Bakhtiyar Khalji, the general of Qutubuddin Aibak, launched a campaign to invade

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

in the 13th century. Tibet was a source for horses, the most prized possession of any army, and Khalji was keen to control the lucrative trade between Tibet and India. Khajli's army commenced plundering the country around the

region of the Chumbi Valley. The people of that area and the parts adjacent advanced to repel the invaders. From daybreak to the time of evening prayer, a fierce battle ensued, and a great number of Khalji's army were killed or wounded.

Background

Bakhtiyar Khalji, the general of Qutubuddin Aibak, conquered

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

and Nadia, the capital of the Sena Kings of Bengal. He subsequently became obsessed with ambitions of conquering Tibet. Historically, Bengal had trade relations with Tibet along the ' Tea-Horse Route', through Assam,

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

and

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

, to parts of China and Southeast Asia, which were home to gold and silver mines. Tibet was also a source of horses. The planned invasion also coincided with the

Era of Fragmentation The Era of Fragmentation () was an era of disunity in history of Tibet, Tibetan history lasting from the death of the Tibetan Empire's last emperor, Langdarma, in 842 until Drogön Chögyal Phagpa became the Imperial Preceptor of the three regi ...

and the collapse of the

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...

. The expedition was aided by Ali Mech, a tribal chief from the foothills of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

in the north of

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. Mech was a recent convert to Islam, and he helped the expedition by acting as a guide.

Campaign

On his way north, Khalji invited the king of 'Kamrud' to join him, but the latter refused. After marching for 16 days through the

Teesta river Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal and subsequently enters Bangladesh through Rangpur division. In Bangladesh, it merges with Jamu ...

area in

North Bengal North Bengal ( , Uttar Banga) is a cross-border cultural–geographic region consisting of the north-western areas of Bangladesh as well as the northern part of the West Bengal state of India. Bounded to the east by the Jamuna and in the south ...

and

, Khalji's army reached the

Chumbi valley The Chumbi Valley, called Dromo or Tromo in Tibetan, is a valley in the Himalayas that projects southwards from the Tibetan plateau, intervening between Sikkim and Bhutan. It is coextensive with the administrative unit Yadong County in the T ...

and started looting Tibetan villages. The rugged Himalayan mountain passes of Tibet were an unfamiliar terrain to the invading army, who were more used to the sultry and humid plains of Bengal. The Tibetans lured Khalji and his Turkish army into a trap, inflicted heavy casualties and prompted Khalji to retreat. All along the escape route, the Tibetans continued relentless guerrilla-style attacks on the retreating army. Khalji's badly defeated soldiers ate their own horses to stay alive. On their retreat to Bengal, Khalji's army passed through the plains of

. Upon reaching the sub-alpine Himalayan region, the army tried to cross an ancient stone bridge on the foothills near the Teesta river. Khalji's soldiers found the arches in the bridge had been destroyed by Kamrup forces, making it difficult to cross the deep river. In their desperate attempt to reach the other side of the river at Devkot, Khalji's forces lost a number of men and horses. It is said that of the 10,000-strong army that had marched into Tibet, only around 100 men returned. After crossing the river, Ali Mech guided Bhaktiyar Khilji back to Devkot (present-day

Dakshin Dinajpur district Dakshin Dinajpur (), also known as South Dinajpur, is a district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, India. It was created on 1 April 1992 by the division of the erstwhile West Dinajpur District. The head ...

, West Bengal).

Aftermath

There are two accounts of what happened to Bakhtiyar Khalji following the

and Kamrup debacle. One account speaks of him dying from ill health and injury during this retreat to

. Another account notes that he was assassinated by Ali Mardan Khalji after returning to Devkot in Bengal.

References

{{reflist Military campaigns involving India Invasions of Tibet Conflicts in 1206 Military expeditions Military history of Bengal Expeditions from India Medieval Bengal Wars involving the Delhi Sultanate History of Sikkim History of Islam in China 13th-century Islam

Background

Campaign

Aftermath

See also

References