Beginning of the Delhi Sultanate
Background: The Turning Point – Second Battle of Tarain (1192 CE)
To understand how the Delhi Sultanate began, we must first understand the turning point that made it possible — the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 CE.
In this decisive battle, Muhammad Ghori (the Ghurid ruler of present-day Afghanistan) defeated Prithviraj Chauhan, the powerful Rajput king of Ajmer and Delhi.
But Ghori wasn’t like other conquerors who stayed back and ruled. After the conquest, he did not settle in India permanently. Instead, he returned to Ghazni, his capital in Afghanistan.
And here enters a very important character in Indian history:
Rise of Qutbuddin Aibak: The Trusted Slave-Turned-Ruler
To manage his new Indian territories, Ghori appointed his trusted Turkish slave, Qutbuddin Aibak, as his representative.
Now, don’t let the word “slave” confuse you. In medieval Islamic empires, especially the Ghurid and later the Mamluk system, elite slaves known as ghulams or mamluks were highly trained in administration and warfare. Many rose to positions of great power.
Between 1192 and 1206, Qutbuddin Aibak did more than just govern — he expanded Turko-Afghan control across:
- The Ganga Valley
- Punjab
- Parts of Rajasthan
- Eastern India including Bihar and Bengal
This was a foundational phase of Islamic rule in India. But Aibak was not alone.
Role of Bakhtiyar Khalji: Conquest and Destruction
One of Aibak’s key lieutenants was Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, a Turkish military commander originally from Afghanistan.
Khalji led military campaigns in Bihar and Bengal, but he is also infamously remembered for the destruction of Buddhist institutions, especially:
- Burning down Buddhist viharas (monasteries)
- Destroying the ancient Nalanda University, which had been a centre of learning for centuries
This was not just conquest — it was a civilizational rupture, deeply symbolic in Indian history.
1206 CE – The Birth of the Delhi Sultanate
In 1206, Muhammad Ghori was assassinated.
With his death, Qutbuddin Aibak saw an opportunity and declared himself the Sultan of Delhi, marking the formal beginning of the Delhi Sultanate.
This was significant because it established:
- An independent, sovereign Turko-Afghan rule in India
- A shift from military governorship under Ghori to independent Sultanate rule
So, Delhi Sultanate officially begins in 1206 CE, with Qutbuddin Aibak as its first ruler.
Initial Struggles of the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1300 CE)
The first hundred years were not easy. The new Sultanate faced three major challenges:
- Foreign invasions – especially from Mongols and rival powers in Central Asia.
- Internal conflicts – between powerful Turkish nobles, who often acted like mini-kings.
- Rajput resistance – continuous attempts by Rajput clans to reclaim lost territories and restore local rule.
Despite these difficulties, the Turkish rulers managed to survive and consolidate their power.
By the end of the 13th century, they had expanded into:
- Malwa
- Gujarat
- Parts of the Deccan and South India
Why is the Delhi Sultanate Important?
The establishment of the Sultanate didn’t just change who ruled India — it reshaped Indian history in several ways:
- Administrative changes: New revenue systems, military organization, and centralized authority
- Social impact: New power structures, migration of Persian and Central Asian elites
- Cultural transformation: Introduction of Persian language, Indo-Islamic architecture, and Sufi thought
In short, the Delhi Sultanate laid the foundation for several centuries of Indo-Islamic political and cultural synthesis.