When Muhammad Ghori returned to his homeland, Qjithuddin. Aibak commanded the situation very brilliantly. After his retreat the Chauhans of Ajmer tried to recover their independence and to cast away the yoke of Turkish slavery but Aibak proved a great hurdle in their way. He consolidated the pobition” of Turkish Empire and established his control over Bulandshahar. He also established his away over Meerut and Aligarh.
Image Source: cdn.historydiscussion.net
He strengthened his power in Delhi and declared it the capital of Turkish Empire. In Ajmer, for instance, the idol temples were demolished to their very foundations and mosques and colleges were built, where “the precepts of Islam and the customs of the law were divulged and established.
Conquest of Xannan (1194 A.D.):
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The fate of Prithviraj soon overtook Jaichandrft the ruler of Kannauj who haciheld and laughed in his sleeves over the destruction of his son-in-law tor the crime of eloping with his not unwilling daughter. After the success of the second battle of Tarain, Muhammad Ghori again returned to India with a powerful army in 1194 a. d. and launched an attack over Kannauj.
Aibak also joined him to crush Jaichandra. Jaichandra, also marched to face the foreign invader. A fierce battle was fought at Chandwar. The Rajputs sustained by their numbers and Muslims by- their courage, “but unfortunately an arrow struck the eye of Jaichandra and he was killed dropping down from the “elephant. From Kannauj the Muslim” army rushed to Banaras and captured the royal treasury of Jaichandra.
The fall of Jaichandra at Chandwar made Muhammad the master of the political as well as the religious capitals of Hindustan, Kannauj and Banaras. After the victory of Kannauj and Banaras the victory Muhammad Ghori once again went back to Ghazni. He reinforced the Indian garrisons before his departure so that Aibak might add to his territorial possessions.
More Conquests of Qutbnddin Aibak:
As the power of Aibak was enhanced a lot due to reinforcement of Indian garrisons, he conquered Bayana in 1196 a.d. and appointed a TurKisn noble to look after the administration. The Chauhans of Ajmer could not swallow their defeat and tried to attain success against Aibak in the absence of Muhammad Ghori.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Aibak tried to suppress the Rajputs but he failed and was forced to seek refuge in the fort. He was released after the arrival of a fresh contingent from Ghazni. Qutbuddin Aibak also made an invasion of Anhilwnra to avenge defeat of his master. The Chalukyas of Anhilwara gave tought fight to Aibak but at last were compelled to surrender. The ruler of Anhilwara, anyhow, escaped from the battlefield. Aibak also occupied Badaun (1197-98 A.D.) And appointed Iltutmish, as its first Muslim governor.
In 1198-99 a.d. he once again conquered Banaras. He kept quiet for some time and after consolidating his position he invaded Bundelkhand in 1202-03 a.d. Parmardi Deva, the zuler of Chandela dynasty, was besieged in the” fort of Kalinjar. Out of dis- appointment he wanted to surrender before the Muslims but he was killed by Ajaya Deva his minister.
He took the command of the struggle and continued the fight but he was forced to surrender Kalinjar, Mahoba and Khajuraho When the water supply in the fort was disrupted by the Muslims.
Conquest of Bihar and Bengal by Ikhtiyaruddin Khalji:
When Aibak was busy in the heart of Hindustan, another soldier of fortune, also a Turki slave, was engaged in reducing the eastern provinces of Bihar and Bengal for Muhammad Ghori .This Was Ikhtiyarddin Khilji, son of Bakhtiyar Khalji. He was a terrible fighter and His arms were so long that they reached the calves of his legs while standing erect. In 1197 a.d. this efficient commander attacked Bihar.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
With the help of only 200 soldiers he plundered Odantipur, the capital of Bihar. King Rudruman of Bihar was a weak ruler. He ran away leaving his capital unsafe without fighting against the enemy. Ikhtiyaruddin sacked the Buddhist monasteries of Vikramshila and Nalanda. Thus owing to the cowardice of the ruler of Bihar, it fell into the hands of the Muslims in 1202-03 a d He killed several Bhikshus and compelled many of them to flee to Tibet and Nepal.
In 1199 a.d. Ikhtiyaruddin invaded Nadia, the capital of Bengal where Rai Lakshmana Sena of Bengal was the ruler. Muhammad Bakhtiyar in suddenly appeared before the city of Nadia with only eighteen horsemen the remainder of his army was left to follow.
All of a sudden a cry was raised at the gate of the Rais palace and in the city. Before he had ascertained what had occurred, Muhammed Bakhtiyar had rushed into the palace and put a number of men to the sword. The Rai fled bare-foot by the rear of the palace, and his whole treasure, wives, maidservants, attendants and women fell into the hands of the invader.
Numerous elephants were taken and such booty was obtained by the Muslims as is beyond all imagination. When his army arrived, the whole city was drought under subjection and he established his headquarters there.
Unsuccessful Invasion of Tibet:
Having become overconfident of his success, Ikhtiyaruddin Khalji made a scheme to conquer Tibet and China, but he could not achieve success in his motives and failed disastrously in 1205 a.d. Most of his army was destroyed but anyhow he escaped and reached Lakhnauti with about a hundred horsemen.
He was badly shaken by the grief of the loss of his companions and soldier. He fell ill and died just after a year in 1206 A. d.
Battle against Khokhars (1205 A.D.):
After the victory of Kannauj, Muhammad Ghori remained occupied in wars in Central Asia and he could not visit India for some years. As a result, a rumour spread in India that Muhammad Ghori was routed by the Turks at Andhkud, so the Khokhars revolted and tried to cast away the yoke of Turkish slavery.
Aibak made his best efforts to suppress the revolt, of the Khokhars but to no use. Hence Muhammad Ghori came to Punjab in 1205 a.d. and crushed the Khokhars with the support and cooperation of the army of Qutbuddin Aibak.