Alauddin Khaljis conquest of Warangal
As one of the most ambitious rulers in Indian History, Alauddin Khalji wanted the Deccan expansion of his empire. His dream of conquering the Deccan was accomplished by his slave general – Malik Kafur. In 1308, Malik Kafur had defeated the Yadavas of Devagiri, which was the most prominent empire in the Deccan region. In 1309 he was ordered by Alauddin to attack Warangal.
This order led to a month-long seizure of Warangal, after which the Kakatiya ruler Prataparudra, decided to surrender and negotiate. He had to surrender a huge amount of wealth along with the promise of regular tribute to the Delhi Sultanate.
History and Background
Warangal was the territory that was in the eyes of Alauddin Khalji for a very long time. In the 13th century, the Hindu rulers of Deccan were infamous for holding immense wealth in their hands and it was also the reason for Alauddin's attack on Devagiri, in 1296 before he was the Sultan. Since then, Alauddin had plans for the Warangal conquest.
After the Conquest of Ranthambore, the Sultan ordered Ulugh Khan to prepare for the march to Warangal but the plan was spoiled due to the death of Ulugh Khan. Still, not giving up on his target, Alauddin while he was marching towards Chittor in early 1303, dispatched another army to Warangal. This army was led by Malik Juna and Malik Chajju. Malik Juna was the son of Gazi Malik (Ghiasuddin Tughlaq) and Malik Chajju was the nephew of Alauddin’s late general and governor Kara Nusrat Khan.
This period of the 14th century did not seem lucky for the Delhi Sultanate. The Seize of Warangal is said to have failed badly whereas Delhi was attacked and seized by Mongols while Alauddin was busy in the Chittor conquest for eight months. The army returning from Warangal in late 1303 had faced numerous damages in terms of life as well as baggage. The records show that probably embarrassed Alauddin wanted to keep this defeat secret and therefore many chronicles of the time do not directly or in detail mentioned the conquest or defeat.
After the death of two of his most prominent generals – Ulugh Khan and Nusrat Khan, a hope was raised by Malik Kafur and his successful war techniques.
Malik Kafur’s march to Warangal
The Yadavas of Devagiri, the neighbours of Kakatiyas of Warangal, were already defeated by Malik Kafur and on 31st October 1309, he was ordered to invade the Kakatiyas of Warangal. In this seizure, Malik Kafur was accompanied by Malik Sirajuddin and Ariz-i-Mumalik. All were instructed to reduce the tension of war as much as possible and not to be hostile. Further, Alauddin advised Kafur not to stay in Warangal for long, just to accept the tribute from the king instead of bringing him to Delhi as a prisoner.
A rapid communication network was set up by Alauddin through the establishment of thanas. These networks could lead to any of the information/updates reaching Alauddin within 2-3 days.
Malik Kafur started the march from Delhi with a huge army. By the mid of December, the army reached Devagiri, the new vassal of Delhi Sultanate. Hence, the army was instructed not to cause interruptions in the area. Ramachandra, the ruler of Devagiri provided the necessary support to the Delhi army and on route from Devagiri to Warangal he further established the markets where the soldiers could buy the essentials at the prices fixed by Alauddin. Before entering the Kakatiya territory, the army halted at Bavagarh (Bijainagar).
As Malik Kafur entered the territory of Warangal, the army started ransacking the towns and villages on the way. Further, the cavalry unit was released to seize Sabar (the fort within the Kakatiya territory). This seemed to be an immediate attack, which directly meant defeat and hence many of the defenders committed suicide, with their wives and children committing Jauhar. Many of the others were killed by the attack of Malik Kafur on the fort and others were ready to fight to the death. However, cease-fire happened due to the intervention of Khwaja Haji. Ananir (or Ananur), a brother of the fort's commander, surrendered to the Delhi army and was appointed as the new governor of the fort by Malik Kafur.
Instead of fighting the Delhi army, many of the feudatories on the way to Warangal directly marched to Warangal itself. This paved an easy way for Malik Kafur as now he had to attack just the Warangal Fort.
Warangal is Seized
The army reached Warangal on the 18th of January and a troop of 1000 strong cavalry units was dispatched by Malik Kafur for the thorough inspection of land and territory. The unit captured the region of Hanamkonda, from where the entire city of Warangal was easily visible. The Warangal fort was examined and personally scrutinized by Malik Kafur twice. The fortification at Warangal comprised of an inner stone fort surrounded by a ditch, and an outer mud fort surrounded by a moat. To reach the king, one had to cross the inner wall which was made with such a smooth texture that it could not be climbed.
The entire army surrounded the fort strategically and wooden walls were constructed for protection from the attack. Also, the activity on the side of defenders started by assigning the commanders and nayakas on each tower. Stones and bricks were thrown at the Delhi army continuously outside the outer wall of the fort. Both sides were seen making heavy use of stone-throwing machines, but this gave an advantage to Malik Kafur as his army was on the outer side. The moat was filled with mud, stones, and other objects in one place and the mud wall broke with the use of hard stones. Further, the doors were breached by the use of seize engines. Malik Kafur had also ordered the construction of tall ladders by the soldiers. On the morning of 14th February, the Delhi army attacked the outer fort and captured it by the 16th of February.
Now the main challenge for the army was to breach the inner stone wall, which was seeming next to impossible as it could not be done by the use of seize engines and further could not be climbed due to smoothness.
Prataparudra's surrender
The Delhi army was thinking of a strategy to break the inner wall, and the common masses inside the fort were in terror. Kakatiya ruler Prataparudra decided to surrender. Prataparudra surrendered unconditionally and sent a golden statue of himself with a chain around his neck to Malik Kafur to symbolise it. Malik Kafur, following the instructions of Alauddin, asked him to surrender his all wealth and threatened to massacre the city if he refused. The terms were agreed upon and the surrender of 100 elephants, 7000 horses, and many precious articles took place. It is believed that the total wealth surrendered by the king was more than the minds of the wise. The Kakatiya ruler promised to pay a huge annual tribute to the Delhi Sultanate. It is even believed that the infamous Koh-i-Noor diamond was part of his wealth surrendered.
The fact to be noted here is that neither the army was able to enter the inner fort nor King Prataparudra personally submitted to Malik Kafur. Everything was done by the medium of invoices. Malik Kafur also gifted Prataparudra a "robe of honour embroidered with jewels" after the peace treaty.
Aftermath
Alauddin Khalji was stressed as he had not received any news of conquest for over a month, due to the disruption of the communication channels by the enemies. He sent his emissary Qazi Mughisuddin to Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya requesting him for the prophecy regarding Malik Kafur’s march. The saint prophesised Alauddin's victory in Warangal and other future campaigns.
Malik Kafur returned in March and reached Delhi on the 9th of June 1310.
The loot was formally presented to the Sultan on 23rd June 1310, which was carried on thousands of camels, and arrangements were made for the public to see the treasures. Alauddin was delighted with Kafur’s successful campaign and rewarded him suitably.
In 1310, King Prataparudra also contributed the majority of the troops for Alauddin's campaigns against the Pandyas, his southern neighbours.
