Muhammad bin Tughluq

This article is about the Sultan of Delhi. For 1971 film of the same name, see Muhammad bin Tughluq (film). For 1968 play of the same title, see Muhammad bin Tughluq (play).

A coin of Muhammad bin Tughlug

Muhammad bin Tughluq (Arabic: محمد بن تغلق‎) (also Prince Fakhr Malik, Jauna Khan and Ulugh Khan) (c.1300 – March 20, 1351) was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351.^[1] He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur.^[2] Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq sent the young Muhammad to the Deccan to campaign against king Prataparudra of the Kakatiya dynasty whose capital was at Warangal. Muhammad succeeded to the Delhi throne upon his father's death in 1325. He in turn was succeeded by his nephew Firuz Shah Tughluq.

Muhammad Tughlug was a scholar versed in logic, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and physical sciences. He had knowledge of medicine and was skillful in dialectics. He was also a calligrapher.He was well versed with several languages like Persian,Arabic,Turkish and even Sanskrit. Ibn Battuta (Moroccan traveler) visited him during his reign.He introduced some remarkable administrative measures which although failed but very distinct and exemplary in nature.

Rule of Tughluq

Tughlaq was committed to maintaining the Sultanate's expansion into the newly conquered provinces of peninsular India. To strengthen the sultanate's hold on its southern parts, Tughluq early in his reign moved the capital from Delhi to Devagiri, 700 miles (1500 km) south in the Deccan, renaming Devagiri as Daulatabad. The plan was conceived by the Emperor to rule from a strategic centrally located Capital. A Highway was built between Delhi and Devagiri to enable a smooth transfer. But Devagiri was ill equipped to host the offices and lacked the facilities wished by the Generals. And since this happened in summer, many people died because of inadequate water supply arrangements in Daulatbad. Without their comfortable mansions, the Ministers plotted to get the Capital shifted back to Delhi. The Mongol attack on the North added to the failures of this adventure. After only two years, the capital had to be shifted back again to Delhi, again at great loss, and it was said that Delhi was a ghost town for years after the move back. "When I entered Delhi, it was almost like a desert", wrote the famed North African travel writer, Ibn Battuta.

Campaign against Mokhadaji Gohil in Gujarat

Muhammed bin Tughluq was very ambitious and he planned to extend his rule into adjoining areas. To fund his campaign he first accumulated wealth. During that time, rajput Mokhadaji Gohil ruled nearby Ghogha and Piram Bet (presently near Bhavnagar). In 1347, Mokhadaji received information about moving of treasure by the Delhi Sultanate from Devagiri to Delhi through the port at Khambhat. Mokhadaji's navy seized the port and looted the cargoes from the Delhi Sultanate's ships. In response, Tughluq sent his army against Mokhadaji; however, Mokhadaji retreated to his secure base at Piram Bet, from which he raided the sea lanes. The sultanate's army's strategy was to cordon off Piram Bet, but they were not experienced in naval warfare and were unable to stop the raids. Thereafter, Muhammad bin Tughluq himself came to Gujarat to take charge. He established his base in Ghogha and resolved not to leave until Mokhadaji was killed. During the initial few months he was unsuccessful in his efforts to capture Piram Bet. He therefore schemed to entice Mokhadaji to come ashore in order to engage him in land battle. To this end he recruited a rich Vaishnav merchant of Khambhat, who was promised trade benefits if he could convince Mokhadaji to come on land to fight. The merchant went to Piram Bet and emotionally told Mokhadaji that the local people felt very oppressed by the sultan’s occupying army, and wished to wage battle for Mokhadaji if the latter would come to them. Mokhadaji heeded the plea, lost the battle, was taken prisoner near Khadarpar village, and was beheaded near Ghogha.

Collapse of the empire

Tughluq died in 1351 on his way to Thatta, Sindh in order to intervene a war between members of the Soomro tribe. He had lived to see his empire fall apart. During the latter years of his reign new kingdoms broke away in the Deccan, such as the Bahmani kingdom founded by Hasan Gangu.^[3]

Experiments with coinage

He was very wise and the schemes introduced by him were very good but very poorly executed; hence, many people call him the wisest fool.^{[citation needed]}

Muhammad bin Tughluq is known for his experimentiations with coinage. He memorialized himself and his activities through his coinage and produced more gold coins than had his predecessors. The coins boasted fine calligraphy. He issued a number of fractional denominations.

