The Siege of Chittorgarh 1303: Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji captures Chittorgarh, capital of the Guhila dynasty

 

The siege of Chittorgarh 1303

On this day, August 26, 1303, after an eight-month long siege, the Khilji sultan Alauddin Khilji (r. 1296–1316) captured and destroyed the Chittor fort, overthrowing the Guhila king Ratnasimha. The siege began on January 28, 1303, when Alauddin began his march towards Chittor with a large army. After reaching close to the fort, he encamped between the rivers Berach and Gambhiri. Then his army surrounded the fort from all sides.

Alauddin was probably the most powerful sultan of the Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, who ruled India from 1290 to 1320. He is known as Alauddin Khilji, although he was born Ali Gurshasp in Turko-Afghanistan. Substantial changes were observed in administration, income, society and prices during Alauddin's reign. Jalaluddin's predecessor Alauddin Khilji was his son-in-law and nephew.

The tomb of Alauddin Khilji is located in Qutub Minar, Mehrauli, Delhi, India in a madrassa, often referred to as an Islamic institution. It was built by Alauddin in 1315 and the tomb is located inside the madrasa.

Alauddin Khilji's early history is obscure, although he launched his invasion of Ranthambore between 1300 and 1301 when he was 34 years old. Sultan Jalaluddin's daughter Malika-i-Jahan married Alauddin. This happened before the start of Khilji's rebellion. As soon as Jalaluddin assumed power and became the Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, Malika-i-Jahan displayed arrogance and dominance over Alauddin.

Soon after assuming the throne, Alauddin got embroiled in several wars with the Mongols. While the Chagatai Khanate tried to attack India, the Mongol Ilkhanate of Iran maintained friendly relations with the Sultan of Delhi. On the other hand, Alauddin was successful in stopping all the Mongol campaigns and saving India from the wrath of the Mongols.

During Alauddin's reign, the first serious Chagatai Mongol invasion took place in 1297 in Lahore (Punjab region). This was a bigger attack than any Mongol attack on the Delhi Sultanate so far. However, Alauddin's army crushed the invaders on February 6, 1298, killing over 20,000 of them and forcing the Mongols to retreat.

In 1298, he drove the Mongols out of Sivistan and repelled a second Mongol invasion of the Sindh region. Qutlugh commanded the 200,000-strong Mongol army that reached Delhi in 1299. The Mongols had never before made any major effort to capture Delhi. The Mongols were repelled once again, although Alauddin Khilji's famous general Zafar Khan was killed in the battle. The Mongols returned in 1303 with an army of 120,000 men. Alauddin once again defeated the Mongols at Delhi. However, during this time the people of Delhi had to face a lot of problems.

In 1305, the battle of Amroha (modern district of Uttar Pradesh) again took place between the Mongols and the Khiljis. The Mongol army of Ali Beg and Tartak was destroyed as usual by Alauddin Khilji's army led by Malik Nayak.

Another Mongol invasion, this time led by the Chagatai emperor Duwa Khan, was stopped in 1306 by warriors from the Delhi Sultanate led by Malik Kafur and Malik Tughlaq. This was done to avenge the defeat of the Mongols in 1305 AD. Alauddin's army crushed them once again. After this defeat, the Mongols refrained from attacking the Delhi Sultanate for the remainder of Alauddin's reign.

These previous raids on Delhi showed that the Sultan of Delhi was capable of fighting the Mongols, which no Central or West Asian sultan had done before. Alauddin Khilji is famous for his administrative innovations in the fields of taxation, price control and society, as well as his ability to repel Mongol invasions.

According to Satish Chandra, Alauddin's attempt to control the markets was recognized by his contemporaries as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Attempts to regulate the price of everything, including grain, sugar, cooking oil and even needles, were undoubtedly the primary concern of medieval kings. He died in 1316 after a 20-year reign of terror.

For more content, please subscribe our blog: @theinsidehistory