The Great Opportunity which Rajput lost in 1303 A.D.

# War Elephant bias relief wall panel from Chittorgarth #

The actual happenings and occurrence of those crucial moment in history were far unlike and divergent than what court poet and official historians made us to believe . The one who use to wrote mythical and hearsay account sitting under the protected wall of forts. Their official version were not only reviewed but thoroughly checked by authorities whether their narratives are favorably conformed with the character , personalities and achievements of one from whom they are getting tutelage . This thing was much common in medieval histrionic . The self-eulogizing was the common style of narratives wrote by those medieval court historians which was altogether no connection what their character hero’s actually experienced in his real ground campaigns.With the resource available in those time it was even impossible to capture the scene by scene occurrence and converting it into exact written account. If the classical age history have the deficiency of its own then medieval age history has its  own complexities and suffers from challenge to frame them in digital century of documented proof and hard clinching evidence to determine ‘actual truth’. We can only analyze the history with more broader studies of sources rather than allowing our self getting psychologically trap in false narrative of ‘victimhood’ or ‘proudhood’ or ‘wining side’ or ‘loosing side’ mentality.

Being located at strategic position in upper center around Delhi the North western and Rajputana region always a posed troublesome check and threat in the mobility of army and contingencies of kingdoms situated  near Indraprastha and upper Doab region of Delhi.That’s why entering and conquering ‘India’ was one game but to keep on holding it was altogether a different task and presented insurmountable challenge. Without the containment and control of those region ruling from north Delhi and upper Doab region was virtually impossible where constant threat of Rajputana raids in upper Doab area (which those court pampered historians never told ) used to always loom over at center(If one analyse Rajput medieval sources). Alliance and truce were only option available to Delhi Sultans or any one who ever situated and ruling from upper Doab region.Those who revoked it suffered and not able to rule for long. Notwithstanding whatever the court poet and historian ‘Amir Khusro’ over exaggerated claim but most of the expedition turned into inconclusive truce for Khilji Sultanate.In the quagmire of their mutual hostilities and multi fronts the Rajputs were also cynical against ‘mlecchas’ intention.After making inconclusive  and informal truce with Ranthambor Kingdom of Rajputana in 1296 A.D . Alauddin laid a siege in 1303 A.D. the Rajputana principality of Mewar but at the same time and year he faced a worst situation in his life when he was still laying siege the Chagtai Mongol under leadership of their chieftain Targhi,its leader with an army of 12000 with concerted effort attacked Delhi. The Mongols took a long time to rally from previous setback they suffered from Khalji Sultanate. The movements of probably the 4th invasion of the Mongols were so quick that the governors were not able to send their contingents to Delhi. Ala-ud-Din was forced to take shelter in the fort of Siri which was besieged by the Mongols for two months. During this interval, the Mongols plundered not only the surrounding territory but also Delhi itself. Minor skirmishes were fought on two or three occasions but neither party was able to gain any decisive advantage.

The patience of Targhi, who had come prepared only for a victory, was exhausted and he retired after a stay of a couple of months as he found the lines of Ala-ud-Din entrenchment impenetrable. The retreat of the Mongols seemed to be miraculous. To quote Barani, a medieval court historian. “This occasion, on which the army of Islam had received no injury from the Mongol force, and the city of Delhi had escaped unharmed, appeared one of the miracles of the age to all intelligent persons; for the Mongols had arrived in great force early in the season and had blockaded the roads against the entry of reinforcements or supplies, and the royal army was suffering under the want of proper equipment, while they (the Mongols) were in the most flourishing and hearty condition."

Although Barani attributes the retreat of the Mongols to the supplications of the poor and the prayers of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, yet the real reason of the Mongol retreat lies in something else. According to modern historian on medieval India Dr. K. S. Lai, it lies in the prompt action of Ala-ud-Din who would not yield to the enemy on any ground whatsoever and who undertook such defensive measures as even to baffle the Mongol veteran. It also lies in the fact that on account of their pre-occupation in Central Asia, the Mongols could never permit themselves to stay in Hindustan for long.

But the most important strategic question here is what the Rajputs were doing in that crucial moment. Why they never seized the golden opportunity in 1303 A.D. coinciding their counter assault along with mongol attack on Alaudin Khilji when he was hiding in fort of Siri. Perhaps they were too naive or stupid to understand the strategic importance of their own security position or too confident and contained regarding their fort impenetrability,or they were suspicious that in case of any adventurism they too can be attacked from other Rajputana adversaries in the quagmire of permanent conflict or perhaps their own assessment of regarding friend or foe was quite different from our perception and wishful thinking but in any case it was the great strategic opportunity to vanquish Turks from scene of history that Rajput of Mewar lost

Above: # War Elephant bias relief wall panel from Chittorgarth #

Dhananjay Srivastava (Lawyer-Lucknow High Court-Blog-Writer)