Malik Ikhtiyar-ud-din Altunia was the
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Bhatinda
Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda District. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth l ...
(
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
) in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
under the rule of the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). under the
Mamluk dynasty.
He was the husband of
Razia Sultana
Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din ( fa, ) (died 15 October 1240, ), popularly known as Razia Sultana, was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. She was the first female Muslim ruler of the subcontinent, an ...
.
Early life
Mirza Altunia born was some time around 1202-04 CE in
Bhatinda
Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda District. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth l ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
.
He was given the charge of sharab-dar (office the care of the liquors) and after sometime when
Sultan Itutmish saw the bravery and manliness in him he gave him the office of Sar Chatar-dar (head of the state canopy-bearers). During the reign of Razia Sultan, he stood by her like a pillar through thick and thin times. He helped her break the 40 Amirs and strengthen her rule, he also helped her in over throwing the rule of Shah Turkan and her son, Ruknuddin Firoz who were very cruel. Due to his services to her and the Sultanate, she made him the Governor of Bhatinda which was under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate.
Some historians say that, it was because of Malik Altunia's undying support and protective shield towards her, that she managed to rule successfully for four years. This fact made sense because, after he left for Bhatinda the Turkish nobles started to conspire against her and spread rumors about her and
Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut Jamal ud-Din Yaqut (also Yakut; died 1240) was an African Siddi slave-turned-nobleman who was a close confidant of Razia Sultana, the first and only female monarch of the Delhi Sultanate in India. Yakut was the puppet of Razia Sultan's stepmother bu ...
, an
Abyssinia
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...
n
Siddi
The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, or Habshi are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa and Ethiopia, most whom arrived to ...
(
Habshi
The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, or Habshi are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa and Ethiopia, most whom arrived to ...
) slave, and she began to meet her downfall.
Love for Razia Sultan
Altunia and Razia were childhood friends, some claim them to be childhood sweethearts. He had aimed to be her royal consort one day, but Razia's busy life and heavy responsibility as a Sultan wasn't something that she could overlook. Hence she kept turning down his repeated proposals for marriage. When he became the governor of Bhatinda, Razia started relying on an Abyssinian Slave named Jamaluddin Yaqut who was loyal to the Sultana. Yaqut in a short span had acquired great position and rank. From a simple Amir-i-Akhur (Lord of the stables), he became Amir-ul-Umra (Chief of the Nobles). The position of Amir-ul-Umra was earlier held only by a Turk of highest order. The growing rumour between the illicit relationship between Yaqut and Razia made him jealous and so he led a rebellion against her .
It is now accepted that Malik Altunia was her first and last love. The rumors of Yaqut were only spread by Turkish nobles to put the Sultana's image down. Many well known historians also believe that the rebellion was simply a way of getting her back and to protect her from the evil eyes of people like Kabir Khan and the Turkish Nobles who always wanted her downfall because they could not accept a woman sitting on the throne. Mount Elphiston describes Malik Altunia in his book as "the safest hands Sultan Razia could ever be placed in."
A battle ensued between the lovers, Yaqut was killed and Razia was captured and taken as prisoner. While in prison, she was kept in royalty and Altunia visited her regularly. She was allowed to go to Hajirattan mosque to offer prayers on Fridays in a special palki. The changing nature and extreme care melted the anger of Razia Sultan and she won him over once again with her love clearing the misunderstandings once and for all. As a result, she was released and the lovers got married.
Death
Altunia, brought forth Sultan Razia from the fortress of Bhatinda, assembled forces, and marched towards the capital. However, their plan had little chance to get success still they tried. Both Razia and the Mirza were defeated in October 1240. They fled Delhi and reached
Kaithal
Kaithal () is a city and municipal council in the Kaithal district of the Indian state of Haryana. Kaithal was previously a part of Karnal district and later, Kurukshetra district until 1 November 1989, when it became the headquarters of the K ...
the next day, where their remaining forces abandoned them. They both fell into the hands of
Jats and were robbed and killed on the date corresponds to October 13, 1240.
There is a claimed burial site where Razia Sultana was buried in Kaithal and Altunia was also buried next to her. There was also a
masjid
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...
nearby.
The
Viceroy of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
Lord Linlithgow
Marquess of Linlithgow, in the County of Linlithgow or West Lothian, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 October 1902 for John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun. The current holder of the title is Adrian Hope.
This ...
in 1938 came to Kaithal to visit Razia's tomb. He approved a special grant for the restoration of the tomb. After that the Director General of the
Archaeology Survey of India visited the tomb but due to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the grant could not be spent on the restoration.
In popular culture
Altunia has been portrayed several times in Indian films (focusing on Razia Sultana), including by
Paidi Jairaj Paidi or Páidí may refer to the following:
People
* Paidi () is an Indian surname. People with the surnames or family names of Paidi or Pydi are found in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. People with Paidi surname are Kalinga's ...
in ''Razia Sultana'' (1961),
Vijayendra Ghatge
Vijayendra Ghatge is an Indian actor in Bollywood film and television. He is known for his role of Lala Vrishbhaan in the TV serial ''Buniyaad'' that originally aired on DD National in 1986. Among other serials and several films, he is also kn ...
in
''Razia Sultan'' (1983).
In 2015,
&TV started airing a
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
on the life of Razia Sultan, starring
Rohit Purohit
Rohit Purohit is an Indian actor who works in Hindi television. He made his acting debut with ''Shaurya Aur Suhani'' portraying Chitwan in 2009. Purohit is best known for his portrayal of Malik Altunia in '' Razia Sultan'', Alexander in ''Porus' ...
as Malik Altunia which highlighted both, her tough journey towards becoming a Sultan and her much spoken about passionate love life with Altunia.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altunia, Malik
Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)
13th-century Indian Muslims
13th-century Indian people
People from Bathinda
1240 deaths
Kings consort
Indian royal consorts
Spouses of sultans