Alauddin Khalji's invasion of Mithila was a military campaign conducted by Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate against the Karnat dynasty of Mithila, led by Shaktisimharadeva, in 1297-98 C.E in present-day Northern Bihar.
| Alauddin Khalji's invasion of Mithila | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Khalji's expansion into Mithila halted | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
.png){kind=small} Delhi Sultanate | Karnats of Mithila | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Sheikh Ismail | Shaktisimhadeva (POW) | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||
The only source for the conflict between the Delhi Sultanate and Mithila is Mulla Taqia. According to him, the Mithila king Shaktisimhadeva defeated the Delhi army in the first three battles, fought at Maqbara and Sakkuri. In the final battle, the Mithila king was defeated and arrested.[1][2] According to the Mithila tradition, Shaktisimharadeva subsequently served as a commander of the Delhi army during Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Ranthambore, but this tradition is not supported by any reliable evidence.[3][4] Nevertheless, the Mithila king likely became an ally or a vassal of Alauddin Khalji:[5] according to Mulla Taqia, he financially supported Alauddin Khalji.[6] Mithila appears to have regained its independent status as an ally of the Delhi Sultanate, until its annexation by the Tughluq dynasty in 1324.[7]
Background
editAfter annexing most of Western India, Alauddin set his sight eastward, and he sent armies to Mithila. His army arrived, meeting Shaktisimhadeva of the Karnat Dynasty of Mithila whose ancestor was Ramasimhadeva who himself countered Delhi and Bengal invasions by defeating Bakhtiyar Khalji.[8] Shaktisimhadeva's main strength was in his minister Vireshvara,[1] who himself was the father of Chandeshvara Thakur.[9]
Battles
editFollowing the majority of his conquests, Alauddin Khalji's army eventually encountered Northern Bihar in the Mithila region. There his army was immediately confronted by Shaktisimhadeva, successors to Ramasimhadeva's rule. Four battles occurred between them with reports from Mulla Taqia indicating that Alauddin's army suffered defeat twice in the first two skirmishes at the hands of Karnat King and his commander from Mithila. However, the Khalji army under Sheikh ismail gained an upper hand during the third battle annexing certain regions, as well as Sheikh Ismail capturing the Mithila King.[2] but this proved short lived as Shaktisimhadeva regained those territories against Alauddin's strength when they became independent in their final verdict - all according to accounts provided by Mulla Taqia himself.[10]
Aftermath
editAfter the arrest of Mithila king Shaktisimhadeva, He was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Alauddin's army against his enemies. His imprisonment was short-lived, He and his commander Vireshvara were able to gain independence again and maintained alliance with the Alauddin Khalji.[11] The Tughlaq regime subsequently took over with Chandeshvara Thakur, son of Vireshvara Thakur serving as commander for the Karnat Dynasty later. While attempting to rescue people in the Nepal region from hostile Tughlaq generals; he had some skirmishes but ultimately succeeded against them. During this era, King Harisimhadeva ascended to power after Shaktisimhadeva passed away as his successor.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b C.P.N. Sinha 1979, p. 111.
- ^ a b Radhakrishna Choudhary 1970, pp. 44–45.
- ^ a b R.C. Majumdar 1967, p. 398.
- ^ Radhakrishna Choudhary 1970, p. 45: "It is true that there is not much of truth in these tales"
- ^ Rosa Maria Cimino 1986, p. 1:"Sakrasimha or Śaktisimha who was defeated by Alā-ud-din Khaljī , becoming his vassal or his ally"
- ^ Radhakrishna Choudhary 1970, p. 46.
- ^ Radhakrishna Choudhary 1970, pp. 46–47.
- ^ Thakur, Upendra (1956). History of Mithila (Circa 3000BC-1556AD).
- ^ Kumar, DR.Rajiv (2019). "Vidyapati : a Great Devotional Poet" (PDF). p. 1.
- ^ C.P.N. Sinha 1979, pp. 111–112.
- ^ C.P.N. Sinha 1979, p. 112.
Bibliography
edit- C.P.N. Sinha (1979). Mithila Under the Karnatas (C. 1097—1325 A.D.).
- R.C. Majumdar, ed. (1967). The Delhi Sultanate. Vol. 6 (2nd ed.). Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 398.
- Radhakrishna Choudhary (1970). History Of Muslim Rule In Tirhut.
- Rosa Maria Cimino (1986). "Simraongarh: The Forgotten City and its Art". Contribution to Nepalese Studies. 13 (3). Tribhuvan University: 277.