazi Malik, the champion of the Alauddin’s faith. The result was obvious. Khusru was slaughtered in August 1321 and the 4 months of one of the worst tyranny in the history of India ended. The reign of terror ended, and India passed in the hands of another foreign dynasty.

There was no challenge from any of the kith and kin of Alauddin, instead he gathered the nobles and invited survivors of Alauddin’s family, if any to take throne. But none came forward. Ghazi Malik became the Sultan of Delhi with the name Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq in 1321.

  • Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq reintroduced the food market laws which were earlier implemented by his master
  • He tried to revive all the reforms which were necessary and were earlier implemented.

Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq successfully attempted to bring the peace and prosperity. Under his elder son Fakhr Malik or Jauna or Ulugh Khan, Deccan Provinces were recovered. A campaign was launched against Bengal, which had never subject to Delhi since demise of Balban.

This gallant old Sultan met his end in 1325 when a roof fell and crushed him beneath its ruins. His son Fakhr Malik ascended the throne in 1325 as Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and reigned for 26 years till 1351.


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