Tarmashirin's Invasion in the Reign of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq
One of the notable events during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughlaq (r: 1325-1351) was the invasion of the Mongol chief Tarmashirin Khan.
Tarmashirin Khan, the brother of Qutlugh Khwaja, was the ruler of Chaghatai Khanate from 1326 to 1334. Ibn Battuta, the famous Moroccan traveler, noted that Tarmashirin's territory was situated between the realms of four great monarchs: the kings of China (Yuan emperor), India (Delhi Sultan), Iraq (Il-Khans) and Uzbeg (Khan of the Golden Horde), all of whom send him gifts and show him honour.
Ferishta, in his "History of Hindostan," places the invasion in the beginning of Muhammad's reign and portrays him as a coward. He states that after subduing Laghman, Multan and several northern provinces, Tarmashirin advanced towards Delhi and laid siege to the city. Muhammad, realizing he could not cope with the enemy in battle, sought peace and offered his submission. He sent valuable gifts of gold and jewels to Tarmashirin, who ultimately agreed to withdraw after receiving nearly the price of the kingdom. However, on his way back, Tarmashirin plundered Gujarat and Sindh, capturing many inhabitants.
Shajrat Ul Atrak gives the following narrative: Tarmashirin marched an army to the conquest of Hindustan, and having penetrated to the gates of Delhi, plundered that country of all that he could carry. When he encamped with his army at Delhi, Sultan Muhammad sent him valuable presents by his chief amirs and offered his submission. Consequently, Tarmashirin departed from Delhi, advancing towards Gujarat, where he looted Somnath and Surat, and returned thence in safety to his homeland laden with spoils.
Interestingly, the historian Barani mentions Tarmashirin's invasion only in the first draft of his Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi. "Upon the relocation of citizens from Delhi to Daulatabad, Sultan Muhammad remained in Delhi for two years. During this period, Tarmashirin marched into India at the head of a huge army, reaching as far as Meerut. Sultan Muhammad collected his forces and engaged in a fierce battle against Tarmashirin. The latter having given a good account of fighting retreated to Tirmidh."
Ferishta suggests that Barani chose to omit mention of this significant event in his revised version, possibly to avoid offending Muhammad's successor, Firoz, for whom the Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi was written.
According to Yahya (Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi) in 1328-29, Tarmashirin marched against Delhi with an enormous army. He captured several forts and took many inhabitants of Lahore, Samana and Indri to the borders of Budaun, as prisoners. Tarmashirin advanced as far as the river Yamuna but then retired immediately. Muhammad Bin Tughlaq had encamped with his large army between Delhi and Hauz-i-Khas. When Tarmashirin recrossed the Indus, Muḥammad pursued him as far as Kalanaur. He assigned the task of repairing the ruined fortress of Kalanaur to Mujir-ud-din Abu Raja, and then sent some of the leading maliks to continue the pursuit of Tarmashirin while he returned to Delhi.
Yahya considers Tarmashirin's invasion as the first cause of Muhammad's eventual downfall. He states that the majority of the inhabitants of towns and villages were ruined by the rapine of Tarmashirin, and these places never regained their former prosperity.
Isami (Futuh-us-Salatin) mentions that Tarmashirin's forces were routed by a detachment under Yusuf Bughra near Meerut. Tarmashirin's sister's son was captured and sent to Delhi.
The anonymous author of Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi mentions Tarmashirin while describing the transfer of the Topra Asoka pillar (Minara-i zarin) by Sultan Firoz Shah. He says that Tarmashirin had attempted to split the pillar by burning a huge fire around its base, but the pillar did not crack.
However, Tarmashirin's conversion and his departure from the customs established by Genghis Khan aroused discontent among the Mongol commanders. In 1334, a revolt broke out headed by Tarmashirin's cousin Buzan. Although Battuta describes Buzan as a Muslim, he favored the traditional Mongol law known as the yasa over sharia.
When Buzan marched against Tarmashirin, the latter tried to escape to Ghazni. However, on the way, he was captured and killed at Nasaf, also known as Nakhshab (present-day Qarshi), outside Samarkand in 1334. "Tarmashirin was buried there, and his grave was looked after by Sheikh Shams-ud-din Gardan Burida whom I saw subsequently in India," remarks Battuta.
According to Shajrat Ul Atrak, some time after Tarmashirin's invasion of Delhi, his cousin Pooran (Buzan), the son of Dowar Timur, who was not a Muslim, assembled an army in Hubbeh. In 1327-28 [The year is incorrect as Ibn Battuta had seen Tarmashirin in 1333], in the town Kesh at Koozi Mendak, put Tarmashirin to death, and he was buried in one of the villages of Samarkand."
There was a physician in the service of Muhammad who had previously served Tarmashirin. The physician proposed to find out the truth of the man's claim. He remembered treating Tarmashirin for a boil below his knee, leaving a distinctive scar that could serve as proof of identity.
