Significance of the Southern Victories of Alauddin Khilji

Alauddin was the first Muslim ruler who endeavoured to con­quer the South. He was a very ambitious ruler and he organized a very powerful army in order to fulfil his ambitions. He required money for it. In 1296 a.d. he invaded Deogiri for getting wealth. He felt that it was comparatively easy to get wealth of the Deccan kingdoms because they were quite prosperous.

Image Source: static.dnaindia.com

It is said about the convention of the Deccan States that after the death of the king, the successor had no right to make use of the royal treasury. He had to collect his own treasure. Hence the treasury of the Deccan rulers went on swelling rapidly.

But there was no harmony amongst the Deccan rulers, and Alauddin took advantage of these circumstances. He sent his; Naib Malik Kafur for this purpose who achieved tremen­dous success in these expeditions.

Alauddin was a very staunch and imperialist Sultan but he adopted a liberal policy towards the rulers of the South. He did not annex their kingdoms but was satisfied enough with the acceptance of suzerainty by the rulers of the South. His Naib Malik Kafur brought so much, wealth to Delhi that the people there became wonderstruck and their mouths gaped just to see it.

The success of Alauddin in the Deccan depended on his stern policy. Malik Kafur terrirfied the people of the Deccan by his cruelty and plunders and they accepted the supremacy of the Delhi Sultan without much resistance but his control over the South ended after his death and his successors had to reconquer the South. However, Alauddin’s conquest of the South helped in the expansion of Muslim culture in the South and people began to accept Islam.

In the end we can say that as a result of the expeditions of Alauddin in the South the people and governments of the South had to suffer very much and the rulers of the Deccan had to face many inconveniences as the royal treasury was empty. They had to enhance taxes on the public in order to meet their expenditure.

Several beauti­ful temples of the Deccan were devastated and they could not be repaired for want of money. The Muslim army destroyed several towns and forts and plundered them. Innumerable persons were killed during wars and thus the entire social structure was ruined as a result of the invasions of Alauddin in the South.