Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi (981-1030): A great hero of history
Sultan Mahmud is one of the state conquerors in Indian history who has ascended the golden throne of history on his own merits. The number of campaigns and victories that Sultan Mahmud Ghaznabi has conducted since his accession to the Afghan throne is unparalleled in the history of war victories. He had an innate tendency to wage war, which led him to conduct campaigns almost every year while in power, as well as to win victories. He conducted most campaigns against India in his lifetime. In India alone, he sent 17 expeditions, and coincidentally, he won every time. In Afghan history, Sultan Mahmud was a pious and courageous warrior. On the other hand, in Indian Hindu history, he is a bandit, a peacemaker, a plundered, and a ruthless, abuser of power. So Sultan Mahmud is a shining symbol of dual character in history.
History The famous conqueror Sultan Mahmud was born in 961 in what is now Afghanistan to the Sabuktagin family. His father's name was Sabuktagin. When his father died in 996, Sultan Mahmud, along with his other brother Ishmael, competed for control of the Ghaznavid Empire. Mahmud defeated his brother and took control of Ghazni. The Ghaznavid Empire then expanded to present-day Afghanistan and Khorasan or eastern Persia. At this time, when an internal revolt broke out in the region, Sultan Mahmud suppressed it with a stern hand.
At the beginning of his reign, Sultan Mahmud accepted the title of Amir by acknowledging allegiance to the Samanid dynasty, but in the early 1000's he declared independence by denying subordination to the Samanids and gaining the confidence of the Abbasid Caliph. From then on, he became known in history as Sultan Mahmud. Sultan Mahmud died in 1030 after a long reign. During his lifetime he led numerous conquests and achieved success with heroism.
Sultan Mahmud's invasion and conquest of India:
Shortly after Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi ascended the throne, his military campaign began with the suppression of the internal rebellion. After gaining temporary success, India decided to attack as it gained confidence in its military capabilities. He invaded India a total of seventeen times in his lifetime. His expedition to India began in 1000 and he repeatedly attacked India till 1026.Sultan Mahmud started his campaign against the Indians in 1000 by invading the border areas. In this expedition, he crossed the Khyber Pass and conducted expeditions in India, and achieved success. He laid siege to India 16 times in succession and laid the foundation for the success of Sultan Mahmud.
Shortly after the first expedition, he defeated Jaipal's misrule by defeating him and gaining wealth. He sent the third and fourth expeditions against Veer in 1004 and against Multan in 1008, both of which were won by Sultan Mahmud. Ananda Pal, Kangra, Nagarkot in 1008, took preventive measures in 1009, Khaneshwar in 1014, Kaunj and Mathura in 1017, and Gwalior and Kalingar in 1020. The most important India expedition of his life was in 1026. Conducted expeditions to Somnath temple. And his campaign in India came to an end with the campaign of 1026 against the Jats.
Expedition of Somnath Temple by Sultan Mahmud:
The conquest of the Somnath Temple is one of the most famous and critically acclaimed campaigns of Sultan Mahmud in India. The Somnath temple was located on the west coast of Kathiawar. There was a fixed idea among the Indians that the Somnath temple was invincible, that whoever moved towards it would burn to ashes. Therefore, in 1026, the Sultan advanced towards Somnath with a large army to break this idea. On hearing of his advance, several Rajput kings, including the king of Gujarat, and a large number of Rajput soldiers were determined to resist Sultan Mahmud. But no obstacle could stand in front of Sultan Mahmud. The enemy fought a fierce battle with Sultan Mahmud but unfortunately, the huge Rajput was defeated and killed. More than five thousand Rajputs were killed. As a result, Sultan Mahmud won and smashed the idol of Somnath temple.From this temple, he gained immense wealth, of which the amount of gold alone was about forty manas. It is said that before Sultan Mahmud was destroying the idol of the temple, the Brahmin king agreed to give a lot of money for not breaking the idol, but Sultan Mahmud refused. Behind this was the statement of Sultan Mahmud - let history remember me as an idol destroyer rather than an idol trader.
Why Sultan Mahmud repeatedly invaded India:
Sultan Mahmud did not invade India again and again for any specific reason. There are various reasons behind this. However, many believe that Sultan Mahmud invaded India only to plunder India's wealth and destroy Hinduism. However, modern historians call this doctrine a fortnightly and narrow history. According to them, the main motive behind Sultan Mahmud's invasion of India was political and economic.Because before Sultan Mahmud ascended the throne, there were several agreements with the Rajput-Hindu kings, such as the payment of the Ghaznavid tax. But after the accession of Sultan Mahmud to the throne, when he was busy suppressing the Safavids and other internal rebels, the Rajput kings, seizing the opportunity, refused all the treaties and refused the allegiance of the Sultan. As a result, Sultan Mahmud sent an expedition against them.
Moreover, when Sultan Mahmud was able to prove his military prowess by suppressing all internal rebellions, another challenge before him was to establish his military prowess outside the state and make his ambition to conquer the state a reality. Following this, Sultan Mahmud raised his army and was motivated to attack India.
One of the main goals of Sultan Mahmud's conquest of India was to prove his military prowess and to establish himself as a famous conqueror in history. Because he was confined to conquest and success, he did not take the initiative to establish any permanent rule in India. As a result, he could not establish any empire in India.
Reasons why Sultan Mahmud is famous in history:
In history, Sultan Mahmud is best known as a multi-faceted genius. He was at once a pious man, a heroic warrior, an efficient administrator, a patron of art literature, a judge of justice, and a conqueror of the state. Many myths have been written about the piety of Sultan Mahmud. He used to perform five regular prayers with the congregation and also performed a lot of nafol prayers. It is said that even after performing the obligatory and Sunnat prayers, he used to perform one hundred rak'ats of nafol prayers daily. Moreover, he recited the Qur'an regularly and performed other religious activities properly. He was very pious and always relied on God. Despite all these qualities, the one that brought him the best of recognition was his military prowess. He has spent his entire life in war. Because by ascending the throne, first he has to become a novice in suppressing the internal rebellion, and then he has to deal with other external enemies. In this, success has to be achieved by fighting against trained soldiers like Samanid and Indians. He rarely tastes defeat in life. Because he has fought most of his wars against India till the moment before his death where he has not lost.Another quality of Sultan Mahmud that has made him great is his patronage of science and literature. In his time, Ghajini's court became a meeting place for the wise. Sultan Mahmud himself used to attend various literary discussions. At his court, the author of the Shahnameh, Ferdousi, the philosopher Farabi, the historian Utbi, the narrator Baihaqi, the poet Algari, the Uzari, etc., were adorned by scholars. Moreover, the famous Al Biruni also received patronage at his court for some time. Many valuable books and manuscripts from India made the path of knowledge science of his court very well known.
Being immortalized in history as one of the best winners. He is called Napoleon of Ghazni. However, he did not succeed like Napoleon. Because he only conquered the kingdom through war but could not establish any permanent empire. Although there are allegations of intolerance against him, it is not entirely true. Because he did not oppress any people of any religion other than war. Despite the differences in the character of Sultan Mahmud, he is best known in history as a brave warrior. He will continue to be an inspiration to all heroic warriors in the future.