The physician approached the pretender and began to examine his legs, ultimately uncovering the scar. Convinced of the man's true identity, the physician returned to Muhammad to deliver his report, affirming the legitimacy of Tarmashirin's claim.
Shortly thereafter, Khwaja Jahan Ahmad Ayaz and the chief of the amirs, Qutlugh Khan, had an audience with Muhammad. They informed him, "Here is the Sultan Tarmashirin, who has arrived in this country and his identity has been established; There are here of his tribesmen about forty thousand as well as his son and son-in-law. Have you thought what might happen if they were to unite with him?" Muhammad was alarmed, who commanded that Tarmashirin be brought to him without delay.
Muhammad asked him, "O son of a prostitute, how dare you lie, claiming to be Tarmashirin when Tarmashirin has been killed and here with us is the keeper of his tomb? By God, were it not for incurring disgrace I would kill you. However, give him five thousand dinars, take him to the house of Bashai Ughli and his sister, the children of Tarmashirin, and tell them, 'this liar' claims to be your father."
The pretender met the children, who immediately recognized him. He spent the night with them under the surveillance of guards and was taken away the next day. The children were afraid that they might be killed because of him, and therefore disowned him.
Afterwards, the pretender was exiled from India and Sind, who finally came to Shiraz. Abu Ishaq, the Sultan of Shiraz, welcomed him and provided a decent allowance. "On my return from India, when I arrived Shiraz, I was told that he was still living there. I tried to meet him but could not do so because he was in a house which no one might enter to visit him except by permission of Sultan Abu Ishaq. I was afraid of the suspicions that might be aroused by this, but afterwards I regretted not having met him," writes Battuta.
Tarmashirin Khan, the brother of Qutlugh Khwaja, was the ruler of Chaghatai Khanate from 1326 to 1334. Ibn Battuta, the famous Moroccan traveler, noted that Tarmashirin's territory was situated between the realms of four great monarchs: the kings of China (Yuan emperor), India (Delhi Sultan), Iraq (Il-Khans) and Uzbeg (Khan of the Golden Horde), all of whom send him gifts and show him honour.
Ferishta, in his "History of Hindostan," places the invasion in the beginning of Muhammad's reign and portrays him as a coward. He states that after subduing Laghman, Multan and several northern provinces, Tarmashirin advanced towards Delhi and laid siege to the city. Muhammad, realizing he could not cope with the enemy in battle, sought peace and offered his submission. He sent valuable gifts of gold and jewels to Tarmashirin, who ultimately agreed to withdraw after receiving nearly the price of the kingdom. However, on his way back, Tarmashirin plundered Gujarat and Sindh, capturing many inhabitants.
Shajrat Ul Atrak gives the following narrative: Tarmashirin marched an army to the conquest of Hindustan, and having penetrated to the gates of Delhi, plundered that country of all that he could carry. When he encamped with his army at Delhi, Sultan Muhammad sent him valuable presents by his chief amirs and offered his submission. Consequently, Tarmashirin departed from Delhi, advancing towards Gujarat, where he looted Somnath and Surat, and returned thence in safety to his homeland laden with spoils.
Interestingly, the historian Barani mentions Tarmashirin's invasion only in the first draft of his Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi. "Upon the relocation of citizens from Delhi to Daulatabad, Sultan Muhammad remained in Delhi for two years. During this period, Tarmashirin marched into India at the head of a huge army, reaching as far as Meerut. Sultan Muhammad collected his forces and engaged in a fierce battle against Tarmashirin. The latter having given a good account of fighting retreated to Tirmidh."
Ferishta suggests that Barani chose to omit mention of this significant event in his revised version, possibly to avoid offending Muhammad's successor, Firoz, for whom the Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi was written.
According to Yahya (Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi) in 1328-29, Tarmashirin marched against Delhi with an enormous army. He captured several forts and took many inhabitants of Lahore, Samana and Indri to the borders of Budaun, as prisoners. Tarmashirin advanced as far as the river Yamuna but then retired immediately. Muhammad Bin Tughlaq had encamped with his large army between Delhi and Hauz-i-Khas. When Tarmashirin recrossed the Indus, Muḥammad pursued him as far as Kalanaur. He assigned the task of repairing the ruined fortress of Kalanaur to Mujir-ud-din Abu Raja, and then sent some of the leading maliks to continue the pursuit of Tarmashirin while he returned to Delhi.
Yahya considers Tarmashirin's invasion as the first cause of Muhammad's eventual downfall. He states that the majority of the inhabitants of towns and villages were ruined by the rapine of Tarmashirin, and these places never regained their former prosperity.
Isami (Futuh-us-Salatin) mentions that Tarmashirin's forces were routed by a detachment under Yusuf Bughra near Meerut. Tarmashirin's sister's son was captured and sent to Delhi.
