1 ALA-UD-DIN KHILJf, 105
2 ment, the Moghals were compelled to retreat and to evacuate India as
3 rapidly as they had advanced towards it. Elated with this success, Ala-ud-
4 din now formed a project of founding a religion of his own, in order that
5 his name might be carried down to posterity in company with those of other
6 great men, and he also proposed to undertake the conquest of the world, like
7 Alexander the Great, leaving a viceroy in India; but his wild projects were
8 soon after abandoned.
9 In the year 1308, the king was engaged in expeditions to Warangal, the
10 capital of Telingana, and Chittor in Raéjputdnd. Intelligence of these re-
11 mote expeditions having reached Mawalunahr, Turghay Khan, the Moghal
12 chief, thinking that the emperor would be absent a long time, invaded
13 India with a body of twelve thousand horse. He reached Delhi unopposed, and
14 plundered the suburbs, At this juncture, however, the Moghal army, from
15 whatever cause, whether seized with a sudden panic, or, as is probable,
16 sated with plunder, retired precipitately to their own country.
17 In the following year, 1304, they made another irruption into India,
18 under -Ali Beg, a descendant of Changez Khan and Khwajah Tash. Forty
19 thousand Moghal horsemen having passed north of Lahore, penetrated as
20 far as Amroha in Ré&jastén. Toghlak Khan, governor of the Panjab, was
21 deputed to oppose them with a large force. He inflicted a signal defeat on the
22 enemy, who lost seven thousand men in killed and wounded. Nine thousand
23 of their troops were made prisoners and sent in chains to Delhi, where,
24 according to Ferishta, they were all put to death, Ali Beg and Khwdjah
25 Tash being trampled under the feet of elephants.
26 In the year 1305, the Moghals again invaded the Panjab, under Elak
27 Khan, a general of Amir Daud Khan, in order to avenge the death of
28 Alf Beg and Khwdjah Tash. Multdén was ravaged; but Ghazi Beg Toghlak
29 formed an ambuscade on the banks of the Indus, and, when the Moghals,
30 enriched with spoil, were on their way to their country, suddenly fell
31 upon them, and defeated them with great slaughter. Most of the survi-
32 vors, being exposed to the hot winds and the burning sand, perished in
33 the deserts of Central Asia. Three thousand captives, with Elak Khan,
34 the chief of the Moghals, were sent to Delhi, where they were all put
35 to the sword by the king’s order, a pillar being constructed of their skulls.
36 The Moghal women and children, taken prisoners in this war, were sent to
37 different parts of India, to be sold as slaves in the markets. But these re-
38 peated disasters did not deter the Moghals; for they again invaded the Pan-
39 jab the same year, under Yakhalmand, a chief of considerable reputation,
40 and were again defeated by Toghlak, several thousand of them being sent as
41 captives to Delhi. where, according to the custom of the time, they were all
42 put to death. Tognlak, on this occasion, pursued them as far as Cébul,
43 Ghazni and Kandahar, and laid the inhabitants under heavy contribution.
44 These excursions were repeated by Toghlak each year, so that the Moghals
45 remained on the defensive and for many years to come gave up all idea of
46 invading Hindostén.
47 The reign of this emperor is noted for many reforms effected by him in
48 the civil administration of the country. He enhanced the revenue demand
49 on land to half the value of the produce; fixed the price for grain, cloth,
50 horses, cattle, and grocery. He issued loans from the public treasury, by
51 means of which merchants were enabled to import cloths from neighbouring
52 countries. But he prohibited the exportation of a fine kind of manufacture,
53 and no one was permitted to wear such stuffs without special authority from
54 the king, which was given only to men of rank. The use and manufacture
55 of spirituous liquors were prohibited under pains of the severest kind. Re-
56 They are compelled
57 to retreat.
58 The king’s ambi-
59 tious projects,
60 A renewed Moghal
61 invasion, 1303 a.D_
62 Their Unexpected
63 return.
64 The Moghal inva-
65 sion of 1804 4 D,
66 Victory of the go-
67 vernor of the Panjab,
68 Nine thousand Mo-
69 ghals slaughtered.
70 Another Moghal
71 invasion defeated
72 1305 a. D.
73 They renew the
74 attack and are pur-
75 sued to Kabul and
76 Ghazni, 1305 a. D.
77 The civil adminis-
78 tration of Ala-ud-din,
79 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com