In 1318, 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).

Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah () was a ruler 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).Kakatiya The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was an Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries. Th ...

ruler

Prataparudra Pratāparudra (r. c. 1289–1323), also known as Rudradeva II, was the last ruler of the Kakatiya dynasty of India. He ruled the eastern part of Deccan, with his capital at Warangal. Prataparudra succeeded his grandmother Rudramadevi as the Ka ...

who had stopped making tribute payments to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. The invading army, led by

Khusrau Khan Khusrau Khan was the Sultan of Delhi for around two months in 1320. Originally from the Gujarat region, he was captured by the Delhi army during Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Malwa in 1305. After being brought to Delhi as a slave, he was conv ...

and other generals, besieged the

Kakatiya The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was an Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries. Th ...

capital

Warangal Warangal () is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 704,570 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an . Warangal ser ...

. Prataparudra negotiated a truce after a brief siege, agreeing to pay tribute to

Background

The

kingdom, with its capital at

, had been subdued by the forces of Qutbuddin's father

Alauddin Khalji Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over lar ...

in 1310. However, the Kakatiya ruler

had stopped making tribute payments to Delhi. Therefore, Mubarak Shah sent an army to subjugate him. The army was led by

, Khwaja Haji (who had served as Alauddin's minister of war), and Malik Qutlugh (''amir-i shikar'').

The siege

After reaching near Warangal, Khusrau Khan surveyed the city from the

Hanamkonda Hanumakonda is a major city and the district headquarters of Hanumakonda district in the Indian state of Telangana. Earlier Hanumakonda was a separate city, then merged in Greater Warangal now. The three urban cities Kazipet, Hanumakonda and ...

hill. His initial attack forced the defending garrison to retreat inside the

Warangal Fort Warangal Fort is located in Warangal District, Telangana, India. It was the capital city of Kakatiya dynasty and Musunuri Nayakas. It appears to have existed since at least the 12th century when it was the capital of the Kakatiyas. The fort has ...

. The invaders then besieged the fort, and set fire to the fort's gate. The fire seems to have failed to achieve the desired results, as the invaders next pitched their tents around the fort. The Delhi army deployed highly advanced military technology by contemporary standards, including several

siege engine A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while other ...

s. At night, Prataparudra's general Diwar Mehta launched an attack on the Delhi camp. However, the attack was repulsed by Ghazi Kamil (governor of Awadh) and Tamar (governor of Chanderi). The Delhi soldiers then climbed up to a tower of the outer fort wall, and captured Prataparudra's minister Anil Mehta in a skirmish. Khusrau Khan spared the captive's life. During the first half of the next day, the invaders captured the outer mud-fort. The invaders then decided to construct a ''pasheb'' under the supervision of Malik Ambar and Shihab Arb. At this time, Prataparudra sent his messengers to negotiate peace.

Prataparudra's surrender

As part of the truce negotiations, Prataparudra surrendered over 100 elephants, 12,000 horses, and treasures to the invaders. Khusrau Khan also demanded an annual tribute payment of 60 gold bricks and cessation of five districts (Badarkot, Kailas, Basudan, Elor, and Kobar) from Prataparudra. After negotiations, this demand was reduced to 40 gold bricks and cessation of Badarkot. As a sign of Prataparudra's surrender, the canopy (''chatr''), baton (''durbash''), and banner given to him by Alauddin were taken back, and brought back as a gift from Mubarak Shah. Prataparudra paid obeisance to the royal canopy from the ramparts of his fort on three successive mornings. After subduing the

s, Khusrau Khan marched to

Ellora Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 CE., Quote: "These 34 m ...

near

Daulatabad Fort Daulatabad Fort, also known as Devagiri Fort or Deogiri Fort, is a historic fortified citadel located in Daulatabad village near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. It was the capital of the Yadava dynasty (9th century–14th century CE), for a br ...

, where Mubarak Shah had been residing for a month. The rest of the army joined him on the banks of the Narmada River on his way back to Delhi.

References

Bibliography

* * {{ref end Kakatiya dynasty