The anonymous author of Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi mentions Tarmashirin while describing the transfer of the Topra Asoka pillar (Minara-i zarin) by Sultan Firoz Shah. He says that Tarmashirin had attempted to split the pillar by burning a huge fire around its base, but the pillar did not crack.
Ibn Battuta's Account of Tarmashirin
Ibn Battuta had spent 54 days as a guest of Tarmashirin in Bukhara in 1333 before his arrival in India. He provides a completely different account of Muhammad and Tarmashirin, stating that friendly relations existed between them. Muhammad used to address Tarmashirin as "brother." When Tarmashirin was deposed and Buzan became the king, Bashai Ughli, Tarmashirin's son, along with his sister and her husband Nauroz Kargun, fled to Muhammad in Delhi. Muhammad welcomed them as distinguished guests and provided them with lavish accommodations. During this period, a significant influx of Mongol refugees also arrived in Delhi.Depostion and Murder of Tarmashirin (1334)
Originally a Buddhist, Tarmashirin converted to Islam and took the name Ala-ud-din. He began to promote Islamic laws (sharia) over traditional Mongol customs and abolished duties that were not sanctioned by sharia. This attracted merchants from Mamluk Egypt, Syria, and Delhi. It is reasonable to conclude that the friendly relations between Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and Tarmashirin, as noted by Battuta, likely began after Tarmashirin's conversion to Islam around 1328-29.However, Tarmashirin's conversion and his departure from the customs established by Genghis Khan aroused discontent among the Mongol commanders. In 1334, a revolt broke out headed by Tarmashirin's cousin Buzan. Although Battuta describes Buzan as a Muslim, he favored the traditional Mongol law known as the yasa over sharia.
When Buzan marched against Tarmashirin, the latter tried to escape to Ghazni. However, on the way, he was captured and killed at Nasaf, also known as Nakhshab (present-day Qarshi), outside Samarkand in 1334. "Tarmashirin was buried there, and his grave was looked after by Sheikh Shams-ud-din Gardan Burida whom I saw subsequently in India," remarks Battuta.
According to Shajrat Ul Atrak, some time after Tarmashirin's invasion of Delhi, his cousin Pooran (Buzan), the son of Dowar Timur, who was not a Muslim, assembled an army in Hubbeh. In 1327-28 [The year is incorrect as Ibn Battuta had seen Tarmashirin in 1333], in the town Kesh at Koozi Mendak, put Tarmashirin to death, and he was buried in one of the villages of Samarkand."
Story of the Mongol Pretender
Ibn Battuta narrates the intriguing tale of a man who appeared in Sind, claiming to be Tarmashirin. Imad-ul-Mulk, the governor of Sind, discovered this impostor and reported it to Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, who deputed a group of amirs to ceremoniously welcome the pretender.There was a physician in the service of Muhammad who had previously served Tarmashirin. The physician proposed to find out the truth of the man's claim. He remembered treating Tarmashirin for a boil below his knee, leaving a distinctive scar that could serve as proof of identity.
The physician approached the pretender and began to examine his legs, ultimately uncovering the scar. Convinced of the man's true identity, the physician returned to Muhammad to deliver his report, affirming the legitimacy of Tarmashirin's claim.
Shortly thereafter, Khwaja Jahan Ahmad Ayaz and the chief of the amirs, Qutlugh Khan, had an audience with Muhammad. They informed him, "Here is the Sultan Tarmashirin, who has arrived in this country and his identity has been established; There are here of his tribesmen about forty thousand as well as his son and son-in-law. Have you thought what might happen if they were to unite with him?" Muhammad was alarmed, who commanded that Tarmashirin be brought to him without delay.
Muhammad asked him, "O son of a prostitute, how dare you lie, claiming to be Tarmashirin when Tarmashirin has been killed and here with us is the keeper of his tomb? By God, were it not for incurring disgrace I would kill you. However, give him five thousand dinars, take him to the house of Bashai Ughli and his sister, the children of Tarmashirin, and tell them, 'this liar' claims to be your father."
The pretender met the children, who immediately recognized him. He spent the night with them under the surveillance of guards and was taken away the next day. The children were afraid that they might be killed because of him, and therefore disowned him.
Afterwards, the pretender was exiled from India and Sind, who finally came to Shiraz. Abu Ishaq, the Sultan of Shiraz, welcomed him and provided a decent allowance. "On my return from India, when I arrived Shiraz, I was told that he was still living there. I tried to meet him but could not do so because he was in a house which no one might enter to visit him except by permission of Sultan Abu Ishaq. I was afraid of the suspicions that might be aroused by this, but afterwards I regretted not having met him," writes Battuta.
Notes
- Tarmashirin is the (Mongol version of the Buddhist name Dharamachari.
- The Chaghatai Khanate was one of the four Mongolian successor states, others being the Golden Horde, the Yuan Empire, and the Il-Khanate. The Khanate was established by Chagatai (r: 1183-1242), a son of Genghis Khan.
Comments