The large influx of gold from his plundering of south Indian campaign led him to increase coinage weights. He enlarged the gold dinar from 172 grains to 202 grains. He introduced a silver coin, the adlis, which was discontinued after seven years due to lack of popularity and acceptance among his subjects.

All his coins reflect a staunch religiosity, with such inscriptions as "The warrior in the cause of God", "The trustier in support of the four Khalifs - Abubakkar, Umar, Usman and Ali". The kalimah appeared in most of his coinage. Both at Delhi and at Daulatabad coins were minted in memory of his late father. There were also mints at Lakhnauti, Salgaun, Darul-I-Islam, Sultanpur (Warrangal), Tughlaqpur (Tirhut), and Mulk-I-Tilang. More than thirty varieties of bullion coins are known so far, and the types show his numismatic interests.

Unique among his coinage was the "forced" token currency. It was modeled after the Chinese example, using brass or copper tokems, backed by the silver and gold kept in the treasury. Tughluq had two scalable versions, issued in Delhi and Daulatabad. The currency was issued in the two different standards, undoubtedly to follow the local standards which preexisted in the North and in the South respectively. He engraved "He who obeys the Sultan obeys the compassionate" to fascinate people in accepting the new coinage. However, very few people exchanged their gold or silver coins for the new copper ones. Moreover, the tokens were easy to forge, which led to heavy losses, as Tughluq subsequently withdrew the forged currency by exchanging it for bullion coins. It is said that after the plan failed, there were heaps of copper coins lying around the royal offices for years.

Religious tolerance

Muhammad bin Tughluq was relatively liberal and permitted Hindus and Jains to settle in Delhi.^[4] The policy was reversed by his nephew Firuz Shah Tughluq.

In popular culture

• Muhammad bin Tughluq (Tamil: முகமது பின் துக்ளக்) is a socio-political satire Tamil play written and first staged by Cho Ramaswamy in 1968. The play was later made as a feature film in 1971.^[5]
• Thuglak (Tamil: துக்ளக்) is a weekly Tamil newsmagazine started by Cho Ramaswamy in 1970.^[6]
• Muhammad bin Tughlaq is the central character in Tughlaq: a play Kannada in thirteen scenes, by Girish Karnad published in 1972.^[7]

Notes

1. ^ Tughlaq Shahi Kings of Delhi: Chart The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, v. 2, p. 369..
2. ^ Douie, James M. (1916) The Panjab North-West Frontier Province and Kashmir Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, page 171, OCLC 222226951
3. ^ Verma, D. C. History of Bijapur (New Delhi: Kumar Brothers, 1974) p. 1
4. ^ The Vividhatirthakalpa as historical source and coherent text, http://www.southasiacenter.upenn.edu/pdf/Paper_Steven_Vose.pdf
5. ^ Ramnarayan, Gowri (7 June 2004). "Cho, what's up?". Interview. Kasturi and Sons Ltd for The Hindu. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2004/06/07/stories/2004060700430300.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-24. 
6. ^ Warrier, Shobha (4 July 2005). "'This is the time for imposing Emergency'". Interview. Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/jul/04spec.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-24. "I think it must have been some kind of a thrill because I was only a five-year-old journalist then. My journal was launched in 1970." 
7. ^ Karnad, Girish Raghunath (1972) Tughlaq: a play in thirteen scenes Oxford University Press, Delhi, OCLC 1250554

• Elliot, H. M. (Henry Miers), Sir; John Dowson. "15. Táríkh-i Fíroz Sháhí, of Ziauddin Barani". The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period (Vol 3.). London : Trübner & Co.. http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924073036737#page/n107/mode/2up. 

External links

• Encyclopedia Britannica - Muhammad ibn Tughluq

Preceded by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq

Sultan of Delhi 1325–1351

Succeeded by Firuz Shah Tughluq