Indian Antiquary Vol 51

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 215

NOVEMBEK, 1922]
THE ADVENT OF ISLAM INTO SOUTHERN INDIA
207
munificent prince, and that pleased the people and also belped to keep the burghers of the day, the Mughals of the North-West frontiers, at bay. But the real checks on them were. his great personal capacity, strength of character, and energy. The situation meant also the maintenance of a great army in addition to his calculated civil munificence, and that in its turn meant a great expenditure and the necessity for a large revenue. 'Alâu'ddin always wanted money. Incidentally, this made his reign of the highest importance to Inciian History, as it obliged him to be a great administrator, both cival and military, to the benefit of India, in some respects, to the present day.
His success at Deogiri showed him what could be done in the way of acqu r'ng wealth from the South, and his next proceedings in that direction showed that he had the post cal foresight to see that exacting tribute was a safer method of sccur.ng t than conquist. Ramachandra of Deogiri took advantage of 'Alau'ddin's early troubles with the Mughals and rebel vassal States, such as Gujarat, to cease paying his tribute. This brought to notorious renegad: eunuch and military commander, Malik Kâfur, on the scene in 'Alâu'ddin's behalf. Malik Kafür soon made Ramachandra sue for terms, sent him to Delhi and secured tribute for the future. This was between 1306--1308 A.D.
'Alau'ddîn's object being money for his civil and military establishments, he treated Ramachandra with much leniency, and the success of this policy guided him for the future. His next objective was Warangal, now in the Nizâm's Dominions, but then the capital of Telingana, and his instructions to Malik Kâfür were in effect to defeat the ruler, Rudra or Laddar Deo, frighten him thoroughly, let him remain on as a ruler and fleece him of everything possible. In 1309 Malik Kafar commenced a march from Delhi, via Agra to Chanderi and Hoshangabad, and thence over the Vindhyas to Elichpur, which, if we could get at the details, could not but prove a considerable military achievement, and after perpetrating at least one massacre en route, at Sarbar, he arrived before Warangal.
It was there that Malik Kåfør further showed himself to be a really capable commander, for be" entrenched " each of the ten divisions of his besieging army by means of a strong stockade, with the result that a night attack from the fortress failed altogether and brought Rudra Deo to terms. The "terms" were practically his entire accumulated wealth and an annual tribute.
In 1310 Malik Kâfür returned in triumph to Delhi. His inethod of "entrenching" was the forerunner of Sher Shah Sûr's entrenchments two centuries later.
Emboldened by his own and Malik Käfûr's successes at Deogiri and Warangal, 'Alâu'ddin started on a further plundering expedition, aimed ultimately against Ma'a bar, i.e., the extreme South, with the Melik as his general, at the end of 1310. Again he executed a march showing consummate leadership, via the right bank of the Jumna to Tânkal, Kanhun, Gurgaon, to Deogiri, where bo enlisted the good offices of that now "faithful" State. This enabled Malik Kafür to frighten Vira Ballala III, Hoysala of Dwâcasamudro into "coming to terms," involving practically all his property, which he had to accompany to Delhi, being himself allowed by 'Alâu 'ddin to return to his capital.
Thence an expedition was planned for Ma'a bar or the extrenic South itself, which had been recently under the powerful Pandya ruler from Madura, Mâravarman Kulasekhara I. He had two sons, Vira Påndya, illegitimate, and Sundara Pandya, legitimate. Vira Pândya was much the better man of the two, but in the fratricidal struggle which took place for supremacy during the old king's lifetime, Sundara Pandya murdered their joint father,