Alauddin Khalji’s Conquest of Mewar
Alauddin Khalji ascended the throne of Delhi in 1296, by killing his uncle Jalaluddin Khalji. It was during and after the period of Alauddin Khalji that the imperial period of the Delhi Sultanate started. Soon after the annexation of the throne, Alauddin Khalji came to know about all the problems and challenges he had to face. The first and foremost challenge he faced was from the Northwestern side, which came in the form of multiple attacks by Mongols. Another challenge was the uprising from the powerful nobles and the Hindu rulers around Delhi.
After Alauddin suppressed the attacks of Mongols along with the rebellions with the help of his most able generals, he began his plan of expansion of the empire by subjugation of other kingdoms. The first kingdom on target for Alauddin was the Vaghela kingdom of Gujarat which was attacked and conquered in 1299. Another conquest led by Alauddin was of Ranthambore, which was due to the asylum granted to the fugitives by Chauhans.
Post these conquests the region that attracted the vision of the Sultan was Mewar, especially Chittorgarh. It is believed that there were two reasons for Alauddin’s attack on Mewar. Those were:
- Alauddin was angry at Ratnasimha for not letting his armies march through Mewar to reach Gujarat.
- Alauddin had heard of the immense beauty of Padmini, Ratnasimha’s wife, and wanted to obtain her.
However, the second reason has been derived from the epic poem Padmavat of Malik Muhammad Jayasi and has not been authenticated by modern historians. Most historians consider the reason and story inaccurate as Padmini does not find any mention in the records of Alauddin’s conquest by the chronicles like Amir Khusrau, Barani, and Isami.
Some texts mention other reasons like the acquisition of wealth as well as manpower and land.
Mewar’s Background
In 1303, Mewar was ruled by the Guhila dynasty, and the king was Ratnasimha (who is also referred to as Ratan Singh in several texts). Previously in 1299 Mewar was raided by Alauddin’s general Ulugh Khan on his way to Gujarat. However, that was a light invasion. The then Guhila king, Samarasimha protected the kingdom by paying tribute to raiders.
In 1301, Alauddin conquered Ranthambore, which was the only region between Chittor and Delhi. The throne of Chittor was accessed by Ratnasimha in the same year. Here begins the conflict and controversy among the historians regarding the reason upon which Alauddin attacked Chittor. In accordance with Malik Mohammad Jaisi's epic poem Padmavat, Alauddin attacked Chittor for obtaining Padmini, the queen of Ratnasimha (referred to as Ratan Singh in the poem). He had learnt about the beauty of Padmini from a man named Raghava. Most historians still question the authenticity of this story of Padmini.
The invasion by Alauddin
Alauddin started his invasion of Chittor in January 1303 and it is said that it took him eight months to conquer Chittor. Alauddin’s army had surrounded the fort from all sides. Alauddin himself set up his camp north of the fort. The power of the opposing army could be gauged by the time taken by the Delhi army for the siege (eight months). There was a big struggle between Alauddin and Ratnasimha during the war. Ratnasimha was accompanied by Lakshmasimha through the was, who is further said to have lost his life defending the fort.
Alauddin was accompanied by the chronicler Amir Khusrau who described the wars in his writings. His writings are the only limited source for historians to know about the war, and yet, they don’t provide a detailed account of siege operations. Khusrau outlines that two attacks of the Delhi army from the frontal sides had badly failed. During the two months of monsoon, the army was pushed to reach the waist of the mountains along with the equipment. It was then that Alauddin ordered that the fort should be bombarded by stones using Siege engines. At the same time, soldiers attacked the fort from all sides.
In August 1303, Alauddin entered the fort and proclaimed victory. While Raja Ratnasimha died during the combat with Alauddin
Post Victory condition
In August 1303, after his victory, Alauddin ordered mass killing of the population of Chittor. About 30,000 Hindus in Chittor were cut down like grass on his order. As the fort was captured, Rajput women committed Jauhar as most of the warriors had died during the war.
Further, the city of Chittor was completely plundered and sacked by Alauddin. Many of the temples were destroyed and disseminated, including the ancient Sun temple of Goddess Kali. Chittor was now assigned to the young and only son of Alauddin – Khizr Khan. Chittor fort was named Khizrabad after the prince. Khizr Khan was about 7-8 years old at that time and was declared the heir apparent. Alauddin left for Delhi just about a week after this declaration, due to the news of the Mongol attack.
As Khizr Khan was a child, Malik Shahin, who was like a son to Alauddin, was established as the de-facto ruler. Malik Shahin fled the fort after some time due to fear of the Vaghela king Karna, who was successful in capturing the neighbouring Gujarat region after the 1299 conquest of Gujarat.
Later, Alauddin decided to govern Chittor indirectly by establishing a Hindu ruler. He transferred the governance of Chittor from Khizr Khan to Chahamana chief Maladev (Maldeo). He was loyal to Alauddin as the brother of Alauddin’s friend. He even contributed 5,000 horsemen and 10,000 infantrymen to Alauddin's campaigns, whenever ordered.
It was after the death of Alauddin that the ruler of Chittor rebelled and executed imperial soldiers, and after the death of Maldev, in 1321 the fort came into the hands of Hammir Singh.
The conquest of Mewar/Chittor has always been among the most important parts of the history of the Delhi Sultanate, as well as that of Alauddin Khalji. It also glorifies the braveness and boldness of the Rajput community who managed to hold off the then one of the most powerful armies, that of Khaljis
